Strategic Marriage with the Mad Villain - Chapter 3
“Roel.”
When he left without a word yesterday, I thought it was over. But today, Casien not only sought out the Count again but also stayed by my side all day.
And he even lingered at the mansion until evening, prompting Feria to prepare a feast.
“Roel. Are you feeling unwell?”
“Hmm…? No… I’m fine.”
However, I couldn’t openly drive Casien away like yesterday.
Even if I were to be safe from a broken engagement, if Feria were to find out that I was the one who suggested ending it…
‘I might actually die.’
If I didn’t want to die before escaping from the family, it was best to go along with Casien for now. I quietly nibbled at my food.
At that moment, Feria spoke with an unusually warm smile.
“It wouldn’t be bad to have dinner like this, the three of us, from time to time.”
Her tone was kind, even generous. This was despite speaking to my fiancé.
Perhaps she was pleased that Casien was the sole heir to the Ersian Viscount family, and more decisively…
‘She must be most pleased that he’s known throughout the empire as a womanizer.’
Even if I were to escape from the Ivelre Count family, if I were to marry Casien, I would inevitably be unhappy.
Just like she was in the past.
“So, how are the Viscount and his wife doing these days?”
“They’re doing well, as always.”
“That’s good to hear. Ah, yes… I heard they went on a trip.”
“Yes. It’s not far, so they’ll likely return earlier than expected.”
Feria responded with “I see,” then continued as she cut her meat.
“But isn’t it about time for you to get married?”
“…”
Today, Casien had been acting sweet all day, as if he would do anything for me.
But even for such a Casien, there was an absolute non-negotiable line, and that was marriage.
‘Right. He’s destined to end up with the female lead anyway.’
Since I already knew this, I didn’t think much of it.
But then Casien said,
“We are indeed reaching the time to consider marriage.”
At this sudden bombshell statement, I choked and coughed. Casien gently rubbed my back.
“Roel, why so sudden? Did you choke?”
“Cough! Cough, cough-!”
Ignoring my continuous coughing, Feria gracefully smiled and continued the conversation.
“I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
“I was actually planning to discuss marriage as soon as my parents return.”
“Oh my. That’s wonderful. When are the Viscount and his wife returning?”
Casien answered Feria’s question while continuing to rub my back.
Neither the talk of marriage nor his current behavior was familiar, causing my coughing fit to persist.
* * *
After dinner, due to Feria’s not-so-subtle insistence, I ended up taking a walk in the garden with Casien. An intimate stroll with a former lover I had just broken up with. There couldn’t be a worse ordeal.
As soon as we reached a spot away from the servants’ eyes, I shook off Casien’s hand.
“What are you doing…!”
“Roel. Why are you angry again?”
“Are you really asking because you don’t know…?”
As I frowned deeply, Casien reached out and grasped my hand again. Then he spoke in an incredibly soft voice.
“Is it because I said we should postpone the wedding back then? I’m sorry. But I really don’t want to postpone it anymore.”
It seems he thought the reason for my anger was about our marriage, since I had acted quite indifferently after his fling with Verodica.
“I’m sorry. So now…”
“I told you I wanted to break off the engagement, Casien.”
Casien’s hand, which had been fidgeting with mine, abruptly stopped moving. Then he tightened his grip and pulled me closer.
“You… Were you serious about that?”
He was clearly smiling as usual.
But I could tell whether Casien was genuinely smiling or putting on a more convincing smile to hide his true feelings.
This smile was the latter.
As if confirming my thoughts, a coldness suddenly filled Casien’s eyes.
“Roel. I asked if you were serious.”
Startled by a look I had never seen before, I tried to step back. But Casien pulled me closer, making us even more intimate than before.
So, is he angry with me now…?
‘Why?’
While I was pondering this, Casien interlaced our fingers, preventing me from easily escaping.
“Roel, why are you doing this… Hm? How could we possibly break up?”
Then he embraced me completely. Casien nuzzled his cheek against my head, as if being affectionate.
“I really won’t do it anymore… So can’t you stop being angry now?”
“…”
“Hm? Roel…”
My body stiffened in surprise at this unprecedented display of affection. But I quickly regained my senses and pushed Casien away forcefully.
“Don’t… Don’t touch my body, Casien…”
Casien froze in the position he was pushed into. Strangely, just seeing him like that seemed to shake my resolve. As my heart kept weakening, I turned my head slightly and continued speaking.
