Living a Scheming Marriage with a Mad Villain - Chapter 17

Not being used to such warm reactions, I nervously looked around, and then Peria spoke.

“Ah, right. Just so you don’t worry about the broken engagement issue, let me tell you in advance that you don’t need to worry about it from now on. I hear that things have been nicely wrapped up with the Marquis Ershian.”

It was a relief that the engagement issue was resolved, but I still couldn’t feel at ease. Peria was known for her unpredictable nature.

I hesitated, looking for the right moment to speak up, before finally gathering the courage to ask.

“Um, Mother… weren’t you surprised by the sudden news?”

I asked, quite nervously, but Peria responded without much care.

“What news are you talking about?”

“Well, the news that the Duke and I are getting married.”

“Oh, the proposal letter? I was surprised to receive a letter from the Duke of Rochester, but what’s the big deal? It’s a proposal from the Duke’s family, after all!”

‘What?’ This was not the reaction I expected at all.

If it were Peria, I thought she would tell me to break up with Reus as soon as she saw me.

I thought her acceptance of the marriage was probably due to my father’s unilateral decision, and given her usual behavior, I had no other expected response from her.

After all, Peria had never supported my engagement with Cassien , simply because he was a playboy.

But now…

“If you’ve been courted by the Duke, then you should have told me earlier. If that were the case, I would have annulled your engagement with Cassien right away. The Marquis Ershian’s family and the Duke of Rochester’s family are incomparable. Don’t you think?”

She seemed quite delighted, as if she were genuinely excited that her own daughter was being courted by a Duke.

‘So that’s why there was no reason for such an unexpected response.’

Her reaction was completely different from usual. It seemed like her social circle had a lot to do with it.

After all, ever since the scandals about inheritance matters, Peria had become extremely concerned with her reputation in society. The fact that our family was now receiving positive attention for a marriage to the only Duke in the Empire must have made her quite happy.

Moreover, she must have been thrilled that the woman she so disliked, the Duchess of Lorelia, had been outdone by her own daughter.

‘Looks like she’s benefiting from society’s approval.’

All the worries I’d had for the past few days vanished in an instant. When we arrived at the dining room, my father immediately stood up and approached me.

His luxurious attire swayed elegantly with every movement. As always, his extravagant appearance made it hard to feel anything beyond a slight distance rather than the excitement of seeing him after a long time.

“My daughter. It’s been such a long time.”

“It’s been a while, Father. I hope you’ve been well.”

“I’ve been just fine. So, did you have a good time at the Duke’s place?”

“Yes, everyone was very kind to me.”

While my father didn’t pour out the same affection he did for Deon, at least he showed some interest.

However, today, his greeting seemed warmer than usual, and I could tell that he was also quite pleased about my marriage to Reus.

“Well then, let’s talk about the details later. For now, let’s eat.”

“Yes, Father.”

The atmosphere at the dinner table was unexpectedly cheerful.

As expected, the topic of conversation was my marriage.

“To think that you’ve always acted like you weren’t interested in women, and now you’re getting married without even having an engagement ceremony!”

“Who could have imagined that the Duke would fall for a woman?”

“Well, in the end, I’m just a normal guy like any other! No matter how good I may be, I can’t help myself when it comes to a woman I like, right? Loelle, you’re hardly ordinary in terms of looks, are you? Anyone who doesn’t feel anything looking at you must be strange! Hahaha!”

“Haha…”

The endless talk about looks. My father always brought it up whenever he saw me, and it usually sparked some kind of argument. Just like now.

“You’re so like your mother, with that stunning appearance! There’s no one in the Empire who can match your beauty.”

“Ah, Father…”

When he suddenly mentioned my biological mother, I quickly glanced at Peria, startled.

But no matter how I looked at her, my father continued talking.

“As you grow, you look more and more like your mother. You’ve really grown up well, you know. I should thank Julia for that.”

And then, my real mother’s name was mentioned directly.

An icy silence fell in the room.

