This Villain Is Mine Now

Chapter 61

“For a successful monster subjugation!”

“To victory!”

Laughter burst out from all corners. On the eve of their departure for the Mabel Mountain region, a small farewell banquet was held at the archduke’s mansion.

The knight order, composed of commoner knights, had sent out invitations, but no noble had responded to attend the banquet. The excuses varied—some claimed illness, others said they had prior engagements—but in the end, it was a polite way of saying they didn’t want to be associated with the Grant family.

Despite the backing of the Winchester family, the shadow hanging over the Grant name had not dissipated so easily. However, Elaina refused to be disheartened by this. Instead, she invited the knights’ families to the archduke’s mansion in place of the nobles.

The commoners, who had never before received an invitation to such an event, crossed the gates of the mansion with bewildered expressions. The garden, illuminated brightly, was as beautiful as the effort Elaina had put into it. Everyone ate and drank to their heart’s content and sang cheerful songs. Eventually, even the servants of the mansion joined in.

When the butler suggested, with a sigh, that they leave the cleaning for tomorrow, everyone cheered and tossed aside their aprons.

“Hey! Don’t touch the flowers!”

Elaina turned her head toward the sound. A mother, startled, snatched a flower crown from her child’s hands. The flowers used were a pricey breed called Oxypetalum, woven into a crown of soft sky-blue petals. The woman holding the crown locked eyes with Elaina, her face pale with fear.

Elaina gestured for her to come closer. The mother, still nervous, urged her child to apologize.

“Quick, apologize to Her Grace. Hurry.”

“I’m sorry… I thought the archduchess would look really pretty wearing the flower crown…”

The child, standing beside her mother, stammered an apology. Elaina smiled, accepting the flower crown from the mother, and bent down to match the child’s height.

“Here. Why don’t you put it on me yourself? Let’s see how beautiful it is.”

The child’s face brightened at Elaina’s kind words. She quickly placed the small crown atop Elaina’s head. Elaina cupped her face playfully with both hands and asked the child, “How do I look?”

“You look so pretty! The prettiest in the whole world!”

Elaina gave the child a broad smile. She instructed Sarah to remove the ornate diamond hairpin from her hair, and for the rest of the banquet, she wore the simple flower crown.

***

Everyone left a little while later, with the farewell party wrapping up before midnight so the knights could spend time with their families.

Though the banquet ended early, everyone was heavily intoxicated, so cleanup was postponed until the following day, and all the mansion’s residents went to bed early—except for Elaina.

“Phew.”

Elaina quietly strolled through the garden. Despite the laughter and lively conversation, she felt a hollow emptiness within. As she wandered, she realized why.

It was because of Lyle.

Since their marriage, Elaina had unintentionally grown used to sharing a room with him. The thought of that room being empty from tomorrow onward left her feeling unsettled. It was also why she couldn’t bring herself to return to the room tonight.

Elaina looked up at the night sky. Just then, a soft blanket draped over her shoulders.

Startled, she turned around to find Lyle standing there. Taken by surprise, Elaina blinked, momentarily at a loss for words.

“Weren’t you asleep?”

It took a moment for her to calm her startled heart, and that was all she managed to say. In contrast, Lyle’s face was calm and composed.

“I should be asleep, but I can’t seem to fall asleep.”

“Why not?”

“Who knows.”

Lyle gazed up at the night sky as he spoke. It seemed like the conversation was over, but then Lyle spoke again.

“Maybe it’s because you’re not there.”

“…What?”

For a moment, Elaina thought she must have misheard. But Lyle’s unwavering voice continued, as if mocking her doubt.

“It seems I can’t sleep because the person I fall asleep beside isn’t there.”

“Wait a minute. Are you really the same archduke I know?”

Elaina looked at Lyle, her expression a mix of disbelief and confusion.

“Why?”

Lyle, oblivious, seemed unaware of the impact of his words. Elaina merely shrugged. After similar incidents occurring several times, she had come to understand that Lyle truly meant nothing by them.

Perhaps it was his unexpectedly straightforward nature. Or perhaps it was the sentimentality of knowing they wouldn’t see each other for a while.

“Write letters.”

Suddenly, Elaina spoke.

“Knox will be really upset. He won’t be able to see you for a while, so make sure to write often.”

“Alright, I’ll do that.”

“And take care of yourself. You tend to get lost in one thing, Your Grace, so make sure to maintain balance. There won’t be a butler or me there to remind you.”

Elaina’s concern grew as she thought of Lyle focusing solely on the monster subjugation to the detriment of his health.

“And don’t go to dangerous places. I don’t know much, but from what Leo said, it sounds really dangerous.”

The Mabel Mountain region was known to harbor monsters with high intelligence—beings other knight orders had been reluctant to confront.

“Are you worried about me?”

Lyle’s soft chuckle mingled with the scent of spring, carried by the night breeze.

“If you don’t want to leave the responsibility of reviving the Grant family entirely on Knox, then you should stay healthy and lead it for a long time.”

Elaina shot him a sidelong glare, narrowing her eyes. Lyle lowered his head and chuckled again.

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s just… you’re smiling a lot tonight.”

Lyle was someone whose expression rarely betrayed his emotions, so seeing him smile so often and agree readily to her words left Elaina with a strange feeling.

“Maybe it’s because I drank more than usual.”

Lyle wasn’t one to get easily drunk, but tonight was different.

“The knights who joined the order… they were my comrades who fought alongside me on the battlefield. In a different way from Knox, they’re my brothers.”

The soft sound of footsteps echoed in the garden as Lyle spoke in a low voice, “I’m grateful to you.”

The battlefield had been like hell. To survive, one had to abandon almost everything that made them human. Those who showed any compassion were the first to die. It meant a lot for him to see those comrades reunited with their families. Just as he had Knox, each of them had someone waiting for them—an aging mother, a wife, siblings, young daughters and sons.

Lyle looked at Elaina.

“When we first met, I thought you were truly strange.”

It had been at a ball he attended to strike a deal with the Marquis of Redwood. She had fearlessly glared at him, hiding Diane behind her.

“Well, I thought the same about you.”

Back then, he had thought she was naive—someone who only spoke of love and friendship, those sentimental things.

He hadn’t known then how much those sentiments would change his life.

“I’m truly grateful to you.”

Lyle spoke again, his words sincere. It wasn’t just because of the support from the Winchester family. Elaina had, knowingly or unknowingly, changed the archducal house, changed him, and changed those around him.

“Let’s head back!”

Perhaps she hadn’t heard him properly, as Elaina responded by loudly declaring that her legs were tired. She claimed they had come too far, urging him to hurry back, but the tips of her ears had turned red.

“Well then, sleep well.”

At the door to their room, Lyle bid Elaina goodnight, and she frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll be leaving early at dawn. I don’t want to wake you, so I think it would be best if I slept elsewhere tonight.”

Their walk had gone on longer than planned, and it was already late. Lyle, who had to rise in just a few hours, didn’t want to disturb Elaina’s sleep.

“What are you talking about? Stop saying strange things and just come in,” Elaina grumbled, pushing Lyle’s back.

She continued, “Weren’t you the one who said you couldn’t sleep without someone beside you? If that’s the case, it’s the same for me. I’m tired and don’t want to toss and turn all night, so hurry up and lie down.”

Her hands were small, and her pushes were weak. Each press of her fingers barely made an impression on Lyle’s back.

In the end, Lyle entered the room as Elaina wanted. Knowing that he wouldn’t see her for a while, he didn’t want to do something that would leave her feeling hurt over such a trivial matter.