Living a Scheming Marriage with a Mad Villain - Chapter 81

I had been awake for a long time but still hadn’t gotten out of bed.

Because today was the day I had to settle the “double” bet I made with Reus.

“Why did I even make such a promise…”

I should have said no until the very end.

For the first four days after boarding the cruise, I could avoid shopping by using the trip schedule as an excuse. But today, except for the masked ball in the evening, there was nothing else planned.

So, after having a relaxed lunch, I had plenty of time to wander around the shopping center and spend twice the amount of money in my luggage.

I was seriously worried about what excuse to make to avoid it today.

“I definitely didn’t intend to take that money, so how did it come to this?”

At first, I think I clearly said no. But before I knew it, I was nodding at Reus’s words.

As I tried to remember how I got caught in this, I heard the rustling of blankets behind me.

“Pretend to be asleep. No matter what, just pretend to be asleep.”

Luckily, since I was already facing away from Reus when I woke up, there was nothing more I had to do. So I relaxed my body until it looked completely limp and focused on not frowning.

“If I keep sleeping, he might not wake me and just leave me alone all day.”

Maybe seeing how tired I looked, he might suggest I rest well in the room today. After all, Reus is the kind of man who acts overly dramatic even with just a cold.

As I closed my eyes for a long time, suddenly something touched my cheek without warning. Then it moved up and down, softly rubbing my cheek. From the firm curves I felt, it seemed like Reus’s fingers.

Maybe because the movements were so careful, every time his hand brushed my cheek, I felt as if a thin cloth was softly gliding through my heart again.

For some reason, it was hard to keep my hands still at those moments. I was so thankful that both my hands were well hidden under the blanket.

Reus, moving his hand gently while waiting for my reaction, soon called my name.

“Loelle.”

His even voice flowed into my ear, making the uneasy feeling inside me clearer.

There was another moment of tension, but I stayed still without moving. Then Reus muttered in a low voice if I was very tired.

I was just starting to feel a little relieved, wondering if this method really worked.

His fingers pressed gently on my cheek and slowly moved upward until they reached my earlobe.

I wondered what he was going to do, but soon he brushed back my messy hair and tucked it behind my ear. Then his soft touch followed the rim of my ear.

His touch was even softer than usual, causing a ticklish feeling. I almost flinched but barely held it in, silently telling myself:

“It’s not ticklish. It doesn’t bother me at all. It’s not ticklish at all.”

But I was so focused on my mental suggestion that I didn’t notice my eyebrows tightening. While I was trying to hold back the ticklish feeling, suddenly a warm sensation spread through my body.

It seemed that Reus used his power to help me sleep well and wake up refreshed.

As I lay quietly feeling this, my clear mind soon became blurry. Just as my limp body was about to become drowsy again—

Reus’s still slightly sleepy voice came quietly from behind.

“Spending money today is impossible again, huh.”

I thought, “At least one day my trick works.” But the next words made me realize I was completely wrong.

“If you get the double, what are you planning to do with it?”

My body, which had been relaxed just a moment ago, stiffened naturally and my eyes flew open.

Though I didn’t move much, Reus noticed I was fully awake and gently turned me over.

I expected a light morning greeting like usual, but what he said next made me even more embarrassed.

“Pretending to sleep…”

“Seems like you’re done with it by now.”

I thought I fooled him perfectly, but it was actually me who got fooled. Slowly, I lifted my eyes full of betrayal.

“Since when…?”

“Since you decided to trick me.”

“I was going to play along if you stayed asleep, so why did you wake up?”

He said it openly like he wanted me to hear it.

“So shameless.”

Reus’s calm face and tone made me resent him deeply, but before I could argue, my face suddenly flushed bright red.

Trying to hide my reddening face, I quickly pulled the blanket over my head.

“I got tricked again…”

I don’t know how he has been hiding this overflowing playfulness until now. Lately, it feels like he’s become even more mischievous—is that just my imagination?

