Strategic Marriage with the Mad Villain (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 7

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“There, Roel. Drink this.”

Uncle Haven handed me a warmly brewed cup of tea, and I numbly took the cup. I wasn’t thinking of drinking it—just staring at the still ripples on the surface of the tea.

“I’ve never seen someone so stubbornly clinging to life. It’s a miracle he’s still alive—a true miracle. But who the hell is that guy anyway? He looked familiar.”

“…His Grace.”

“What?”

“His Grace….”

“Oh! His Grace… His Grace…? …H-his Gr-r-ace?!”

I slowly nodded at Uncle Haven, who repeated the title in astonishment.

For a brief moment, confusion flickered across Uncle Haven’s face. Then, as he chewed it over, his expression grew steadily more horrified, until he turned pale.

“Y-you mean… the—the His Grace I know? That His Grace?!”

“Yes. It really is His Grace. Grand Duke Rocheter.”

“Good heavens… What in the world is such an exalted noble doing here…? No, wait—this isn’t even within the Grand Duke’s territory. How did he end up here…?”

I felt exactly the same as Uncle Haven. Why on earth was that man here? Even passing near Count Yveler’s estate would’ve been shocking enough—but the Forest of Silence, right next to Anas, of all places!

‘Why did it have to be Reus…?’

“…But when will he wake up?”

“Hmm. The antidote needs at least three hours to fully circulate. It’ll probably take him a full day to fully regain consciousness.”

‘At least that’s something.’

“I’ll go make a restorative potion first. He’s past the worst, but he’s still in such bad shape that death wouldn’t be surprising… Stay here and watch over him. If you notice even the slightest sign of him worsening, run straight to the next room.”

“Yes….”

As soon as he finished speaking, Uncle Haven left the room. I set the teacup aside on the shelf and buried my face in my hands.

My mind was completely consumed by one thought.

The original story.

‘There wasn’t any scene like this in the original, was there?’

No matter how hard I tried to recall, nothing like this existed in the original.

There was no mention of Roel becoming Reus’s savior and getting engaged to him, or their relationship starting from a personal encounter like this.

“Then what the hell is this situation…?”

Ever since I was reincarnated into this world, everything that was supposed to happen had indeed come to pass.

Major events like wars or accidents significant enough to be reported in the news—all of it unfolded just as I remembered. Just recently, the transfer of southern territories had occurred exactly as I knew it would.

That meant the flow of this world still followed the original story’s plot.

Which meant…

‘Was Reus originally fated to nearly lose his life around this time?’

Perhaps it was a personal incident unrelated to the protagonist, so it never appeared in the book?

‘…Then there’s only one possible variable, isn’t there?’

Me—the one who knows the future.

The one who knows the original story and recently acted differently from the world’s predetermined settings.

Whether it was because I told Cassien I wanted to break off our engagement, or because I’d started preparing an alternate identity early to escape—I didn’t know.

But even to me, it sounded far too plausible.

“Damn it.”

This wouldn’t completely derail the plot, would it…? If something went wrong with my escape plan because of this…

“No. Don’t panic. As long as I’m not discovered, I’ll be fine.”

Uncle Haven said it would take at least a full day for Reus to regain consciousness. So if I just quietly acted as if I’d never interfered with the plot, nothing should go wrong.

After a long while of reassuring myself, I finally felt ready to check on Reus. I lifted my head from my hands and looked at him.

‘His face is so pale….’

He’d broken out in a cold sweat, and I couldn’t help feeling sorry for him. Worried, I reached out and touched his forehead—only to find him burning up.

Aside from my desire to avoid getting entangled with Reus, watching someone’s life hang in the balance was painful in its own right.

Especially when it was someone I never imagined would go through something like this.

Just as I reached toward the shelf to get a cloth to wipe his sweat—

I froze mid-motion and let out a cry as if struck by lightning.

“…Agh—!”

Reus’s half-open eyes were staring directly at me.

Trending

So startled was I that I instinctively clamped both hands over Reus’s eyes with a loud *thwack*.

‘What—what is this? The antidote shouldn’t kick in for at least three more hours….’

No—Uncle Haven said it would take a full day for him to regain consciousness!

How could he possibly be awake already? That made no sense!

For a moment, I seriously wondered if Reus wasn’t human at all—maybe he was a monster born solely to play the villain.

