This Villain Is Mine Now

Chapter 118

“I said climb up now!”

The Young Marquis shoved Elaina roughly with a sharp voice. With a scream, Elaina fell to the ground.

“I know very well what a cunning vixen you are, so you’d better not try any tricks. If you don’t want to get hit again, get up and climb right now.”

Dry grass and mud clung to Elaina’s skirt as she stumbled to her feet. Seeing her dirtied state seemed to please the Young Marquis, as a lewd smile twisted his lips.

“So you’re Diane’s friend? You’re just as good at getting beaten up for doing something stupid.”

He sneered as he held up the dagger, making it glint in the sunlight.

Elaina slowly began to walk while scanning her surroundings carefully.

An abandoned tower deep in the woods.

She tried to recall the general route, but the carriage had changed directions repeatedly to throw her off.

Now that she looked closely, even the carriage they had used was different from the ones used by the Marquisate. The family crest that had once adorned it had vanished without a trace.

The Young Marquis had clearly planned this entire scheme to harm her. Facing such a man without any solid countermeasures would be suicidal, so Elaina had no choice but to drag her aching leg up the tower steps. Yet even as she climbed, her mind raced with desperate strategies.

At the very top of the tower was a single room. They hadn’t even tried to hide its purpose—it was clearly meant to imprison someone. There were more than five heavy lock brackets on the door.

A small window was carved into the door. It was obviously for monitoring the prisoner inside, as the room could be seen through it.

“Open the door. A lavish room fit for the Archduchess has been prepared.”

At the Young Marquis’s gleeful tone, Elaina clenched her teeth and opened the door.

Contrary to his claim of luxury, the room contained nothing but a desk and chair. The only window on the wall was small and barred with iron, open to the wind since there was no glass. Perhaps they feared she might escape, though with the tower’s height, escape seemed impossible anyway.

“So? Do you like your new room?”

Ignoring the Young Marquis’s sneer, Elaina calmly looked out the window. The sun was already beginning to set behind the mountains.

Mountains. Sun. Tower. Forest. A village in the distance. A cliff. A large river.

Elaina memorized everything she could see.

Bothered by her silent gazing, the Young Marquis grabbed her arm roughly.

“Sit.”

He forced her into a crude wooden chair. In front of her were placed paper, ink, and a quill. Elaina looked up at him, trying to guess what he wanted.

“Write the divorce papers.”

At his command, Elaina pressed her lips tightly together. There was no way he had brought her all the way here just to force her to write a divorce letter.

“And what then?”

The Young Marquis’s face twisted with frustration. He had expected her to sob in fear, but her voice carried dignity, unshaken.

“…What?”

“After that, are you planning to kill me with your dagger?”

The Young Marquis froze. Her words had struck home.

Elaina gave a faint smile. “It must be convenient, living with such a simple mind. Not even realizing you’re being used by your father.”

Her unwavering gaze locked onto him.

“By now, the Archducal House must be in an uproar. The only person with enough power to do something like this to the Grant family is the Marquis of Redwood, so of course, suspicion will fall on him first.”

“Ha! If that’s all—”

“Naturally, he must’ve prepared a solid alibi. Something plausible, like saying he’s been touring a neglected estate to distribute Hennet’s medicines.”

The Young Marquis fell silent again. That she had guessed it all correctly made him uneasy.

Elaina raised a brow. “I don’t know much, but I hear that on the battlefield, identifying a corpse can depend on many things. Not just the weapon used—be it sword or arrow—but even a wielder’s habits leave marks on the body.”

The Young Marquis flinched. The dagger he had prepared was ordinary, but if Elaina was right…

“Aren’t you curious why your father assigned you such an important task?”

“What?”

Elaina smiled softly, her eyes narrowed.

“Once the Marquis dies, you’re the one who’ll inherit the title. So why would he give such a dangerous task to you, instead of your younger sibling? To you, who must receive the title.”

Elaina’s words cleverly struck at the Young Marquis’s heart.

“That’s what I want to ask. Do you even know why you’re making me write the divorce papers?”

Now the Young Marquis was rendered speechless. Just as Elaina had said, he knew nothing. He had simply obeyed his father’s orders.

Why? Why couldn’t it have been his younger sibling? Only now did the Young Marquis realize how perilous his situation was. Not only was he committing a kidnapping, but potentially about to kill the Archduchess.

Reading the tremble in his eyes, Elaina let out a sigh of relief. “You really don’t know anything. At this rate, your fate won’t be much different from your mother’s.”

“Shut up!”

But unlike when they first arrived at the tower, his voice no longer carried any conviction.

“Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll write the divorce letter, just like you want. If you don’t take it, the Marquis will begin to doubt your performance. But don’t kill me. Not for my sake, but for yours—as Diane’s brother. Diane would weep even for someone as vile as you.”

“Ha! That’s a very long-winded plea for your life, Elaina Grant.”

“Yes. It’s true I want to live. But this is for your sake, too. If you disagree, you’re free to kill me.”

Elaina abruptly stood and approached the Young Marquis’s dagger. Instead, he instinctively backed away. He was afraid she might actually get stabbed by his blade.

“I’m not asking to be released. Just watch the situation play out. If your father wins, kill me. But if the Marquis of Redwood has no hope, then spare me. Isn’t it better to hold your card until the game is over?”

Elaina ran her finger along the blade’s edge. A thin red line of blood trickled out.

“I’m saying act smart. Like your father, who never lets himself take a loss. If this gets exposed, do you think the Marquis will protect you?”

The Young Marquis swallowed hard. The more he listened, the more Elaina’s words rang true. He, too, had suspected that the tragedy that befell his mother was not the Grant family’s doing—but rather his father’s.

Thinking he might be next made his neck feel stifled.

“So, what’s your answer?”

The roles had reversed in their conversation. Unconsciously, the Young Marquis nodded.

***

The faint sound of hooves galloping across the ground reached her ears. Alone in the tower now. Without even a coat, left in the empty tower, Elaina moved to a corner to escape the cold. Though she wore winter clothes, the wind blowing through the open window made it as cold as sleeping outdoors. And she was hungry.

But Elaina wasn’t in a situation where she could complain about hunger.

For now, she had managed to manipulate the Young Marquis and avoid the worst, but she had no idea how the situation might change next.

A bit anxious, Elaina picked at the hangnail on her thumb. She had suggested to the Young Marquis that she write one more letter in addition to the divorce paper—a letter for Lyle.

“For the sake of this divorce, this would be an easier way to convince Lyle.”

But the frightened Young Marquis didn’t allow it. He couldn’t carry out his father’s command, yet he couldn’t take Elaina’s side either, so it was only natural that he would try to avoid doing anything further.

“Ha…”

The inside of the tower was so cold that her breath came out white, and she was starving. Weary from the cold and hunger, Elaina pulled her knees close and buried her face in them. As she closed her eyes, the cries of birds in the dark forest echoed around her.

Being kidnapped wasn’t entirely a bad thing. It was a rare chance to catch the Marquis, who always schemed from behind the scenes and used others as shields, as a criminal in the act.

If only she had been allowed to write one more letter, she could’ve done better.

It was regrettable, but Elaina had done everything she could in the situation.

Now, all she could do was close her eyes and pray that Lyle would notice the code she had hidden in the divorce papers.