Living a Scheming Marriage with a Mad Villain - Chapter 76

“This is too much, Reus…!”

“This is the average amount most people spend.”

“But I don’t need this much money…”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to try everything other people do?”

“I did say that, but…”

“I don’t think my talk with Dwyn will end quickly. Instead of waiting alone here, wouldn’t it be better to spend time somewhere with more people? If you walk around, I’m sure you’ll find at least one thing you like or want…”

“I’ll just wait here for you, Reus…!”

“I’ll wait here. Let’s go to the cafeteria together when you come back, okay?”

When I said that, Reus nodded quietly at first but then suddenly froze and closed his eyes tightly. Only after calming down, almost scarily so, did he open them again.

“Loelle.”

But both his voice and expression… they seemed kind of down, like when he was shocked at the price of the bag earlier.

As expected, his next words sounded slightly disheartened.

“I think I’ll keep worrying if I leave you alone.”

“I just wanted you to try everything while we’re on this rare trip… Did I pressure you again?”

“No, not exactly…”

“I’ll finish the conversation as quickly as I can and come back. So please spend some time on the first floor while you wait.”

“Umm…”

As I kept hesitating, Reus’s clear blue eyes dropped to the floor.

“Even if you don’t want to take what I give…”

His reaction seemed so bitter that I replied without thinking.

“No, I’ll take it…!”

Wait, that’s not what I meant. Something felt very wrong, but I’d already said yes a second time.

“Okay, I’ll… I’ll take it…?”

I tried to correct myself, but I only ended up sounding unsure, like an idiot. In the end, it just sounded like I agreed.

Reus smiled brightly.

“Really?”

“Uh…”

But seeing how happy he looked made it hard to take my words back. So I gave in for now.

“Yes, I’ll… take it.”

I mean, I could always say I didn’t find anything I liked and didn’t spend much.

But before I could feel relief, Reus said,

“If you don’t spend all of it, I’ll give you twice the amount tomorrow.”

“What?! That’s not fair!”

“So you really had no intention of spending the money I gave you.”

His disappointed tone made my conscience sting.

“I’ll spend it, Reus. I promise. Really.”

“It’s a promise, Loelle.”

“Yes, I promise…”

“Since you promised, if you don’t spend all of it, I’ll still give you double the money tomorrow.”

“Why are you saying the same thing even though I said I’d spend it?”

“Well, you might change your mind when you come back.”

How did he know? I couldn’t reply, and Reus continued.

“If you still don’t spend it tomorrow, I’ll give you four times more. And if you don’t spend it then…”

“Okay, okay! I’ll spend it! Just please stop, Reus!”

If someone else had said that, I’d have thought they were just joking and laughed it off.

But this was Reus.

[“My aunt was worried, so she asked me to bring you this letter… and to confirm Lady Ivelle’s intentions directly.”]

He could lie with a calm face so convincingly it sounded more believable than the truth.

[“By the way, did you two come together?”

“He’s my guest. Yes, we came together.”]

He had an unbelievable level of shamelessness.

[“If you really don’t trust me, why don’t you stay with me all day and watch me?”

“Can I?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to just carry me around the palace like last time? …Reus!”

“You’re the one who said I could carry you.”

“Anyone would know that I didn’t mean it literally…!”]

He had a tendency to hear things the way he wanted.

Normally, he adjusted to me so perfectly, it felt like consideration was just a part of who he was—but moments like this made me question it.

‘Something feels off… but I can’t quite say what it is.’

The shopping center was connected directly to the cruise’s entrance hall.

Not only did it have famous stores from the Ashelit Empire, but also popular shops from other countries like the Leveren Kingdom and the Monzeto Kingdom.

Looking at the long row of shops ahead, I almost forgot for a moment that we were inside a ship.

Millie seemed amazed too, letting out one admiration after another.

“Wow, this is incredible… I never imagined there would be something like this inside a ship.”

‘Was this her first time traveling with the staff?’

