This Villain Is Mine Now

Chapter 120

Finding the exact location on the map with only limited information was extremely difficult. Lyle quickly summoned Leo and Colin. They were the ones who could help interpret the terrain.

“Since the letter arrived in half a day, it probably isn’t from too far outside the capital.”

Leo drew a large circle on the map.

“This is the maximum radius. We need to find a location within this area that matches Elaina’s description.”

Unlike a topographical map, the symbols Elaina had secretly drawn were not enough to determine the exact location.

Even within the narrowed radius, there were still more than five places similar to Elaina’s description. They had to be cautious, as recklessly beginning a search could provoke an unpredictable response from the kidnappers.

“Colin.”

“Yes. Leave it to me.”

Colin answered confidently. They would investigate all five possible sites, while also dispatching people to unrelated locations to keep House Redwood off guard. Even if it took some time, since Elaina was still in their hands, it was essential to proceed with utmost caution.

“I’ll monitor the situation at House Redwood.”

Leo struck his chest with his fist and spoke with discipline.

To him, Elaina was like his dearest friend and a cherished younger sister. Moreover, she was the wife of a superior he deeply respected.

How dare they lay a hand on Elaina. Blue flames of rage flickered in Leo’s eyes.

***

Inside the courthouse, an elderly man seated at the high bench frowned.

“So Her Grace the Archduchess is absent again today? We’ve already postponed the witness interrogation several times…”

Looking troubled, the judge tapped the desk with his fingers and looked at Lyle.

“Your Grace the Archduke. You are aware that the current situation is not in your favor, are you not?”

Lyle gave a slight nod, his expression grim. “Yes.”

“Forgive me for saying this, but I’ve heard rumors that the Grant knights have been conducting some sort of search in recent days.”

The tapping sound came to a stop.

“Could this matter be related to the Archduchess’s absence?”

Lyle appeared in court today on Elaina’s behalf. He had submitted a medical certificate and an explanation that she could not attend due to illness. However, the judge did not believe a word of it.

The judge’s wording was a roundabout way of urging Lyle to tell the truth, and Lyle’s fist clenched.

He would have liked nothing more than to tell the truth. But in the end, he shook his head.

“My wife has no connection to the knights’ operations. As I conveyed, she is simply unable to leave the house due to her condition.”

Elaina had been kidnapped by the Marquis of Redwood. As long as she remained in his hands, Lyle could not do anything that might endanger her.

With Lyle firmly denying the link, the judge had no choice but to drop the matter. He looked at the papers with a dissatisfied expression.

When he had first been assigned to the case, the judge had scoffed, wondering whether it was even worth deliberating. The Marchioness’s death was unfortunate, but if there were a culprit and a victim, the Archducal couple were clearly the latter. The only reason the case hadn’t been closed swiftly was the Marquis’s social status and outrage over his wife’s death.

But the case had started to veer strangely.

For some unknown reason, the Archduchess was refusing to testify. This would severely disadvantage House Grant. There was no way Lyle didn’t know that.

The judge, who was supposed to remain impartial, had already been leaning toward House Grant. Letting out a long sigh, he finally spoke.

“Very well. Then we will postpone Elaina Grant’s testimony date. But, Your Grace the Archduke, you must understand that this is the last time. We can make no more exceptions. Before the strict law, all are equal. Please remember that.”

“…I understand.”

Lyle nodded with a stiff face. Seeing how strained he looked, the judge sighed quietly once more.

***

“The judge said this is the final postponement.”

The Young Marquis reported the news while clicking his tongue.

“That damn old man. Why won’t he just conclude things already instead of dragging it out?”

He had already postponed the hearing twice. It was extremely unusual to delay it for this long. Since prolonging the Archduchess’s detention only worsened things for him, the Young Marquis’s voice was full of irritation.

However, the Marquis himself, upon receiving the report, remained completely calm. As if the court proceedings didn’t interest him in the slightest, he listened indifferently. His focus was elsewhere.

“Has the divorce letter not yet been submitted?”

The Young Marquis nodded. Two weeks earlier, after kidnapping Elaina and obtaining the divorce letter, he had delivered it to the Archducal estate without being noticed by anyone. It was certain that the document had reached the Archduke. And yet, the Archduke had done nothing.

“I truly can’t understand what the Archduke is thinking. Isn’t he just buying time while hiding the Archduchess’s kidnapping? Could it be…”

Lowering his voice, the Young Marquis asked his father:

“Does he not care what happens to her?”

At his son’s foolish question, the Marquis let out a mocking laugh.

