Strategic Marriage with the Mad Villain (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 2
I am not Countess Peria’s biological daughter.
The shame of the Yveler family—born from Count Yveler and a maidservant. A nuisance who, if left alive, would only sow discord within the household. An inconvenient bundle of blood. That was me, Roel Yveler.
But the count—my father—brought me into the Yveler household immediately after my birth.
“You won’t be able to conceive again. So I intend to name this child, who carries at least half my blood, as my heir.”
Before my birth, Peria had suffered repeated miscarriages. Just before I was born, several physicians had even declared she would never bear a child again.
It was during that time that the count’s secret affair with my mother, the maidservant, produced me.
Desperate to avoid having the family line stolen by a collateral branch, my father finally decided to acknowledge me and threatened Peria with divorce if she refused to accept me as her own daughter.
“If you cannot accept her, then divorce is the only option left. The choice is yours.”
Peria’s repeated miscarriages were a well-known topic in high society.
Thus, being abandoned by the count would have left her with no hope of remarriage.
In the end, Peria accepted the count’s proposal, and I—the bastard who should have died—was transformed into the countess’s legitimate daughter.
“But back then, things didn’t seem quite so difficult…”
Despite his busy schedule, my father visited me fairly often, so Peria never openly mistreated me.
But when I turned four, everything began to change slowly after Briella was born.
“Briella… Yes, Briella would be a good name for her.”
“What a beautiful name, darling. It suits our daughter perfectly. Look at her—she’s so lovely… I can hardly believe she’s truly mine.”
From that moment, the count’s attention toward me gradually waned.
Then, when I turned eight—
My younger half-brother Deon was born, and everything shifted drastically.
“You’ve done it! At last, a true heir worthy of succession has been born! My dear wife, ask for anything you desire—I’ll grant you whatever you wish!”
A legitimate son, bearing his blood and his gender.
Naturally, the count’s full attention shifted entirely to Deon.
As a result, both Briella and I were pushed aside.
The only difference was that Briella was his trueborn daughter, while I was not—which meant that after Deon’s birth, our situations diverged as widely as heaven and earth.
Once I fell out of the count’s favor, Peria seized the opportunity to torment me.
Being banished to the storage room, excluded from meals whenever Father was away, or having random objects mysteriously hit my head whenever I wandered the mansion—these incidents never appeared in the novel.
That was only natural, since I was merely a side character.
Thus, while reading the story, I always thought Roel was foolish for acting as if Cassien were her entire world.
Yet now, having been reincarnated and experiencing everything firsthand, I finally understood why Roel clung to Cassien so desperately.
“Who could have known that side character Roel’s life would be this miserable?”
When someone perfect appears in such a life, promising everything, who wouldn’t fall in love?
Even I—who had resolved from birth to exit the original plot—once tried to win Cassien’s heart and rewrite the story.
But some things in this world simply cannot be changed no matter how hard you try.
And in this world, changing Cassien’s heart was exactly one of those things.
[This is the timeline separator]Knock, knock.
A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts.
“Yes, come in—”
Before I could finish my sentence, the door opened, and someone entered the room as if it were perfectly natural. I shot to my feet in surprise at the unexpected visitor.
“Cassien? What are you doing here…?”
Cassien strode over and gently guided me back onto the sofa, then gave me a calm, easy smile.
“Roel. Did you sleep well?”
“……”
I stared wordlessly at Cassien’s hand—because he was holding a bouquet of flowers.
Seeing him do something so utterly out of character, he must have finally realized I’d been angry with him yesterday.
“Oh, these are roses. You like them, right? Aren’t they pretty?”
‘So you just grabbed the first pretty thing you saw…’
I couldn’t help but let out a short, incredulous laugh.
We’d never even discussed flowers before—yet he claimed he bought them because they were my favorite?
Maybe he’d confused me with some other woman who liked yellow roses?
When I pushed the bouquet away, Cassien looked genuinely taken aback.
“What about our appointment?”
“…What appointment?”
“You said you had a sudden engagement and wouldn’t be able to meet me.”
“Of course I canceled it—I came here because my promise to you is far more important.”
Even though our appointment had been scheduled first, his tone implied he’d sacrificed something vital for me, which wasn’t just annoying—it was laughable.
I replied with a hint of sarcasm.
“Won’t you be disappointed? We’ve barely even reconnected.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Lady Verodika.”
