This Villain Is Mine Now - Chapter 1

Elaina Winchester’s life was peaceful.

Her father was the Duke of the prestigious House of Winchester and her mother was a prominent socialite.

Born at noon on the day of the solar solstice, the Duke of Winchester named his daughter Elaina.

The sun, the torch, the warm light.

Like the person she was meant to be, Elaina lived a life that was literally like the sun.

She was always surrounded by people, and they loved her. Elaina grew up to be as comfortable giving affection as she was receiving it.

If the world were a coin, her world would always be on the top side, facing the bright sun.

It was in the fall of her nineteenth year, on the day of her debutante ball, that Elaina’s life was turned upside down.

***

Debutante Ball.

It was a great event that marked the official entrance of young noble children into society.

There were a total of eight young ladies making their debut into society that night.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime event, and while everyone deserved to be congratulated, there was always a special debutante.

Elaina Winchester, that is.

Her lush, pink hair is skillfully styled up and pinned back, adorned with yellow diamonds that match the color of her eyes.

Around Elaina’s neck hung a necklace specially lent to her by her mother, the finest known, given to his wife by the Duke on the day of her birth.

It was the best day of Elaina’s otherwise uneventful life, and she lost track of time as her golden eyes sparkled and she chatted merrily with the young ladies who made their debutantes.

Elaina assumed that everyone at this ball was as happy and having as much fun as she was, and she would have stayed in that illusion if she had not turned her attention elsewhere when she grew tired of the endless conversation.

‘Diane Redwood.’

A girl with brown hair stood in the far corner. Following Elaina’s gaze, the young ladies turned their heads, spotted Diane, and began to sneer.

“Truly, Lady Redwood hasn’t changed.”

“If she’s so unsociable, how is she ever going to socialize?”

True to their words, Diane Redwood didn’t mingle with the other protagonists today, even though they shared a debutante ball. She’d always been like that, so there was nothing special about it. It was just one of those days where she stood in a corner, not mingling with anyone.

Elaina soon looked away; there were so many people around her who craved attention, and she saw no reason to pay attention to Lady Redwood, who didn’t bother to befriend anyone.

***

It wasn’t until the day after the debutante that something strange happened to her perfect world.

“Ahh!”

A scream echoed through the quiet Winchester mansion.

When Sarah rushed into Elaina’s room in alarm, she was halfway out of bed, breathing raggedly.

“Miss! What’s wrong, did you have a nightmare?”

At Sarah’s question, Elaina mumbled dazedly, like someone who still hadn’t woken up from a dream.

“……Dream?”

Realizing it was a dream, Elaina rubbed her arms. Her thin nightgown clung to her body, wet with cold sweat.

“Miss, are you all right?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m fine, just a little freaked out.”

But despite her words, Elaina’s face was still pale and exhausted.

She could still feel the weight of the book in her hand and the texture of its leather cover, even though she had just woken from a dream.

Elaina clenched and unclenched her stiffened hands. The hand that had been forcing itself to turn the pages of the book was now moving smoothly.

“What were you dreaming about?”

“No, nothing, just…… I dreamed I was reading a book.”

Elaina trailed off, remembering the last chapter of the book, which was filled with gloom and tragedy.

Sarah handed Elaina a glass of warm water.

The warmth seeped into her chilled fingertips, and she felt herself calm down.

Cheerful Sarah, the warm, clean, organized room. The crackle of wood burning in the fireplace.

It was real, her reality, full of bright, happy things.

‘It’s just a nightmare.’

That’s what Elaina thought as she tried to shake off the dream’s residue floating around in her head.

But Elaina was wrong.

Every night after that night, she had the same dream. She dreamed of reading “Moonshadow,” a book with a black leather cover.

The more it recurred, the worse Elaina’s face looked, as if she hadn’t gotten enough sleep. Worried, the Duchess summoned the doctor.

“Miss, the doctor will be here shortly. I’m sure he’ll be able to help you with your nightmares.”

Sarah’s voice was filled with concern, and Elaina nodded dumbly.

A nightmare. It was definitely a nightmare. “Moonshadow” was maliciously grim, and reading it over and over again, day after day, against her will, was exhausting.

But aside from this, Elaina’s mind only grew more and more complex.

