This Villain Is Mine Now

Chapter 59

“So Leo’s joining the subjugation too. Are you listening to me?”

“…I’m listening.”

Late at night, as Elaina lay in bed, rolling around, she glared at Lyle. Sitting at his desk, reviewing documents, Lyle answered reluctantly.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

“No. …It’s just, why are you still up? It seems later than usual.”

“Huh? Is it? I might be up later because I had tea with Leo. I’m not sleepy.”

With wide, alert eyes, Elaina rolled over on the bed.

Two months had already passed since they had started living together after the wedding. That meant nearly two months of sharing the same room with Lyle.

“Are you tired? If so, you should sleep.”

“No.”

With a troubled expression, Lyle sighed and stood up.

“Where are you going?”

“I was thinking of taking a short walk.” Lyle and Elaina’s eyes met. “Let’s go together.”

“Huh? Can I come with you?”

Elaina quickly jumped up and grabbed a light coat. Watching her excitedly prepare, a fleeting look of uncertainty passed over Lyle’s face.

It was a rare night with a full moon, and as Elaina strolled through the garden, she couldn’t help but express her admiration.

“It was worth the effort, don’t you think? Do you remember how messy the garden was before we took care of it?”

From far away, the sound of water flowing from the fountain filled the air. The moonlight reflected off the water, making it sparkle.

“Next summer, moonflowers will bloom near the fountain. Can you imagine how beautiful it’ll be? It would be perfect to host an outdoor ball when the flowers bloom. What do you think, Lyle?”

“I probably won’t be here in the summer.”

“It’s not like this is the only summer, Lyle. Summer will come again next year.”

Lyle paused, gazing quietly at Elaina.

She raised an eyebrow, confused. “What is it?”

Did she really not know why?

The truth was that they only had one season together—spring, summer, fall, winter. Once the cycle of seasons was complete, this strange relationship between them would end.

But next summer?

“It’s nothing.”

Once again, Lyle didn’t voice what he was thinking. Even if Elaina had forgotten the fact momentarily, she wouldn’t be spending the next summer in this mansion. That was the truth. There was no reason to bring up a simple misunderstanding and create an awkward atmosphere.

“Ah!”

“Be careful.”

Distracted by her surroundings, Elaina almost tripped. Lyle quickly grabbed her waist to steady her.

Elaina fell into his arms, nearly toppling over.

“Th-thank you.”

Since Lyle had just taken a bath before their stroll, a fresh scent lingered on him as he helped her back to her feet.

“Hold onto my arm.”

“I’m fine.”

“Do you even realize how many times you’ve almost fallen?”

“It only happens occasionally at night.”

Over the past two months, the two of them had often gone on evening walks. Sometimes, they even visited the tavern run by Colin’s younger brother.

But Lyle, in his playful way, always brought up those rare moments when Elaina stumbled, teasing her about it. He said nothing now, simply holding out his arm for her. The unspoken message was clear—take his arm.

Pouting, Elaina linked her arm with his.

“I don’t understand. How can someone trip over nothing?”

“I haven’t fallen, though! I only almost fell.”

“If I hadn’t caught you, you would’ve definitely fallen. Now I understand why people need escorts.”

“Oh, come on.”

Though she wasn’t sure when it had started, Elaina had become more comfortable around Lyle lately.

He was an excellent conversation partner. He listened well and paid close attention to her needs. Even when she talked about the mundane details of her day, he never seemed annoyed.

“When are you leaving again?”

“In about two weeks.”

“Hmm. Will it take long?”

“I’ll try to finish before summer ends.”

Just as Elaina was about to ask why Lyle was so focused on finishing before the end of summer, his deep, soothing voice filled the quiet spring air.

“We have to hold the ball when the moonflowers bloom.”

***

“…She’s asleep.”

Lyle had deliberately taken Elaina on an extended walk through the garden. After exploring the vast grounds, she had fallen asleep quickly, exactly as he had hoped.

Lately, Lyle had found it difficult to deal with Elaina when she had trouble sleeping.

Since the last time he brushed a stray eyelash off Elaina’s face as she lay beside him in bed, Lyle had gotten into the habit of waiting for her to fall asleep before going to bed himself. He knew that if she found out he had been dozing off on the sofa, she would undoubtedly scold him.

After speaking to the butler, the repairs on the archduchess’s room had been completed quickly. It became obvious that the butler had been intentionally delaying the work.

However, even after solving the issue with the butler, another problem arose: Knox.

“Why are you and Elaina using separate rooms? Are you two not getting along?”

Knox, having heard something from somewhere, had begun worrying about Lyle and Elaina’s relationship. In the end, the two of them returned to sharing the same room just a week after they had started using separate ones.

‘This is ridiculous.’

Sleeping on a sofa that didn’t fit his height was physically exhausting. Yet, Lyle couldn’t bring himself to sleep next to Elaina.

“Mm.”

Just then, Elaina’s drowsy voice came from the bed. She rubbed her eyes and glanced around, soon noticing Lyle’s leg sticking out from the sofa.

Still half-asleep, she walked over to him and gently tugged on his arm.

Her strength was minimal. If he had wanted to, he could have easily shaken her off. But considering her sleepy state, Lyle feared she might fall and hurt herself if he resisted, so he allowed her to lead him.

“Why are you sleeping on the sofa again? You’re so stubborn.”

Muttering to herself, Elaina sleepily guided Lyle to the bed. She seemed so groggy that she didn’t even know if this was reality or a dream.

“Lie down.”

Elaina pulled back the covers and nudged Lyle onto the bed. With no other option, he lay down. The soft sheets pressed against his back as Elaina pulled the blanket over him and patted it gently.

Rubbing her eyes, Elaina flopped onto the other side of the bed, burrowing under the covers like a little caterpillar until she curled up into a ball.

Having grown accustomed to sleeping alone in the large bed, Elaina naturally ended up on Lyle’s side. Uncomfortable with the unfamiliar position, she tossed and turned, finally settling right next to him with a satisfied smile on her face.

“This is driving me crazy…”

Lyle muttered to himself under his breath. Whether she heard him or not, Elaina was already fast asleep.

If he moved now, it would wake her, so Lyle quietly closed his eyes. But no matter how much time passed, sleep didn’t come.

***

Maybe it was because of the long walk she had taken with Lyle the night before, but Elaina had fallen into a deep sleep. Waking up earlier than usual, Elaina blinked slowly as a large wall-like figure appeared in front of her eyes.

What is this…?

She could tell she was under the blankets. Sometimes, she slept with the covers pulled all the way up over her head.

Peeking out from under the covers, Elaina gasped quietly.

‘Lyle?’

Usually, Lyle would have left the room before dawn to train with his sword. But today, he was still sleeping beside her. The “wall” she had noticed earlier was his body.

Elaina quickly sat up. Lyle, however, remained fast asleep, likely exhausted from sleeping uncomfortably on the sofa for so long. After all, he had been awake for much of the night, struggling to fall asleep.

“Oh my.”

Sarah, the maid, had knocked and entered the room to clean, only to stop in her tracks, her eyes wide as she covered her mouth in surprise.

Pointing at Lyle, she mouthed the words to Elaina.

He slept here?

As Elaina shrugged, trying to act as though she didn’t know how it had happened, memories of last night suddenly came flooding back. She had dragged Lyle from the sofa and pulled the covers over him herself.

Elaina’s eyes widened in shock.