Briella, who had been wearing a disinterested expression since I entered, now looked at her mother in confusion.

Clink-

Peria set her utensils down and, with a cold smile, called out to my father.

“Darling.”

“Yes, dear?”

“If you don’t want to ruin this good moment, can we stop talking about that lowly woman?”

“Haha, what does it matter? There’s no one else in the room but us!”

For a moment, Peria stared at him in shock, and only then did my father clear his throat, pretending to realize his mistake.

“Anyway, Loelle. How did you meet the Duke?”

“Well, we ran into each other often at balls.”

Since I was sure I’d be asked this question many more times, I had already coordinated with Reus about the answer. I said he had worked hard from the very first meeting to propose.

‘Thank goodness. I can just say that Reus did everything.’

“At the ball, Reus… ah, no…”

I accidentally slipped and called him by his first name, and though I was flustered, Peria only raised her eyebrows slightly without giving any negative reaction.

“Oh? You’re already calling each other by name?”

“Ah, yes. Reus said it felt more comfortable that way.”

“When did you start calling each other by name?”

“Um… it’s been a while.”

Since we hadn’t really set a specific timeline, I awkwardly smiled and brushed it off.

But Peria, showing no signs of losing interest, continued to ask about Reus and me.

Even Briella , sitting next to her, shot her mother a sharp look, clearly annoyed.

“By the way, I heard the Marchioness Rayvian also stayed at the Duke’s castle. How is she?”

“Yes, she’s been very kind. She’s even helping with my wedding preparations, so I think she’ll stay at the Duke’s castle until the wedding.”

“The Marchioness herself?”

“Yes, she really cares for Reus.”

When the conversation turned to Shanette , Peria face brightened even more, and my father seemed just as pleased.

It was clear that Peria was looking forward to gossiping not just about Reus and me, but also about Shanette. My father, too, seemed to be imagining what kind of benefit he could gain from Reus, who was so deeply infatuated with me.

Meanwhile, Briella couldn’t hide her irritation, stabbing her fork into her food repeatedly, almost as if trying to vent her frustration.

The entire meal felt like a complete mess, both outwardly and inwardly.

After the meal, I headed to my father’s study.

“You called for me, Father?”

“Yes. Sit down, Loelle.”

As soon as I sat down, my father spoke.

“I hear the Duke wants to hurry up with the wedding?”

“Yes, I think he’s worried about Cassien. Reus thinks I still can’t get over Cassien.”

“Haha! The Duke is jealous? I guess that’s the only reason a man would try to seduce another man’s fiancée!”

My father laughed heartily, seemingly enjoying the thought.

“He said he doesn’t want anything from our family. He’s only interested in marrying you.”

“Yes, he did say that to me too. But looking ahead, I think it wouldn’t be good to go in empty-handed.”

Although I didn’t directly say it, my words implied that if I went empty-handed, I would lose the chance to make demands in the future.

My father understood immediately and laughed again.

“Right, haha! The Duke of Rochester’s family is wealthy. If we’re too worried about losing something, we might end up losing everything.”

“Then, do you think we should try to match things as much as possible?”

“Well, with so many eyes on us, it’s best to be careful. It’s sudden, but we’ll try to accommodate as much as we can.”

‘Of course, all of that will end up in my hands.’

I clenched my fists secretly.

Just then, my father seemed to be about to wrap up the conversation, moving his body slightly.

‘No, I still haven’t said the most important thing!’

Seizing the opportunity, I called out to him quickly.

“Father…!”

“Yes, Loelle?”

“The Duke isn’t interested in the dowry, is he?”

“Well, that’s true. What would someone who has everything care about a dowry? But of course, you’re the exception, Loelle.”

I hesitated for a moment, feeling as though I was being treated like an object, but I continued.

“I was thinking maybe it wouldn’t be bad to pass along some of the troublesome things. Like, maybe some land that hasn’t sold, or some paintings…”

As I spoke, my father suddenly narrowed his eyes and stared at me intently.

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