Living a Scheming Marriage with a Mad Villain - Chapter 48

“Why did you come to the Grand Duke’s castle without any notice?”

 

I hadn’t left the empire yet, but I secretly thought I had completely escaped from Ivelle.

 

But… that was not true.

 

Maybe because of the sudden situation, my heart started beating unusually fast.

 

Without realizing that I was clearly rushing my steps, I arrived at the VIP lounge on the second floor where Peria was.

 

“Your Highness. Are you alright?”

 

“Ah… yes, I’m fine.”

 

Loteo looked at me with a very worried expression, unlike usual. I hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

 

“If it seems like Reus has finished his talk with Baron Gretion later… could you ask him to come here for a moment?”

 

“Of course, Your Highness. There is no problem.”

 

“The carriage inside is enough, so no need to send more.”

 

“I understand, Your Highness.”

 

I didn’t want anyone in the Grand Duke’s castle to find out how I had been treated at the Ivelle baronial family. So, I smiled at Loteo as if nothing was wrong.

 

After safely sending the people away, I quickly entered the lounge.

 

As soon as I opened the door, I saw Peria’s back. She looked like a perfect noble lady as always.

 

“You’re here?”

 

Peria said just that without turning around. But even that made me feel suffocated.

 

“Are you planning to stand there foolishly like that all day, Loel?”

 

“N-no…”

 

Her annoyed voice made my feet move on their own. I stood right behind Peria, holding my breath and waiting for her next words.

 

The longer the silence lasted, the more I feared she might suddenly shout or hit me.

 

When my palms started to get damp, Peria finally spoke.

 

“The Grand Duke’s castle is nice. Everything is wonderful. The servants, the landscaping, the building… It’s definitely not comparable to the Marquis of Ersian’s house. What do you think, Loel?”

 

“I-I… I think so too, Mother.”

 

At my answer, Peria finally turned around.

 

“I see. That’s right. I can tell by looking at your face even if you don’t say it.”

 

Suddenly, Peria grabbed my chin very hard.

 

“Ugh…”

 

“Your face looks so good, it’s almost moving me to tears. I know it very well, okay?”

 

Still, this is where I live now. I’m no longer the eldest daughter of Ivelle but the head of a family.

 

At least, I thought I wouldn’t act like I did at Ivelle.

 

But Peria’s grip was stronger than when I was in the Ivelle baronial house.

 

The fear that overwhelmed me turned the Grand Duke’s lounge into a cornered storage room in the Ivelle baronial house.

 

“You arrogant girl… You ungrateful, wicked woman!”

 

She squeezed my chin so hard I could barely even make a sound.

 

“You, who don’t know the favor of being raised, should never have been married to the Grand Duke! You should have been married to Cassien and lived a lifetime in hell!”

 

“Ugh…!”

 

Peria suddenly let go of my chin and staggered back.

 

Before I could stand up straight, her sharp finger poked my shoulder repeatedly. With so much force, whenever she pushed, I had no choice but to step backward.

 

“Do you know what condition Ivelle is in now, and yet act so calmly?”

 

“M-Mother, please calm down…”

 

As soon as I started to speak, Peria raised her hand sharply. I was so startled I turned my head away reflexively.

 

But thankfully, she did not slap my cheek.

 

Instead, Peria grabbed my forearm tightly enough to bruise and lifted me up. Then, in a low voice close to my face, she murmured:

 

“If you were born a bug, and I let you live as the eldest daughter of Ivelle, you must pay the price for that.”

 

“M-Mother…”

 

“I gave you a human life instead of dying as trash on the street, but you don’t even know that favor, how dare you!”

 

“If you speak loudly… people might come…”

 

“Shut your mouth! When did I say you could speak?”

 

Peria grabbed my other arm and looked down at me with a scary face.

 

“You’ve really become arrogant, Loelle.”

 

“I should have locked you in the basement so you’d never see the light again. That day… I should have killed you!”

 

At the moment Peria was about to grab my neck, a clean knock came, breaking the tense atmosphere.

 

Startled, Peria quickly let go and then, as if nothing had happened, gently wrapped her arm around me. I also spoke in a normal voice to match the situation.

 

“Yes, please come in.”

 

The person who entered was Reus.

 

I wasn’t sure if he wasn’t having an important talk with Baron Gretion, or if Loteo had forced him to come, but I was relieved.

 

My pounding heart still wouldn’t calm down, but I felt a little at ease.

