Living a Scheming Marriage with a Mad Villain - Chapter 92

“No! It’s really not like that.”

It wasn’t a marriage made from love, but a contractual one. So at the very least, she didn’t want to cause trouble or inconvenience anyone in a foreign country.

‘Maybe it’s because something bad always seems to happen whenever I go out.’

“Wow, you’re really giving me the stink eye.”

“No, Theron. If that were true, then during the festival…”

“If that were the case, I wouldn’t have followed you so persistently during the festival.”

His reaction showed he was already tired of just thinking about Reus. What exactly had happened between the two to cause such deep resentment?

“If you want to get some fresh air, now’s your only chance. You can’t go tomorrow, right?”

“If you don’t want to, forget it.”

It should be fine just for a little while, right? Besides, Theron will be there too.

She had heard countless times from Roshan and Emily about how famous the Monzeto National Ballet Company was. So it was practically a given that she would give in to Theron’s suggestion.

‘I was always so jealous whenever Roshan and Emily went to see a performance.’

They never missed a chance to see famous singers, plays, classical concerts, or ballet. They were good friends who always invited her along, but unless it was a ball or a noble family’s invitation, Peria rarely allowed her to go out. So she never had a proper chance. But now, unexpectedly, here was that chance.

They soon arrived at Graham Hall, just near the hotel.

“Wow…”

Graham Hall had that majestic feeling only very old buildings could have. The grandeur of the hall was impressive, but what she liked most was the excitement in the crowd — the kind you could only feel when waiting to see a ballet performance.

She had seen a few famous singers and musicians perform at the imperial palace before, but this was her first ballet performance. Maybe that’s why she couldn’t hide her excitement.

“You like it that much… then you should’ve just asked that guy instead of staying home.”

“Reus always looks so busy… I felt bad asking him.”

“Busy? That guy? Nonsense. He’s just pretending to be busy.”

His words, so similar to Reus’s own, made her laugh without thinking.

“Ridiculous. Until you leave, don’t just sit around reading in the palace  make him do stuff for you. You’re not coming back to the Empire for a while anyway, right?”

“That’s true, but… what right do I have to do that?”

“Why not? The guy practically wants to hand over the whole ducal estate to you.”

“Still… what?”

“Just kidding.”

What kind of scary joke was that? She almost took it seriously because his tone sounded so natural.

“Anyway, just ask for things once in a while. It’s not like he’d say no.”

“There’s a reason Reus made a contract with me. I don’t know exactly what it is, but… even if he treats me kindly, I know I shouldn’t cross the line. So I try not to ask for personal favors like this unless I really need to.”

Theron just looked down at her in silence.

“What is it?”

“You act like you care, but you don’t seem to have any regrets.”

“Oh…”

Really? She’d been worried that she might look like she wanted to stay in the palace. So that was actually a relief.

“But do you have something hidden in Veliata or something?”

“No. Why?”

“It’s not just about Reus — you don’t seem to have any will to stay in the Empire at all.”

“There’s no special reason. I just wanted to try living in a quiet, peaceful place. The Empire is always full of incidents and trouble.”

And soon, things would get loud again because of something big…

“You must have your reasons. Anyway, don’t cling to things here. Just go. Don’t hesitate and end up getting tied down.”

“Tied down? Tied down by what?”

“There’s something. You’ll see.”

She didn’t know what he meant, but because of Theron’s long stride, she had to hurry just to keep up, leaving no time to ask.

Inside the theater, the atmosphere was already a bit chaotic. Although the show wouldn’t start for a while, most seats were already taken, leaving only a few vacant spots.

“You like it that much?”

“I’ve always wanted to see this performance, even back in the Empire.”

Theron gave a nod, wearing the same expression he had when he didn’t understand her book preferences. He clearly wasn’t interested in books or cultural activities.

“If you can’t ask that guy, then at least ask me sometimes. I can take you anywhere in the Empire. Though… I don’t know if he’d let you.”

There it was again — that fed-up look.

How could both of them be so alike, even in this? No wonder they seemed to be on bad terms — but the truth was, they were just so close.

“Just so you know, don’t feel pressured. I’m free these days, thanks to someone.”

