Strategic Marriage with the Mad Villain - Chapter 109

Because my heart felt so heavy, I wanted to confide in someone, but the only people I could think of were Roshan and Emily.

Going out was obviously not an option, so I didn’t even consider it from the start. So I decided to ask Reus if I could invite my friends to the castle, prepared to be rejected.

“Friends?”

“Yes, Roshan and Emily.”

“Ah, those friends. Of course you can invite them.”

“Really? Thank you for allowing it, Reus.”

“Allowing? You’re the Duchess, you can invite whoever you want. As long as it’s not Theron.”

He did mention that Theron again, but unexpectedly, Reus very willingly accepted my friends’ visit.

‘No. He didn’t just accept it willingly, he even seemed happy about it.’

I don’t know why the more I get to know him, the more incomprehensible parts keep increasing. At this point, I even wondered if it was okay because it wasn’t related to Theron.

While I was lost in thoughts about Reus, I found myself in front of the reception room where my friends were waiting. As it was the first time I had personally invited someone as the Duchess, I felt a bit nervous.

I knocked softly and carefully opened the door. But making my nervousness seem foolish, Emily jumped up and ran to hug me tightly, allowing me to smile comfortably.

“Roel! Do you know how worried we were? After what happened to you that day…”

Emily’s voice trailed off, choked with emotion.

“I’m fine now. Look, I’m exactly the same as before. I’ve been doing well.”

Even though I showed her that I was no different from before, Emily hugged me tightly again and wouldn’t let go, probably due to the emotional distress she had been through.

Roshan, who approached soon after, also looked relieved and let out a sigh of relief, saying he finally felt at ease seeing that I looked okay.

I thought it was fortunate that I had failed in my first attempt to leave the Duke’s castle.

If I had disappeared from the Empire forever without showing them that I was okay, I would have burdened my friends’ hearts for life.

I regretted the time I had deliberately ignored my friends’ letters, just as I had with Shanette. If I was going to leave abruptly, I should have at least let them know directly through letters that I was fine…

“I’m sorry, guys… I should have let you know sooner.”

“What do you have to be sorry for? The one who did wrong was that wicked girl! We knew she was out of her mind, but who could have known she was that vicious.”

“That’s right, what do you have to be sorry for, Roel… If it’s about not writing letters, don’t worry. It’s enough for us that the Duke kept informing us about your condition on your behalf.”

“Reus wrote letters?”

Both Roshan and Emily widened their eyes at my words.

“You didn’t know? We thought you were writing them because you were sick, and he was replying on your behalf every time since that day.”

“Yes, I thought so too.”

I thought he only paid attention to replying to important letters, mainly to places with deep connections to the Rochester Duchy. But to think he was replying to my friends as well, and even consistently exchanging letters…

Then Roshan spoke in a slightly grumbling tone.

“Well… at least he’s better than that guy.”

It seemed that the suspicion he had harbored before had completely vanished. I wanted to tell him not to trust so easily, but I couldn’t.

‘If they knew the confinement was real, it would be a disaster.’

Sometimes, there are truths better left unknown.

[This is the timeline separator]

After catching up for a while, when the atmosphere seemed to calm down a bit, I casually brought up a topic.

“By the way… this isn’t about me-”

“Anyone can see it’s about you, so just speak plainly.”

But Roshan retorted indifferently, as if my words weren’t convincing at all.

“No, it’s really not about me. Just listen first.”

“Okay. I’ll listen for now.”

“…So, there’s this man and woman.”

“It is about you.”

“Roshan, I’m telling you it’s really not about me!”

When I snapped, Roshan openly mocked me. Emily, who had been silent, seemed to think the same way.

“Anyway… there’s this man and woman. They got married for a certain period of time due to mutual needs.”

“A contract marriage or something? Roel, have you been reading novels lately?”

Honestly, I was a bit worried they might immediately realize it was about me, but they seemed to think that at least the contract marriage part wasn’t my story. Soon, Roshan rested his chin on his hand, looking disinterested.

“But when the time was up and the woman tried to leave, she was caught. The woman… was planning to go far away to another place, you know? But the man got rid of all the carriages that could take her there. What could be the reason for that?”

I changed it to something similar, thinking that mentioning ships would make it too specific. Then Emily and Roshan answered in turn.

“Isn’t it because the man fell in love with the woman?”

“What other reason could there be? Of course it’s because he developed feelings.”

