This Villain Is Mine Now

Chapter 54

A month had passed since Elaina moved into the Grant estate after the wedding. During that time, the mansion had undergone significant changes.

All the old furniture had been replaced, and the wallpaper and floors, which bore the marks of time, had been renovated. Still, the mansion was far from being described as beautiful. The main reason for this was the overwhelming shortage of staff. Even with the new furniture and the carefully decorated interior, the effort was diminished by the daily accumulation of dust, making it difficult to maintain the splendor.

“How many people came for the interviews today?”

“A total of thirty. You should hire at least twenty.”

“Hmm.”

Elaina nodded at the butler’s report.

“You’ve made sure to filter out anyone with ties to that family, correct?”

“Yes, of course.”

Elaina recalled the conversation she had with Diane a few days ago. Diane had told her about overhearing a conversation between her half-brothers during a visit to the Marquisate of Redwood before she departed for Hennet.

According to Diane, the Marquis of Redwood had been trying to infiltrate the Grant mansion by placing longtime servants from their household there. Elaina’s butler had discovered several suspicious applications, confirming Diane’s tip-off. All of them were linked to the Marquis.

With both Knox and Lyle away, it was the perfect day to handle the interviews with the potential new staff.

“Bring in the next person.”

Sitting in the study, Elaina glanced up as the door opened and the next interviewee entered. Her expression soured slightly.

The woman before her looked familiar.

“Have we met before?”

“N-no! This is our first meeting!” The young woman nodded quickly, looking quite youthful and nervous.

Elaina checked the name written on the application: Anna. Her braided gray hair looked especially familiar, and Elaina soon realized why.

“Do you have a brother by any chance? You look remarkably like someone I know.”

“I-I have two cousins.”

“Is one of them named Colin?”

Now it was the young woman’s turn to look surprised. “Do you know my cousin?”

“I met him once before. That must be why you look familiar. How is Colin doing?”

Anna nodded. “Ah…”

“Is something wrong?”

After hesitating for a moment, Anna finally spoke, seemingly unsure whether she should share such personal information.

“My cousin Colin’s younger brother is very ill right now. They’re in desperate need of money. But Colin’s earnings from the tavern aren’t enough to cover the cost of the medicine, and they’re struggling.”

Anna explained that her decision to apply for a maid position was driven by this financial need.

Elaina frowned. “If they’re in need of money, wouldn’t it make more sense for Colin to apply for the knight order? Why is he still running the tavern?”

It seemed like a financially unwise decision, but as Anna continued explaining, Elaina realized she had been too naive.

“No knight order will accept a commoner knight. Colin has applied to several, but none of them want him.”

“I see… How much is the medicine?”

“Pardon? Oh, I—”

“Colin—no, Sir Colin is quite close to His Grace, the Archduke. If he’s in a difficult situation, I’d like to help.”

“Ah, well…”

Anna hesitated, her eyes darting nervously. But only for a moment. Wanting to help her cousin, Anna soon gave Elaina the amount needed.

“Butler.”

“Yes, madam?”

“Give her the money she needs.”

“T-thank you! Thank you so much!”

Anna’s face flushed with gratitude as she bowed repeatedly.

“How could I ever repay this kindness? I never imagined you’d offer me such a large sum.”

“Just work hard here at the mansion. I still have more interviews to conduct, so we’ll talk again later. There will be plenty of opportunities to speak in the future.”

“Yes, madam!”

With joy beaming on her face, Anna left the room. After she left, the next interviewee entered the study.

By the time the sun was high in the sky, Elaina had interviewed all the candidates. She had chosen several promising individuals and handed the list to the butler.

After meeting so many people, Elaina felt physically exhausted. She informed the butler that she would go upstairs to rest before heading to her room.

Even as she lay on the bed, thoughts of Colin wouldn’t leave her mind. A knight who had proven himself on the battlefield had spent the past ten years working in a tavern, reduced to a mere decoration.

The cost of Colin’s medicine wasn’t even a substantial amount. For an ordinary knight, it would have been a manageable expense. Yet because Colin was a commoner, his skills were overlooked, and no knight order was willing to take him in.

“Is this really fair?”

Unlike Lyle, who had been forced onto the battlefield due to accusations of treason, Colin had voluntarily enlisted to make a living. Yet, after risking his life and defeating enemies, his decade of service had earned him little more than becoming an ornament in a tavern.

“Ugh.”

Elaina sighed heavily. Colin wasn’t the only one with such a story. Realizing this weighed heavily on her heart.

“Madam, if you’re feeling too tired, would you like to cancel your afternoon plans?”

Sarah, observing Elaina’s worn-out expression, spoke gently. Tomorrow, twenty new staff members would be joining the mansion. Elaina would need to set up regular supply agreements with various shops for food and other necessities. While the butler could handle it alone, Sarah had suggested an outing to lift Elaina’s spirits, given how much time she had spent managing the mansion lately.

“No, let’s go out. You’re right. I’ve been cooped up in the house too much lately.”

Besides, the butler would handle the more practical matters.

“While we’re out, let’s look around and take the opportunity to clear my mind.”

With that, Elaina stood up, determined to push thoughts of the interviews from her mind.

***

When Elaina returned from her outing at the market, she found that Lyle had already returned and was asleep on his bed. He must have been exhausted, as he hadn’t stirred even when she entered the room.

Seeing him sleeping so peacefully, Elaina closed the door as quietly as she could, not wanting to wake him. But Lyle, ever alert, sensed her presence and opened his eyes.

“Oh. You’re back.”

As he tried to sit up, Elaina gently pushed him back down. “Stay lying down. You look exhausted.”

She had been meaning to talk to him about this for a while now.

“By the way, from now on, you should just sleep in the bed.”

Lyle blinked at her, not understanding.

“I mean, stop sleeping on the sofa. It looks so uncomfortable. And besides, I feel bad taking over the bed while the owner of the room sleeps elsewhere.”

“Why would you feel that way? I’m not uncomfortable at all.”

“But I’m uncomfortable with the arrangement.”

She had been planning to have another talk with the butler about this. Elaina understood that the butler wanted her and Lyle to share a room, but this strange arrangement had gone on for too long.

“The bed is big enough for both of us, and I doubt we’ll be uncomfortable. As long as we don’t cross the line in the middle.”

During their honeymoon at the villa, just the idea of sharing a room with Lyle had been unbearably awkward and embarrassing.

But now, after spending more time together, the thought of sharing the same bed didn’t seem like such a big deal. In fact, she felt that it wouldn’t be a problem at all.

“If you’re okay with it, then I don’t mind.”

“Then it’s settled. You should start sleeping in the bed from tonight. Honestly, I’ve been worried, seeing your legs sticking out over the edge of the sofa.”

“Hah.” Lyle raised one eyebrow in amusement, letting out a dry chuckle. “Fine. Today, I’m really quite tired.”

Indeed, the dark circles under Lyle’s eyes were more prominent than usual.

“I’ll ask Sarah to bring a warm eye mask for you. Just rest until dinner.”

Elaina asked Sarah to bring the warm eye mask she used. A little while later, Sarah appeared with the mask, and Lyle quietly let Elaina place it over his eyes. The mask, one of Sarah’s creations, was made of soft pink fabric with frills, embroidered with colorful flowers, a white rabbit, and a baby squirrel.

The sight of the tall, imposing Lyle wearing such a dainty eye mask was a bit comical. Elaina and Sarah had to bite their lips to stifle their laughter.