I’d heard Reus usually only brought Dwyn, his aide, when traveling abroad.

But since I was with him this time, he had brought quite a few staff members to the Leveren Kingdom. Because of that, the entire VIP section one of the two at the top of the ship was reserved for the Rochester ducal family.

‘I was so shocked at first, thinking Reus had rented out the whole VIP area.’

The rooms we would use for the week were provided by Liam Verdick, the owner of the cruise and the head of the Verdick Trading Company.

He said it was a gesture of goodwill for business reasons and told us not to worry, so I didn’t say anything more.

‘Right, business matters aren’t something I should interfere with.’

I thought I could brush it off as something unrelated to me, but that wasn’t really possible as the duchess.

‘This is just too overwhelming…’

No matter which store I tried to enter, everyone already seemed to know who I was.

Their expressions looked like they were ready to spoil me with service if I’d just step in. It made it impossible to shop comfortably.

But going back to the room empty-handed…

‘If I don’t spend the money, it’ll double.’

Reus’s threat still lingered in my mind.

It wasn’t like he was charging interest on a loan—he was offering to double the money if I didn’t spend it. I really couldn’t understand the way his mind worked.

Just then, Millie spoke.

“That store looks nice too. Would you like to check it out?”

“Hmm… I’m not sure.”

“You’re not planning to go back to the room without buying anything, are you?”

Millie didn’t call me ‘My Lady’ like she did at the ducal estate because of the cruise’s atmosphere.

Even though many nobles used the cruise, most passengers were middle class. Because of the diversity of nationalities, all staff were instructed to refer to passengers as “guests” regardless of status or origin.

Honestly, I preferred being addressed that way, and I asked Millie to do the same just while we were on board, so I could feel a bit more free when walking around alone.

‘I didn’t expect everyone to know who I am anyway…’

But thinking about it, it would’ve been weirder if they didn’t care.

After all, I’m a duchess from a major empire like Ashelit—part of the empire’s only ducal couple.

And since Marquis Verdick from Leveren had wanted to maintain good relations with Reus from the start, their friendly behavior made even more sense.

Following Millie’s enthusiastic suggestion, we headed to the largest women’s clothing store in the center. It had two full floors and a very luxurious interior—clearly a well-known place.

‘I’ve never heard of it before, but it must be popular.’

After walking around a bit, I quickly understood why people were carrying shopping bags from this store.

They had everything—from fancy, heavy gowns for balls, to casual dresses for everyday wear, and even women’s suits.

On top of that, they sold shoes, bags, accessories, and cosmetics. There was nothing they didn’t have.

I liked the products, but what I appreciated the most was something else entirely.

‘The staff don’t follow you around. I love that.’

It was so nice to browse quietly and comfortably.

Though I could still feel eyes on the back of my head, the staff didn’t approach me forcefully.

I kept pretending not to see them, focusing hard on the clothes.

‘Hmm. If I pick a few things here, I should be able to spend the right amount.’

As I relaxed and browsed the store, I found something I liked and reached out for it—

But then a hand shot out of nowhere and snatched the clothes right before I could touch them.

Startled, I pulled back, and a young girl with a pouty face glared sharply at me.

“What, are you crazy…?!”

Millie, who had been standing behind me, quickly ran forward in surprise, but the girl just turned and hurried back to her guardian.

But hold on. Didn’t Millie look kind of scary just now?

For a second, it felt like she’d come out swinging a club to protect me.

Yet now, she looked completely normal again, her usual puppy-like eyes returning.

“My lady…”

“Yes, Millie.”

“Please, let me say something to that rude little—”

“It’s fine, Millie. Let’s just go.”

“Why? Didn’t you like that dress? You should at least try it on! It’s been so long since you found something you liked…”

Just then, the closest staff member seemed to start approaching us.

Noticing instantly—as she always did—Millie grabbed me and quickly led us out of the store before they could get close.

‘Please, just let me shop in peace.’

But as always, my wish for a quiet life went unfulfilled.

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