Strategic Marriage with the Mad Villain - Chapter 113

Reus barely swallowed the urge to shout and slowly lowered his shoulders as if trying to calm his emotions.

“Roel… Meeting the Emperor is absolutely not allowed.”

“If you don’t like that, you can come with me. The Emperor won’t do anything while we’re in the palace, especially with Reus there.”

“I don’t like you being put in a dangerous situation at all. Please… please, think about it one more time.”

“You know this is something I have to go through at some point, Reus.”

Reus’s voice that followed sounded very gloomy.

“This is something I can go through alone, Roel…”

As if it wasn’t just me who had predicted it would end up like this.

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That day, we couldn’t finish our conversation because Reus left abruptly. Thinking he might need some time to think, I didn’t bring it up right away and left him be.

But Reus, fearing I might bring it up again, didn’t seek me out unless absolutely necessary. Because of that, he returned to the bedroom very late.

In fact, he could have chosen not to return at all if he didn’t want to, but that must have bothered him too, so he came back, albeit late. Today too, Reus entered the bedroom after midnight.

I had left it alone for a few days without saying anything, but now it seemed like we should talk about the Emperor again soon.

“Reus.”

Reus, who was about to head straight for the bathroom, stopped in his tracks at my call.

“…I’ll wash up first.”

His voice, filled with complex emotions, disappeared without a trace along with Reus as he headed to the bathroom.

‘It’s not like I’m not scared…’

But Reus excluded me from all issues more than necessary. If I hadn’t called Theron that day to ask about the reason, I might have missed even the knight’s visit to the Grand Duke’s mansion.

‘Yes. No matter how I think about it, this is right.’

For Reus’s sake, and for mine.

Soon, Reus, who came out of the bathroom later than usual, approached the bed very hesitantly. Whether disappointed to see that I wasn’t asleep, he let out a deep sigh. Then, as if giving up, he came and sat next to me.

After a moment of moving his lips, Reus first brought up the topic of the Emperor.

“Is your… thought still the same?”

“Yes. I think this is the right thing to do.”

“Can’t you really think about it one last time?”

Instead of words, Reus pleaded by grasping my hand.

“Even if I beg like this.”

It was hard for me too, to hold onto someone who didn’t want to and wait for a predetermined answer. I knew all too well that he was trying to dissuade me purely out of concern. But all I could say was this.

“…I’m sorry.”

“No. I’m sorry for making you apologize, Roel. It’s not something you should apologize for, but because I’m dragging you into this…”

“Reus.”

I called out to the man who was about to blame himself again in front of me. His clouded blue eyes, more than ever, failed to hide his emotions. The most anxious gaze I had ever seen met my eyes.

“Roel. Then please promise me just one thing.”

“What is it…?”

“That you won’t leave my side for even a moment in the Imperial Palace.”

“Alright. I’ll do that.”

Even though I gave him the answer he wanted, Reus’s anxiety didn’t subside at all.

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Den decided to give a small punishment to Reus for his insolent behavior of going against his will. By using the Plona Marquis family to kill the Grand Duchess. However, the Grand Duchess did not die.

Den had been in a bad mood ever since hearing that news.

It was already a miracle that she had survived, but the Grand Duchess not only didn’t die but also fully recovered her body.

In other words, it meant that Reus had regained the power of his family, and that he had been completely deceiving him.

But Den wasn’t so angry at the Grand Duchess who had survived against his plans, or at Reus’s deceitful behavior that might have started who knows when.

What was disturbing Den’s mood now was the current situation that had betrayed his expectation that the death of the Grand Duchess would become quite a big hardship in Reus’s life. The situation where Reus had overcome the crisis too easily.

The thought that had been there from long ago and still remained was that Reus’s life had always been easy.

Ridiculously, Den had been thinking this way ever since Reus was born.

It was already unpleasant enough that he was born into the best family in the empire and received unconditional love from his parents, but all the teachers who taught him didn’t spare their praises of him being a genius and lauded his future that hadn’t even come yet.

And that’s not all. Everything the child faced, both inside and outside the Grand Duke’s mansion, blessed his birth.

It was such a perfect life that it could make one think that everything in the world existed for that child.

The child’s life without a single flaw stirred up Den’s twisted emotions, and the child’s spotlessly clear face evoked his own childhood. The utterly opposite, ugly past.

And then one day, Ricasen died.

Although it wasn’t a situation he had intended or caused, instead of his plan failing, Reus’s life was plunged into the mud.