At the mention of the woman he’d recently been seeing, Cassien’s mouth snapped shut.
Until now, no matter what rumors I’d heard or what I’d witnessed, I’d never once let on to Cassien that I noticed.
Because back then… I’d feared the original plot unraveling—or losing Cassien—more than death itself.
But not anymore.
“You said you were going to the theater. You should hurry.”
“Roel, I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
His shamelessly composed demeanor made me frown, but Cassien maintained his calm tone.
“I have nothing whatsoever going on with Lady Verodika. Yes, we’ve spoken a few times… but that’s all. It’s truly just your misunderstanding.”
Then Cassien gently took my hand in his.
I stared at our hands.
Neither of us wore an engagement ring.
I’d taken mine off yesterday, and Cassien hadn’t worn his once since our engagement ceremony.
“Roel. It’s already been four years since we got engaged. Who else would I possibly see when I have you… hmm?”
“…Cassien.”
“Hmm, Roel.”
“I don’t care anymore who you see.”
“……”
“So please just leave now.”
There was a time when I desperately wished for Cassien to come and soothe my mood like this.
But experiencing it now only left me feeling worse—disgusted, even. And…
‘Pathetic.’
It honestly felt better when I’d simply pretended not to know. Firmly, I pulled my hand from his.
“I want to rest… Cassien, please just go. I’m asking you.”
Then I walked straight to my bed—a bed I rarely ever lay in during the day.
The softness of the blanket reminded me of Cassien’s touch on my hand just moments ago, making my chest tighten, but I closed my eyes tightly and tried to sleep.
Yet Cassien sat at the edge of the bed, gently stroking my hair, making it impossible to sleep—or even to keep my eyes shut in peace.
“Roel. Please look at me.”
“……”
“What’s wrong all of a sudden? If something’s bothering you, tell me what I did so I can apologize.”
“……”
“Are you really going to keep ignoring me like this, Roel?”
“……”
“At least sit up. Talking things out is the only way to fix anything. Come on—look me in the eye when I’m speaking to you, okay?”
I tried my best to ignore him.
But his last words made my body jerk upright on its own.
What? Talk it out? Look him in the eye when he’s speaking? Who was it that never even made eye contact during our conversations?
I glared at Cassien in silence.
“…Roel, just tell me exactly why you’re angry—”
“Does it even matter to you why I’m angry?”
Cassien slowly closed his eyes and opened them again.
It was his unconscious habit whenever something annoying came up.
‘I know even your tiniest little quirks…’
Yet you need me to spell out why I’m angry—that’s what really…
“Why do you keep being so sharp? You don’t actually want to fight with me, so can’t we just—”
“Why should I have to be nice about it!”
Cassien flinched in surprise.
Normally, I’d have been startled by his reaction and immediately shut my mouth, watching his expression carefully—but today, I couldn’t stop myself.
“Don’t you remember? I asked to break off our engagement! That means we’re through. So why are you acting like this? If we’re broken up, why are you still treating me like this!”
“……Roel.”
“There’s only one thing I have to say to you. Our relationship is over.”
“……”
“So please, just leave my room now, Cassien.”
[This is the timeline separator]Judging by the fact that Peria hadn’t come looking for me, Cassien apparently hadn’t told anyone that I’d asked for a breakup.
“Well, of course. With our engagement as his shield, he can keep chasing every woman he wants—why would he give that up?”
Ironically, it was precisely our engagement that enabled Cassien’s wild lifestyle.
Our long-standing betrothal had convinced Marquis and Marchioness Ershian that their wayward son would eventually return to his rightful place.
They believed it so firmly that they’d never taken any action up to this point.
In fact, the marchioness had once even said, “It’s not even a bad thing—if he enjoys himself now, he’ll treat you better once you’re married.”
“He probably won’t come to his senses until he meets the female lead.”
Since I’ve ended things with Cassien, this is no longer my concern.
Or so I thought—right up until the next day, when Cassien showed up again at the Yveler count’s estate.
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
Most Commented This Week
I Decline the Ex-Boyfriend of the Regretful Male Lead (Completed Main Story)
Long Live the Emperor, Minus Me (Completed Main Story)
After Linking the Villainess and Male Lead (5 Chapters Left to Complete)
Who Spent the Night with the Tower Master (Completed Main Story)
Captured into the Bedroom of the Enemy Emperor (1 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Became a Supporting Character in a Martial Arts Novel (Completed Main Story)