This Villain Is Mine Now

Chapter 24

Facing Lyle’s cold expression, Elaina realized she was truly with the man described in “Moonshadow.”

‘So cold-hearted,’ she thought. His attitude towards his only sibling was excessively indifferent. It was likely his marriage to Diane had been much the same, focusing solely on the revival of his family, like a racehorse with blinders.

“Listen carefully. I won’t leave until this case is full. If you want to go home quickly, then fill this case,” Elaina said, handing Lyle a tin cookie case. Lyle stared at the heart-shaped tin for a long moment before letting out a scoff.

“Ha. He won’t like something like this.”

“How can you be so sure? You’ve never bought sweets for him, so stop pretending to know. Your Grace, you need to develop a habit of considering the people around you.”

Lyle clamped his mouth shut, but Elaina continued with a serious expression.

“Listen, I know your life has been hard. I won’t pretend to understand. It would be a lie to say I know the hardships of the battlefield. But you were fifteen when you went to war. Until then, you grew up surrounded by your family’s love.”

At the mention of love, Lyle’s expression hardened. Yes, there had been such days, long forgotten in his memory. Days spent in a grand mansion, not yet old and worn, with his grandfather before his execution, his always kind father, and his beautiful mother.

A forgotten memory surfaced.

“Mother, is it true there’s a baby in there?” Fifteen-year-old Lyle asked, placing his hand on his mother’s belly, filled with anticipation.

“Yes. Soon your sibling will be born. I hope it’s a girl who takes after your mother.”

“Honey, we agreed not to say things like that.”

“Yes, Father. I don’t care if it’s a sister or a brother. I’ll play with them every day because I’m the older brother.”

“It could be a brother, you know.”

Everyone had laughed on that warm afternoon, following his mother’s laughter. Lyle’s eyes lingered on the empty cookie tin.

Elaina snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. “Should I start if you’re not going to? Avoid picking the same ones as me. I’m getting a gift for your brother too.”

Seeing Elaina engrossed in choosing sweets, Lyle quietly picked up the tongs. The sight of the large man selecting cookies for the tin was amusing, but Elaina stifled her laughter.

‘You should be truly grateful to me, future Archduchess of Grant,’ she thought. If Lyle, who was neither fun nor stylish, became at least socially adept, it would all be thanks to her.

***

Lyle returned to the mansion before dinner, looking somewhat weary, his hands full of various packages. The butler, taking his coat, glanced at the bundles and asked, “Master, what is all this?”

“Cookies.”

“Cookies? …Did you say cookies?” The butler’s face was puzzled at the unexpected word. Lyle picked up one of the packages and handed it to the butler.

“Lady Winchester suggested that people would appreciate a small gift when I come home,” Lyle explained.

The butler, still in shock, accepted the package. “You didn’t say anything, but you always do a lot of work. This is for you all; share it and have some tea.”

The butler, stunned, held the package. But what about that small bundle? He looked at Lyle with curiosity. As Lyle ascended the stairs, a small package was still in his hand.

Lyle hesitated in front of the door. Months had passed since he returned from that damn war, but he rarely came to this floor. He had only come up once before to retrieve his mother’s ring.

“Sometimes, you need to look around and see where you stand. That way, you’ll know how far ahead you are,” Elaina said as she got out of the carriage.

“Life is meant to be walked together. In that sense, I’d appreciate it if you took shorter strides next time we meet. Do you know how tall you are? When you take one step, I have to take two or three in my heels,” she had added with a smile.

“Next time we meet, tell me how your brother reacted. Tell me whose gift he liked more.”

Remembering Elaina’s smiling face, Lyle gathered his resolve and knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” came the voice of a child from inside, not expecting Lyle to be the one knocking.

“Who is it?” the voice repeated, now slightly annoyed at the lack of response. Footsteps approached, and the door swung open.

“Why didn’t you answer?” The irritated tone softened as the boy recognized Lyle. He looked as startled as the day he had thrown a glass at Lyle’s feet, shattering it.

“…What do you want?” Despite his irritated tone, the boy didn’t close the door. Lyle found himself momentarily speechless.

He had thought it didn’t matter. That any bond with his brother was impossible to form at this point. He believed they shared only the same bloodline and nothing more.

His brother, born so much later, didn’t know how glorious the Grant name had been before his birth. What Lyle could do for him was ensure he inherited a restored family name. Whether his brother wanted it or not was irrelevant. Whether he hated Lyle or not didn’t matter either. Restoring the prestige of the Grant duchy was the priority.

But now, seeing his brother’s uncertain expression, Lyle wondered if he had been wrong. He couldn’t be sure if all he had been fixated on was truly worthwhile or if the things he dismissed as meaningless were actually so.

“Knox.”

It was the first time Lyle had called his brother by name. A ripple of emotion flickered in Knox’s eyes.

“I bought some sweets.” Lyle handed the package to Knox. He had never done this before; it seemed like a trivial task compared to his other urgent duties. He had ignored it, forgetting the promise he had made to protect his little brother, who wasn’t even born yet, years ago.

Knox awkwardly reached out and took the package. “It’s from a well-known place.”

“…I know. I’m the only one in my class who hasn’t tried it.” The reply was gruff, but the disbelief in the boy’s eyes was clear.

“Is this really for me?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Knox’s cheeks slowly turned red. Though he tried to act nonchalant, he couldn’t completely hide his excitement.

If he had known it would make him this happy… If it had been this easy, he should have done it sooner. On the day he returned from the battlefield, he should have brought a gift. He should have approached his brother first, even when he threw a glass at him.

“Do you like sweets?”

“…Not really.”

“Then should I get you something else?”

When Lyle moved to take back the package, Knox quickly hid the sweets behind his back. “I said not really, not that I hate them.”

“You hadn’t opened it, so I thought you didn’t like them.”

Knox didn’t reply. Of course, you wouldn’t understand, you foolish brother. This was the first time he’d received a gift like this. Even though it was just sweets, it was the first time he had received something so beautifully wrapped from a family member.

He didn’t want to open it because it was too precious, but he knew his brother wouldn’t leave until he did. As Knox hesitated, a large hand covered his and tore open the wrapping without hesitation.

“What are you doing!”

“I’ll buy them often from now on, so just open it.”

Inside the package were two boxes of sweets.

“Two?”

Knox cautiously opened one of the cookie tins. Inside the heart-shaped tin were various cookies. He inspected the contents and made a face.

“What is this? Ginger? Oatmeal? Who eats this stuff?”

On the other hand, the other tin was filled with cookies topped with strawberry jam, chocolate, and dried fruits. Just by looking at Knox’s expression as he glanced between the two tins, Lyle could tell who had won the bet with Elaina.