“Fell in love…? But when the woman hinted at it, he never answered that way?”

Roshan continued, as if that too was obvious.

“That’s probably because he thought the woman didn’t like him. Look, they’re in a contract right now. How are the protagonists who enter contract marriages? They always include ridiculous clauses like agreeing not to develop feelings for each other.”

I nodded intently, as Reus and I had included similar clauses when we made our contract.

“But what if one person breaks that? The contract would end that day, right? Would the man openly talk about it without being certain, risking such a loss? Knowing full well that if the contract ends, there would be no way to meet? Unless he’s a fool, he wouldn’t say it openly.”

“But the woman was also confused and hinted at it several times, and every time he answered that he was just being nice because she was his benefactor?”

“Benefactor? The woman is even his benefactor? Well, then it’s over.”

“What’s…?”

“What’s over? It means the marriage is never going to end. It’s not just that he likes her, how could he just let go of a woman who saved him?”

“Even if… they didn’t get along well? Even if they extremely disliked each other at first?”

“That’s how it always starts, my friend.”

As Roshan said that, I remembered what Reus had said to me not long ago.

[“The contract may have been that way, but our marriage will still continue.”]

I started to find Roshan’s words more and more credible.

‘Somehow… it makes sense?’

But in a corner of my mind, doubts kept popping up, wondering if Reus really liked me, making my heart uneasy.

“But still, maybe-”

“Hey, there’s no need to doubt. From what I see, that female lead will never be able to escape that man.”

What a scary thing to say…

Regardless of whether I liked Reus or not, I still had valid thoughts of escaping, so I couldn’t help but make a sour expression.

“Read the next volume quickly. It’ll turn out just as I said, right? It might be more interesting if she runs away before they completely connect… What novel is that? Tell me too.”

What novel? It’s your friend’s story.

Ignoring Roshan’s words, I asked Emily.

“Do you think so too?”

I was hoping at least one person would think differently. But my hopes were dashed.

“Is there anyone who doesn’t think that way? More importantly, won’t you tell me what that novel is too?”

I’m telling you, it’s your friend’s story.

“The title… I can’t really remember it right now.”

“What? Then make sure to let me know by letter when you remember.”

“Okay, I will.”

Nodding, I thought I should find some random novel about protagonists in a contract marriage and tell them about it.

[This is the timeline separator]

Since it was a sudden invitation, Roshan and Emily, who had things to do the next day, had to return to the capital before dinner. However, as Roshan was heading towards the carriage, he suddenly stopped and came back.

“You’re really okay, right?”

“What do you mean?”

After hesitating for a moment, Roshan spoke with difficulty.

“Your family. The Ivel County, I mean.”

“Ah…”

“You didn’t mention it so I just let it go, but the more I think about it, I’m worried. These days… it’s not good, right?”

It seemed that other families now knew enough about how precarious the County had become. I wondered if perhaps Reus had intended for the County to hold out until now.

The scandals of the Flona Viscount family that had been in the newspapers almost every day, suddenly being exposed to that extent overnight.

Though I didn’t say much while reading the newspapers every day, I knew well enough that it was all Reus’s doing.

“It seems like bad things keep happening one after another, I’m worried, Roel.”

“No. It will… be resolved well. That’s what I’m trying to believe.”

“Okay. If any problems or concerns arise, contact us anytime. Since your husband seems a bit intense, we’ll probably have to come…”

“Huh?”

“I’m glad you seem to be living well. Well, I really have to go now. See you again soon.”

“Take care, Roshan. I’ll keep in touch.”

After sending Emily and Roshan off, I immediately returned to my bedroom and lay down on the bed haphazardly, as if drawn to it.

‘That’s right. What will happen to the County from now on?’

I can’t leave the Duke’s castle for the time being. Maybe… until I die.

So if Ivel collapses while I’m staying at the Duke’s castle, it’s obvious that all sorts of stories would circulate about what happened to the Duchess’s family, or how the Duke’s family didn’t do anything to help.

Previously, I had thought nothing of it considering my plans to escape, but in the current situation, it was more than a little tricky to handle.

‘Surely it won’t collapse along with the Duke’s family as in the original story…?’

I had always lived in fear, but the fact that misfortune would befall the Rochesterhouse, the Ivel County, and all of us didn’t feel quite real.

After all, for things to flow as in the original story seemed impossible given how drastically my relationship with Reus had changed.

‘If Roshan’s words are true, beyond just changing, it means Reus likes me…’