Living a Scheming Marriage with a Mad Villain - Chapter 33

Bang! Startled by the sound of the door slamming, Derwin jumped to his feet. He turned his tense body and looked around, but the office was already completely empty.

 

Realizing there was no one left to be angry at him, Derwin sat back down weakly.

 

‘What on earth made him that angry?’

 

Usually, Derwin wasn’t very good at reading his master’s moods.

 

His master rarely showed emotions and didn’t even blink at most things, so understanding him in the first place was nearly impossible.

 

But for some reason, his master’s mood had been changing dozens of times a day lately.

 

It had become common for him to suddenly slam his pen down.

 

He would stop working to stare into space, lean back in his chair like surrendering and mutter curses under his breath, or rest his forehead in his hand with a deeply troubled expression, eyes closed for a long time. Derwin was starting to get used to these things.

 

‘Well, His Grace is still human, after all.’

 

It was understandable. But the real problem was that he had no idea why he was acting this way.

 

‘Come to think of it, he was looking out the window when he suddenly stormed out.’

 

Still lost in serious thought, Derwin walked over to the window where Reus had been standing earlier. Looking down, he saw Her Ladyship talking to a few maids in the garden.

 

‘Could it be… he got angry just from seeing Her Ladyship?’

 

They were just talking…

 

For some reason, an odd sense of determination rose within Derwin.

 

He didn’t know why, but he felt a strong duty to make sure that Loelle would at least live a peaceful life during her stay at the Grand Duke’s estate.

 

Derwin new resolve, and the kindness of the unusually gentle servants, were not things to be taken for granted.

 

When Loelle first arrived, Derwin had watched her closely, not missing a single move or expression, full of suspicion.

 

He thought there might be something hidden behind her kind-looking face. He worried that His Grace had fallen into some kind of trap.

 

The servants working at the Grand Duke’s estate were concerned for similar, if slightly different, reasons.

 

Lady Shanette overexcited reaction, the sudden arrival of unfamiliar orders, the unusually large amount of items bought to welcome a guest—

 

All signs pointed to His Grace bringing home a woman he planned to marry or was already engaged to.

 

The master of the Grand Duke’s estate, a man who never showed even a flicker of emotion, bringing home a woman he claimed to love? That seemed unlikely. It had to be a politically motivated union.

 

But then who was this noblewoman who would become the lady of House Rochester?

 

What kind of person was she? Would her presence bring unwanted tension to the otherwise peaceful estate? Would she meddle in everything under the guise of managing the household?

 

Worries kept piling up, and eventually, they led the staff—especially Beryl, the head maid who had always deeply cared for the estate—to prepare themselves to deal with a troublesome future duchess who hadn’t even arrived yet.

 

As the days passed, the atmosphere within the estate grew more uneasy, and nearly every servant was making contingency plans for things that hadn’t even happened.

 

And then, the mysterious woman appeared earlier than expected.

 

With eyes like a summer lake, a soft voice, and graceful manners, she was far from the fierce or arrogant figure they had feared.

 

She was the eldest daughter of Count Ivelle, they heard.

 

But apparently, His Grace brought her here because he loves her!

 

The Grand Duke Reus? Really?

 

That was hard to believe, of course. But what the servants couldn’t understand even more was something else.

 

Loelle Ivelle, the woman who would soon be their mistress, had none of the usual arrogance of nobility. In fact, she was shockingly kind and gentle.

 

She never skipped a greeting. She met the eyes of even the lowest maid or footman and thanked them warmly.

 

Someone like her would be loved anywhere. Why would she marry our Duke?

 

Everyone knew nobles were greedy, but to send such a good-natured daughter to the infamous Duke of Rochester?

 

And Count Ivelle house was one of the highest-ranking noble families, which only made the servants’ confusion grow.

 

They all thought the same thing:

 

“If Loelle Ivelle were my daughter, I wouldn’t have let her marry His Grace!”

 

Yes, the Duke’s estate was a great place to work, offering comfort and the highest pay. The servants were well aware that these benefits came from their master.

 

But that didn’t mean they could lie and say he was good husband material.

 

Every single day, without fail, he woke at the same time and went to the training grounds, swinging his sword until dawn. After training, he went straight to breakfast.

