Living a Scheming Marriage with a Mad Villain - Chapter 22

It wasn’t just swearing—he even had a habit of repeating the same things when drunk.

 

Reus had no interest in entertaining drunk people, so he didn’t bother responding.

 

Soon, he felt a round head leaning against his shoulder, as if giving up. He thought she might finally quiet down, but before long, a small hand began groping around his thick neck.

 

It felt like a child finding their favorite toy.

 

“So warm…”

 

“Loelle, could you move your hand—”

 

“I want to take this to my room…”

 

The soft hand brushing against his bare skin was distracting, but saying it out loud didn’t help. Loelle looked like she couldn’t even open her eyes, fighting off sleep. She probably didn’t even realize what she was touching.

 

Reus sighed and started walking again.

 

“And I need to eat ice cream… need to carry this too… warm things…”

 

Reus ignored the annoying ice cream talk and tried to lay Loelle down on the bed. But just then, Loelle, who had quietly clung to his neck, suddenly threw her arms around him.

 

“Ahh—! I’m not sleeping… I won’t sleep…”

 

Reus froze on the spot like a statue. Loelle’s body was pressed tightly against his chest, which was exposed under his robe.

 

To make matters worse, Loelle’s nightgown was so thin that he could feel her skin directly. That wasn’t all. Her golden hair fell onto his neck and collarbone, smelling like flowers, while her body clinging to his released a sweet scent that clouded not just his senses, but his thoughts too.

 

Reus, who rarely showed emotion, was unusually flustered and completely stiffened.

 

A man over 190 cm tall with strong arms and a solid body, now helpless against a single woman.

 

“Loelle, just for a moment—”

 

“No! No… I said I’m not sleeping…”

 

He could’ve easily pushed her off, but Reus couldn’t bring himself to do that.

 

He had thought the same thing while treating her injured foot before—this woman’s bones were too thin. She didn’t have much flesh either, and sometimes she looked so fragile that just looking at her made him worry.

 

So when his rough hands, used to holding metal, grabbed her slender arms with their usual strength, he ended up panicking and letting go.

 

Seeing the red handprint he left on her skin made it even harder to lay a hand on her.

 

His beast-like arms, which could probably take down wild animals, now hovered awkwardly around her body, unsure of where to go.

 

Realizing this wouldn’t end like this, Reus gave up on pulling her off and decided to persuade her to lie down using only words.

 

“Just your arm, for a second…”

 

“Ah—nooo… I told you, I’m not sleeping… not until I get melon ice cream…”

 

“Loelle, understood. I’ll tell the servants tomorrow—”

 

“Nooo! I want it now… right now…”

 

Reus was honestly at a loss. The more he tried to get her off, the tighter Loelle clung to him, until he couldn’t even move. In the end, after a long struggle, he gave in and lay on the bed with Loelle still in his arms.

 

Leaning his head casually against the bed’s headboard, Reus looked more exhausted than ever.

 

He spoke to the restless Loelle in his arms with a tired voice.

 

“Please don’t do anything reckless. I’d appreciate it if you just went to sleep.”

 

“Mmm… I’m fine. Totally not drunk… I can eat ice cream…”

 

“See? I’m talking fine… I’m really not drunk at all.”

 

She said this, completely unaware that her eyes were closed.

 

“Let’s just sleep now.”

 

“Ahh, wait… just wait a moment…”

 

“What now.”

 

“You know, if I sleep…”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Will you give me melon ice cream?”

 

That damn melon ice cream.

 

Reus swore to himself that no matter what, he’d make sure someone brought her that damn ice cream at every meal from now on.

 

But Loelle squirmed in his arms, demanding an answer.

 

“Why won’t you answer meee…”

 

“Loelle. It’s better to sleep now instead of doing something you’ll regret tomorrow.”

 

“Nooo… Who do you think you are…”

 

If she’d just thrown a tantrum instead of quietly lying there and sweetly asking for ice cream, she might’ve been easier to handle.

 

But there was only one conclusion.

 

Like it or not, Reus owed her his life. So dealing with her unexpected drunkenness was his responsibility.

 

He closed his eyes, hoping Loelle would tire herself out and fall asleep, trying to push the thoughts away.