Watching the child gradually lose his shining past and break down moment by moment brought an unprecedented pleasure. Den molded the child’s life as he pleased with Reus by his side.

So that the light of the world could never shine on that child again.

But it was useless even when the Emperor tried to push Reus to his death.

As if the world was still on Reus’s side, he stubbornly returned alive even from battlefields where defeat was predicted. And with the upper hand that all the people of the empire would praise.

Every time that happened, it was okay even though his mood twisted like before.

After all, he was nothing more than his pet dog playing in the palm of his hand. It was a luxury to feel anything more than pity for the poor dog that would come when called and turn when told.

But a new light shone into that child’s life.

Roel Ivelr. The daughter of the culprit who caused the carriage accident. A woman who was nothing but weak. Yet she had become Reus’s biggest weakness.

So he thought that if he kept her by Reus’s side, it would be easy to pull the leash…

The plan had gone completely wrong.

‘He cut off all my eyes in the Grand Duke’s mansion, so I need another method.’

When Roel collapsed, Reus cleared out all the spies that the Emperor had hidden in the Grand Duke’s mansion.

Starting from the maid En that Roel and Millie had found before, to the servants, kitchen staff, and even the stable keeper. All the traitors hidden throughout the Grand Duke’s mansion, without exception.

Thanks to that, he could no longer hear stories from inside the Grand Duke’s mansion as before. Meanwhile, happy stories about the two continued to flow out into social circles.

That the Grand Duke rarely left the mansion due to worry for the Grand Duchess, or that their relationship had become even closer after that incident. That they were the couple of the century that would never be seen again.

Because of this, the Emperor felt a kind of defeat for a while and focused solely on finding ways to torment Reus. Completely putting aside even state affairs, Den, who had been racking his brains, finally came up with a good idea.

He could no longer dare to threaten the Grand Duchess’s life in the future, but it remained unchanged that Roel was Reus’s weakness.

So if it was a card he couldn’t use, if it was a card he couldn’t dare to break. It was enough to make it so that no one could have it.

‘I thought dying and disappearing would be more painful…’

It seemed that being abandoned by the one you love with all your being would also be a spectacle worth watching in its own way.

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Along with the servant’s voice, the door opened and the Rocheter Grand Duke couple appeared.

The Emperor greeted the two with a broader smile than ever before. It was because he was genuinely glad for their visit at this moment.

“We greet Your Imperial Majesty.”

Seeing the Emperor’s eyes curve happily even at the sight of the unharmed Grand Duchess, it was Reus who felt displeased.

That appearance was not one of inscrutable intentions, but one that genuinely welcomed Roel’s recovery.

What kind of ulterior motive could make him so excited?

Reus’s thoughts were cut off by the Emperor’s highly elated voice.

“Well then, both of you, please sit down.”

Satisfied with Reus’s foolish appearance that couldn’t hide his anxiety, the Emperor soon shifted his attention to Roel as if to show off.

“I’m really glad to be able to meet the Grand Duchess like before, now that you’ve recovered. You look good, and it seems all your ailments have completely healed.”

“Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty.”

“That’s fortunate. I know you were originally of weak constitution.”

At the strangely provocative tone, Reus openly showed his deep disgust. Anyway, the Emperor’s side was always more blatantly mocking rather than pretending.

He no longer needed to hide his true feelings, and naturally, as the lines to be kept disappeared, he revealed his hostility nakedly.

But even at Reus’s arrogant and insolent attitude, the Emperor just smiled. Such a thing couldn’t even scratch his mood.

After all, the Emperor was confident that this was a fight Reus would lose.

“Reus must have been very worried while you were ill. I should say it’s fortunate to have a reliable husband by your side.”

“The Grand Duke helped me a lot, which was very helpful in my recovery.”

“Yes, I suppose the Grand Duke’s mansion would be more comfortable to stay in than the Count’s family.”

It was a subtle remark that seemed like it might uncover something. At this, Reus moved his body as if to clearly warn him this time. Roel quickly grabbed Reus’s hand and answered with a natural smile.

“…Yes, after all, it’s where my husband is.”

Reus becoming docile at just one touch from the Grand Duchess was the most ridiculous moment the Emperor had ever seen.

The sight of him wagging his tail and becoming submissive just because the owner holding the leash had changed a bit.

Not knowing that he was destined to be abandoned in the end.

“But I called for the Grand Duchess alone, yet you came as a couple again today.”

The Emperor said with a smile.

“Reus, would you mind leaving for a moment? I have something urgent to discuss with my Grand Duchess.”