Strategic Marriage with the Mad Villain - Chapter 1

I entered into a contract marriage with a villain in order to safely escape from my family. But this ends today as well.

‘Finally, I’m departing from the original story.’

As the memories of my difficult days flashed through my mind one by one, I felt a surge of emotion for a moment. But I quickly pulled myself together.

There will be plenty of time to fully enjoy the joy once I arrive at the resort.

In Beliata, which will become the foundation of my life from now on!

‘Let’s hurry and depart before it’s too late.’

I picked up the luggage on the floor and headed for the stairs.

However, I saw a faint silhouette near the railing. I soon recognized who it was.

“……Reus?”

The person who emerged from the darkness was none other than Reus Rochetter, the villain of this novel and the very person I had entered into a contract marriage with.

I hadn’t seen him all day and thought I might not be able to say a final goodbye, but luckily I ran into him.

“You must have finished work late today.”

“I was a bit delayed dealing with some urgent matters.”

After saying that, Reus fixed his gaze on me. More precisely, on the luggage I was carrying in both hands.

“Reus?”

Reus, who had been staring intently at the luggage, only turned his gaze to me when I called his name. He curved his eyes gently.

“The luggage looks too heavy.”

“Ah, this? It’s not as heavy as it looks. I packed mostly light things.”

“Is that so?”

I can always withdraw money from the bank, and I can buy whatever I need once I arrive in Beliata.

I smiled at him as if to say not to worry and adjusted my grip on the luggage again.

Then I looked at Reus for a moment, my lips moving slightly. Since it was the last time, I wanted to make sure to express my gratitude to him.

After carefully choosing my words, I finally conveyed my sincere feelings in a simple manner.

“Thank you… for everything.”

It was a brief expression of gratitude. But judging from Reus’s reaction, he seemed to have realized that my words were sincere.

A moment of silence fell between us.

I gave him an awkward smile and then walked past Reus.

But then.

“It would be better if you put down your luggage and go to sleep now, Roel.”

Reus’s words made me stop after just a few steps.

‘What’s this all of a sudden….’

Reus must know where I’m heading, right?

I had told him countless times, from when we first entered into our contract and throughout its duration, that I planned to start a new life with a new identity in Beliata, a famous resort destination.

‘…I guess he forgot. Well, I suppose it’s natural since we’re only connected by a contract.’

Thinking back on his reactions whenever I talked about Beliata, it was entirely possible.

Reus always looked disinterested, as if he didn’t care even a speck, or openly showed a bored expression.

Still, since it was the last time, I felt an explanation was needed, so I turned back to Reus.

“Reus. You seem to have forgotten, but today is that day. The day I always talked about leaving for Beliata.”

As I spoke, Reus approached until he was right in front of me. He smiled slightly and then took the luggage from my hands.

“I know.”

“Yes, today… What?”

Surprised by his unexpected response, I widened my eyes. Reus added:

“I meant that going now would be a waste of effort since there won’t be any ships.”

No ships…?

There’s no way I could have mixed up the departure time. I had checked and double-checked the ticket for days. Then a plausible assumption occurred to me.

“Ah.”

No wonder I felt uneasy. The wind had been blowing all day, so the ship must have been canceled because of that.

I nodded a couple of times as if I understood.

“Then when did they say the ship would sail again?”

If he had heard about the cancellation in advance, he would have been informed about when the ship would sail again. But there was no answer to my question.

Reus was just smiling.

‘…Why does this feel so ominous.’

Whenever Reus smiled with that expression, things never ended well.

Reus, who had been steadily meeting my gaze, soon spoke.

“Didn’t I tell you?”

“Tell me what…?”

“That even if you go to the port now, there won’t be any ships.”

As he said this, Reus seemed to be in an extremely good mood.

While I was still confused, Reus, who had put down the luggage in a corner of the hallway, gently wrapped his hands around my shoulders. Then he turned me around and made me walk forward.

“Then you should really go back now, Roel.”

Towards where our marital bedroom was.

Although I was walking, my head was still fixed on Reus. It was a silent pressure demanding an explanation, but no answer came.

In the end, it was me who couldn’t stand it anymore and stopped first.

“Reus. I’m not going back until you properly explain what’s going on.”

Faced with my firm attitude, Reus looked troubled. But realizing that I had no intention of changing my mind, he soon opened his mouth.

“It’s exactly as I said. Even if you go to the port now, there won’t be any ships.”

“That’s what I mean. That means it’s been canceled, right? If you heard about the cancellation, you should have heard something like when the next ship will sail, the time or date… something like that.”

“There are no ship schedules in the near future that I can tell you about.”

He said he knew that today was the day I had been looking forward to so much. Yet he’s excessively calm.

An overwhelming sense of unease made my nerves stand on end.

“If there’s nothing in the near future… Then what about after that…?”

At my question, Reus’s expression brightened even more.

