This Villain Is Mine Now

Chapter 50

Is this what it feels like to have your heart sink? Knox stared at Elaina, forgetting to even blink.

“P-paper? What paper?”

“I like people with pride. But being proud and stubbornly clinging to foolishness are two completely different things, Knox.”

Knox had no idea how Elaina had found out about the paper he had hidden so carefully, but it was clear she knew exactly what had happened to him today.

“I’m not saying it was right for you to hit someone.”

Knox flinched at her words.

“…I know.”

“But there are times when it’s unavoidable. If I were in your shoes and someone insulted my family, I wouldn’t have been able to hold back either.”

He was still a child. After all, if children were able to handle everything maturely, there wouldn’t be any need to call them children.

“Have you reflected on your actions?”

Knox nodded heavily at Elaina’s question.

“Are you going to hit your friend again?”

“He’s not my friend.”

“That’s not the point, and you know it, Knox Grant.”

Hearing his full name in her cold tone, Knox hesitated before answering, “…I won’t.”

“No matter the circumstances, you shouldn’t hit people. If someone insults you, challenge them to a duel instead.”

Elaina extended her hand. “The paper.”

There was no point in hiding it any longer. Knox pulled the paper out of his bag and handed it to Elaina.

The bold letters at the top read, “Parental Attendance Required”.

The paper explained that a meeting with the parents was necessary to resolve the conflict between Knox Grant and Bark Verua.

“Please… don’t tell my brother.”

Elaina raised an eyebrow at Knox’s request. “Why?”

“I don’t want him coming to the academy. I don’t want him to know what those kids said about him…”

Bark Verua, the youngest son of Marquis Verua, was notorious among the younger students at the academy for his bad behavior. Elaina had heard that he was spoiled because his mother, having had him late in life, doted on him excessively. While he put on a respectable front in front of adults, his behavior behind their backs was a different story.

“He’s always bullying others, especially the girls. He calls them ugly and even pulls their hair…”

There were countless children who had been bothered by Bark and his gang. He’d even mock those who got angry, calling them petty, so most kids just avoided him altogether.

When Bark grew tired of tormenting the girls, he set his sights on Knox, starting soon after Lyle returned from the war.

“He says I act like I’m better than everyone else. He says I’m obnoxious, and that I’ve become arrogant ever since I got a brother.”

Their relationship had never been good, to begin with. Knox had always been the one to step in and stop Bark from bullying the girls.

Bark Verua was the long-awaited son of the Marquis Verua. Knowing that he would eventually inherit the title, Bark had grown up spoiled and arrogant.

From Bark’s perspective, there was no one at the academy greater than himself. As for Knox, the son of a fallen family marked as traitors, he wasn’t even worth Bark’s time. That the “nobody” Knox suddenly became the Archduke’s younger brother had certainly bruised Bark’s pride.

“So, you’ve been putting up with this bullying all this time?”

It wasn’t hard for Elaina to recall the name Bark Verua. He was the same boy they had encountered at the botanical garden when she, Lyle, and Knox went for a visit to work on a project together.

Even back then, she had thought his manner of speaking wasn’t very polite, though she had brushed it off as just harmless teasing between kids.

Knox nodded weakly at Elaina’s question.

She glanced again at the paper in her hand. A Parental Attendance Request. Elaina carefully folded the paper and then hooked her pinky around Knox’s.

“Promise. I won’t tell your brother.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Elaina already had a rough idea of what had happened after hearing Marion’s version of events. She also understood why Knox wanted to keep this a secret from his brother.

“Don’t worry too much about what’s going to happen tomorrow.”

“Really? But Bark’s mother is a very scary person… He scared me, saying she’s going to be furious because of the bruise on his cheek.”

Elaina gently but firmly placed her hands on Knox’s shoulders. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. If you did something wrong, then you should apologize and reflect on your actions. Everyone makes mistakes at least once. The important thing is not to make the same mistake twice.”

Knox silently repeated her words in his heart. Don’t make the same mistake twice.

“And you said he started it, right? It was wrong to hit him, but insulting someone’s family isn’t the right thing to do either.”

“But he’s never going to apologize.”

“Are you sure? I think you’re wrong. How about we make a bet?”

Perhaps it was the relief of sharing his burden with Elaina, but some of the tension on Knox’s face seemed to ease.

Then, as if on cue, his stomach growled loudly. He hadn’t eaten much at lunch, still upset over the day’s events.

Having barely touched his dinner, Knox was starting to feel the hunger settle in.

“Still not going to eat? The butler made this himself, adding cinnamon to the milk because he knows you like it. Don’t waste it.”

Knox nodded silently and started eating. Elaina ruffled his hair lightly before leaving his room.

The smile she had worn to comfort Knox was gone, replaced by a steely look as cold as a winter storm.

***

“Don’t worry.”

Those were Elaina’s parting words to Knox as she saw him off to school. Even though it was hard not to worry, strangely enough, her words had a calming effect.

The parent meeting was scheduled for the afternoon after all classes had ended. Throughout the day, during every break, Bark kept pestering Knox, trying to provoke him.

“Hey, beggar! Is your murderous brother coming to the academy today?”

“Hey! I told you to stop saying things like that! Why do you keep bothering Knox?” Marion shouted, trying to stand up for him. But her anger only made Bark pull on her long hair, bullying her even more.

Knox wanted to hit Bark so badly that his other cheek would end up bruised too, but he remembered what Elaina had said to him the night before and held back.

Once is a mistake, but the second time is not.

‘I’m not an idiot.’

Though his anger was simmering, he restrained himself. Seeing Knox act maturely, Marion stopped arguing with Bark and stepped away.

Bark continued trying to provoke Knox during every break and lunch period, but each time, Knox either walked away or ignored him completely.

Finally, when classes were over, both Bark and Knox had to head to the meeting room for the parent-teacher discussion.

“Hah. You’re totally dead now. You should’ve seen how angry my parents were last night! I even had to talk them out of storming over to that dump you live in, telling them it’d be dangerous with your murderous brother around.”

Knox ignored him, pretending not to hear. Furious at being ignored all day, Bark shoved Knox from behind, sending him sprawling onto the dirt.

Blood began to trickle from Knox’s knee.

“Oops. How clumsy of you to fall on your own like that! What an idiot. Anyway, I’ll see you later.”

Bark hummed to himself as he walked away, clearly in a better mood after getting Knox’s clothes dirty.

Upon arriving at the meeting room, Knox and Bark were seated far apart. The teacher, shocked at the sight of Knox’s injury, rushed to fetch a first aid kit to tend to his wound.

“Oh dear. How did you hurt yourself like this?”

“Bark Verua pushed me.”

“What?”

The teacher turned to look at Bark. Her gaze was a silent question, asking if Knox’s accusation was true.

Bark, with an indignant expression, shook his head. “I don’t know what he’s talking about, Teacher. He just fell over on his own while walking.”

“No, he didn’t! He pushed me.”

Just then, the door flew open, and a harsh, grating voice cut through the air.

“What did you just say about my son?”

A woman who looked strikingly like Bark stormed into the room. She clicked her heels loudly as she walked over to Bark’s side, glaring at Knox.

“Really, this boy is just hopeless, isn’t he? Not only does he resort to violence, but now he’s trying to frame someone else for his behavior?”

She clicked her tongue in disapproval, muttering as if to herself, but clearly intending for Knox to hear. Knox clenched his teeth in frustration.