Living a Scheming Marriage with a Mad Villain - Chapter 32

After getting her wounds treated, Loelle cried silently, tears falling without a sound. Only when she became exhausted from crying did she finally fall asleep.

 

Reus, staring at her red and swollen eyes, recalled the image of the woman who had looked at him and cried so sorrowfully.

 

Tears that didn’t seem to stop. They had clearly come from sincere worry, without a doubt.

 

“You’re so hopelessly soft.”

 

Reus knew better than anyone that the way he had treated Loelle wasn’t right.

 

But even knowing that, he had chosen to act more coldly on purpose.

 

From long ago, he had decided to leave behind no trace of the Ivelle family on this land—no matter what it was.

 

So why should it matter what a woman with the cursed blood of Count Ivelle thought or felt? Even if she got hurt by his words or actions and suffered because of it?

 

He had already repaid his debt by deciding to spare Loelle Ivelle life in return for her saving his.

 

That was more than enough to fulfill his duty toward the daughter of an enemy and his savior.

 

That was all Loelle Ivelle meant to him—the one who risked her life to save his. And yet, strangely enough, that fact alone left a bitter taste in his mouth.

 

“But she doesn’t even know that…”

 

And she cries like that.

 

Reus’s hand moved toward Loelle’s eyes. Without realizing it, he wiped the still-wet corner of her eye.

 

As soon as his finger touched her skin and felt the moisture, sensation focused on his fingertip. Only then did Reus become aware of what he was doing and quickly pulled his hand back.

 

It was just tears. That was all.

 

But strangely, the slight sting that had spread from his fingertip wouldn’t go away for a long time.

 

It started from that moment. Reus began to look at Loelle more often and for longer than before.

 

Of course, it wasn’t something he meant to do.

 

It just kept happening—his eyes would naturally get caught on her, and without any special reason, he found himself thinking about her more often.

 

But he wasn’t aware of these changes in himself. In his mind, Loelle was still a completely useless person.

 

So why did she keep pushing her way into his thoughts? Ever since he learned the truth about his parents’ deaths, Reus had only one goal in life:

 

To make those responsible for his father’s death pay the price. Since then, his world had become one of success or failure, gains or losses—nothing else.

 

Then one day, Loelle Ivelle suddenly appeared in his dry, empty life. Just the daughter of his enemy. Nothing more.

 

But at some point, she stopped being just that. She stood on the line between blind revenge and a shred of conscience, without falling too far to either side.

 

Maybe it was because he still couldn’t clearly define what she was to him. But for some time now, she just wouldn’t leave his thoughts.

 

 

 

At first, he tried to push Loelle out of his mind. But the more he did that, the clearer her presence became. And eventually, he gave up trying altogether—his mind just seemed to accept it.

 

So today as well, Reus Rochester leaned back in his chair, eyes unfocused, staring blankly into the air.

 

He was thinking again about the time in the Forest of Silence, when Loelle had rushed in and saved him without hesitation.

 

She had no idea what was going on, and yet, she still stepped in to help someone caught in a dangerous situation.

 

“Such a cowardly woman.”

 

No matter how he thought about it, it made no sense. Loelle had chosen kindness even though she knew she would gain nothing. And on top of that, she had used up all her money meant for escape.

 

Thanks to her stupidly selfless choice, he had survived—but all he could feel was annoyance.

 

More precisely, he was bothered by the fact that Loelle Ivelle didn’t seem to have any intention of using her position as his savior.

 

Reus began tapping his pen. Why didn’t she take advantage of it?

 

If it were him, he would’ve gotten something out of it—something useful. If that didn’t work, he would’ve turned the incident into a weakness and used it to get something, anything.

 

But Loelle Ivelle… was just carefree.

 

She didn’t ask for anything. Didn’t want anything. She simply accepted the reward he offered, and that was it.

 

Shouldn’t she have at least asked for more than what was offered? Reus had already expected this possibility before making the contract proposal.

 

But how had Loelle Ivelle reacted to the contract?

