Living a Scheming Marriage with a Mad Villain - Chapter 85

Claude, with lemon-colored hair and clear light green eyes, gave off an impression completely opposite to that of Reus, who had a cold and stern image.

Just by his appearance, he looked full of mischief.

“If you’re going to be Reus’ partner, then you’re already like a close friend to us. Feel free to call me Claude.”

“Thank you for your kind consideration.”

Right after that brief greeting, just like Helen had done earlier, I was about to exchange the traditional Leveren cheek greeting. As Claude leaned forward, he awkwardly paused mid-motion.

Why is he acting like that all of a sudden? I looked at him with a slightly puzzled expression. Claude, clearly flustered, stood frozen for a moment before clearing his throat and straightening up again.

Then he suddenly reached out his hand for a handshake.

“Leveren, hmm…! We’re really grateful you came all this way. My wife has been eagerly waiting for this day.”

With that, Claude moved away from me and went straight to Reus.

I had heard they hadn’t seen each other in quite a while, so I thought it might feel a bit awkward. But surprisingly, Claude acted warmly—as if there had been no time apart. He even teased Reus during their conversation.

‘They must be really close.’

This was the first time I had ever seen someone treat Reus so casually and even joke around with him. Helen, noticing how surprised I was, quickly explained.

“He’s a little over-the-top, right? Loelle, can you try to understand? Claude owes his life to Reus more than a few times on the battlefield, so he always acts like that. Don’t mind those two. They’ve always been like this.”

She looked slightly embarrassed by her husband for a moment, but soon laughed it off with ease.

“By the way, this is your first time in the Kingdom of Leveren, right?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. This is my first visit to Leveren.”

“If you’re planning to travel while you’re here, be sure to ask me. I’ve been all over the kingdom and can recommend some really good places for you both.”

Helen was very sociable. Whenever I seemed even a little awkward, she would bring up familiar topics and keep the conversation flowing with a warm smile, all while giving short introductions to the palace here and there.

“It’s been a while—how about a sparring match, Reus?”

“You’re going to, right?”

“If you really want to fight, go spar with your own subordinates.”

Reus replied bluntly with little enthusiasm.

“There’s no better match than you! Come on, just once—it’s been ages.”

Claude kept pushing even after being turned down repeatedly, showing no signs of giving up.

Helen pretended not to hear any of it, focusing only on me with a practiced expression. Her face looked so used to this situation that I felt like I should follow her lead, so I didn’t turn around either.

We walked down the bright, slightly noisy white hallway toward the banquet hall.

Though a bit chaotic, the meal was filled with warmth and friendly chatter.

Following Helen’s suggestion, Loelle moved to a different room to enjoy tea that could only be found in the Kingdom of Leveren. As Reus seemed to be following along, Loelle quickly spoke up.

“Then I’ll see you later, Reus.”

At that, Reus immediately stopped in his tracks.

Loelle’s heart was in a bit of turmoil, but there was no intention of rejecting him or making him feel awkward. Loelle wasn’t the type to act that way. He just hoped Reus could enjoy time with his old friend.

But Reus, unaware of the full context, felt as if he had been pushed away.

He watched Loelle’s figure grow smaller in the distance, and despite his emotions slowly healing earlier, a wave of gloom settled over him again. It was just one sentence, but it overwhelmed Reus with helplessness, and he stood still for a long time.

Completely unaware of this, Loelle walked down the hallway with a light step.

‘Even though it’s just a hallway, the scenery is so beautiful. It’s nice to walk here.’

While quietly admiring the ever-changing greenery outside, Loelle arrived at the tea room before realizing it.

The square-shaped room had glass walls on all sides. Everywhere one looked, green trees and grass filled the view, giving a fresh and airy feeling.

They sat at a white table bathed in the vibrant light of life.

“I can’t tell you how glad I am to finally have a chance to make up for missing your wedding. The journey must have been long—thank you for accepting the invitation so readily.”

Helen gave a cheerful smile, then sighed softly and continued.

“Oh, and feel free to call me Helen. Like Claude said, if you’re Reus’ family, you’re like a friend to us.”