“Since you don’t seem to understand, I’ll tell you again. I don’t want to see you ever again.”
“What…?”
“I’m tired of being anxious about you being with other women, and I’m exhausted from being afraid you’ll leave me. So just… I just want to end it all.”
“…”
“I don’t want to be by your side anymore, Casien…”
For a moment, all expression vanished from Casien’s face.
He didn’t contort his face or raise his voice in anger. Yet Casien looked more furious than ever before.
Was he angry because he heard words of separation from someone he never expected to break up with him?
“If you don’t believe me… then you can go around saying you dumped me. I don’t care…”
“Roel.”
“You…! I knew all along… that you didn’t genuinely like me.”
“…”
“Still, I endured, thinking you might look back at me just once someday…”
But I didn’t even receive a glance, let alone attention.
“Casien. I really want to stop now…”
“…”
Although I knew it would end up like this, I couldn’t help feeling dejected.
I slowly walked towards the mansion, leaving Casien standing still. But then, Casien strode over with large steps and hugged me tightly from behind.
“Casien…!”
“Roel, I’m sorry.”
“…”
“It’s all my fault. Roel.”
I unconsciously paused at the sudden waft of Casien’s scent. Casien overlapped his hands on top of mine. Then he pulled them towards my stomach.
Casien rarely initiated physical contact with me.
So I was confused and perplexed as to why he was doing this now.
Honestly, my heart wavered a little. Because it somewhat resembled the affectionate behavior I had always imagined during our four-year engagement.
But following the wavering heart came wretchedness and sorrow.
In the end, this too was just like the love he could whisper to anyone. Even though I knew this fact best, I felt utterly pathetic for trying to ignore it somehow.
Seeing me completely stiff, Casien spoke in a deliberately sorrowful voice.
“Forgive me, Roel… This won’t happen again.”
“…Stop this, Casien.”
“I’ll do anything. So please forgive me…”
For a moment, I was reminded of Casien desperately clinging to Iris in the novel.
The scenes from the novel where he sincerely repented, begged for forgiveness, and professed his love to the point of exhaustion. Even if it wasn’t to that extent, did he have some affection for me? Or was it just familiarity?
Either way, it was a pointless question.
‘Anyway, you will…’
“…I love you.”
“…”
“So… don’t go like this.”
It was laughable.
That I could hear words I had never heard even once before, only now when I was thinking of Iris.
It was as if he was declaring that no matter what, he would end up loving Iris.
My heart turned cold, as if someone had poured ice water over me.
“Casien.”
At my call, a brief light flashed in Casien’s red eyes.
I looked into Casien’s eyes for a very short moment before speaking impassively.
“Don’t ever appear before me again.”
* * *
Today is the day of the ball at the Imperial Palace.
This ball was a banquet to proclaim the Emperor’s daughter, Iris, who was born and raised outside the palace, as the Imperial Princess. It was also the day when the male lead Casien and the female lead Iris would meet for the first time.
‘He’ll probably fall in love with Iris at first sight at this ball.’
As I was blankly staring around the hall, my friend Emily tapped my shoulder.
“Roel. Where’s Casien?”
“…Huh?”
“Casien still hasn’t arrived?”
Then Roshan, who was standing next to us, spoke.
“Are you really going to marry that guy? What’s so good about someone who only causes you trou-”
“I broke up with him.”
“Yeah, break u- What?”
Roshan’s eyes, which had been narrowed in disapproval, suddenly widened.
“I broke up with Casien.”
“Who did?”
Roshan, seemingly genuinely surprised, asked like a fool.
“…Who else but Casien and me?”
“You… You, you! Did that bastard dump you? Ha! What did he do so well to dump you? Even if someone was going to end it, it should have been you! What a ridiculous bastard?”
Roshan clearly thought that I must have been the one who was dumped.
Well, given how I’ve acted until now, I was the very definition of a pushover. Anyone would think it unlikely for me to be the one to end things.
I said to Roshan, who was cursing Casien nonstop,
“I was the one who said we should break up.”
“…You did?”
“…Yeah, I did.”
As we were staring at each other in disbelief, it happened.
The soldiers silently guarding the entrance to the ballroom called out someone’s name in a loud voice.
“Grand Duke Reus Rocheter has arrived!”
It was the entrance of Reus Rocheter, the villain of the original story and the cause of my death.
*
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Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.
__________
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