This Villain Is Mine Now

Chapter 105

Lyle wondered if he was dreaming.

Elaina, whom he had danced with just hours ago at the ball, was now standing before him once again.

Barging into his study accompanied by Diane and Nathan was so unrealistic that it felt surreal.

It had been a long time since he last saw Elaina, and the emotions he had desperately suppressed surged uncontrollably. On top of that, he had been on edge for months, closely monitoring the movements of Marquis Redwood. The ongoing situation, with no foreseeable end, relentlessly wore him down.

Had his mental resilience weakened? Or had he simply longed for Elaina too much? Lyle stared blankly at her as she seated herself across from him.

“What brings you here at this hour?”

Lyle barely managed to regain his composure, maintaining as neutral an expression as possible. His reaction suggested immense irritation at this unexpected visit, but his eyes betrayed his concern. As he checked the time, it was evident that he was worried someone might have witnessed Elaina’s arrival at the archducal residence.

“Don’t worry. I took a route that is rarely used. I didn’t pass a single carriage on the way.”

“Just state your business and leave. This kind of visit is highly unwelcome. If you have something to discuss, send a messenger or a letter instead of coming here yourself.”

“Why? Are you really planning to go through with our divorce?”

“…What?”

Lyle, unusually, could not hide his shock. Seeing this, Diane raised her voice.

“We know everything now. So please, just tell us the truth.”

“I have no idea what you think you know, Lady Hennet.”

Even at this point, Lyle remained stubbornly evasive. Elaina sighed and responded.

“The inheritance laws. Are you still going to pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about, Lyle?”

The moment Elaina uttered those words, a trace of fatigue flickered across Lyle’s eyes.

“You demanded a divorce under the pretense of protecting me. But that’s no longer an option. The moment we divorce, the Marquis will target me immediately.”

Elaina’s statement was entirely correct. Lyle was now caught in a predicament.

He needed to convince the Marquis that Elaina meant nothing to him. The divorce was meant to deceive the Marquis, making him believe that harming Elaina would not affect Lyle in any way. Lyle had been willing to bear her resentment in order to protect her.

Yet, paradoxically, finalizing the divorce would only hasten the Marquis’s move against her. It was all because of those damn medicine rights.

Seeing Lyle unable to respond, Nathan quietly spoke, “I understand that Your Grace would never do something like this without a reason. But I can’t overlook this anymore. I refuse to let Diane be put in danger.”

If something happened to Elaina, then Nathan would be next. But his primary concern was Diane. Even if the Marquis was greedy, would he go so far as to target his own daughter? Perhaps not. But for Nathan, even a small possibility was enough to take action.

“If you won’t tell us, I’ll go to the Marquis myself tomorrow. I’ll ask him directly about the Deftia villa.”

Elaina pressed Lyle with the final blow.

The moment Elaina mentioned Deftia, Lyle pressed his fingers against his temple, exhaling a weary sigh. Even if he believed she wouldn’t truly seek out the Marquis, he could no longer endure her veiled threats.

***

“So, what Your Grace is saying is that the Marquis of Redwood possesses some means to control a person’s mind. He used it to orchestrate the events ten years ago, and now, his next target is…”

Nathan trailed off, glancing at Elaina. As a scholar, he found this difficult to accept. Yet Elaina, the very person involved, seemed to believe Lyle’s words without a shred of doubt.

“That explains why you were so furious at the opera house.”

Lyle’s actions, which had previously seemed incomprehensible, now made perfect sense.

As he recounted the events at the opera house, Lyle’s large hands trembled slightly. He had remained composed on the battlefield, in fights against monsters, and even when facing Kyst, the dragon. Yet now, he was visibly shaken.

“So it wasn’t the Propheta who caused the incident ten years ago. Kyst said it himself—there’s no way the Propheta would do something like that just to bring ruin to mere humans.”

She understood because she had experienced it herself.