“I’m really easy to fool every time…”

Ah, so that’s why he keeps teasing me?

Just then, I heard the rustling of the blanket again. Trying to avoid Reus’s fingers fiddling as if to pull the blanket away, I tightly hugged it so my face wouldn’t show.

Then a slightly laughing voice dropped above my head.

“Loelle, are you angry?”

“No.”

“Sorry. I just saw so clearly that you didn’t want to keep the promise.”

That made me flinch. Since I really did try to break the promise, I wasn’t in a position to complain. But somehow, I didn’t want to just let it go, so I added timidly:

“Don’t make me have nothing to say…”

“Alright, Loelle. I’ll stop now, so let’s put the blanket down. If you keep this up, your face will just get hotter.”

But despite his words, his voice still carried an unmistakable laughter, which made me flare up unintentionally.

“Why do you keep laughing…? That doesn’t sound like someone who thinks they’re wrong.”

Reus laughed loudly at my small scolding.

“That was wrong too.”

I was so annoyed at his uncontrollable laughter that I didn’t want to lower the blanket, so I held it tightly for a while.

After a light lunch, I went down to the shopping center. But this time, it was just me and Reus, not Millie.

Don’t guys usually dislike this kind of thing? I wondered for a moment, then suddenly thought,

“Could he have come to watch me?”

When I glanced suspiciously at him, Reus caught my gaze instantly and met my eyes.

“I came with pure intentions, so please don’t be too suspicious.”

If it were before, I would have nodded right away. But these days, Reus keeps teasing me whenever he can, so I didn’t trust him much.

“If you don’t spend all the money today, you promised to pay the double—”

“I will! I really will spend it today…”

That’s what I thought. He wasn’t just relaxed for no reason.

I was the one who got caught in the plan and promised obediently, so I couldn’t blame anyone. Half giving up, I quietly took Reus’s outstretched hand.

We walked around the shopping center a bit and entered a store. I wanted to buy a dress to wear to the ball because I didn’t bring any suitable ones. Coincidentally, it was the same store where a strange woman caused trouble on the first day we boarded.

Back then, I thought there were quite a few nice clothes, but today, even without that strange woman, I couldn’t focus on shopping.

“They all look the same.”

Maybe I didn’t really like attending the ball, so I wasn’t interested in just ball dresses.

I only went because Peria forced me every time, so maybe that’s natural.

But since I’d never been to a masked ball, I was a bit curious about the one happening tonight.

I also hoped it would be okay because no one would be sneering behind my back or mocking me openly there.

“But why is Reus so quiet?”

Even though quite some time passed since we entered the store, he hadn’t said a word. I thought he must be bored.

But when I turned around to look, Reus was staring intently at a pure white dress.

“Reus, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, it reminded me of when we got married.”

I was surprised that he mentioned something from so long ago.

After all, back then I was just the hated daughter of Count Ivelle, whom Reus despised.

We had to enter the chapel with someone we hated to secure the future, even touching each other unwillingly—it must have been an unpleasant memory.

But Reus didn’t look bothered; instead, he seemed peaceful, as if recalling a happy memory. Then he said something that left me speechless.

“I think it would suit you very well, just like the dress you wore at our wedding.”

Even though I knew he meant it casually, my heart suddenly fluttered.

“Why is my face heating up again?”

Trying not to show my reaction, I turned around in a hurry and accidentally picked up the dress Reus mentioned. But it was heavier than it looked, and my hand holding the hanger started to droop.

That’s when I noticed the price tag hidden in the dress…

“50 million won?”

Surprised by the price, I didn’t realize my hand was lowering even more. Reus noticed and gently lifted my hand, taking the hanger.

“I’ll carry it for you.”

“No, it’s okay—I—”

“This dress is too heavy for you to carry.”

“That’s not it…! I just think another dress would suit me better than the white one.”

Since he seemed to like that dress a little, I expected him to say, “Try it on first, then decide.” But contrary to my expectations, Reus quietly hung the dress back in its place.

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