Strategic Marriage with the Mad Villain - Chapter 19

“Reus…?”

I couldn’t understand why Reus, who said he would only be able to stop by for a brief moment a few days later, was here. As I looked at him with a surprised face, Reus hid me behind him.

“What are you doing! Get your hands off my fiancée at once−.”

“Your fiancée?”

Reus stared at Casien with an expressionless face, then quickly spoke in a voice as cold as frost.

“Speak properly. Roel is not your fiancée, she is my betrothed.”

The atmosphere grew heavy with just those words. Casien flinched for a moment. But then, as if thinking something, he soon responded with a somewhat arrogant attitude.

“I don’t know what words Your Highness used to persuade my fiancée, but Roel will eventually come back to me. So don’t waste your energy and hand Roel over now.”

“One would think Roel is your possession from the way you speak.”

“I don’t think it’s too far from the truth, since we pledged eternity to each other.”

What is this bastard saying?

What use is a pledge I made alone when I was immature, at this point in time?

Even if it had any use, Casien of all people had no right to say such things. Throughout our relationship, he neglected it and failed to notice the change in his partner’s heart.

So further arguments were meaningless.

“…Reus, let’s go.”

As I tried to leave, holding Reus’s hand, Casien ran over and blocked my path.

“Where are you going, Roel! No. You absolutely can’t go.”

“……”

“You said you’d stay by my side forever! You’re my fiancée. So where on earth are you trying to go? Again and again, huh?”

I wanted to leave as quietly as possible. But seeing Casien still acting selfishly, I couldn’t just overlook it.

I pushed away Casien, who was shamelessly trying to approach me further.

“Please just stop, Casien!”

It wasn’t a very strong force, but as if shocked, Casien took a few steps back and froze.

I looked Casien directly in the eyes and spoke.

“I am not your possession. So you have no right to act this way towards me.”

“……”

“So stop being a nuisance to me now, Casien.”

“Roel… just listen to me for a moment−.”

“Do you still not get it? The one I chose is not you, but Reus.”

“…What?”

“Now you and I are nothing to each other.”

Casien dropped his hand with a dumbfounded expression.

And at that moment, Evelle knights appeared in the garden.

“There he is!”

The knights quickly passed by Reus and me and surrounded Casien.

“What is the meaning of this? How dare you lay a hand on someone!”

“We apologize. It was the Count’s order to separate the young lady and the young master.”

“Let go! Won’t you let go? I said let go!”

Casien resisted violently. But no matter how tall and well-built Casien was as the male lead, he couldn’t single-handedly handle the knights who had come in numbers.

“Roel. Let’s go now.”

“…Yes.”

“Roel…! Don’t go like this, Roel…! Let go of me! Roel!!”

Desperate cries were heard from behind. But I left the garden without looking back.

* * *

I thought he had at least informed before visiting the estate. Casien had maintained a long engagement with me, and he forcibly entered the estate by threatening the servants, saying it was a relationship that would continue in the future.

But coincidentally, Reus, who had no plans to visit, also arrived at the estate.

Moreover, it was just when Briella was throwing a fit to Feria, saying she had been insulted by Casien.

As a result, instead of returning to my room, I ended up boarding Reus’s carriage.

Reus expressed his displeasure at the incident with Casien and questioned the security of the Evelle estate, so Father and Feria insisted that I return to the ducal castle immediately.

Although the unexpected incident was resolved rather quickly, I felt uneasy for causing unnecessary commotion and showing an unsightly side.

For some reason, it was also embarrassing…

‘I was confident for no reason that there would be no problems.’

I glanced at Reus to gauge his mood. Reus was just looking at documents as if nothing had happened. I couldn’t tell if he was just busy with work or if there was no issue.

‘Come to think of it, he said he didn’t have time, so I came first…’

He seemed suspicious, but did he make an effort to stop by Evelle for a short while? I didn’t ask him to do that, but I felt even more uneasy.

After pondering for a while on what to do, I opened my mouth.

“I… I’m sorry for getting you involved in this unnecessary situation. Your Grace.”

“Roel.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“The title has reverted back in an instant.”

“…Ah! I’m sorry… I’ll be careful.”

Reus, who had been looking only at the documents, raised his eyes and stared at me intently.

“There’s no need to apologize for this kind of thing.”

“But still…”

“There are only two cases where you need to apologize to me. When you fail to bring me the Silent Forest. And when you fail to properly play the role of a lover in love with me.”

