Living a Scheming Marriage with a Mad Villain - Chapter 27

The sound of Reus’s footsteps echoed steadily through the empty hallway. Unlike his calm and unshaken appearance from behind, a quiet fury swirled in his blue eyes, as though his mood had taken a sharp turn.

[“It seems the Empress pulled some sort of trick at my daughter’s banquet. As you know, Iris hasn’t been in the palace long and has no one to protect her. I could send someone myself, but… wouldn’t that just add fuel to the Empress’s anger? So, Reus, I’d like you to smooth things over if possible.”]

When the Emperor called him during the banquet, Reus thought it must be something important. But all he got in return was a pathetic request to look after his daughter.

Reus pushed down the wave of anger rising in him and kept walking.

In truth, his frustration had started earlier during his conversation with the Emperor that day.

[“Enough. Was it not my sin to lose my close friend too early? If Rikassen were still here, he would’ve been the first to hear of the engagement…”]

Reus almost laughed aloud at the shameless words.

He dares to speak of my father’s death?

Reus stopped for a moment and closed his eyes tightly. That mouth—how he wanted to tear it apart. That vile voice that spewed from it. The Emperor’s face as he casually spoke of farewells and guilt kept replaying in his mind.

Reus felt deeply disgusted and slightly uneasy.

Though the Emperor still used him politically just as he had with his father, it had been a long time since he called Reus out personally for such a trivial task. So what was the meaning behind this sudden nonsense?

‘Did he notice something about the rebellion?’

No. That was too hasty of a conclusion.

For the Emperor to suspect anything, he would’ve had to see through the life Reus had played perfectly as a loyal dog. Every day of his life had been filled with disgust. He had deceived even himself to survive, so it was only natural that the Emperor hadn’t caught on yet.

Maybe he called Reus just to feel him out about the incident in the Silent Forest. Or maybe it was just the foolishness of Count Ivelle. Either way, Reus couldn’t be certain—that seemed the most realistic thought.

With that, Reus regained his composure. His mind moved on from the Emperor’s disgusting voice to the next memory.

This time, it was the Emperor probing Loelle with a hidden slyness behind his smile.

Trying to dig into something between Reus and Loelle, who was practically the shame of House Ivelle—what a pathetic attempt.

Though the reason Reus had ended up playing a fake lover was because of the Emperor, he had never bothered telling Loelle to act extra friendly. And that had been the right choice.

Loelle Ivelle.

A woman who was quick to sense things, who knew when to act and when not to. She never crossed the line. But she was also timid, and not good at hiding her emotions.

Reus had already realized that Loelle thought of him as a decent person. He was grateful for that more than anything.

The way the Emperor looked disappointed when Loelle gave honest answers that skillfully dodged his suspicions—it was almost funny.

Yes. The Emperor still knows nothing.

Thinking he should avoid the area around the Silent Forest for a while, Reus stepped into the Britian Palace.

That was when it happened.

Splash!

A loud splash echoed—completely out of place at a banquet.

Reus paused and slightly turned his head to look past the bushes.

The trees, which moments ago formed the stage setting, were swaying along the water’s edge. He then saw the startled nobles, the distressed servants, and the uneasy expressions of the knights, one after another.

‘So this was the Empress’s trick.’

Waiting until the birthday banquet and humiliating the guest of honor on the day—it was a move that matched the Empress’s twisted personality.

From the looks of it, there was no one stepping forward to save the unfortunate princess. The Empress had probably made sure of that through the invitations. The cowards, who only knew how to watch others’ reactions, would never move.

Reus stared down at the rippling water, deep in thought.

Someone would probably pull her out before she drowned. Should he just wait until then? Or should he do what he always did—act like the Emperor’s loyal dog?

Both options were annoying, and this whole dilemma was a waste of time.

But he couldn’t let his personal feelings ruin things. After all the time he had spent crawling as the Emperor’s pet, he had to make sure to act properly.

Reus clicked his tongue, annoyed, and walked toward the lake. Without hesitation, he jumped into the water.

He quickly spotted the princess sinking deep below. She had clearly swallowed too much water and was barely conscious.

For a moment, Reus was overwhelmed with the desire to let her die.

A royal with the Emperor’s filthy blood—if it were up to him, he’d not just ignore her but twist her neck with his own hands.

He wanted to act on it right then, but letting Iris die at this banquet was not an option.

Pushing aside his emotions, Reus pulled Iris to the surface in no time.

As soon as they surfaced, her dulled senses began to return along with the sound flooding back into her ears. And with that return of awareness came a sharp drop in Reus’s mood.

It felt worse than expected… truly disgusting.

He wanted to cut off the arm that had just pulled out the Emperor’s daughter.

At that moment, Iris coughed up a mouthful of water. Her body trembled, still in shock. She didn’t even seem to realize whether she was in the water or not.

‘I’m cold…’

But as she realized her breaths were no longer damp, Iris started breathing more rapidly, as if to fully accept her situation.

Then, it wasn’t the cold water but the chilly night air that hit her body. Overcome by fear, she instinctively clung to the warm arm holding her.

That made Reus stop and look down at her. At his gaze, Iris slowly raised her drooping head.

Though her vision was still blurry, one thing was clear—the silver hair.

Then, as if tracing the trail of dripping water, the man’s face became clearer: the pale blue eyes, the smooth nose bridge, the sharp jawline, and the firm neck.

That was when something inside Iris began to change. It was a change long meant to happen—a natural shift. But it didn’t follow the intended path.

Unfortunately, Iris had no idea.

She was never meant to be in Reus Rochester’s arms, but in Cassien Ersian. She didn’t know that the eyes she couldn’t look away from held emotions colder than her own.

And so, Iris embraced the expected change—completely unaware, all on her own.

Right. Someone who didn’t need to care about the Empress and wasn’t part of her faction.

‘There was one more besides Cassien…’

Naturally, I had left Reus out of my thoughts, and now I stared blankly out the window.

Reus looked at Iris in his arms for a moment, then handed her over to the palace guards nearby.

Now alone again, Reus was soon surrounded by nobles who usually chatted with him when possible. He shook off the water and responded just enough to seem polite. That made the nobles hesitate and slowly back away.

Reus slipped away from the crowd easily, running a hand through his hair as he looked around. Not long after, his gaze locked onto me.

The moment our eyes met, my shoulders flinched involuntarily.

‘He must have sharper instincts from years of war.’

I was still inwardly surprised by how nothing about this man was ordinary, when suddenly someone spun me around roughly, making me stumble.

“Ah…!”

“Loel!”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness…!”

“Loelle. Just for a moment, okay? Please, just a moment…”

Dwin, who had just stood up from the floor, rushed into the lounge and tried to push himself between Cassien and me.

“Please don’t trouble Her Highness anymore!”

Cassien, unable to hide his anger, grabbed Dwin by the collar.

“Didn’t I tell you to get lost?”

“I’m not the one who needs to leave—it’s you, Lord Ersian!”

Despite the tension, Dwin kept trying to protect me. But Cassien shoved him hard, sending him tumbling to the floor again. With the obstacle removed, Cassien grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the lounge.

“Let go, Cassien! I said let go…!”

I tried to pull my hand away, but I wasn’t strong enough. In the end, I couldn’t resist and was dragged along.

But just as we reached the door, Cassien suddenly stopped.

I looked up to see Reus standing right in front of it. Before any thought could form, Reus smacked Cassien hand away with force.

“Have I been too polite until now? How many times do I have to tell you to get lost before you understand?”

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