 

After that, he either locked himself in his office all day or left the estate entirely and didn’t return until night. Sometimes, he wouldn’t come back for weeks.

 

And his personality? Forget sweet words—he hardly ever smiled, not even faintly.

 

He was especially cold to women.

 

Counting how many invitations and marriage proposals had been tossed into the trash was possibly the most meaningless task in the entire estate. The servants never knew whether to admire his consistency or be genuinely concerned.

 

They were starting to believe he’d never get married. Then one day, just like that, he brought home a woman and said they would marry.

 

He made eye contact with her, smiled, personally escorted her, and even called her name in a surprisingly gentle voice. And on top of that, he stayed with her until dessert in the dining room, which he usually avoided!

 

Apparently, he even secretly visited Lady Ivelle room in the early morning!

 

Do you know how many dresses he bought for her?

 

And the size of the wedding…?

 

One surprise after another led the staff to slowly start accepting the couple.

 

But Derwin, who knew the real story, still couldn’t stop worrying about Loelle.

 

Even though His Grace had always ignored her and treated her coldly, a few days ago he had finally spoken a single word to her—and then immediately left for the battlefield.

 

Her Ladyship had been heartbroken by the blatant rejection!

 

Loelle had suffered in silence, weighed down by guilt, but to Derwin, it just looked like she was deeply hurt.

 

That alone was worrying, but lately, His Grace had been acting even more strangely, and Derwin was nervous.

 

Before leaving, His Grace had at least tried to act like a caring husband in front of others. But now he was openly avoiding her, even when people were watching.

 

‘It must not be easy for him to accept Her Ladyship…’

 

Even if she was neglected growing up, it didn’t change the fact that she was Count Ivelle daughter.

 

Derwin knew what had happened between Reus and the Count, so he could understand why his master couldn’t open his heart to Loelle.

 

But still, did he really have to get this angry?

 

It’s not like she was causing trouble or doing anything suspicious. She simply stayed quietly in the areas she was allowed to be.

 

But now even seeing her smile during a simple conversation was too much?

 

Angry enough to storm out while swearing?’

 

It was a complete misunderstanding from start to finish.

 

Reus Rochester simply wasn’t in his right mind these days, overwhelmed by emotions he had never felt before. But Derwin didn’t realize that, and inside, he continued to curse his cold-hearted master.

 

While he was stewing in frustration, Reus returned to the office and ordered Derwin to bring Loelle.

 

“What are you standing there for?”

 

Despite his cold tone, Reus had just finished sorting out his thoughts and made a pretty big decision for himself. But Derwin was convinced that his master had called Loelle just to make her feel even more uncomfortable.

 

At this rate, Her Ladyship might suffocate before she even leaves the estate!

 

‘So heartless… No, this is just too much.’

 

This is way too much.

 

Not knowing Reus’s true intentions, Derwin mumbled complaints to himself as he left the room.

 

As soon as Loelle was brought to the office and sat down, Reus suddenly asked if she needed anything.

 

“Something I need…?”

 

“Yes. Anything at all.”

 

Caught off guard, she blinked quickly. But then she realized what he probably meant.

 

It wasn’t a real question about her needs—it was his roundabout way of asking how she was doing lately.

 

“There’s nothing I really need, and nothing’s been hard. I’m very thankful that Derwin helped me so much…”

 

“Why are you talking about work all of a sudden?”

 

“Pardon…?”

 

“I asked what you need. Why are you talking about work? I don’t understand.”

 

I don’t understand why this isn’t about work…

 

Then what was he even asking for? Loelle, still confused, couldn’t respond right away, so Reus continued with a sigh.

 

“I heard it was your birthday recently.”

 

“Oh… my birthday…”

 

But that birthday…

 

‘Wait, he’s talking about my birthday?’

 

From the context, that seemed to be the case. But no matter how many times she thought about it—

 

‘That’s not something I’d expect to hear from Reus.’

 

Had she missed something important while thinking just now? Was there some hidden meaning? Or was her hearing just broken?

 

While she was frantically trying to figure it out, she noticed Reus’s expression darkening.

 

She had to say something—anything!

 

“I really appreciated the gift Your Grace gave me.”