This Villain Is Mine Now

Chapter 23

“All the same color? Lady Elaina, what do you mean?” Madam Marbella’s eyes widened as if she had heard something absurd.

“Indeed. It seems His Grace does not yet understand that there is not a single shade under the sky that is exactly the same,” Elaina said, pointing out each fabric with her hand. “This green is called Viridian. It’s reminiscent of the color you see when mist hangs over the mountains. The texture is important too; in this case, velvet is used to give a softer, more lustrous feel. And this is turquoise. Even if you know nothing about gemstones, you must have seen turquoise stones before.”

Elaina continued to explain the various shades of green—peacock green, olive green, teal, viridian, opal, basil, seaweed, and moss—while carefully comparing each fabric against Lyle’s body.

“I think viridian green suits him best. Don’t you agree, Madam Marbella?”

“Absolutely, my lady. I also thought this fabric would suit him best when I brought it.”

“Alright, then a narrow collar, buttons with a slightly bronzed matte finish, and a three-button jacket. The pants should fit perfectly at the waist.”

“Given his height, that style will indeed look best on him.”

“What about cravat pins? Can I see some?”

“Yes, I’ll bring them right away, my lady.”

Elaina continued to make meticulous orders about the shirt’s material and the jacket’s cut. To Lyle, the conversation was filled with terms that sounded as foreign as ancient magic.

Madam Marbella and Elaina’s animated discussion continued. In the end, they decided on additional suits in dark gray, black, and light beige.

“Thank you as always, my lady. Where should we deliver the clothes once they are ready?”

“Please send them to Grant’s residence. As you can see, His Grace’s current clothes are quite unsuitable. It would be great if you could have them ready as soon as possible.”

“Of course, my lady. Your word is my command.”

With Madam Marbella’s courteous farewell, Lyle and Elaina stepped out of the building. Lyle’s expression was slightly dazed.

Elaina waved her hand in front of his face. “Are you alright, Your Grace?”

“Does it usually take this long to buy clothes?”

“It took less time than usual. There aren’t as many decisions to make for men’s clothing. Why?”

Lyle sighed and rubbed his forehead. The sight of a man who had survived battlefields struggling with shopping was amusing. Elaina held back her laughter and said, “I would have chosen more if you didn’t look so exhausted. Do you think it’s right to receive a ring and then just call it even? I wasn’t raised to be that ungrateful.”

She added, “If you dislike how long it takes, think about your preferences. It takes longer because you don’t know what you like. You don’t know the trending colors or your own tastes. Even the clothes you’re wearing now reflect that.”

Elaina adjusted Lyle’s outfit. Even so, there were limits to fixing clothes that didn’t fit properly. “With your physique, you need custom-made clothing. Ready-to-wear just won’t suit you. At least your butler seems to have done a decent job with what he had.”

“My butler handles my clothes.”

“I figured. It’s passable because of him, but that’s not enough anymore. Passable won’t cut it.”

She gave a slight smile and adjusted his sleeve. “Trust me. You’ll like it. The clothes will be much more comfortable, too.”

Lyle remained silent, absorbing her confident assurance.

“Are we heading back now?”

“Of course not. If we were, I would have chosen one more outfit. We have another place to go. It’s not far on foot. Is that alright?”

If he said it wasn’t alright, Elaina seemed ready to call for a carriage. Realizing there was no other acceptable answer, Lyle nodded.

Elaina led him to a confectionery shop. Clothes shopping followed by a visit to a sweets shop? Lyle looked at her, puzzled.

“Do you like sweets?”

He regretted asking immediately. He feared she would bombard him with questions about his preferences and inundate him with her own unasked opinions.

“Since you asked about my preferences, I should tell you I don’t really like sweets,” Lyle preemptively declared, hoping to avoid her sharp reprimands.

Taste was one area where Lyle did have opinions. On the battlefield, salt was a matter of life and death, but sugar was a luxury. Those memories made Lyle dislike sweet foods.

Elaina shook her head. “I do like sweets. This shop has particularly good ones. But today, I’m not here to buy for myself. And not for you either.”

“Then for whom?”

“Brother.”

Brother? As far as Lyle knew, the Duke of Winchester had only one child, Elaina. There was no one else she could refer to as a brother. Lyle looked at her in confusion.

“Not my brother. Your brother,” she clarified.

Lyle remembered the child he had seen staring at him from the upstairs window during his previous visit to the estate.

“He’s only ten years old, right?”

From Lyle’s attire and the modest state of the household, it was evident how hard their life had been. The child likely hadn’t experienced the small joys that other children took for granted, much like Lyle’s unfamiliarity with buying clothes.

Thinking of the boy who had glared at her, Elaina thought, ‘What child doesn’t like sweets?’

This was, in essence, a bribe for Lyle’s brother, someone who would soon share a household with her.

“Let’s buy some sweets and have them wrapped. It’s always nice to bring something back when you return from an outing.”

The boy is ten years younger than Lyle. During the rebellion, the Archduchess had been pregnant and gave birth alone after her husband and son were dragged off to war. Before the boy turned five, the Archduchess had passed away, and the Archduke died in battle without ever seeing his child. Lyle was the only family the boy had left.

Elaina didn’t have siblings herself, so she couldn’t fully understand the bond. But she knew well the loneliness of a child left alone in a large house.

“When I was little, my parents would bring back snacks whenever they went out.”

Though the chef at the ducal residence was skilled, the treats that her parents brought back from outings had always touched young Elaina’s heart.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t tell me you’ve never bought sweets for your brother.”

Again, Lyle didn’t respond. Elaina looked at him insistently.

Reluctantly, Lyle spoke up. “That’s right.”

“My goodness,” Elaina muttered to herself, smacking her forehead.

“Are you not on good terms with your brother?”

“I wouldn’t say we are.”

He recalled the day he returned to the estate. The mansion, left behind a decade ago, was more dilapidated than he remembered. The countless servants were reduced to less than five.

As he entered the mansion with the delighted butler, a glass was thrown at his feet. A startled boy stood on the stairs, his eyes wide at the shattering sound. When their eyes met, the boy’s blue eyes trembled with fear. Lyle knew immediately.

That child was the ‘brother’ he had only heard about.

“I don’t consider you family!” the boy shouted before running up the stairs and locking himself in his room.

For Lyle, the boy was just a reminder of their shared Grant bloodline, with his red eyes. They were siblings who had never met. The boy’s hatred was as meaningless to Lyle as his existence was to the child.

“We should go back. This isn’t necessary,” Lyle said.

Elaina grabbed his sleeve firmly. “You promised to be a faithful husband, remember? No more excuses, pick out some sweets.”

“…What?”

“I want to get along with your brother. I don’t want to live in the same house with such awkwardness between us.”

Elaina’s determined expression made it clear she wouldn’t take another step until he chose some sweets.