Living a Scheming Marriage with a Mad Villain - Chapter 94

She caught her breath for a moment before hurriedly speaking.

“Theron didn’t do anything wrong…!”

“You’re taking his side again?”

“I’m not taking sides. It’s just that, this time, Theron really didn’t do anything wrong. I asked him if I could get some fresh air, and he just agreed. I only said I was bored staying in the room and wanted to take a quick look around the hotel…!”

Strangely, the more she explained, the more cracks appeared on Reus’s face as if he was in shock. There wasn’t anything she said that should’ve been a problem, so she couldn’t understand his reaction.

“So… please don’t say anything to Theron…”

When she added that timidly, the air turned completely cold.

“Reus…?”

Why did he suddenly freeze?

She gently moved her hand to touch him, but he barely reacted—like someone who had lost his mind.

“Reus, what’s wrong all of a sudden?”

She poked his arm a little harder, but he still didn’t move. Reus just kept staring blankly into the air for a while before finally opening his mouth.

“You and Theron…”

“Theron and…?”

She waited for him to continue, but Reus just opened and closed his mouth without saying a word, leaving her with nothing.

Theron and what?

He left her hanging, and she couldn’t stand it.

“Loelle.”

“Yes, Theron and—?”

Just when she thought he might finally finish his sentence, Reus gave a faint, bitter smile and said,

“Unfortunately, Theron’s time escorting you ends today. Starting now, I won’t be leaving your side anymore.”

“I thought you had plans through tomorrow?”

Once again, Reus didn’t answer her question. Instead, he gently took both of her hands in his.

And with that, the tense atmosphere softened slightly.

“That business wrapped up earlier than expected.”

“You mean the conversation with that person yesterday?”

She had wondered why he held her hands—turns out it was to deliver bad news. But what he said next was unexpected.

“As you said, I didn’t make an issue out of that woman, so there’s no need to worry.”

“Tha– I mean…”

She almost blurted out that he was lying.

“I know you don’t trust me very much, but I’m telling the truth. Just like you wanted, I only talked about business.”

She held back the words on the tip of her tongue, but her face must’ve shown her doubt. Feeling a little awkward, she cleared her throat softly.

“You didn’t… find another hidden gold mine or something, right?”

“I know you hate that kind of thing, so why would I?”

“Really?”

It was rare for Reus to just let things go. But then again, this really wasn’t something to make a big deal of.

“Well, I already told Theron to– oops.”

She stopped mid-sentence. She worried that bringing up Theron again would ruin the peace they had just regained. But Reus, having already guessed her thoughts, gave her a reassuring look.

“To be honest, I didn’t want to let it go. Even if he didn’t know any better, you still got hurt because of him.”

“Actually, I wasn’t really hurt…”

“Even if it wasn’t physical or financial harm.”

“Mm… okay.”

She quietly nodded, and Reus continued.

“So I still don’t feel very good about it.”

“I’m sorry, Reus. I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just that, this time…”

“There’s no need for you to apologize. That’s not why I brought it up.”

Then, in a very cautious voice, Reus asked,

“If it’s okay with you, can you promise me just one thing?”

Even though he was clearly unhappy, he still gave in to her wishes. So this time, she nodded without resistance. She thought he’d ask her not to let something like this happen again.

But then…

“Promise me you won’t ever be alone with Theron again.”

“Yes, next time you can decide—”

Wait. Doesn’t that sound a bit off?

What kind of weird request was that? His gentle tone… was it just to trick her?

The sudden shift in the conversation left her dizzy.

“Decide? I wasn’t asking that much, but if you want to leave it up to me, I’m fine with that.”

“No, wait…! That’s not what I meant!”

She was so flustered she completely forgot what they had been talking about.

“W-What were we even talking about, Reus?”

“You were saying I could do whatever I want.”

“What do you mean ‘whatever you want’…?”

“Well. I guess you’ll find out—if you ever break that promise.”

Then, suddenly remembering what they were talking about, she snapped back to focus.