 

But the soft, mumbling lips near his neck didn’t let him.

 

“So… my melon… ice cream…?”

 

“Heyyy… Are you even listening to me…”

 

Sigh…

 

Reus let out a deep sigh, as if raising the white flag. Then, covering his eyes with the back of his hand, he quietly changed how he thought of Loelle.

 

From a quiet woman… to a woman who causes quiet chaos.

 

The hot, sticky air woke me up. My body felt heavy, like a sponge full of water. I had chugged high-proof liquor without fear…

 

No point regretting it now, but I shouldn’t have had that last drink.

 

I lay there for a while, unable to move, just blinking. Then something strange filled my vision.

 

‘What… is that?’

 

I stared blankly at what I saw. A thin navy robe… and underneath it, a white, statue-like chest…

 

‘A chest?’

 

Realizing the word I had just thought, I opened my eyes wide.

 

It was real. My sharpened vision showed me a man’s bare chest. Broad and firm…

 

‘No way… no. It can’t be.’

 

It must not be.

 

Then a low voice spoke above my head.

 

“You’re awake?”

 

I quickly raised my head at the sound of that voice.

 

I had thought the voice was close… but I never imagined I was using Reus’s arm as a pillow.

 

‘How did I end up sleeping like this?’

 

I tried hard to remember, but nothing came to mind. No matter how much I tried, it was a blank.

 

Yeah, I blacked out after the last drink—if I did remember, that would’ve been even weirder.

 

I slowly tried to scoot away and checked Reus’s expression.

 

‘He doesn’t seem angry or upset…’

 

But I couldn’t move further—something solid was blocking me. Seeing the muscular arm under my head shift slightly, I realized it was Reus’s arm keeping me in place.

 

Reus, staring at the ceiling with sleepy eyes, turned his head.

 

A heavy silence fell between us. And in that moment, Reus looked worse than I had ever seen him.

 

‘Why does he look so tired…?’

 

As much as I didn’t want to admit it, seeing his drained expression made it clear—I had definitely done something wrong.

 

If I remembered even a little, I could try to make up for it, but everything from last night was wiped clean.

 

Afraid of what he might say, I couldn’t even open my mouth.

 

But since Reus kept staring without breaking eye contact, I had no choice but to confess.

 

“Y-Your Grace… Did I… do something wrong…?”

 

“Hey. You.”

 

“What?”

 

“You were fine calling me that yesterday. Why are we back to formal titles now?”

 

Hey. You?

 

‘H-Hey… you…?’

 

Is he saying I actually called him that?

 

‘No way.’

 

No way. There’s no way I was that rude.

 

My friends always said I was a calm drunk—no throwing up, no yelling, no resisting going home, no acting out. I just quietly fell asleep.

 

“You? You don’t even get drunk. No throwing up, no rage, no tantrums. You just sleep quietly. You’re the calmest drunk we know.”

 

“Right. Just give her some ice cream and she behaves.”

 

They said that…!

 

Yeah, even drunk, I couldn’t have said Hey, you to Reus…

 

“I… don’t really understand what you mean…”

 

But then Reus’s next words crushed all hope.

 

“You spent all night asking for melon ice cream.”

 

So I don’t behave because of the ice cream—I behave if I get the ice cream?

 

‘Then I really did say Hey, you…?’

 

Now that I knew Reus wasn’t making it up, I quietly closed my eyes.

 

If my body had been free, I would’ve already run out of the room. But thanks to Reus showing no sign of letting me go, I couldn’t move at all.

 

I quickly bowed my head, but the shame only grew stronger with time. My face burned, and soon even my ears felt hot.

 

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Your Grace…”

 

“Why Your Grace again?”

 

“Sorry for that too.”

 

‘Wait… I didn’t do anything worse… did I?’

 

I peeked at Reus.

 

“Do you want to hear the rest?”

 

“If it were me, I’d choose not to.”

 

Should I just die right now?

 

It wasn’t the time for such thoughts, but I considered it quite seriously.

 

Then—knock knock—a knock at the door startled me. My shoulders jumped, but Reus calmly turned his gaze toward the door.

 

Soon, the door opened.