Living a Scheming Marriage with a Mad Villain - Chapter 97

Reus, who drank the same alcohol, was fine. The Marquis and his wife were also okay. But Verodica, who used the same tray of cups, collapsed just like Loelle, coughing up dark red blood.

Sounds of breaking cups and screams of shock mixed everywhere.

The banquet hall turned into chaos in an instant. But despite the endless noise, the sounds gradually faded from Reus’s ears until he couldn’t hear anything.

Everything moved slowly, and Reus’s eyes fell on Loelle, who was struggling to breathe in his arms.

Loelle’s watery eyes were losing focus and becoming cloudy. The light of life was fading too fast.

They had been closer than comrades in the battlefield over the years. Closer than the ordinary life that felt like a midsummer night’s dream.

This was clearly the smell of death.

It was the darkest and clearest sign he had ever felt. No thought could properly form in Reus’s mind. But his hand moved instinctively toward Loelle’s heart.

He had eased mild pain and healed wounds before, but never saved someone dying. He wasn’t sure if he could do anything now, but there was no time to hesitate. Just before Loelle’s breath stopped, Reus poured all his power into him.

But he felt nothing.

He couldn’t tell if he felt nothing because his nerves were completely broken or if he really couldn’t do anything.

Just when he was about to choke on anxiety, a faint vibration came through his palm. Loelle’s stopped heart started beating again.

As soon as he realized this, all of Reus’s senses returned to reality.

“Haa…”

Now, he finally heard the confused noise of the banquet hall. His trembling hands and body soaked in cold sweat were all a mess. Reus stayed still for a moment like that.

Dwyn, who had brought the duke’s knights, stopped nearby, unable to approach at once because of the owner’s unusual appearance. Soon Reus’s face twisted, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips.

Had he said he’d rely on a woman’s affection only until Loelle left? He had overrated himself.

There was no sound more like a dog than that.

Reus carefully handed Loelle to Dwyn and the knights, then approached one of the duke’s knights.

“Have you locked the doors?”

“Y-Yes, everything is sealed.”

The nervous knight didn’t look at his master but kept his head facing forward as he answered.

Reus slowly nodded, then suddenly drew the knight’s longsword. The sound of the sword leaving its sheath was chilling.

Then, the sword was pointed at the stunned Marquis’s neck.

“Marquis Plona.”

That was the only time his name was spoken, but Marquis Plona started talking like someone had poked him.

“Your Highness, I don’t know anything about this. I really don’t understand… Ah, my daughter! You also saw my daughter Verodica collapse! How could I ever think of harming Your Highness? Especially putting my own daughter in danger… I-I swear it’s not me!”

“No. That’s not important right now.”

“I’m really not guilty, please believe me, Your Highness!”

The Marquis knelt and begged, but Reus’s expression didn’t change. Soon, a thin red line was drawn across the Marquis’s neck as the sword moved.

“I-I’m… I really am not! Please, Your Highness…!”

At the Marquis’s cry, Reus frowned in annoyance.

“Didn’t I say your innocence isn’t important right now?”

“P-Please spare me, Your Highness…”

The terrified Marquis’s face turned pale blue, and he stepped back without realizing it. The sword blocked his retreat, stabbing just behind him.

Reus slowly lowered his body and grabbed the Marquis’s collar tightly.

“If you’re so innocent, then catch the real culprit before my wife wakes.”

“Y-Yes! I will! I promise I will—cough…”

Reus pulled the collar hard, making the Marquis bow his head naturally.

“If you don’t, you’ll be the first to cough up blood here.”

The warning tone continued, as if telling him never to forget what happened here or what might happen soon.

“My patience isn’t long, Marquis Plona. Don’t waste time.”

“That… all I can say now is that it’s a miracle he’s still alive. I’m sorry, Your Highness…”

The Marquis family doctor gave a weak reply. Dywn signaled him to leave, and the doctor left the room with Dywn.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Reus’s forced calm expression collapsed, revealing a face full of pain.

It was all his fault.

His ties to the Plona family were never for their sake. He only intended to slowly bleed them dry.

After learning Verodica had troubled Loelle for a long time, he planned to ruin the Plona family.

But he didn’t want the woman, who trembled at his slightest move or voice, to see his true feelings. Especially about how he had fallen and survived.

So he planned to quietly take them down one by one under the pretense of coincidence.

But to risk Loelle just to keep up appearances?

If he had known this, he would have crushed them thoroughly so they couldn’t rise again.

“Loelle…”

Reus gently stroked Loelle’s pale, colorless face. It felt almost cold.

The doctor said Loelle might never open his eyes even after a long time. Though he reacted unhappily, Reus knew better than anyone that Loelle’s survival was a miracle.

No matter how strong healing power was, it couldn’t change the person’s original body. Even if it could, it would take a very long time.

Loelle’s body was especially weak. It was partly because of the years of suffering from the count’s family, but given his frequent illnesses, he couldn’t be called strong by nature.

Now, his already weak body was fully exposed to poison, so the damage was surely greater than normal people.

Reus had only barely kept Loelle from dying. From now on, Loelle would have to survive the crisis alone.

Loelle’s face looked peaceful today. As if he would leave Reus forever. As if he never had any regrets here from the start.

“Loelle.”

There was, of course, no answer.

Reus held Loelle’s hand and pressed his forehead against it. Then he poured an enormous amount of power into his body, enough to strain himself.

It was okay if he collapsed from overdoing it. Even if his own life was at risk, it didn’t matter. As long as Loelle could open his eyes, Reus was ready to sacrifice his pride and life.

“Loelle… I’m sorry.”

He might have to face Loelle’s unmoving form for a very long time.

Just watching him might bring pain every moment.

Knowing that, Reus still couldn’t leave Loelle, deeply asleep. He was trapped in a nightmare he barely escaped, breaking down, blaming himself, and hurting over and over again.

Two days later, early morning. Theron came to see Reus.

Once, Loelle was a woman he didn’t care if she lived or died. But seeing her lying on the bed with a look like she would never return made his heart very heavy.

“The world won’t leave her alone…”

Theron handed a bottle to Reus after barely looking away from Loelle.

“It’s an extreme poison.”

The brown bottle was labeled ‘Areia.’

Areia was a poison so deadly that even a small amount could kill instantly. It was difficult to handle, and even its makers often died from it.

Because of this, it was strictly controlled by the state and was hard to find even in back alleys.

But where did this poison come from?

It didn’t make sense that Theron, who knew the underworld best, didn’t know the source.

That meant the one who secretly ordered this was someone who could get forbidden drugs easily and keep secrets better than anyone.

Only one person fit that description for Theron and Reus.

That was Emperor Den of the Ashelit Empire.

“The Marquis’s daughter is alive?”

Two people took the poison: one was still near death, and the other had already woken and was recovering.

“It seems they got the antidote too… Shadows must have secretly delivered it to avoid suspicion.”

Reus sighed deeply. The bitter laugh in his breath clearly showed his murderous intent.

He should have just killed them.

Because of those worthless pests, the number of people he needed to kill only grew.

Even if the emperor wasn’t trying to find out if Reus had regained strength, Loelle’s survival was enough to reveal his hand.

So there was no reason to keep acting like a fool or let the shadows linger around.

“Catch the shadows.”

“They’ll die anyway. You know their ways. They’re useless now and will die soon.”

Theron’s answer made Reus’s face crumple instantly. He seemed to say, “What does that have to do with me?”

Theron clicked his tongue quietly as if annoyed.

‘Was this what had to happen?’

Reus hoped his true feelings wouldn’t be noticed until Loelle escaped. The feelings that might be too much for some and impossible to go back from for others.

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