This Villain Is Mine Now - Chapter 127

Elaina was the one who greeted Lyle when he returned to the mansion in the evening.

She had hidden herself on the landing, waiting for the time Lyle would return home. To spend time with Elaina, who had injured her leg, Lyle often returned to the mansion before dinner. When the front door opened at the usual hour, Elaina ran toward him.

“Lyle!”

Lyle’s startled expression was deeply unfamiliar. It was the kind of dumbfounded look one makes when they can’t believe what’s happening right before their eyes.

His voice cracked as if he couldn’t believe her leg, which had been in such poor condition that she couldn’t move without crutches just that morning, was now moving perfectly fine.

“…How.”

Elaina smiled brightly, clearly enjoying his reaction.

“Kyst came by.”

Elaina lightly jumped in front of Lyle. At that moment, Elaina’s body lifted off the floor. It was because Lyle had swept her into his arms.

“Ah…! Lyle! I told you I’m really fine. Look, I just ran down the stairs.”

“Still no. Even if you feel better, we don’t know when it might get worse again.”

“No, no, I’m really fine.”

“Let’s talk upstairs. I can only feel at ease if I see it properly.”

Without even taking off his coat, Lyle carried Elaina and strode up the stairs. Seeing how he wouldn’t believe her no matter what she said, Elaina eventually gave up and let him carry her.

After laying Elaina on the bed, Lyle carefully lifted the hem of her skirt. Just below the underpants she wore beneath her indoor dress—where a severe stab wound had once left a large scar on her thigh—only a faint pink trace remained. The previously painful wound was gone without a trace.

Without blinking, Lyle stared at her leg, then ran his fingers over where the wound had been. Somehow embarrassed by Lyle’s actions, Elaina’s face flushed red. She tugged her underpants back down to break the mood.

“See? I told you I’m really fine.”

“…Yeah.”

“Aren’t you happy?”

“I am. But that doesn’t mean what happened in the past didn’t happen.”

“Lyle…”

Elaina embraced Lyle. If there were debts to be paid for what happened, they belonged to the dead Young Marquis and the Marquis now imprisoned. If there was a next most at fault, it was Elaina herself—for recklessly causing all this, just as Kyst had pointed out.

Even so, Lyle acted as though the entire burden of that day was his to bear.

“I promise. I’ll never do something so dangerous again.”

“…Okay.”

Lyle’s breathing, as he embraced Elaina, slowly calmed. Yet he continued to hold her for quite some time. His manner was almost childlike, and Elaina’s ears turned red at the thought.

A little later, Lyle pulled away and returned to his usual composed expression.

“Do you have a fever? Your face is a bit red.”

“Huh? Ah, no! No, it’s just a little warm. I’m fine.”

The awkward atmosphere made Elaina want to change the subject quickly. Fanning herself with her hand, she rolled her eyes—and at that moment, something perfect came to mind. She got off the bed and returned with a jewelry box.

“Kyst left this.”

Lyle opened the jewelry box. Then, at a loss for words, he looked at Elaina as if asking for confirmation.

“This is…”

“Yes. That ring.”

“I heard it lost its light.”

“Kyst said he infused it with mana again. In case it might be needed against the Marquis of Redwood.”

Elaina placed the ring in Lyle’s hand.

“Use it. It’s a good opportunity.”

Though she had spoken confidently to Kyst, the situation was anything but easy. Ever since receiving the emperor’s promise, they had been striving to uncover the truth of what happened ten years ago, but they hadn’t gained much.

“We have the diary written by the previous archduke, but it’s only circumstantial evidence. We still have to prove that the Marquis of Redwood was behind the incident…”

Unless they could obtain direct evidence, they would ultimately need the Marquis’s confession. And no one understood that better than the Marquis of Redwood himself.

“He’s apparently been telling everyone that the House of Grant is harassing him out of grudge over what happened ten years ago.”

