Living a Scheming Marriage with a Mad Villain - Chapter 46

I was so flustered that I couldn’t speak properly.

 

Why not just walk…? I hadn’t even said it out loud, but Reus answered right away.

 

“Maybe it’s not a bad idea to think about why you want to be carried.”

 

What kind of thought is that!

 

I would only know if he said it out loud, but I heard something totally unexpected.

 

“And… isn’t the master bedroom on a high floor?”

 

‘What does that have to do with anything…?’

 

I was still confused, but Reus walked ahead again, as if he had nothing more to explain.

 

“No! I can go by myself just fine. Please put me down now… Ah—.”

 

Reus tried to adjust how he was holding me, but maybe he misjudged his strength because my body briefly floated in the air.

 

Feeling my heart drop, I instinctively hugged Reus’s neck tightly.

 

But at that perfect moment, three maids appeared from the opposite side.

 

“Hmm. Yesterday, he told me… Oh my.”

 

One of the three maids walking side by side stopped with a surprised sound. The other two also stopped and naturally turned their eyes toward us.

 

“W-we didn’t see anything…”

 

“Be quiet! Let’s go quickly, quickly.”

 

“No! Wait, girls! It’s not like that…!”

 

Before I could explain anything, the three maids disappeared like a flash.

 

Now that I think about it, we had to pretend to be a close married couple until we left the Duke’s castle, so it would actually be good if the maids spread rumors about us.

 

But that’s a different matter.

 

“I told you to put me down…”

 

Anyway, to those maids, we were just a couple caught showing affection in the hallway in broad daylight.

 

Thinking that made my face flush quickly.

 

Reus, who was quietly looking down at me, said:

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

But his voice really didn’t sound sorry at all. It even sounded a little amused.

 

For the first time, I glared at Reus with eyes full of resentment. But this man still carried me all the way to the floor with the bedroom.

 

The fifth-floor hallway where the Duke’s bedroom was located was completely empty.

 

That was because, by Reus’s order, servants’ visits to this floor were limited to certain times and the fewest possible times even before I arrived.

 

‘Then what’s the point…’

 

I had already met many servants on the way!

 

Thanks to that, I could even feel a warm heat from my neck. There were no eyes on us on this floor, but I wanted to hide somewhere and buried my face completely in Reus’s shoulder.

 

‘Skipping lunch is not such a big deal…’

 

I kept asking him to put me down on the way here, but Reus mentioned that since I skipped lunch today, it would be better not to walk.

 

It’s not like a person collapses from missing one meal, so I was stunned by his reaction as if he was worried about that.

 

Come to think of it, it was the same during the full moon. Even though I wasn’t especially sick, he kept asking several times if I was really okay.

 

How does this person see me?

 

‘A walking paper doll?’

 

I didn’t know what he was thinking exactly, but I felt a little unfair.

 

The difference in build between Reus and me was very big. Just looking at one of his forearms, it looked more than three times thicker than mine.

 

‘If anything, Reus’s body is especially big, I’m not particularly small…’

 

And. I didn’t even know what I was supposed to think about while being carried.

 

I tried to recall if I made any mistakes, but this time, there really weren’t any.

 

While feeling frustrated inside, we finally arrived at the bedroom. As soon as Reus put me down on the sofa, he went to the edge and turned his head away.

 

I thought he would go back to his office right away, but Reus didn’t leave and sat down a little apart.

 

“I will bring you a book.”

 

“I don’t need one.”

 

“Are you angry?”

 

“No.”

 

“You look angry.”

 

“I’m not angry.”

 

“I saw your face was red earlier.”

 

“This…!”

 

I was turning my face completely away to hide my flushed face, but hearing Reus’s words, my head turned reflexively.

 

I almost got mad like I did with Theron earlier. Honestly, I thought it might be okay now, but I calmed myself down.

 

Then I turned my head back the other way.

 

“If you walk around like that in the castle… people will talk badly about you.”

 

“I don’t think so.”

 

“What would people think if a grown woman walks around being carried by her husband?”

 

“They’d think the husband is crazy about his wife.”

 

He said that calmly and plainly, so I turned my head sharply again without realizing it.

 

But Reus immediately added:

 

“If that’s the case, shouldn’t I be the one who’s embarrassed, not you?”

