Living a Scheming Marriage with a Mad Villain - Chapter 29

After a long time, I spent the evening with Reus and decided to take a light walk around the Grand Duke’s estate. Since there was hardly any physical affection or emotional expression between us, I wanted to at least show that our relationship was still intact in this way.

I worried whether something like this would be enough—but strangely, it worked well, at least with the people of the Grand Duchy.

According to Derwin, before I came here, Reus used to shut himself up in his office all the time.

“A walk? That was unthinkable, Your Grace. It’s been a long time since he even stepped into the west garden.”

There were even servants who still found it surprising that we shared the same bedroom, even if we weren’t often seen together. That alone seemed to say enough.

With even this level of performance, everyone was convinced.

No. Come to think of it, Reus really is a natural-born actor.

When people were watching, Reus acted like the most loving husband.

Maybe it was because he usually showed no emotion—just a slight smile was enough to make the butler look at him fondly.

But in truth, we’re worse than strangers.

I was actually more used to the expressionless version of Reus. And just as I thought that, Reus looked at me with the same expression I’d always seen from him.

“I have something to tell you.”

It had been a while since I’d heard anything with real meaning from him—so I waited seriously for what he had to say.

But the words that came out of Reus’s mouth were too unrealistic.

“There’s been an order for deployment.”

His face stayed blank, like he was just saying he got an invitation from some noble house.

So I ended up staring at him blankly, just like when he first proposed, and responded a beat too late.

“Deployment…? All of a sudden… what…?”

“I apologize for disrupting the plan.”

“What?”

“It won’t take too long.”

Even the sudden talk of deployment had left me stunned, and now he was saying something else entirely?

Reus paused his steps, as if waiting for my reply.

I tried to calmly organize my thoughts. So… the “disruption in the plan” meant the delay in siphoning off the assets from the Count of Ivelle. And now he was apologizing because that plan would be pushed back?

And the reason it’s being delayed is because he’s been ordered to the frontlines?

Even though I had pieced it together, it still didn’t make sense. But from Reus’s reaction, I had understood correctly.

It hadn’t even been a full month since Reus and I were married. Which meant there was still plenty of time to carry out our plan.

Besides, the mention of “one year” was just me being cautious. I hadn’t even written a fixed date into the contract, knowing it wasn’t something that could be timed perfectly.

And I can leave at any time if I need to.

What I couldn’t believe was simply that Reus would actually be at the front lines of a monster subjugation mission. And…

This didn’t happen in the original story.

After I witnessed the plot go completely off track at Iris’s birthday banquet, I had decided to let go of my obsession with the novel.

But this… this wasn’t something I could just ignore. This really…

This feels like my fault…

No, this is my fault.

Breaking off the engagement with Cassien was a rash decision, but everything that followed was my own choice. Still, I never once thought about what it might cost. At most, I imagined I might get hurt in the process.

But things spiraled in a way I never expected. Even if it wasn’t intentional, it made my heart heavy.

Because of me, Reus…

I didn’t know what to say.

I couldn’t bring myself to say, “Take care,” to someone heading off to slay monsters. And saying “Come back safe” didn’t feel like something I had the right to say.

When I stayed silent for a long time, Reus called my name.

“Loelle.”

“Yes… Reus.”

“I understand you may be disappointed, but this doesn’t mean the plan is postponed indefinitely. I intend to return as soon as possible…”

“Disappointed…! That’s not what this is.”

Reus gave me a look, as if to ask, Then why that face?

“If it’s about the Count of Ivelle case… I don’t care. Like you said, Theron will help with that too. What I’m worried about… is you, Your Grace.”

Reus’s expression darkened slightly, clearly displeased. After a moment of silently staring at me, he finally spoke.

“This is nothing unusual. It’s not something to worry about.”

“But…!”

“Even if it were, it has nothing to do with you.”

That one sentence held so much: rejection of my concern, the distance between us, and a line I was clearly not supposed to cross.

Reus was telling me not to come any closer.

In the end, I swallowed the words I wanted to say.

“Still… don’t get hurt. Please come back safe.”

“I’ll return without delay.”

And just like that, Reus left the Grand Duke’s estate the very next morning at dawn.

Normally, Reus and I didn’t talk much after waking up. Most days, we didn’t say anything at all, and even when we did, it was the bare minimum.

Stuff like, “It would look good if we had breakfast together today,” or “Call Derwin for a moment later.”

That was about it—just a few words exchanged here and there.

But now that he’s gone, why does it feel so empty?

Even though I always thought it was uncomfortable and hard, I must have gotten somewhat used to life with Reus. I found myself staring blankly at the empty space beside me.

I’m worried.

He said it would be a week at most, but it wasn’t easy to shake off the anxiety. After all, this wasn’t just a simple trip—he went to war.

Of course, Reus had left at dawn, without even accepting a send-off, as if he didn’t want any fuss.

When I looked a little down after hearing that the next morning, Derwin offered some awkward comfort.

“His Grace has never lost a battle. Whether it’s against monsters or people. So there’s no need to worry. He’ll return safely, I’m sure.”

There wasn’t a hint of exaggeration in Derwin words, spoken with complete trust.

Reus Rochester was living history in the Aesilith Empire.

Any citizen of the empire would nod in agreement.

Reus first went to war in the winter when he was turning 16, during the conflict with the Kingdom of Hellerion. It was a large-scale war, with even noble sons from the capital being drafted.

Back then, everyone said Reus Rochester would die on the battlefield just like his parents.

There was no real reason for that conclusion—it was just because the former Grand Duke, Rikassen Rochester, was physically weak and known more for his intelligence than strength.

And misfortune had always followed their family. People said such things with a look of concern—but really, they enjoyed the tragedies of House Rochester in their own ways.

But even when everyone was certain of his death, Reus came back alive—as if to prove them wrong.

Not only did he survive, but he achieved great military merit on his very first campaign, at just 16 years old.

After that, there was no need for explanations. Sometimes he went to war by the Emperor’s call, sometimes by his own choice—but every time, he returned victorious.

The battlefield was a place where even experienced knights could die unexpectedly. But wherever Reus went, he only grew more powerful. So now, whenever the Grand Duke set out, people didn’t wonder whether he’d survive—they tried to guess how quickly he would turn the tide in favor of the Empire.

When I heard stories like that among the nobles, it all felt like someone else’s business.

Back then, I had no good feelings toward Reus—and honestly, I thought we were worse than strangers. So whether that hateful man died or not, I didn’t care.

But now it was different.

The vague prejudice I had toward him was long gone. He wasn’t as bad as I thought—but he wasn’t overly kind either. He wasn’t a character made of words on a page anymore—he was a real person.

I saved his life with my own hands, and whether I liked it or not, that tied our fates together.

Even if Reus didn’t want it, we now shared too many words, too many things.

But Reus was the one who ended up most affected by the changes I made to the original story. And… in the worst way.

No one would ever recognize it, but the guilt weighed heavily on me. I intentionally pictured Reus in my mind—the way he looked when we were still nothing to each other.

When the sun blazed brighter than ever, he led the Empire’s return from the frontlines. That shining silver hair that looked like it wore the sun, the noble armor he wore like a second skin. The loud cheers and clapping. His steady march forward, eyes only looking ahead, even as petals fluttered all around him…

He’ll come back safe…

Just like always, Reus would seize victory and return safely.

If I repeated that enough, maybe it would come true. So I kept remembering that version of Reus from that day.

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