This Villain Is Mine Now - Chapter 12

The next morning dawned bright and early. Despite the hour, Elaina was already up.

‘Today’s the day.’

Today was the day Lyle Grant would visit the Marquis Redwood’s estate to propose to Diane. Not knowing the exact time, Elaina knew she had to hurry.

“Miss.”

Sarah, helping Elaina prepare for her outing, called out cautiously. Something about today’s outing seemed off. The intense look on her mistress’s face made Sarah uneasy.

“May I ask where you’re going?” she asked as she brushed Elaina’s hair.

“The Archduke’s estate,” Elaina answered casually, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

Sarah thought she must have misheard. “Pardon?” she asked, bewildered.

Through the mirror, Elaina repeated, “I’m going to visit the Archduke. I need to see him.”

“What… what do you mean by that?” Sarah exclaimed, almost dropping the brush in shock. She was so startled that she nearly yanked Elaina’s hair.

“Ow, Sarah. That hurts,” Elaina said, wincing.

“Miss! You’re going to see the Archduke? Why? For what reason?” Sarah asked, her voice rising in panic.

Momentarily forgetting her place, Sarah couldn’t hold back her scolding. With the Duke and Duchess away, the idea of Elaina visiting the Archduke was alarming. If anything happened… Sarah’s mind went dark with worry.

There was no time for hesitation. Sarah hastily set down the brush and began to plead with her. “Miss, please reconsider. At least think it over for a few days. Why today of all days? The Duke and Duchess aren’t home…”

“It has to be today,” Elaina said firmly.

“Today? Why? What could be so urgent? What do you need to say to him?” Sarah asked, desperate for answers.

“I’m going to propose,” Elaina said simply.

Sarah was so stunned that she thought she had misheard. “What… what did you say?”

“I’m going to ask him to marry me. Instead of Diane. Since he’s visiting the Redwoods today, I need to get there first and talk to him. There’s no time,” Elaina explained, finishing with a slight smile.

In the mirror, Sarah stared at her, mouth agape, eyes wide with shock.

Seeing Sarah’s horrified expression, Elaina could easily guess how the Archduke himself would react.

“Miss! What are you saying?” Sarah cried out.

“You said it yourself yesterday. To disrupt the deal, I need to take the jewel myself. So, there’s no other choice, right?” Elaina replied.

“But… that’s a jewel…! No, you can’t. Absolutely not! If you leave this room, I’ll jump out the window. I mean it! Miss, please don’t go! Butler! Butler! Please come quickly! I think Miss Elaina has lost her mind!” Sarah yelled, her voice filled with desperation.

Despite Sarah’s desperate cries, Elaina left the room. Nothing could change her mind now.

‘If I mention the term ‘temporary marriage,’ she might actually faint, Elaina thought.

She had spared Sarah that detail for now.

‘It’s the day Lyle Grant proposes.’

Even though she was going to the Archduke’s estate to persuade him, if he didn’t accept her proposal, today would mark the beginning of a tragedy in Diane’s life.

As the carriage rolled along, Elaina rested her chin on her hand and gazed out the window.

For such a day, the weather was uncomfortably clear and bright.

***

Hearing that a guest had arrived early in the morning made Lyle scowl.

The estate, though impressive, had barely enough staff to manage it—just a butler and less than ten other servants. Maintaining the interior alone was a struggle, and the overgrown weeds outside made the place look abandoned and shabby.

The estate was a reflection of the family. An ill-maintained estate signaled a weak household. Although the title had been restored, the Archduke was merely a shell of his former self. No one visited him except for the Marquis of Redwood, who treated him like a debtor, visiting only to hound him.

So, it was no wonder that Lyle felt irritated by the news of a guest arriving so early.

“Is that bastard here to pester me again?”

Today, he was supposed to visit the Redwood estate to propose. The only impression Lyle had of Diane Redwood was her large, gentle eyes.

Lyle despised people like that. On the battlefield, those who lacked their own will and lived like slaves to others’ opinions were the first to die.

Of course, for a marriage that was only for appearances, a weak-willed partner would be more convenient than someone strong-willed.

Thinking of Diane naturally brought to mind the other woman who had been noisy around her.

Elaina Winchester.

The woman with pink hair who had looked him straight in the eyes. Her hair made her the first to be noticed at social events.

‘Thanks to that, it was easy to find Diane Redwood.’

He tried to ignore the vivid image of her slightly upturned eyes, her long, elegant neck, and the white coat she wore the last time they met.

“It’s not the Marquis of Redwood today. It’s someone else,” the butler informed him with a troubled expression, unsure how to handle the unexpected situation.

Lyle paused in the middle of changing his shirt. He looked at the butler, signaling him to continue.

“It’s… the Lady Elaina Winchester,” the butler continued.

“Who?” Lyle asked, surprised.

“Lady Elaina Winchester has come. She insists on seeing you,” the butler explained.

For a moment, the image of Elaina’s features, which he had tried to ignore, vividly reappeared in Lyle’s mind.

‘I didn’t expect to see her again so soon.’

The surprise lasted only a moment. Lyle wiped his expression clean and gave an order to the butler.

“Show her to the drawing room. She’s not a guest we can turn away,” Lyle instructed.

***

While the butler went to inform Lyle of her arrival, Elaina took a moment to look around.

The dark interior was poorly maintained. She ran a finger along the windowsill, collecting a thick layer of dust.

The decor was also stuck in a trend from over a decade ago. Nowadays, such styles were considered antiques.

‘Come to think of it, the garden wasn’t well-maintained either.’

The once-grand fountain was filled with leaves, and the garden was overgrown with weeds. The trees were untrimmed, their branches intertwining in a messy, eerie fashion.

‘No wonder he couldn’t refuse the Marquis of Redwood’s offer.’

The state of the mansion was worse than Elaina had anticipated. She could fully understand Lyle’s position, although it didn’t justify dragging Diane into his misfortune.

At fifteen, he would have clearly remembered the glory of his family before their downfall. Coming back to such a state after ten years of war would have been doubly humiliating.

‘The interior decor is poor compared to the mansion’s size.’

The large mansion felt almost empty, lacking furniture. They had likely sold items one by one to survive while waiting for the head of the house to return from the battlefield.

These observations would help Elaina in persuading Lyle.

As she calmly took in the surroundings of the mansion, the butler returned from meeting with Lyle and approached the entrance.

“I apologize for the long wait. Lady Winchester, please follow me. The Archduke has instructed me to show you to the drawing room,” said the butler with a courteous bow.

“Very well,” Elaina replied.

She followed the butler down the hallway. The maids, gathered and watching her with curious eyes, whispered to each other about how she seemed to shine in the otherwise gloomy mansion.

‘Five maids? There must be a coachman outside. They’re severely understaffed,’ Elaina noted, pretending not to notice the staff as she counted them.

Suddenly, she heard a rustling sound from above. She instinctively turned her head towards the noise.

‘…A child?’

A blond, red-eyed child was glaring at her from the upstairs railing. Startled at being caught, the child quickly fled.

‘Aha.’

There could be only one child in this house. Elaina raised an eyebrow before turning her attention back to the butler, who had now stopped in front of the drawing room.

“Here we are,” the butler announced.

“One moment,” Elaina said, taking a deep breath. She clenched her fist tightly.

“Alright. Open the door.”

The un-oiled hinges creaked as the old door slowly swung open.