Strategic Marriage with the Mad Villain - Chapter 53

Just then, a lady standing next to me gently nudged my shoulder and struck up a conversation.

“Boyfriend?”

“Ah… he’s my husband.”

“Oh my, your husband is quite jealous. You must not have been married for long.”

“What? Hahaha…”

Jealous? I couldn’t imagine Reus ever feeling such an emotion in his life.

Even if he did, it would never be because of me.

After all, I was Reus’ benefactor, not his lover.

However, I was a bit puzzled as to why he threw away the flower crown. Could it be that he thought it was dirty?

‘I liked it though…’

“By the way, is this your first time at the festival, young lady?”

“Huh? How did you know?”

“How could I not know! Only people like you would drag their husbands to the handsome men’s contest.”

“Ah…”

I just realized that the parade earlier was for the winners of the handsome men’s contest. Having gained this small realization, I nodded my head blankly, and the lady laughed heartily with a cackle.

Then she whispered softly into my ear.

“Come alone starting next year. That way, you can enjoy it freely, right? If you follow that parade to the end, over there…”

Before the lady could finish her sentence, my body was abruptly pulled away.

“Don’t listen to every strange thing she says and let’s go now.”

Reus, who had completely pulled me towards him, began to quicken his pace. However, the lady’s voice grew louder as we got farther away.

“Come to think of it, you don’t need to come since you have a handsome man at home! Oh my, it’s a sight for sore eyes, I tell you.”

Nevertheless, the lady rapidly informed me of the best spots to watch and when it would start, in case I still wanted to see it. In the end, Reus covered my ears with both of his hands.

He covered them so tightly that my ears felt stuffy. For now, I moved my feet as Reus wanted me to in that state.

However, this man showed no signs of stopping at all.

Curious to see how far he would go, I followed him without a word, and we ended up under a colorful decorated tent. Looking around, it was full of young children waiting to enter while holding their parents’ hands.

‘Could this be the line for a puppet show?’

Why on earth did we come to a place like this…?

“What is this?”

“A puppet show.”

“This is something babies watch.”

“It seems much better than what we saw earlier.”

For some unknown reason, he seemed to greatly dislike the parade of the handsome men’s contest winners. However, my thoughts were slightly different.

‘When else would you get to see something like that if not on a day like this.’

And it’s not like something terrible would happen just from watching. I wasn’t sure if he was treating me like a child or if he was just in a bad mood, but I felt somewhat dissatisfied.

As if he could read my mind like a ghost, Reus spoke with a hint of sarcasm.

“Why? Do you want to finish admiring those men from earlier?”

“…No?”

“I guess you really enjoyed looking at those half-naked men’s bodies.”

“Wh-why are you saying it like that! No, I didn’t!”

Why is he talking so strangely? How could he denounce enjoying a beauty pageant, which is part of the festival, in such a way!

“Don’t deny it. I saw you couldn’t take your eyes off them.”

“Wha-what! I couldn’t see because you pulled me away so quickly!”

“Ah. So you would have kept watching if I hadn’t pulled you away?”

“No!”

I strongly denied it, but he didn’t seem to listen at all.

Thinking it was a waste of time to have this pointless argument, I tried to pull Reus and leave the puppet show entrance.

“Are you trying to follow the parade even now?”

“No…! No, I’m not…!”

I couldn’t tell if he was teasing me or if he was angry from his tone of voice.

No matter how much I expressed my disagreement, Reus’ displeased expression showed no signs of easing.

Was it because we were arguing about something so ridiculous? Even though we hadn’t walked much, I suddenly felt very hungry and my stomach growled.

As we walked aimlessly, I grabbed the hem of Reus’ clothes to tell him to go somewhere with food.

“Reus, I’m a bit hungry…”

Reus, who was about to sarcastically complain again, shut his mouth and then asked in a firm tone.

“Since when?”

“Oh, um… not for long.”

Probably since you started nitpicking about nonsense… If I said that, he would surely get annoyed again.

“It’s not enough to worry about, just a little peckish.”

Before I could finish speaking, Reus quickly extended his hand as if telling me to hold it again.

I felt like just walking away, annoyed that he had been picking on me for no reason until a moment ago. However, it seemed like he wouldn’t move a step until I held his hand, so I reluctantly took his hand.

‘But he stops right away when I say I’m hungry.’

Should I try saying I’m hungry whenever I’m at a disadvantage from now on?

While I was thinking that, Reus suddenly started walking in an unexpected direction.

Going this way would lead us out of the festival street?

“Reus, where are we going?”

“Didn’t you say you were hungry?”

“That’s why I’m asking.”

We stopped for a moment and looked at each other with eyes that couldn’t understand one another.