His wife died, and his eldest son was also gone. The Marquis of Redwood had no trace of his former glory left. But he was a formidable man. Though it seemed laughable that anyone would believe his ramblings from prison, more and more people were said to be swayed by his words.

“I heard from Father. He said we can’t keep the Marquis locked up in prison forever.”

At Elaina’s worried words, Lyle fell into silent thought for a while. Then, he quietly slipped the ring into the inner pocket of his jacket.

Elaina looked at Lyle with a firm expression. She knew how hard he had tried to reveal the Marquis’s crimes through his own strength, but resolving the issue was a different matter altogether. She also knew that Lyle avoided complex discussions around her so she could focus solely on recovering. Still, Elaina had heard from others that the situation wasn’t looking good.

“As it happens, the Marquis’s trial date has been set.”

“Oh, when?”

“In a week. I need to wrap things up before then. The ring… thank you. I’ll make good use of it.”

With those words, Lyle pressed a kiss to Elaina’s forehead. “Get some rest. I’ll be back after doing some work in the study.”

She had expected him to be happy—especially since they had been making no progress, like hitting a dead end. But contrary to her hopes, Lyle looked troubled. Elaina couldn’t bring herself to stop him as he left for the study and simply watched his back in silence.

***

Leo frowned after hearing what had happened from Elaina. He had come to meet Lyle, but Elaina had stopped him.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Upon hearing the full story, Leo responded immediately, as if the answer was clear.

Elaina raised her brow. “What do you mean, obvious? I really thought Lyle would be happy.”

“Listen. His Grace was already deeply dejected over your kidnapping. On top of that, you got hurt—how devastated do you think he must have been?”

“…But that’s all in the past. And it’s not even Lyle’s fault.”

“Then go tell him that yourself. I’m curious what His Grace would say.”

Elaina shot Leo a sharp glare at his teasing tone. “Anyway! That’s a separate issue.”

“No, it’s not. Especially your leg.”

Leo still sounded doubtful as he spoke to Elaina.

“Your leg—one that no one could fix—was healed by a great being like a dragon, as if by magic… no, it was literal magic. And now you want to use that dragon’s power again to deal with the Marquis? His Grace’s pride must be seriously wounded.”

Leo’s smooth explanation left Elaina slightly agape. “Why would that hurt his pride…”

“That’s just how men are.”

Leo shrugged.

“What really stings his pride is that, in this situation, following your advice is the best option. Like you said, the only evidence against the Marquis is circumstantial. He’ll have to get a direct confession. At any rate, this will make solving the case a lot easier. That’s a relief.”

Because of the Marquis, not only the noble society but the entire capital was in chaos. Leo himself was so busy he barely had time to breathe, and he was still handling tasks under Lyle’s orders.

Leo, who said he didn’t even have time to properly drink tea, finished the short conversation with Elaina and left the mansion.

His words about wounded pride lingered in Elaina’s ears. She didn’t think it was such a big deal, but something about it rang true and wouldn’t leave her mind.

She thought about asking Lyle directly, but then remembered the look on his face the night before when he brushed over the scarred spot—and couldn’t bring herself to speak.

Was Lyle, still burdened by guilt, truly thinking something foolish like he couldn’t resolve anything on his own? If so, she didn’t know what to do.

By that afternoon, Lyle had gone out. His destination was the most isolated solitary cell in the underground prison—the one where Fleang Redwood was confined.

“I’ll be back.”

Though he didn’t say much, Elaina instinctively knew there was something in the inner pocket of his coat.

Lyle’s outing didn’t take long. After spending about an hour with the Marquis, he returned and handed the ring back to Elaina.

The power of the ring was immense. Yet Lyle seemed like someone who had no lingering attachment to it.

The ring still shone brightly. After placing it back in the jewelry box, Elaina looked up at Lyle, who was approaching her with a neutral expression, and hesitantly opened her mouth.

“Lyle, by any chance…”

“Hm? What is it?”

“The ring—did you… use it?”