 

No matter how much Peria was, she couldn’t do anything to me in front of Reus.

 

“Your Highness. I think this is the first time we’ve met since the wedding. Have you been well?”

 

“As you can see.”

 

Reus answered shortly and came closer to me. Maybe because of what had just happened, I jumped at every small movement.

 

But Reus didn’t show that he noticed and carefully led me to sit beside him.

 

Then he glanced at Peria, as if telling her to sit opposite.

 

Peria looked a little upset but soon took a seat across. Immediately, Reus spoke sharply without any greetings.

 

“I want to hear why you came to the Grand Duke’s castle without any contact.”

 

“Of course, I came to see my daughter. Do I need to notify someone just to see my daughter? It’s already almost three months since the wedding. As a mother, I feel sorry for only visiting now.”

 

Peria answered slyly, but Reus didn’t respond.

 

“And as you may feel, this child is quite clumsy in her behavior. I worried if she was adapting well or if she was causing trouble for the Rochester Grand Duke’s family… So I visited for several reasons.”

 

“It seems the lady isn’t very close with my wife.”

 

At Reus’s meaningful words, Peria stammered for a moment.

 

“W-what do you mean by that…”

 

“Loelle is doing better than anyone as the Grand Duchess. But I don’t understand why the lady came to the Grand Duke’s castle, breaking etiquette out of worry.”

 

“It’s a relief she’s doing well. But when she was in Ivelle, she made many small mistakes. Thinking about that, I couldn’t just stay silent…”

 

Reus cut off Peria’s words.

 

“If you keep making such unreasonable excuses…”

 

“It will be harder for the lady to say what she really wants.”

 

At Reus’s words, Peria shut her mouth.

 

Come to think of it, she said that earlier — Do you know what condition Ivelle is in now?

 

Every time Theron came to the Grand Duke’s castle, he told me how things were going, and I knew the baronial family wasn’t near collapse yet.

 

That meant even this much was enough to shake Peria and the Ivelle baronial family.

 

As someone seeking revenge, it was good, but I wasn’t entirely happy.

 

‘I thought the Grand Duke’s castle would be safe, but it wasn’t…’

 

If I tried anything more and got caught, I was scared I’d die in Peria’s hands before even trying to escape.

 

‘If Reus hadn’t come sooner, her eyes looked like she would really do something…’

 

Now that the original plan was broken, my death wasn’t only two years away.

 

The day I die could be tomorrow or even today.

 

That made this sudden change feel even more frightening.

 

After a long silence, Peria, who had been staring at me, finally spoke.

 

“I need the help of the Rochester Grand Duke’s family, Your Highness.”

 

Her broken voice showed her humiliation clearly.

 

Peria, who used to hold her head high even when being attacked in the social circle, must feel so troubled to bow her head like this because of family matters.

 

Even if the person she faced was the empire’s one and only Grand Duke.

 

“If you had said this from the start, neither of us would have felt bad.”

 

“I apologize, Your Highness. It was such a sensitive matter… I tried to bring it up indirectly, but that caused this problem.”

 

Peria apologized humbly, but Reus openly ignored her.

 

“I will receive the details in writing. …By the way, lady.”

 

“Yes, Your Highness.”

 

Reus stared at Peria with an emotionless gaze, then spoke in a slightly ominous tone.

 

“I’m not a very kind person. Because of Loelle, I’ll forgive this rudeness now, but there won’t be a next time.”

 

Just from Peria’s very tense face, you could tell how humiliated she felt. But Reus didn’t care and showed no manners to her.

 

“We are busy receiving guests, so I don’t think we can see you out. If you understand, you may leave now.”

 

Peria’s hand holding her bag turned pale from anger. But she still didn’t show her true nature.

 

Just as Peria bowed and was about to leave—

 

Reus called her back as if summoning a servant.

 

“Ah, wait a moment.”

 

Before Peria could even turn around, he said what he wanted.

 

“I think this should be made clear too. Loelle is no longer part of the Ivelle baronial family but the Rochester Grand Duke’s family. No matter how much a mother you are, I would like you to stop treating her as comfortably as before.”

 

“Of course. Is there any doubt, Grand Duke?”

 

Despite Peria’s reply, Reus showed no gesture. He just stared deeply into her face as if asking if she had more to say.

 

Soon Peria spoke.

 

“Y-Your Highness.”

 

Then Reus nodded once, as if telling her to leave.