Living a Scheming Marriage with a Mad Villain - Chapter 18

Did I make it too obvious? My heart was pounding so loudly that it felt like it was beating in my ears. But soon, my father burst out laughing.

“This is unexpected. I was worried when you acted like such a proper lady with Cassien .”

“Did I really?”

“Do you know how shocked I was when I heard it was you, Loelle, who sent the annulment letter?”

“Haha…”

“But in the end, it worked out. It would have been a waste if Ivelle eldest daughter had only belonged to Cassien .”

I was just as shocked as he was.

‘Before, I was planning to escape, but now…’

Somehow, suddenly, marriage was looming on the horizon. It wasn’t with Cassien , whom I’d been seeing for over four years, but with the Duke the villain Reus from the original story.

But at least I was relieved. My father didn’t seem to realize he had fallen into a trap.

“I never expected you to cause such a huge mess and catch a big fish like the Duke. Maybe the Duke is the type who goes wild for obedient women like you. If I had known, I would’ve put more effort into it from the start.”

“Well, the affection might not last long, but…”

My father, who was laughing as if there was no problem, continued.

“Anyway, it will be a big help to the family, so isn’t that good? Always do your best for the Duke.”

“I’m glad I can be of help to the family, Father.”

“Good. Don’t act petty like your mother with the Duke. Understand? I’m talking about Peria, not Julia. Of course, I trust you’ll keep this a secret from your wife.”

“Yes, of course, Father…”

The way my father treated women like objects was over. I just had to endure a little longer.

“Then, I’ll decide in a way that’s most beneficial to Ivelle. Tch… We should also get rid of the northern forest. I’ve been worried about how to handle that place, which only eats up taxes.”

‘The northern forest!’

That was the peaceful forest Reus had wanted so much. I barely managed to suppress the urge to shout in joy, waiting for the next words. My father lightly rubbed his chin and muttered.

“It’s right next to the Duke’s territory, so it provides a good excuse. This wouldn’t be bad at all.”

‘Things seem to be going smoother than I thought today.’

I nodded with a brighter smile than I had when I was staying at the Count’s residence.

“If that’s what you want, Father, then that’s what we should do. The Duke won’t know anyway, and even if he does, he probably won’t care.”

“Haha, your marriage really brings a lot of benefits, doesn’t it, Loelle? You’re such a pretty girl.”

My father couldn’t hide his satisfaction, unaware of what was about to happen to him.

For the first time, I didn’t feel the usual discomfort during a conversation with my father. It actually felt refreshing.

I hummed lightly and headed to my room in the main building, not the storage room tucked away in the annex.

Of course, I wasn’t just happy because Peria had allowed me to have a room in the main building.

I was simply pleased with how the plot of the story had changed. Things were going much smoother than I had expected.

When I had first discovered that Reus knew about the peaceful forest, I was only worried. But now, it felt strange that I was about to leave the empire with a fortune, without losing anything.

‘I’ll get married safely, live comfortably in the Duke’s castle, gather my share, and then head off to Veliata, right?’

As I walked with light steps, someone suddenly grabbed me and spun me around roughly.

It was Briella.

“So, you had something to rely on when you acted so bold that day, huh?”

She had been grinding her teeth throughout the meal.

‘Right. You wouldn’t let it slide quietly.’

I didn’t know what she was trying to say, but her face was already filled with mockery.

“How did you seduce him?”

“What?”

“How did someone like you manage to seduce a man like the Duke?”

‘But if you think about it, wasn’t it Reus who seduced me? I didn’t do it.’

But Briella, not able to see through my thoughts, twisted her lips as if satisfied, thinking she had won.

“Right. How could the Duke propose to you unless you let something slip? What could someone like you have that he would like?”

“Oh, wait. The Duke doesn’t know you’re a lowborn, does he? Sorry, sorry. I forgot about that.”

“Briella, stop…”

“Why? Did you approach him in a way you’re ashamed of? Is that why you don’t want to talk about it?”

“Stop crossing the line, Briella.”

“Oh? I guess I’m right, considering you’re not saying anything. Did you act like your mother?”

“What?”

“Did you cling to him like your mother did, cheaply?”