 

“No! W-why would that be?”

 

I suddenly got angry but then a thought came to me.

 

‘Is he teasing me right now?’

 

From the situation, it seemed like it. Thinking Reus was joking made me a little puzzled and tilted my head.

 

Anyway, I felt like I would stop him soon, so I quickly stood up.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“To get a book.”

 

“I will bring it to you right away.”

 

“No, I’m going to the library again to put the book back.”

 

“Don’t go.”

 

Reus said that very seriously, and I suddenly stiffened.

 

‘Did he really feel bad that I keep going to the library…?’

 

I wondered if I crossed the line again, so I was a little cautious, but Reus gently took my hand and pulled me to sit next to him.

 

“Tell Loteo to bring you a meal. Eat before you go.”

 

That same talk about food.

 

He said that even before our talk about the Viscount Pillaren, and today he said it again without fail.

 

“I ate too many desserts while reading, so I’m not hungry yet.”

 

“That’s not a meal.”

 

“But I ate enough to replace a meal.”

 

Reus looked at me silently, then said very doubtfully:

 

“Is it possible to live eating that little every day?”

 

Eating that little…?

 

‘Did he start to say “bird feed” and stopped?’

 

I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

 

“Little? I eat a lot.”

 

“A lot?”

 

Reus really didn’t seem to understand.

 

But this time, I really felt unfair.

 

In Ivelle, half the time I starved, and the other half I barely got leftover food.

 

But since coming to the Duke’s castle, I have been eating every meal properly.

 

‘And between meals, I eat so many desserts, drinks, and teas.’

 

Not only that I started eating more than before, but compared to friends my age, I eat a lot.

 

Coincidentally, girls in this world also tend to be obsessed with dieting. Especially nobles who wear dresses every day. Many of them starve themselves.

 

‘I didn’t skip lunch on purpose… and I ate that many desserts.’

 

Millie keeps bringing so much food to the library. Today, I don’t even know how many slices of cake and snacks I ate with a whole pot of tea.

 

But Reus stared at me seriously for a while, then said deliberately:

 

“You are… seriously too thin.”

 

Seriously?

 

“I’m an average build.”

 

When I said that, Reus’s expression became even more frustrated.

 

“Carrying you all the way here wasn’t hard at all.”

 

“That’s because…! Reus is physically much stronger than others, right?”

 

“Even so, your ankle fits entirely in my hand.”

 

“T-that’s because Reus’s hands are too big…!”

 

I explained eagerly, but we couldn’t understand each other in the end. The conclusion was I couldn’t leave the bedroom until I ate all the food Loteo brought.

 

A few days later, a welcome guest came to the Duke’s castle. It was Shanette, who left for the Leveren Kingdom right after Reus and I got married.

 

“I thought I could come sooner, but it’s this late. It’s been a long time, Loelle. Have you been well?”

 

It had really been a long time since I last saw her, more than two months after the wedding.

 

“Sorry for coming so late.”

 

Shanette seemed truly sorry. She held my hand tightly and asked in detail how I had been.

 

I was happy too and wanted to focus on the conversation. But—

 

‘What did she bring this time…?’

 

I couldn’t stop watching the long line of boxes coming into the lobby.

 

The number of gifts delivered under Shanette’s name was countless.

 

And yet she still had more to buy.

 

I watched them with a shocked look, but Reus and Shanette didn’t seem to care at all.

 

“By the way, Loel… why do you look like you lost weight? You’ve become half of yourself since I last saw you. Don’t tell me you skip meals?”

 

“No! Everyone…”

 

I was about to say the servants treat me so well that there’s no need to worry, but Reus interrupted me faster.

 

“You skipped dinner yesterday.”

 

“That’s because I was too tired and fell asleep.”

 

“You hardly ate in the morning either.”

 

“Reus…! When did I hardly eat in the morning…!”

 

Honestly, I did skip dinner… that’s true.

 

But I could confidently say I ate a lot in the morning. Lunch was coming soon, and I wasn’t even hungry yet!

 

But after hearing Reus’s words, it seemed Shanette didn’t even listen to me.

 

“You’re already thin, and you skip meals too… What if you faint?”

 

Why is everyone here so worried about feeding me?

 

A person doesn’t faint just because they skip one meal…!