But strangely, he gave no further reaction.

‘Did he just briefly wake up…?’

That thought barely crossed my mind before I felt Reus’s eyebrows twitch beneath my palms.

Then, a rough, metallic voice rasped from his lips.

“…Get it off—.”

…What should I do?

My mind raced faster than ever.

And the conclusion I quickly reached was:

‘Since it’s come to this, I’ll just run and erase all evidence!’

He’s clearly in pain and not thinking straight—how could he possibly recognize me if I ran now?

I tried to pull my hands away and bolt straight for the door—but Reus, sensing my attempt to flee, swiftly grabbed my wrist.

Instead of escaping, I couldn’t even move my hand.

Thankfully, his other arm seemed immobile. I tried forcing my captured wrist free, but his grip was iron-tight—my hand wouldn’t budge an inch.

‘He was at death’s door just moments ago—how does he have this much strength…!’

At this rate, he’d shove my hands away before I could even think of escaping.

I rapidly changed tactics.

First, make it clear I’m not a threat. Then stall for time until I find an opening to run.

I gently placed my hands back over Reus’s eyes. Immediately, a low, grinding sound came from between his clenched teeth.

“Your hand—won’t you—?”

Intense pressure suddenly crushed my wrist. Desperately resisting, I leaned closer and whispered:

“The antidote… hasn’t fully circulated yet….”

My voice was so faint it was barely intelligible.

‘This is the best I can do.’

It was truly the only option.

I had to prove I wasn’t an enemy—but without revealing my identity.

Beneath my palms, I felt Reus’s brow furrow in irritation. He clearly hadn’t understood me and was getting frustrated.

I moved my face even closer and repeated, softly:

“The antidote hasn’t fully taken effect yet—you mustn’t strain yourself….”

“Forget it—just—ugh… get your hands off me—.”

Beneath his bloodstained clothes, his muscles tensed. Despite his terrible condition, the mad villain was stubbornly trying to sit up.

His sheer intensity was terrifying—before I even realized it, my free right hand had pressed him firmly back down.

Reus let out a weak whimper and collapsed back onto the bed.

Panicked, I hurriedly added:

“I—I don’t mean you any harm…! Please, just don’t move….”

Whether it was my trembling voice from nerves, or the regret in my touch—I don’t know—but Reus’s grip on my wrist loosened, just slightly.

By now, he must have realized it himself.

Even in his dazed state, he must’ve understood that someone too weak to free her own wrist couldn’t possibly be a threat.

Thankfully, Reus stopped trying to sit up—though he looked incredibly annoyed.

‘As long as he doesn’t find out who I am, it’ll be fine.’

I quietly reassured myself and whispered:

“I’ll bring you the restorative soon. Could you just stay still until then…?”

“Ugh….”

Reus couldn’t answer—only moaned repeatedly.

Now that his mind was clearer, the pain must have felt sharper. After a long stretch of groaning, the strength finally drained from his hand.

‘Now’s my chance.’

ads

Quickly, I grabbed the blanket and pulled it over his head all the way to his chin, then bolted from the room without looking back.

‘I’m really sorry…!’

Guilty for seeing his suffering as an opportunity, I silently repeated my apology over and over, though no one could hear it.

[This is the timeline separator]

I was calming my racing heart outside the room when I ran into Uncle Haven, just stepping out of the adjacent room.

“Roel? Why are you out here? Did something happen to His Grace?”

“No… He’s just too lively—that’s the problem….”

Uncle Haven, failing to catch my muttering, gave me a silly look and repeated:

“Huh? What was that?”

“…Never mind. Uncle, I think I’ll head back now.”

At my words, Uncle Haven glanced at the clock. It had been just past midnight when we’d left the count’s estate, but the clock already read 3 a.m.

“You’re right—it’s gotten this late already. Shall I walk you home?”

“I can go alone.”

“But I’m worried about letting you go by yourself….”

Clearly unsettled—probably because of Reus’s attack—Uncle Haven was more anxious than usual.

I understood his worry, but I quickly waved him off.

“If you leave, who’ll take care of His Grace? I’ll be fine.”

“At least let me walk you to the end of the street….”

“Actually… Uncle, I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor?”

When I nodded, Uncle Haven raised his eyebrows, as if to say, “Go on.”

“When His Grace wakes up…”

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