Slam!

Without thinking, I slapped her after she mentioned my deceased mother. But I didn’t regret my action.

No one was unaware of how my father manipulated the weak. Briella, just like me, knew that fact very well.

“You… you just hit me?”

“You’re the one who spoke carelessly. Didn’t you expect something like this when you said it?”

“Have you lost your mind? Do you think just because you’re marrying the Duke, you’ve become someone important? You’re still lowborn! You’re nothing but a bug, nothing more, nothing less! How dare you—!”

In the middle of Briella’s angry rant, she raised her arm to slap me.

-Whack!

Someone appeared and stopped her hand.

I slowly turned my head to follow the hand that had stopped her, and there he was.

“Why are you here?”

It was Cassien.

“I didn’t know Ivelle second daughter had such a foul mouth. It seems like dignity is out the window.”

“What—what did you say?”

“Loelle, let’s go.”

Cassien didn’t let go of my hand, pulling me along. He only released my hand when we reached a quiet corner of the garden, where it was hard for others to find us.

However, he immediately grabbed my arm again and pulled me closer, preventing me from moving.

“This…”

“Loelle. Wait, no…?”

I hadn’t realized before, but Cassien face looked unusually injured. His eyes were bloodshot, as if he hadn’t slept, and his face seemed a little thinner.

I was a little surprised by his disheveled appearance, but…

Cassien and I were officially broken off now.

‘I don’t have any reason to care.’

I spoke as coldly as I could.

“Why are you here?”

“Go back, Cassien. This is no longer a place you can come to freely.”

Cassien, who had been staring at me blankly, finally opened his mouth.

“You said you would wait…”

“I never told you to wait for me.”

“Loelle.”

“I don’t know what you’ve been waiting for, but my feelings haven’t changed.”

“We’re broken off. This is really the end.”

A flicker of shock passed over Cassien stiff face.

Still, since he was someone I had once imagined a forever future with, I didn’t feel entirely good about this.

But… that was all.

Maybe, I had been slowly getting over my feelings for Cassien long before this.

“I… I was wrong.”

“Cassien, how many times do I have to say this? We’re—”

“I’ve regretted it a lot.”

Tears fell from Cassien eyes.

“I mean it. I… I’ve really regretted it. Loelle.”

I didn’t know how much of that was sincere, but I was genuinely surprised.

Cassien only ever showed tears in front of Iris, and this was something that came much later in the original story.

Cassien, who seemed to have noticed my shock, immediately knelt down in front of me.

“I did everything wrong… I won’t do anything you hate anymore. What can I do? How can I make things go back to the way they were?”

“I can do anything, Loelle. No, I will do anything. I mean it. I can do everything. Please don’t leave me like this… please…”

The tears that started with a single drop soon soaked Cassien face. His grip on my hand tightened, and his hands began to tremble.

My head was spinning.

Cassien act of pretending to have loved me was shocking. I even felt a little sorry for him. I hated him, but I also felt sadness…

So many emotions were swirling inside me. The hardest part was realizing that I had wavered for even a moment.

“Loelle, please don’t do this… I’ll be better from now on.”

“I can explain everything, Loelle. I’ll explain everything in a way you’ll understand. Please,  don’t leave…”

What could he possibly explain?

The women he met while keeping me around? Or how he made me miserable with his ambiguous behavior?

Or maybe he was going to say that he never said he loved me? That he kept delaying the annulment? That he returned with traces of another woman?

Whatever the reason, there was nothing in this list that could be justified for someone who claimed to love me.

And yet, he was trying to hold me with excuses that wouldn’t convince me.

It was laughable.

‘To think I wavered even for a moment with this idiot.’

As Cassien climbed closer, his hand intertwined with mine. Desperately, he held my hand, looking up at me with bloodshot eyes.

“Believe me, Loelle please…”

“Let go of this.”

“I can’t let you go. Don’t leave… don’t leave, Loelle!”

Meeting Cassien had been difficult, but this was the first time I had felt such hatred for him.

I pulled my hand away with all my strength, pulling back. But my back hit something hard, blocking me from going any further.

“Who do you think you are, to decide whether to let go of someone else’s betrothed?”

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