“I appreciate that, but still…”

“Claude and I both mean it sincerely. So please, feel comfortable around us.”

“Then… okay.”

Moved by the sincerity in her words, Loelle nodded and smiled softly. It was a smile as radiant as a blooming flower. Helen found it hard to take her eyes off Loelle.

‘He’s so different from Reus. Completely different.’

Though she had seen Loelle’s photo in the newspaper, seeing him in person was something else. His looks, voice, build, and atmosphere—none of it resembled Reus.

‘When that invitation arrived out of nowhere, I thought: what on earth made him rush into marriage like this…’

But now that she had met Loelle, the reason was crystal clear. She could confidently say he was the most beautiful person she had ever seen.

His smooth, fair skin held a gentle blush. His eyebrows were perfectly shaped. His delicate features, those transparent eyes brighter than any lake, and lips tinged with peach color…

Even the way he moved was cautious and gentle. His lashes fell like snowflakes whenever he closed his eyes.

‘He always acted like he’d die single… but he’s a complete thief, isn’t he?’

Helen muttered without realizing it.

“I didn’t know my friend could be such a shameless guy.”

Maybe he wasn’t refusing to date—maybe he just couldn’t. Where on earth did this cold-hearted man find someone this angelic and rush into marriage?

Helen even thought that if she had a daughter like Loelle, she would’ve spent her entire day in the girl’s room, ignoring state affairs.

She couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason, but from earlier, her friend was starting to feel more and more unfairly lucky.

Soon, Helen’s eyes fell on Loelle’s slender frame. His thin neck and wrists looked so delicate it almost felt dangerous. It reminded her of how unusually sensitive Reus had been earlier when she hugged Loelle.

‘Yeah, that was my fault. I was just too happy to see him.’

Helen quietly promised herself to be more careful when interacting with Loelle from now on.

Then, thinking of Reus, Helen suddenly made a grim face and asked in a serious tone:

“I’m just asking to be sure… you didn’t marry Reus because he tricked you or anything, right?”

Loelle had planned to deny it right away—but hesitated.

Thinking back to how most of the wedding preparations had been done before he even knew it…

‘It’s not entirely wrong, I guess?’

From the moment Reus suddenly showed up at the count’s estate and whisked him off in a carriage to the grand duke’s castle—it had all been one big trick. So technically, he had been deceived into marriage.

But of course, Loelle couldn’t just say, “Yes, I was completely unaware and ended up married by accident.”

After a brief pause, he shook his head.

Even so, Helen’s serious expression didn’t soften.

“I’m asking this because I’m really worried about you—Reus doesn’t make you feel bad, or act cold, or ignore you, right?”

Helen knew too well how cold and cynical her friend could be, so she anxiously waited for Loelle’s answer. Even if Reus had saved her husband’s life several times, she couldn’t forgive him if he treated someone as kind and gentle as Loelle poorly.

But Loelle, surprised, quickly replied:

“No, not at all. Reus treats me so well that I don’t even know how to respond sometimes.”

“Reus?”

Helen instinctively leaned back a little, looking completely baffled.

It was no wonder. On the battlefield, Reus always had a lifeless expression while swinging his sword. Even in daily life, he never looked anything but stone-faced.

He couldn’t even manage a polite smile. And now he’s too good to someone?

It was hard to believe.

Maybe Reus was so emotionally closed off that even a little kindness from him felt overwhelmingly touching to Loelle.

‘Even many women in Leveren used to say that.’

Though Reus was from the Ashelit Empire, many women in Leveren admired him as a war hero from a great empire.

Despite being from another nation, he had brought countless victories to Leveren. So his image was actually better here than in his own country. Meaning—people praised him even when he did nothing at all.

But Reus never cared about that. He treated kindness and politeness like they didn’t matter. He was always outwardly respectful, but if you tried to talk to him, he would shoot you down with a single word.

If there was one thing to praise, it was that he treated everyone coldly—regardless of gender or age. That’s why it was so hard to believe Loelle’s words.

Soon, Helen said in a low, serious voice:

“No matter how I think about it… Reus is nowhere near having a nice personality.”

She even shook her head slightly, her eyes filled with doubt.

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