This Villain Is Mine Now

Chapter 52

“Fine.”

After what seemed like an eternity of bowing, Elaina finally accepted the greeting. Despite the cool weather, sweat was beading on Marchioness Verua’s forehead, a clear sign of her humiliation. As she returned to sit beside her son, her expression was fierce. Even Bark, who had previously been full of mischief without a care in the world, began to realize that something was going terribly wrong, fear overtaking him.

A cold tension filled the meeting room.

“Well… Let’s begin the meeting,” the teacher said hesitantly, clearly caught in the middle of a battle between giants.

“Let’s.”

Wiping the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief, Marchioness Verua replied, all while grinding her teeth internally.

‘This girl’s barely twenty and already acting so high and mighty.’

Her youngest son, Bark, may have been a child, but her eldest was much older than Elaina. For the marchioness, bowing twice to someone younger than her own children was a humiliation she had never endured before.

However, Elaina, acting so high and mighty in her role as Archduchess, had made one mistake. Today’s meeting was about a dispute between children, where there was a clear victim and a perpetrator. Her son had been slapped by Knox, leaving a bruise, which made him the undeniable victim.

‘Maybe he’ll finally learn his lesson if he’s expelled.’

Many people had already opposed Knox Grant’s admission to the academy from the start. What business did the son of a nearly extinct, disgraced family have attending? It was like putting a pearl necklace on a pig.

What irked them even more was that Knox, despite not having a private tutor like the other children who received elite education, consistently performed better in his academic studies.

Despite the academy’s stated mission of nurturing talent regardless of background, what reason was there to admit the son of a traitor?

‘No matter how smart he is, he’s just like his father—destined for treachery.’

Marchioness Verua hardened her resolve. Knox Grant, backed by the Winchesters, was even more detestable. For the academy’s future, she couldn’t allow such a child to remain.

“Ahem. I believe everyone here knows the reason for today’s meeting.”

Marchioness Verua was the first to speak. She grabbed her son’s chin and turned his face so that Knox and Elaina could clearly see the bruise on his cheek.

“Look at this. Even if they’re just children, this sort of violence is completely unacceptable, don’t you think?”

“I already scolded Knox about it yesterday. I made it very clear to him that no matter what happens, he should never hit anyone.”

“You see, children without proper adult role models in their family are bound to act this way.”

“Knox,” Elaina called his name. “Go ahead and apologize properly to your friend for what you did wrong.”

Her voice carried a commanding authority that Knox couldn’t resist. Without a word, he walked over to Bark.

Bark swallowed hard, feeling nervous for the first time.

“I’m sorry for slapping you, Bark Verua.”

“N-no, I…”

Bark glanced nervously at his mother and the adults around him. His mother maintained a proud facade, but even he could sense that things were taking a strange turn. Bark started to feel afraid.

After all, he knew deep down that Knox wasn’t the one at fault.

“It’s… it’s fine.”

“It’s not fine!” Marchioness Verua snapped, slamming her hand down on the armrest of the sofa. Her eyes flashed angrily. “I refuse to let my child stay in the same space as this violent boy.”

“I see,” Elaina said softly, nodding as if she understood. “What do you propose, then, Marchioness?”

“I want them separated, of course, Your Grace.”

“Separated? You don’t mean to suggest creating a separate class for him, do you? The academy is selective, admitting only a few elite students. That would be quite unreasonable.”

“If separating them into different classes isn’t possible, then one of them will have to leave the academy.”

The Marchioness, throwing out this bold ultimatum, felt triumphant. Her fury toward Lady Winchester—no, the Archduchess of Grant—who had insulted her immediately after she had merely reprimanded the wretched boy who had dared to strike her precious son, burned fiercely within her.

“Very well. I agree.”

Elaina’s gaze shifted to Bark, who had been silently observing the exchange.

“Bark Verua, I remember your face. We met at the botanical garden not long ago, didn’t we?”

“Y-yes, Your Grace.”