Judging by the direction Reus was trying to head, he seemed to be thinking of going to the restaurant street that appeared once you completely left the festival area.

‘But if you come to a festival, aren’t you supposed to eat street food as a rule?’

And the restaurant street was a place mainly used by nobles and the middle class.

Wouldn’t it be a bit awkward to go in with our current attire?

As I kept standing still, Reus gave me a look as if asking why I was standing there stubbornly.

“Our clothes are a bit…”

“What does it matter? We’ll just go to a restaurant owned by the Duke’s family.”

“That, that’s true, but…! When you come to a festival, everyone eats street food.”

Of course, nobles didn’t bother coming to this festival street in the first place, and they wouldn’t even think of eating street food.

However, I had been reincarnated with some memories of my previous life remaining, so I had no aversion to such things.

But Reus seemed to really dislike it this time.

“I want to enjoy it properly since we’ve come all the way here…”

“What if you get an upset stomach?”

I knew it. It seemed he was reacting this way because of his aversion to street food.

“Then I’ll just look around.”

“El.”

“Yes?”

“Anyone can see that you’re lying from your expression.”

“…”

He’s always so annoyingly quick-witted…

Although Reus showed clear distaste, I avoided his gaze, pretending not to see it.

* * *

When I repeatedly said I really wanted to go, Reus finally gave in and moved his feet as if he couldn’t resist.

We arrived at a street lined with food stalls. The atmosphere here was quite different from the street where the handsome men’s parade was earlier.

The smell of various foods wafting from here and there, and the merchants shouting in loud voices to attract even one more person.

Perhaps because it was a place where the scent of people was particularly vibrant, it felt exciting.

After looking around the street for a bit, I spotted some appetizing chicken skewers and unknowingly stopped walking. The chicken skewers, made with green onions, rice cakes, and plump chicken thigh meat grilled over direct fire, exuded a charcoal aroma.

That alone was enough to make my mouth water, but the owner even generously coated the hot chicken skewers with a red sauce.

There was no time to waste pondering whether to eat it or not. As if enchanted, I approached the owner and pointed to the chicken skewers coated in red sauce.

“Please give me one of those.”

Although Reus readily paid for it since I wanted it, he seemed to have no understanding of why I would eat something like this.

‘This is what you’re supposed to eat at times like this – stimulating street food.’

I very much agree that the food served at the Duke’s residence is incomparably superior to street food.

The feeling of enjoying it with your eyes first, then with your nose, and finally completing it by eating it with your mouth… Yes, it’s just like a course meal.

The clean and harmonious food at the Duke’s castle is wonderful, but there are also dishes that suit days like this.

Just like the spicy sauce-coated chicken skewer I’m holding right now!

‘It’s been so long since I’ve had spicy food.’

As I took a big bite of the chicken with the thick red sauce dripping down, the stimulating flavor of the seasoning spread intensely inside my mouth.

‘Delicious…!’

It was a bit spicier than I expected, but it was a spiciness that I could handle well enough. As I ate a few bites satisfactorily like that, I suddenly thought of the escort knights who would be watching us from afar.

‘I wonder if they’re hungry too?’

After contemplating for a moment, I cautiously asked Reus.

“By the way, will the knights be alright?”

“What do you mean?”

Just then, Reus suddenly reached out his hand towards my face. Then, with a tissue I don’t know when he had prepared, he gently wiped the corner of my mouth.

‘If it’s getting on my face while eating, you could have told me…’

I thought I was eating carefully since he didn’t say anything. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I looked around and continued speaking.

“I was wondering if the knights might be hungry too.”

At my words, Reus slightly narrowed his brows. It was a look that clearly conveyed he couldn’t understand why I would worry about such a thing.

“They won’t die from not eating for a short while.”

“But… you always tell me that eating is the most important thing for me.”

“That’s because it’s you. Those guys over there are the type to shove down several pounds of meat even on a regular basis and still sing about being hungry.”

Then wouldn’t they be even hungrier on a day like today…?

“And it’s not proper to be distracted while on guard duty. They’re doing what they’re each supposed to do, so don’t worry about it.”

“Hmm… if you say so, I guess it can’t be helped. Then what about you, Re- I mean, Reus?”

Reus answered firmly this time as well.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine. You’re the one who hasn’t eaten anything today, Reus. You barely touched your lunch…”

“I won’t die from not eating for one day.”

Why is he being so extreme since earlier?

I was a bit dumbfounded by his consistent reaction, but I was genuinely worried, so I asked again.

“Still. I’m worried about you too, Reus. So can’t you eat at least one thing?”

“…”

“Just one thing that’s light to eat…”

Ah. Is it because it’s street food?

Looking around, there was no food in sight that Reus would likely prefer.