“No. It’s quite the opposite.”

“That man doesn’t want his wife in danger, not even slightly. He thinks once we get what we want, we might harm her. That’s what’s on his mind.”

The Marquis looked at his son with contempt as if disappointed that he had only just grasped the situation.

“Exactly. That bastard knows perfectly well that dragging this out serves no purpose. That’s why he’s making such a commotion, mobilizing the knights for a search.”

The Marquis turned his gaze toward his son.

The divorce papers were merely a tool to isolate Lyle Grant from noble society.

He wanted to see that weakling, who meekly signed the divorce as ordered, collapse in shock in front of the corpse of his dead wife. Knowing how deeply he cared for his family, the Marquis planned to kill his younger brother amid the chaos of the Archduchess’s funeral.

But thanks to his son’s decision to keep the Archduchess alive, the situation had become even more interesting.

“You’re right. She’s far more useful alive.”

He curled his lips into a bitter smile.

As long as the Archduchess was being held captive, Lyle Grant was nothing more than a puppet who would move exactly as the Marquis wished.

The malice in his smile was chilling. The Young Marquis swallowed hard, sensing his father’s mood.

“How long has it been since your last visit to the Archduchess?”

“It’s been over five days. I should visit again soon. We can’t have her starving to death.”

“Are you certain you weren’t followed?”

At his father’s rebuke, the Young Marquis quickly nodded.

“Yes. If I had been, the Grant knights wouldn’t be wasting their time searching all the wrong places.”

“The next time you visit her—”

The Marquis’s eyes gleamed with a sinister light.

“Cut off one of her fingers and bring it to me.”

The Young Marquis’s eyes widened in disbelief. He stared at his father, unable to believe what he had just heard.

“W-what are you saying…”

“It seems the Archduke hasn’t fully understood my intentions. We need to make it clearer.”

His gaze drifted to the dagger hanging from his son’s waist. A chill ran down the Young Marquis’s spine. Elaina’s words echoed in his mind—that the killer could be identified by the traces left on the body.

“Is that really necessary…”

The Young Marquis gave a strained laugh.

“Wouldn’t it be dangerous to provoke the Archduke unnecessarily? If he starts thinking his wife is already dead, the situation could spiral out of control.”

He tried desperately to persuade his father.

“I’ll take care of it. I’ll send a warning without provoking him too much.”

The Marquis raised an eyebrow, his interest fading at his son’s cautious reply. But since it was the son who had to go to the tower, he couldn’t ignore his opinion entirely. In the end, the Marquis nodded.

“Fine. Do it your way.”

As soon as the Marquis granted permission, the Young Marquis quietly let out a sigh of relief. His back was drenched in cold sweat.

***

The sun rose and set. Each time, Elaina scratched the wall of the tower to mark the days.

Judging by the marks she’d made, two weeks had passed.

Should she be grateful that nothing had happened? Or despair that Lyle hadn’t found her yet? Time passed with agonizing tension, like walking a tightrope.

During those two weeks, the Young Marquis had visited the tower a few times. Each time, all he brought was a scrap of bread. He never provided utensils, as they could be used as weapons.

A few days after the kidnapping, when he returned to the tower, he had been shocked to find Elaina near death from cold and hunger. Realizing her death would complicate matters for him, he immediately brought several thick blankets.

Torn between his father and Elaina, it was impossible to tell where the Young Marquis’s loyalties would ultimately lie. So when she heard his footsteps approaching the tower again, Elaina steeled herself. But when she saw the glint of a blade in his hand, she couldn’t help but tense.

Elaina touched her shortened hair. A palm’s width of hair had been cut from the right side, leaving it uneven with the rest. Without a mirror, she couldn’t see how she looked, but it was surely strange.

“…Worrying about my hair, seriously.”

Elaina let out a dry laugh. Her meals consisted of bread and cold water, yet she no longer shivered from the cold as she had at first. It was absurd to worry about how her hair would look when Lyle found her.

The Young Marquis hadn’t harmed her. He had only cut off a piece of her hair. He hadn’t said much, but even from that, Elaina could glean many things.

First, that Lyle had not submitted the divorce as the Marquis had wanted.

Second, despite the favorable circumstances—her absence from court—the Marquis was growing impatient. Which meant Lyle was taking action.

That Lyle had deciphered the coded symbols she’d hidden in the forced divorce letter.

“Please come quickly, Lyle…”

In front of the Young Marquis, she always held her head high and pretended to be calm. But the fear was real. Curling up in the blanket, Elaina moved her lips in a silent plea.