This Villain Is Mine Now

Chapter 14

“What are you doing?” Lyle demanded, struggling to comprehend what he had just heard.

Who was proposing to whom? He couldn’t believe his ears.

“Do you even understand what you’re saying?” he asked, incredulous.

“Of course. Do I look like someone who’s been drinking?” Elaina replied calmly.

No, she didn’t. Elaina, who had come to see him early in the morning, appeared perfectly sober.

Lyle, rarely confused, found himself baffled by her behavior.

“You’ve interfered every time I tried to approach Diane Redwood, and now you want to marry me instead?”

“Yes,” Elaina affirmed.

“What on earth for?” Lyle blurted, his genuine curiosity getting the better of him. What could possibly drive her to such lengths?

“Let’s not dwell on what we can’t understand about each other. I don’t fully understand you either. The only thing you need to consider is this: if you decided to marry Diane without any feelings for her, purely for your family’s sake, then you can marry me for the same reason,” Elaina said with a charming smile.

“It’s a deal involving the title of Archduchess, right? I’m telling you to choose someone who can offer more,” she added, sinking into the old sofa that, while cozy, failed to provide firm support.

‘First thing to replace after the wedding,’ she thought, noting the importance of a well-furnished drawing room for entertaining guests.

“A million gold and ten well-trained knights. Those are the terms Marquis Redwood has set for you, right? That’s the dowry allotted to Diane. But don’t you think that’s a pitifully small amount for a deal involving the title of Archduchess?” Elaina asked, her lips curling into a small smile.

She shrugged. “Moreover, there’s probably a clause in the contract stating that the deal is valid only while Diane holds the title of Archduchess, and in case of a divorce, the dowry must be returned in full. Essentially, it’s an interest-free loan.”

Lyle’s expression soured instantly. He had always found it odd that Elaina was the first to notice his approaches toward Diane. But this detail was a secret known only to him and Marquis Redwood. There was no way she could know.

“How did you find that out?” he demanded.

‘I read it in a book. A book I’ve read countless times in my dreams, now so vividly etched in my memory that I could rewrite it verbatim.’

Of course, Lyle wouldn’t believe such a statement. Instead, Elaina invoked her father’s name. “Don’t underestimate the Winchester family’s intelligence network. How else could I have consistently interfered between you and Diane?”

She raised her eyebrows, modulating her voice to sound as natural as possible.

“From the butler’s account, you now know that after renovating the mansion, you’ll be left with only 500,000 gold. It’s a significant amount, but once you establish a knightly order, you’ll only be able to sustain it for two or three years at most. Am I wrong?”

Lyle’s lips tightened. Elaina had an uncannily accurate grasp of his situation.

“Let me ask you one thing. Do you want to restore the Grant family’s honor, or are you content to remain under the thumb of the Redwood family, just to keep your name?” she pressed.

“What?” Lyle responded, taken aback.

“Think about it. Even if the Marquis of Redwood provides you with knights, they’ll ultimately swear loyalty to him. You might form a knightly order, but it’ll only serve to further enrich the Marquis,” Elaina explained.

At best, they would only cover the knights’ salaries for a few years. Once the Grant family’s money ran out, those knights would quickly return to the Marquis.

“Twice,” Elaina stated.

“I’ll give you twice what Marquis Redwood promised. No, that’s too little. You’ll need to recruit capable knights yourself. Let’s make it three times,” she offered.

“Lady Winchester,” Lyle began, but she cut him off.

“And I’ll add a condition: even in the event of a divorce, you won’t have to return the dowry.”

Lyle’s mouth shut tight. The condition of not having to return the dowry, even in the case of a divorce, was indeed extraordinary.

“You asked why I’m doing all this, right? It’s simple. I don’t want to see Diane unhappy over money. And it’s also for me. If I let Diane suffer when I could have prevented it, I’d end up hating myself. Diane has someone she loves. I want her to be happy.”

“And what about you?” Lyle asked, looking at her with a gloomy expression. “Are you saying it’s okay for you to be unhappy?”

“Oh, why would I be unhappy? Do I seem so weak that I’d be unhappy just because of you?” Elaina said with a slight smile, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

“Don’t worry about me. Being the daughter of the Duke of Winchester doesn’t change just because I get divorced.”

“Divorce? You mean…”

“One year. Just one year of marriage. By then, Diane will be married and completely free from the control of Marquis Redwood.”

“Why a year? Wouldn’t it suffice to fool the Marquis for a few months after Diane’s marriage?”

He was right. For Diane’s sake, it might only take a few months to deceive Marquis Redwood. But there was one thing he didn’t know: in “Moonshadow,” Diane wasn’t the only one suffering.

“Money is merely a means to get what you want. Am I wrong?” Elaina said, staring at Lyle.

“Just as you still have the pride of the Grant family, I too have the pride of the Winchester family. You will be my first husband. It would be troublesome if you remain in your current state. Don’t you think people will gossip about my poor choice of a husband?” She laughed softly and continued, “Honor. Power. Wealth. These are the three essential things you need to revive the glorious Grant Archduchy. The Marquis of Redwood can never provide these for you. Even if he could, he wouldn’t willingly give them to you.”

Marquis Redwood planned to clip Lyle’s wings and use him as a hunting hawk. If Lyle spread his wings and soared high, it would trouble the Marquis.

“And you can provide those things?” Lyle asked.

“Of course,” Elaina nodded without hesitation. “Money? That’s easy. My dowry will cover as much as you need. Do you need power? My father happens to be the head of the Council of Nobles.”

The Duke of Winchester’s immense love for his daughter was well-known. Elaina was right. The Duke had the power to elevate even a common street ruffian to the center of the nobility if Elaina chose him as her husband.

“And the last one? How do you plan to help with that?”

“You already have it.”

“What?”

“The Grant family might not be impressive, but it has one valuable asset. You. A capable head who went to war at a young age, earned merits, and managed to restore a fallen family’s title.”

In “Moonshadow,” it wasn’t just Diane who lived a miserable life.

Although they hadn’t known each other for long, Elaina understood that Lyle Grant wasn’t inherently cruel.

He wasn’t yet a perfect head of the family, but if he refused to sell his pride cheaply, the future was unpredictable.

Lyle’s gaze wavered as he looked at Elaina.

The war-mad berserker.

The beggar of a fallen family.

The actions he took to survive followed him like dishonorable shadows.

A capable head of the family.

No one had ever said that to Lyle before. It was clearly a sweet talk to win his favor, but her words shook him.

“I know why you want to form a knightly order. You want to solve the problems of the Mabel Mountain region, don’t you?”

Even if it was abandoned, the Mabel Mountain region was the first territory granted to Lyle. To ensure the villagers could return and live safely, he needed to deal with the monsters and wild animals.

Elaina’s accurate assessment made Lyle fall silent.

“If you need it, I’ll help restore the honor of the Archduchy as Archduchess. But after one year, I’ll be gone. If you truly want to revive the Grant family, it’s best to ensure you can stand on your own without the support of the Winchester family,” Elaina concluded.

She tilted her head slightly, waiting for Lyle’s response. It seemed like the answer was already clear, but she wanted to hear it from him.

“So, what is your answer?”

“…I have no reason to refuse,” Lyle said, his voice now a smooth baritone, emotions in check.

Elaina extended her hand for a handshake. “I promise. Though I’ll be your wife for only a year, I’ll do my best to help revive the Grant Archduchy.”

It wasn’t love, but she could be a good partner to him.

Lyle took her hand. Though he had held it many times while dancing, Elaina’s hand was much smaller, softer, and warmer than his. As his calloused hand clasped hers, Elaina smiled brightly and shook their hands.