Living a Scheming Marriage with a Mad Villain - Chapter 86

Helen half-closed her eyes, as if recalling something from the battlefield.

“First of all… he doesn’t really speak kindly.”

Even Loelle, who had come to like Reus, couldn’t help but agree with that.

“That’s true. He was like that when I first met him too.”

The two, remembering how they had once been hurt by Reus, nodded slightly.

“But after we got married, he treats me kindly.”

“Kindly?”

Maybe it had been a poor choice of words. Or perhaps she was trying to present her husband in the best light.

But across the table, Loelle’s cheeks were noticeably flushed with embarrassment.

“You mean, kindly for Reus… right?”

Of course, that wasn’t what she meant, but Loelle could understand Helen’s reaction. If she hadn’t married Reus herself and someone told her the same thing, she would’ve struggled to keep a straight face too.

In fact, it hadn’t even taken that long—Loelle had been endlessly suspicious when Reus suddenly started treating her well.

What’s his real motive? How long will this strange kindness last? What if he suddenly changes back? Even small acts of kindness used to make her anxious.

It wasn’t until the day Peria suddenly showed up at the ducal estate without warning that Loelle’s opinion of Reus completely changed.

That day, her most embarrassing secret, which she never wanted anyone to know, was exposed.

And it was Reus Rochester who saw it. She had never felt such humiliation in her life. And before the embarrassment even faded, fear took its place.

But Reus, against all expectations, scolded Peria, not Loelle, and said everything was his fault. Then, he even awkwardly tried to comfort her.

Of course, even careless comfort would’ve been fine, but Loelle found the greatest comfort in how Reus treated her normally, from start to finish, as if nothing had changed.

“When I’m upset, he comforts me well…”

“Comforts?”

Helen now looked like she was facing the world’s greatest mystery.

Reus saying kind words—well, let’s say it’s possible. Even if they’re not sincere, mimicking kind words is easy enough, so she could accept that. But comforting someone?

“So, what kind of comfort are we talking about…?”

Helen leaned forward, unable to hold back her curiosity. Loelle, who had no intention of hiding anything, spoke as if it were no big deal.

“He holds my hand, or jokes around to lighten the mood…”

Helen, listening quietly, unintentionally dropped the teacup she was holding.

Loelle’s calm explanation didn’t sound like a lie. She didn’t seem like the type to exaggerate either.

But the Reus that Loelle described was the complete opposite of the man Helen knew, making it hard to believe her.

Her tilted head, her slightly furrowed brow, her frozen expression—all revealed her disbelief.

Seeing this, Loelle hurried to add more.

“And when I’m sick, he’s really gentle! He takes care of me himself, talks to me so I don’t feel lonely…”

Normally, there would be no need to defend someone this much, but since few people had known Reus for a long time, Loelle wanted to clear up some misunderstandings.

‘He’s not the type to show things himself.’

Honestly, she wanted to go further than just defending him. She wanted to tell the whole story of her past life to stop him from rebelling.

But there’s no way Reus would believe something as ridiculous as that.

‘Who would believe a story about reincarnation? I wouldn’t, either.’

He might not just laugh it off. He might think she’s lost her mind…

The possibility felt too real, and a shiver ran down her spine.

‘Besides, revenge isn’t something anyone else can interfere with.’

Whatever it was, no words should be said, not even small worries. It was better to keep everything to herself.

So all Loelle could do was silently hope that Reus’s rebellion would succeed, and that this life—however strange—would continue.

She had left out the more dramatic details, thinking it might sound over the top. Yet Helen’s expression only grew stiffer.

‘From what I’m hearing, it’s like Reus worships Loelle.’

Helen suddenly remembered the rumors that had reached even the Leveren Kingdom about the Duke and Duchess of Rochester. The details were vague, but the gist of the countless whispers could be summed up like this:

“The cold-blooded man of the Ashelit Empire has found his soulmate and now won’t let her out of his arms.”

But Helen had always scoffed at the idea. Unless Reus Rochester had been reborn, there was no way that would ever happen.

He was a man known as a war hero in both the Ashelit Empire and the Leveren Kingdom. To those who had fought with him, he was more than respected—he was revered. Enemies agreed: as long as Reus was alive, no one could stand against him.

And Reus himself had a personality that fit all those grand titles.

Because of that, no one could easily approach him. Even the late King Elion of Leveren had once confessed that Reus was the hardest man to deal with.

Yet the Reus that Loelle described didn’t sound like that at all.

A devoted husband?

The phrase flashed in her mind, but for some reason, her expression twitched.

‘But his face has been stiff all day today.’

Well, he did show a strange reaction when she hugged Loelle earlier…

Still. A devoted husband?

‘That’s absurd. Even Claude becoming calm makes more sense.’

Eventually, Helen decided that while Loelle might not be a liar, she probably had a tendency to justify things.

But the very next day, Helen had to admit she had been completely wrong.

After yesterday’s tea time, the first thing she saw was the couple sitting on a bench near a fountain.

Loelle was chatting comfortably, and although the man beside her was mostly hidden by a tree, the broad shoulders alone made it obvious he was male.

‘Who is that?’

The muscular arm and wide shoulders suggested he was a knight.

Did she really sit a guard beside her? As Helen took a few steps forward, she finally saw who the man was.

It was Reus.

She had only seen them by chance while passing by, so she should’ve moved along with her schedule—but Helen was too shocked to move. She just stood and stared.

She had never seen her close friend sit beside someone like that.

And Reus, who looked at Loelle with such affectionate eyes, clearly sensed her presence. Yet he didn’t care at all, acting like he didn’t notice anyone around them.

‘Is that really the Reus I know?’

Because of her sudden stop, the palace attendants following her also froze. Curious, they peeked past her and quickly figured out what she was staring at.

“Oh my, isn’t that Duke Rochester?”

“That’s him? He doesn’t look scary at all!”

Reus was never cruel to subordinates, but his presence was so intense that the servants would often avoid even minor tasks involving him. Even things like delivering messages or announcing meal times felt too stressful.

One attendant, shocked even more than Helen, squinted and leaned forward, as if unsure they were truly looking at Duke Rochester.

The man who seemed like he’d be cold to the touch was smiling like a soft spring breeze.

‘And he’s looking at someone like that…’

At that moment, Loelle turned to Reus and said something. Reus’s eyes crinkled with a smile, and he gently tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

Helen and a few attendants quickly turned away in unison. The contrast was too much—they couldn’t accept that this was the same cold-blooded duke.

Only two newer attendants, who hadn’t been in the palace long, didn’t understand what was going on. To them, the scene just looked sweet and romantic.

Honestly, for Helen, that moment alone had been shocking enough. But Loelle’s eccentric husband wasn’t done yet.

Reus, who used to skip meals just to avoid sitting with others during wartime, now nagged Loelle at every mealtime to eat properly.

Even with Claude staring at him with his mouth wide open, Reus only paid attention to his wife.

And that wasn’t all. If the stairs looked even a little steep, he looked ready to lift her up without hesitation.

Yes—those rumors that said he doted on his wife to the extreme had actually been toned down.

‘Why not just carry her around the royal palace all day?’

Thanks to Reus’s behavior, rumors began spreading throughout the Leveren royal palace: that Reus had been possessed by another soul, or that he had a secret twin.

‘I vote for the soul swap.’

Since this was their first trip after marriage, Helen had planned to convince Claude to let them leave early. But now, she felt it would be a shame to miss the chance to tease Reus just a little longer.

So, she decided to delay the couple’s departure—and have a little fun with Reus first.

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