“And that day, you told me it was all in good fun. It seems you often like to joke with Knox, don’t you?”

“Well, I… uh…”

“So, what joke did you make yesterday that led Knox to slap you?”

Elaina’s piercing gaze made Bark swallow hard. He had a strong sense that lying would only make things worse. But at the same time, he didn’t have the courage to tell the truth.

Seeing her son hesitate, Marchioness Verua raised her voice in anger. “Your Grace, are you interrogating my son?”

“It seems the marchioness doesn’t fully understand the situation, so I thought it best for her to hear the truth from her son. That way, you’ll be in a less difficult position later.”

“W-what do you mean by that?”

“Bark Verua. Speak up.”

Caught between his mother and Elaina, Bark glanced at his mother for help. When he had told her what happened and handed over the notice, he had been excited, thinking Knox would be severely punished. He had even imagined the satisfaction of seeing Knox humiliated in front of his mother.

But things weren’t playing out the way he had imagined at all.

“Bark Verua.”

Elaina’s calm, expressionless face was far more terrifying than his own mother’s anger. He wanted to tell the truth, but the words wouldn’t come out. He knew how awful the things he had said to Knox were.

“Well, I…”

“If you can’t say it, then shall I say it for you?”

Elaina placed a stack of papers on the table in front of her.

“I apologize for being a little late today. I was gathering statements from Knox’s classmates to uncover the truth behind what happened.”

“The truth? What are you talking about? What truth?”

“Why don’t you read it for yourself, Marchioness?”

Marchioness Verua picked up the papers Elaina had placed on the table. As she flipped through the pages, her face grew paler and paler.

Glancing back and forth between her son and the papers, she stammered, “B-Bark, what is this? Did you really do this?”

“Well, I…”

The papers contained statements from Bark and Knox’s classmates, detailing what Bark had said to Knox, and explaining why Knox had finally lost his temper. The other children, who had long held grudges against Bark for his behavior, had also included accounts of his regular mistreatment of others.

“He made cruel comments to the girls and even pulled their hair—his actions are far from acceptable. But setting that aside for now, as Knox Grant’s guardian and as the lady of the Grant family, I simply cannot overlook the insults Bark Verua hurled at our family.”

“……”

Elaina spoke slowly, enunciating each word clearly as she stared directly at Bark, “Bark Verua. Did you call Archduke Grant a murderer? Did you mock him and Knox as the children of traitors? Did you insult the Grant family as beggars?”

Bark’s face was contorted with shame, on the verge of tears. Hearing the awful things he had said come out of someone else’s mouth made him wish he could crawl into a hole and disappear.

When Bark didn’t answer, Elaina picked up one of the papers and began reading aloud.

“‘Beggar boy. Are you that happy to call a murderer like him your brother just because you’ve got nothing else? You don’t even have a family or wealth, so you must be desperate—'”

“I-I’m sorry!”

Before Elaina could finish reading, Bark’s apology burst out in a desperate cry.

“I got mad when Knox bragged about playing chess with Duke Winchester! He sounded like he was showing off, and I just lost my temper!”

Bark’s jealousy and frustration spilled out. Despite all his efforts, he could never surpass Knox academically, and even the girls liked Knox more than him. Every time Bark tried to provoke Knox, he was met with indifference, as if Knox couldn’t be bothered to deal with him. And yet, Knox always defended the girls whenever Bark bullied them.

Mocking Knox’s family and financial status had been the easiest way for Bark to vent his inferiority complex, and it had certainly succeeded in making Knox angry.

Marchioness Verua’s face had gone completely white, as if all the blood had drained from it. Elaina, seeing her expression, returned the marchioness’s earlier words with icy precision.

“As you said, Marchioness, I agree that we can’t allow violent children to continue attending the academy. I’ll be informing the other parents about this incident and seeking their opinions on the matter.”

Elaina’s firm declaration left everyone in shock, including Knox, who suddenly stepped forward to block her path. Surprised by his unexpected action, Elaina frowned slightly.