‘Why?’

Aside from the depressing and unhappy content of the book, a fundamental question arose.

Elaina felt more and more lost.

If this was her dream, why was the woman’s name appearing in it?

‘Diane Redwood.’

The main character of “Moonshadow” is a woman Elaina doesn’t even have a conversation with. Diane Redwood.

***

“It’s just a neurotic symptom. It’s not uncommon. It’s because the debutante, on which all your attention has been focused, is over, and you’re temporarily disoriented.”

The doctor’s diagnosis was casual. She chuckled at his insincere suggestion to take a light walk.

“Well, miss, is there anything else I should know?”

Seeing Elaina’s unhappy expression, the doctor added a question to see if she was sick.

“No. I’m sure you’re right, it’s a simple symptom.”

Instead of telling him the details of her dream, Elaina ended the conversation.

The content of the book, starring Diane Redwood, was so vicious, and she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

After the doctor left, Elaina walked through the snowy garden, thinking to herself.

‘Yeah. It’s because of the debutante.’

Maybe it’s really nothing, like the doctor said.

The book about Diane is a dream, after all. You can’t trust the content.

The book was about years into the future. The past might be what Elaina’s subconscious remembered, but the future was another matter.

“If that’s true, then King Sorrentia will die sooner or later.”

「The news of King Sorrentia’s sudden death stirred the nobility like a hornet’s nest. The Marquis of Redwood, who had been summoned, did not return to the mansion until the next day.

Two days later, the culprit of King Sorrentia’s death was known.

It was the king’s sister, Princess Cinsier. Her murder was motivated by resentment against her brother, who refused to allow her to marry.」

The kingdom of Sorrentia is a small neighboring country, and a few years ago, its newly crowned king paid a personal visit to see the Emperor, where he made a bold promise to marry his sister, Princess Cinsier, to an Imperial nobleman when she came of age.

Elaina remembered that the Duke of Winchester, who had no sons, was unconcerned, but the families with sons old enough to marry Princess Cinsier, especially House Redwood, were very interested in the matter.

She felt better when she remembered the ridiculous story in the book. Princess Cinsier is a young girl, not yet of age.

“Let’s go back.”

With her mind calmed, she felt cold. Back at the mansion, Elaina ran into the Duke of Winchester, who was hurriedly preparing to leave.

“Father, where are you going?”

“Ah, Elaina.”

The Duke answered her question as he hastily threw on his coat.

“King Sorrentia has died, and I must go to the palace immediately. Don’t wait, I won’t be able to join you for dinner.”

The duke patted Elaina on the shoulder and left in his carriage. Elaina stared, open-mouthed, at her father’s departure for a long time.

Two days later, the identity of the culprit who had murdered King Sorrentia was revealed, and the entire country was abuzz.

“Princess Cinsier…….”

Elaina’s face paled as she read in the newspapers that her brother’s unwillingness to marry her off was the reason.

***

After the debutante, Elaina often ran into Diane at social events, large and small.

Hunting festivals. Harvest festivals. Imperial art festivals. And so on.

It became a habit for Elaina to look for Diane among the crowd, even though she knew she shouldn’t.

In reality, Diane and Elaina were not even close, but that damn dream was the problem.

“Elaina, what’s wrong? What are you looking for?”

One of the noble ladies asked Elaina, who kept looking around. Elaina shook her head. But her expression was tense.

The recurring dreams every night made it clear to Elaina what was going to happen to Diane, even if she didn’t want to know.

According to the “Moonshadow,” something special was going to happen to Diane at this ball tonight.

Elaina’s gaze shifted nervously from side to side before finally settling on Diane. Diane was tucked away in the corner of the ballroom, as usual.

‘Just simple curiosity.’

Elaina told herself. She was only interested in Diane because of the book she had read in her dream.

But that thought was short-lived.

The moment she spotted the dark-haired man approaching Diane, Elaina found herself running toward her.

“Diane!”

Reaching Diane before the man, Elaina grabbed Diane’s hand as she looked up at her in surprise.

“Oh my God, how long has it been?”

“Y-Yes?”

Elaina greeted Diane happily, trying her best to ignore the man’s stare right behind her.

“We had our debutante together last time. Do you recognize me?”