“Hm… okay. If I ever need something, I’ll ask.”

“Good.”

He grumbled sometimes, but Theron really was a good person. The fact that she worried about him, just like she did with Reus, even though she hadn’t left yet — that said it all.

While Loelle was coincidentally spending a good time with Theron, Reus sat across from Asenry, silently recalling what Millie had told him that morning.

“That woman kept getting in the way of Her Highness’s shopping! First, she snatched things Her Highness liked and rushed to pay for them. Then, she started following her and bought everything Her Highness seemed interested in. In the end, Her Highness gave up and hasn’t even glanced at the women’s section since…”

It wasn’t that he thought Loelle had made a mistake.

He just worried as always about what kind of fool had made things harder for Loelle this time, and whether it might have been worse than expected.

But this situation? It wasn’t even laughable.

To act out like that and disappear without an apology, only to later stare at Loelle with that shameless look  how dare she.

His insides had been twisted for a while now, but Reus merely stared calmly at the slightly nervous Asenry in front of him.

‘How should I deal with this?’

Reus had recently been said to be a bit gentler than before.

It looked like he was more tolerant toward everyone, but in truth, it was just that he was pretending to be kind, trying not to create any problems that might bother Loelle.

The fact that he even considered continuing this “kind act” for her sake showed that deep down, he hadn’t changed much from before meeting her.

‘Honestly, I’d love to drag that woman in front of Loelle and make her kneel.’

If he liked Loelle just a little less, he would’ve acted already no hesitation. But because that wasn’t the case, today, he hesitated longer than usual.

Should he handle it the way he always did? Or try acting like he was being nice, just this once? The options seemed similar, but Reus appeared genuinely deep in thought.

Being kind might win points with Loelle.

Reus normally avoided pacifism, but just this once, he decided to imitate Loelle’s gentleness.

Maybe  just maybe if he kept copying her, he’d eventually become a kind person himself.

“You arrived earlier than scheduled.”

“Of course, I should be early! But it seems Your Highness came even earlier. Liam must be scrambling right now.”

Reus arriving early was rare. Rumor had it he was the very definition of an arrogant noble, but from yesterday until now, he had been unusually gentle only toward Asenry, which made her secretly proud.

All that effort she put in from the bottom it was finally paying off. After all, even a grand duke of the empire had no power against money.

‘Even the stiffest man softens in front of money.’

It was strange how both father and daughter thought the same way. Though they had more wealth than Loelle and Reus, they always seemed to forget that fact in odd moments.

Reus was the kind of man who could erase everything and make everyone start from the bottom if he wanted. Why would he need business tips from people like them?

“I wanted to try having a conversation, for once.”

“Conversation? What kind of conversation, Your Highness…?”

Asenry, who had been slowly expanding her business from Monzeto to Leveren Kingdom, was hopeful that this might be her chance to enter Ashelit.

“You seem to care deeply for your daughter.”

“Ah! You must mean Rose. Yes, she’s a precious child whom we had with difficulty, so we’ve raised her very dearly.”

Reus, who never cared for others’ parenting, calmly laid the trap and jumped into the main point.

“I heard there was some trouble between your daughter and my wife. Were you aware of that?”

Asenry’s confident expression flickered for a moment, but quickly recovered.

Just yesterday, she had a hard time calming Rose down after she returned angry from her encounter with the ducal couple. Even after hearing her daughter’s story, she couldn’t quite figure out why Rose was so furious but she had a rough idea of what had happened.

She had expected this might come up but not so directly. It was just a spat between women, after all.

In this kind of situation, the best thing to do was feign ignorance.

“There was trouble? What kind…?”

Since Rose wasn’t on the ship with her, she figured she could brush it off. That overconfidence showed clearly on her face. Reus tilted his head slightly, watching her.

“For someone who claims to treasure their daughter, you don’t seem to know much about her.”

“Th-that’s not it… she’s going through a phase  a teenager, you know. She hardly talks to me these days. And she’s so sensitive, I can’t even ask too much… it’s tough.”

“You seemed to have assigned her a lot of guards. Yet you don’t seem to get reports. I imagine your daughter would be very disappointed in such a neglectful father.”

There was no way out for Asenry now.

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