 

Instead of trying to take advantage of the situation, she had looked genuinely confused—and even thankful.

 

“How can she show it so clearly?”

 

Reus felt irritated again.

 

So she didn’t want money—fine.

 

But then shouldn’t she expect unconditional kindness from him? Or at least act overly obedient in return?

 

“Wouldn’t that be normal?”

 

But oddly enough, it was always Loelle who tried to match his mood.

 

In a world where people stab their own families in the back, how did someone so soft expect to survive?

 

Before he knew it, Reus’s thoughts had wandered to what Loelle would be doing about a year from now in Veliata.

 

Would some strange man get involved with her again? Just like that son of the Marquis of Ersian who had once been her fiancé.

 

There was no guarantee something like that wouldn’t happen again.

 

“She’s too naive…”

 

Reus slammed his pen down on the desk in frustration.

 

“I’ve gone insane.”

 

The dull sound of the rolling pen made Derwin, who was in the office with him, flinch and look up.

 

What had upset His Grace again?

 

He had reviewed most of the documents himself, so there shouldn’t have been any problems.

 

Was it Count Ivelle? Or… the Emperor?

 

Whatever it was, today was just his unlucky day. Why did it have to be a day he worked with the Duke instead of the Crown Prince!

 

While his aide sat nervously, head lowered as if it would touch the desk, Reus stood up.

 

He needed to distract himself, or his thoughts would spiral even more out of control.

 

Reus walked to the window, attempting a change of pace—something he’d never done before.

 

But as if fate were playing tricks on him, instead of clearing his thoughts, his eyes landed on Loelle.

 

So much for trying to forget her—once he saw her, his eyes naturally followed her every move.

 

And yet, she kept stopping after only a few steps.

 

Of course. She was probably listening to every meaningless little story people told her, stopping mid-walk just to talk.

 

As expected, Loelle greeted people with a smile, chatted without showing a hint of annoyance, laughed loudly, and suddenly opened her eyes wide like a startled rabbit.

 

Seeing that made something stir faintly in his chest. And once again, his thoughts returned to her.

 

Come to think of it, they had both spent their childhoods in the dark, even if in different ways.

 

He still remembered how puffy her cheeks had been when he first visited Count Ivelle estate.

 

Annoyingly, Loelle had acted like his visit was completely natural—like it was something she’d always expected.

 

Back then, he hadn’t felt anything. But now, thinking about it, he didn’t like it one bit. That alone told him what kind of life she’d lived.

 

With how often she cried, she must have spent many nights sobbing.

 

And yet she still smiled so brightly. That realization struck Reus all over again.

 

He had met countless people with tragic stories—abused since childhood, lost their parents overnight, forced onto the battlefield too young because of family circumstances.

 

Despite the differences, most of them ended up trapped in their own darkness, wasting their lives.

 

Reus included.

 

Most people get stuck in the trauma of their childhood, becoming addicted to the sorrow and falling into depression. But strangely, Loelle wasn’t tainted by the darkness at all.

 

By now, Reus had no choice but to admit that Loelle Ivelle was someone with frighteningly strong inner strength.

 

Storms didn’t pick who to hit. And often, the more upright a person was, the more they suffered.

 

It might seem unfair, but that was how the world worked.

 

Yet even in such a world, Loelle had managed to stay so painfully upright—that could only mean she was incredibly strong.

 

Maybe the reason he couldn’t take his eyes off her was because she had a strength he didn’t.

 

While Reus was quietly watching Loelle, a memory suddenly surfaced—of her crying so sorrowfully on the bed just days ago.

 

Those tears had filled her bright blue eyes, falling like drops of water from a flower petal onto her fair skin, leaving dark stains on her thin sleepwear.

 

Then Loelle had looked up at him with tear-soaked eyes.

 

Her eyelids were red, her lashes wet with tears that shimmered like dew on flower petals…

 

“Damn it—!”

 

Hadn’t he stood up to stop thinking such useless thoughts?

 

Now he was thinking about Loelle Ivelle again?

 

“Insane bastard.” Reus cursed at himself and stormed out of the office.