As if he had been waiting for me to ask that.

“There are none.”

“What…?”

The reason I responded so blankly was because of Reus’s expression, which seemed to be saying that he was the one who had eliminated all the ships heading to Beliata.

‘…No way. There’s no reason for him to do that.’

Reus, of all people, couldn’t have done that. He said he sincerely wanted to help me.

‘Right. I must be overreacting because my plans have been disrupted… Reus, of all people, couldn’t do this to me…’

At that moment, a large hand cupped my cheek. Reus slowly lifted my face to make me look at him. Then, meeting my gaze, he spoke softly.

“You’re right, I did it.”

As if he had been looking into my mind.

“Roel. Ships heading to Beliata will not sail from now on.”

“……”

“Ever.”

Reus continued speaking while caressing my cheek.

“In case you might harbor any foolish hope.”

The face of this crazed villain uttering such cruel words was more radiant than I had ever seen before.

001. I’m a supporting character trying to escape from the original story.

It’s been 4 years since I got engaged to my fiancé… no, the male lead Casien Ersian.

To put it differently, it’s been 4 years since Casien has been hesitating to marry me for no apparent reason.

And then that bastard suddenly comes to our house and says this.

“I was thinking we could postpone our wedding for another year.”

He doesn’t even bother with greetings and shows no sign of remorse.

“What do you think?”

“……”

And he asks what I think.

I’m so dumbfounded I can’t speak. It seems he’s completely forgotten that until recently, he said he had no intention of postponing the wedding any further.

After a long silence, when it starts to feel a bit tedious, his gaze, which had been fixated on the window, briefly turns to me.

“Roel. Did you hear what I said?”

“…Yes.”

“Then we’re postponing it, right?”

Casien moved on to the next topic as if he knew the answer without even hearing my response.

“Ah. And about our meeting tomorrow. Something urgent came up, so I don’t think I can make it.”

Again, there was no trace of apology. After spouting such nonsense, Casien turned his head back towards the window.

“…Casien.”

“Yes, Roel.”

At Casien’s mechanical response, I suddenly heard something snap in my head.

What I said next was something the original me would never have said.

“Let’s break off our engagement.”

It was entirely because of Casien.

* * *

I’ve naturally known since I was able to think.

That the world I live in is from a novel I read in my previous life, “How to Tame Your Arrogant Love.”

Abbreviated as “HTTAL”.

This novel was about an incredibly frivolous male lead who falls for a strong-willed female lead, but unable to admit it, he faithfully follows the route of becoming a regretful man. And towards the end, he desperately clings to the female lead – a so-called regret novel.

My role in “HTTAL” was that of a supporting character.

A mere tool used and discarded mercilessly to more accurately show what kind of personality the male lead Casien had and how he lived.

After being dumped by Casien, I get engaged to Reus, the Grand Duke of Rochester, following my family’s decision.

Does it seem like my situation has improved a bit for a supporting character dumped by the male lead?

‘Hell no…’

I have a huge problem with my role and background in the novel.

Especially regarding the engagement with Reus Rochester.

Because Grand Duke Rochester, that is, Reus, appears as the villain in “HTTAL”!

Not long after getting engaged to me, he leads the Grand Duke’s knights to storm the imperial palace, but the rebellion fails. In the end, Reus, his fiancée (me), and even my family all meet a brutal end!

It’s bad enough being played with and then dumped by the male lead, but a gruesome ending awaits me as well.

However… I didn’t deviate from the original story.

Instead, I’ve lived faithfully according to the original for 22 years.

I thought that if I carelessly twisted the original story, the changed developments might come back to bite me, or I might unintentionally die even faster.

‘Ah. There was a time when I tried to change things… Because of Casien.’

But that was really just for a moment.

I quickly gave up after realizing that no matter how hard I tried, Casien wasn’t the type to change.

Anyway, after that, I’ve faithfully followed my preset character settings in this world in front of the male lead.

But Casien just now was beyond what I could tolerate.

So in a fit of anger, I said we should break off our engagement!

But this damned guy doesn’t seem to have taken my words seriously at all.

Casien asked calmly with his usual gentle eye smile.

“Hm? What did you say, Roel?”

“……”

What was it about this guy that made me love him so much that I was willing to give him everything?

“Roel?”

His face, which I used to love just looking at, now made me angry just by seeing it.

Barely holding onto my sanity, I said with a bit of irritation:

“I said let’s break off our engagement.”

Casien, who had been endlessly staring out the window with his legs crossed, finally turned his head completely towards me.

“…What?”

He was slightly frowning as if doubting his own ears.

I smiled brightly at such a Casien and announced the end of our relationship.

“Let’s just break off our engagement, Casien.”

* * *

“Ah, how annoying.”

I had said it with some resolve, but Casien seems to have thought I was just throwing a small tantrum at him. He changed his words, saying he had an urgent appointment, and then left the reception room saying we’d talk again tomorrow.