The dreams recorded in the former Archduke’s journal undoubtedly had a sinister purpose. They were entirely different from the Propheta’s visions, which only revealed certain futures. The dreams the former Archduke experienced were undoubtedly fabricated.

The issue was how the Marquis of Redwood had acquired such power.

“But isn’t it strange? If he had such immense power, why hasn’t he used it until now?”

“The Marquis swore he would never hand over the Deftia villa. That must mean there are certain conditions required to use that power.”

Lyle responded in a low voice, as if speaking to himself, answering Nathan’s musings.

Nathan was right. If the Marquis could wield that power freely, he would not have needed to convince Lyle to accept the marriage. He could have taken whatever he wanted—including the Emperor’s throne. Yet even after ten years, he remained nothing more than a marquis.

“If he could use that power at will, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to arrange Diane’s marriage.”

The Marquis had offered an enormous dowry and multiple conditions to secure Diane’s engagement. Yet even after Elaina had thwarted his plans, he had not reacted strongly.

“I understand. But if that’s the case, why is Your Grace pressuring the Marquis? If Deftia is essential to using that power, then he will never surrender it.”

Lyle’s reasoning for reclaiming Deftia seemed futile. It had felt like an impossible mission from the start.

Lyle had to know this as well. Yet he remained silent, refusing to answer Nathan’s question. His lips were pressed tightly together as if determined to say nothing.

Diane and Nathan observed Lyle’s silence, but Elaina’s eyes widened slightly. A thought so unbelievable flashed through her mind that she hesitated to voice it.

“Lyle… don’t tell me…”

Soon, Diane and Nathan reached the same realization.

“Your Grace… you wanted my father to use that power, didn’t you? Not on Elaina, but on yourself.”

Diane’s voice was barely a whisper, laden with guilt.

Finally, the purpose behind Lyle’s inexplicable actions became clear.

***

It was exactly as they thought.

On the surface, Lyle had claimed to be reclaiming the Deftia villa, but deep down, he knew it was impossible. The Marquis would never willingly relinquish it.

The Marquis’ words about turning Elaina into someone like Lyle’s grandfather were no mere bluff or threat. Lyle’s instincts warned him— the Marquis truly possessed such power.

The problem was that no matter how hard he tried, he could not uncover the exact means by which the Marquis wielded it.

In the end, Lyle reached a single conclusion.

To protect Elaina, he needed a replacement target.

And Lyle had decided that he would take that role himself.

“So that’s why you proposed a divorce?”

Lyle remained silent. The eerie stillness sent a chill down Elaina’s spine.

“Answer me! Say something!”

Elaina shouted, her voice breaking. Lyle finally nodded silently.

He had no desire to die and leave Elaina and Knox behind. No matter what the Marquis attempted, he refused to meet the same meaningless end as his grandfather.

But if he truly were to die, he hoped Elaina wouldn’t grieve too much.

This was the secret Lyle had kept from her all along.

“You… you were really planning to die like that? Without saying anything to me?”

“…I planned to tell you when the time was right.”

Lyle had already written his will in case something happened. There was even a separate letter prepared for Elaina, explaining everything and asking her to take care of Knox.

Ever since he had been forced into war, those around him had whispered that he was as good as dead. Yet he had survived, returned to Elaina, and restored his family’s name—his lifelong goal.

So if he could die in her place, it was a worthwhile trade.

“How could you? How could you even think of something like that? Did you think I’d be grateful if you died instead of me?”

“Don’t cry.”

Lyle slowly brushed his fingers against Elaina’s cheek. Only then did she realize that she was crying.

“This is why I didn’t want to tell you. Don’t cry, Elaina. Get angry instead. That’s easier for me to handle. If you cry like this, I don’t know what to do.”

His voice was soft as he tried to comfort her.

What a foolish man. Why didn’t he understand that wiping away her tears was more than enough?

Elaina tried to stop crying, just as he had asked. But the more she tried, the more her tears fell, soaking his fingers resting against her cheek.