“Theron. Right, we were talking about Theron…”

The moment she said Theron’s name, Reus’s pleasant expression twisted. She knew he didn’t like it, but they had to finish this conversation properly.

“Why such a promise all of a sudden? And why because of Theron…?”

“There are so many reasons, I don’t even know where to start.”

Well, that made sense, considering how much Reus disliked Theron.

“Then who will take care of Ivelle from now on—?”

“Why worry? Just meet with her where I am. In my office.”

From the tone of his voice, it didn’t seem like Theron’s responsibilities had changed. Reus just didn’t want Loelle and Theron alone together anymore.

So, it wasn’t really a problem… but she couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.

“Well, I don’t think we’ll need to meet much anymore. Now that I think about it, I can just get the documents and hand them to you myself. There was never really a need to meet Theron anyway.”

“I know you and Theron aren’t that close. But he’s never done anything wrong to me…”

“Tsk. He wasn’t supposed to be your escort to begin with.”

So no matter what she said, it all came down to: “Don’t talk about Theron.”

But I really don’t understand.

There must be a reason Reus hated seeing her with Theron. But his outbursts were always so random, she couldn’t even begin to guess what the reason was.

As she blinked in confusion, Reus suddenly lifted her up in his arms.

“If you’re tired, just change clothes and go to bed.”

When they had returned from the ballet, she hadn’t felt tired at all. But now, she did feel a bit drained.

“Are you very tired?”

“A little… I think.”

Because of you.

Even if she said it, he’d just laugh it off.

“Reus. Do you realize you’ve been acting really strange lately?”

“I’m not sure. But if it bothers you, I’ll fix it.”

He always said sweet things, even if he just did whatever he wanted in the end. She went to bed that night, even more convinced that Reus was an unpredictable man.

Just like Reus said that day, Theron no longer served as her escort. It was the same as before they came to Leveren, so she accepted it easily.

But…

Lately, it feels like I haven’t spent even a moment away from Reus until I fall asleep.

No that wasn’t quite right. They even slept together, so really, they were together all day. It had been similar before coming to Leveren, but at least back then, he used to leave from time to time.

Isn’t it kind of exhausting?

She started to worry that maybe Reus was trying too hard to accommodate her.

“Loel?”

Startled by the hand brushing her cheek, she turned her head. But Reus, who had looked so happy, suddenly frowned slightly.

“Don’t tell me you’re thinking about Theron.”

“N-No…?”

She had thought about him for a second, but that didn’t mean she was thinking about him now. She shook her head firmly, but Reus clearly didn’t believe her. He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before speaking again.

“You ask me to hold you, but your thoughts are always with Theron…”

“What—! What are you saying, Reus?!”

She looked around, afraid someone might have heard him. Fortunately, the knights were far away, and Dwyn was off in the distance. It didn’t seem like anyone had overheard.

“When did I ever do that?”

“When? You said you’d never drink again, and then got totally drunk and wrapped your arms around my neck—”

“Ahh! Stop! Please stop. I’m sorry, it was all my fault!”

She had hoped this would be one of those times he let things go quietly. But nope—he had to bring it up again. She couldn’t remember anything, but judging from his smug face, it clearly happened.

Just remembering waking up with her arms around his neck was enough to confirm how annoying she must’ve been.

Why didn’t you just confess you liked him while you were at it, silly me.

“You’re still talking about ice cream.”

“You still speak informally to me.”

“You act like we’re close, but you always think about Theron. Why, Loel?”

She had her face buried in her hands, but now she looked up.

“When did I ever say I was thinking about Theron!”

You’re the one making assumptions! Why blame me?!

“You keep zoning out and turning your head away.”

What did that have to do with Theron?! She was starting to realize—this man could be ridiculously irrational.

“I just had something on my mind. And for the record, it wasn’t Theron. Don’t even bring him up.”

After turning her inside out, Reus just smiled sweetly, acting like everything was fine.

“Sigh…”

“If you’re hot, should I get you a melon ice cream—”

“Reus, I’m really sorry. I won’t space out anymore. Please… just stop.”

Her face stayed red for a long time as she kept it buried in her hands.

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