Left alone in the reception room, I sat in the chair where Casien had been sitting and looked out the window. Rare species of flowers were in full bloom, each showing off its own splendor.

“…It is pretty.”

It was a garden so damn gorgeous that it could make you forget about the person you were talking to right in front of you.

Just like my mother, Feria.

As soon as I made that connection, my mother’s face automatically appeared in my mind.

‘Surely she wouldn’t tell anyone that I said I wanted to break off the engagement.’

I had some confidence, so I just blurted it out, but if it reached Feria’s ears right now, I would be done for.

“As long as it doesn’t reach mother’s ears…”

Ah, I don’t know. It’ll work out somehow.

Anyway, he didn’t seem to be taking it seriously. It was obvious he would forget about it while meeting this woman and that woman. He said he would come tomorrow, but it was clear he wouldn’t.

There was no point in thinking about a problem that had no answer. I stopped wasting energy on useless things and got up from my seat to leave the reception room.

As I was about to pass through the corridor connecting the main building and the annex to head to my room tucked away in a corner of the annex, I stopped in my tracks when I saw someone standing at the entrance.

My half-sister Briella, who had been waiting for me since who knows when, tilted her head and smiled at me.

“I heard he cheated again?”

“……”

They say if you endure three times, you can avoid murder.

‘Let’s endure…’

I tried to pass by Briella while inwardly comforting myself like that. But then.

“I heard he’s gotten intimate with Lady Verodica this time? Ah… judging by your expression, you didn’t know? You know, that woman who always pretended to be nice to you. Don’t you remember?”

The moment I heard Verodica’s name, I couldn’t help but stop in my tracks.

That woman with intense purple hair and red eyes was one of the villains who tormented the female lead terribly in the original story.

‘So this is when she meets Casien.’

The news Briella shared was surprising. However, that fact didn’t make me angry.

‘I really don’t care at all.’

I should have been like this from the start. Why did I try so hard to live according to the original story…?

Even if I break off the engagement with the male lead, it’s not like I’ll immediately get engaged to the villain.

The reason I get engaged to the villain later is because Reus judges that the Ibell County family will be helpful in carrying out his rebellion.

Reus actually carries out the rebellion about 2 years later. Would the rebellion be brought forward just because I break off my engagement with the male lead?

No way.

‘Even if it did, I think I would escape with a new identity first.’

At that moment, Briella said,

“I heard they’re going on a cozy date tomorrow… Um… was it to the theater? Anyway, too bad for you, sister.”

I didn’t know if Casien and Verodica were really meeting, or if they were going to the theater tomorrow.

“I see. And thanks for your concern.”

But I just answered like that anyway.

Briella seemed momentarily flustered, but soon a clear sneer returned to the corners of her mouth. It seemed she had decided I was pretending not to care.

“He came to cancel your plans because he’s cheating again today, didn’t he? Sister, if it were me, I’d be too ashamed to show my face.”

“……”

“It’s been four years since your engagement. How pitiful. Oh my, is he asking to postpone it again this time?”

As I continued to give no response, Briella excitedly began to disparage me in earnest.

“What if you really get abandoned by Lord Casien, sister! You should at least try to make some effort not to let that happen. Who knows…? If you cling to his trouser leg and beg, he might marry you out of pity.”

“You’re right. He did ask to postpone it again this time. As for effort… well, I’m not sure.”

“W-what…?”

Probably thinking I would finally burst into tears this time, Briella wore a dumbfounded expression like someone who had been hit on the back of the head.

“Since it seems you’ve said all you wanted to say, I’ll be going first, Brie.”

Soon, a sharp voice rang out from behind.

“Hey! Are you crazy? Stop right there! Hey! Roel! Hey!!”

When I didn’t turn around no matter how much she shouted, she finally started spewing all sorts of curses, saying I had gone mad, that I would come to my senses only after marrying as if being sold off to an old man.

Regardless, I continued walking towards the annex as if nothing had happened.

‘I’m planning to leave the empire before that anyway.’

With somewhat lighter steps.

* * *

Perhaps thanks to my refreshed state of mind, I fell into a deep sleep for the first time in a while. But suddenly, from early morning, several maids barged into my small room!

The maids dragged me, who hadn’t even opened my eyes yet, to my room in the main building.

Even when I asked for the reason, their answer was always the same.

“It’s Madam’s orders.”

‘If a guest is coming, they could at least tell me in advance….’

Usually, I stay in the annex.

In the most tucked-away, shabby storage room in the annex where sunlight barely reaches. That was the only space my mother, Feria, had allowed me.

But on days like today when someone suddenly visits, I had to sit in my room made for show.

‘If it’s going to be like this, wouldn’t it be better to just let me stay here….’

I complained inwardly, but I knew.

Feria was the type of person who would go to great lengths to ensure I never looked happy or comfortable, no matter the effort required.