His attitude clearly showed that my existence could not have even the slightest impact on him, so there was no need to worry.

I had expected this kind of reaction… but the fact that things were resolved smoothly thanks to Reus coming to find me remained unchanged.

“…Still, I was grateful earlier, Your Gra… no, Reus.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Well…”

Soon, the sound of documents being flipped through was heard again.

I wanted to tell him about the Silent Forest, but I didn’t speak further due to Reus’s indifferent attitude.

‘Right. I’ll be staying at the ducal castle anyway. I shouldn’t disturb him and tell him later.’

I also took my eyes off Reus and fixed my gaze on the dusky evening scenery.

* * *

After returning to the ducal castle, surprisingly peaceful days continued. And the wedding preparations were also entering the final stages.

Shanette muttered with a face full of worries.

“Now we just need to decide on the venue…”

We looked around together at various places, but it seemed she couldn’t find a place she really liked.

‘Shanette must really cherish Reus.’

Just listening to the stories Shanette occasionally told about Reus’s childhood, I could tell how much she had cherished her nephew. And in the process, I also learned that Reus had endured a difficult and lonely childhood.

While I was lost in thought, Shanette asked me.

“The west glass greenhouse seems to be the best… What do you think, Roel?”

“The glass greenhouse…”

So I couldn’t readily say that I would use a meaningful place as the wedding venue for this fake marriage.

The west glass greenhouse Shanette mentioned was the place the late Duchess loved the most, and it was a meaningful place that the previous Duke had personally directed and built from beginning to end.

It felt like a really bad thing to do, to intrude in any way on someone’s precious memories, when I was just a fake lover.

Giving a corner of precious memories to someone who is nothing special would be unpleasant for anyone, so Reus would surely feel uncomfortable too.

But Shanette, not knowing my thoughts, continued as if to persuade me.

“The glass greenhouse is spacious, so it would be good for accommodating the number of people… Even if not, it seems to be the best choice in many ways.”

“Well…”

“Roel. Is there anything else you’re worried about? Feel free to tell me.”

When I couldn’t readily give an answer, Reus appeared.

“What’s the matter?”

“Ah, Reus, you’re here? Come and sit here for a moment since you’re here. I was discussing the venue with Roel.”

“Wasn’t it decided last time?”

“It was. But when I went to see it, it was much worse than I thought. So I’d like to have the wedding in the west glass greenhouse. What do you think?”

“I don’t care where it is as long as I can have the wedding.”

I widened my eyes at the unexpected answer. Reus tilted his head slightly as if asking what the problem was.

“Roel. If you don’t like the glass greenhouse, feel free to say so.”

“Ah, no…! It’s not that I don’t like it…. It’s just… whether it’s okay for me to have the wedding there….”

As I trailed off, Reus answered as usual.

“Roel. I intend to follow what you want. Don’t worry unnecessarily and do as you please.”

Contrary to my worries, Reus showed a lukewarm reaction as if it didn’t matter to him today as well.

* * *

After the wedding venue was finally decided as the glass greenhouse on the west side of the ducal castle, the wedding day that seemed like it would never come approached rapidly.

Yes. Today was the day Reus and I were getting married.

‘I’m getting married.’

Although I chose to be here now, it still didn’t feel quite real.

Like the fact that I was wearing a wedding dress… Or that I would soon enter the venue. Or the fact that I would become the Duchess after the wedding today, even if it was fake.

‘It seems to be better than I thought…’

Or not? Was I mistaking it as not a big deal because my head had gone numb from being too nervous?

At that moment, Shanette spoke.

“Roel. Are you very nervous? Should I ask them to bring some medicine if you’re too nervous?”

“…No. It’s okay, Lady Shanette.”

I smiled as if to say there was no need to worry, but the light of concern that appeared on Shanette’s face only deepened.

I guess my head had indeed gone numb, and I couldn’t properly perceive my own state.

But come to think of it, my reaction was only natural.

Because Reus had prepared the wedding in the most grand way among the high nobles… No, the most grand way possible.

As the wedding was of the maximum scale, all the renowned nobles attended, and even the royals attended.

Recalling that fact, my mouth suddenly became dry and breathing became slightly difficult.

Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)

One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!

Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.

The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.

The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.

Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.

Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.

…

Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.

Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.

After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!

Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”

The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.

It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.

When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…

Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.

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