This Villain Is Mine Now - Chapter 29

“It’s so different from the academy assignments I had,” Elaina remarked, a smile playing on her lips.

The botanical garden was bustling with activity. Knox, looking particularly cheerful, had already run ahead, eager to start his assignment of collecting tour stamps from the newly opened garden.

“It’s nice to come out together like this, don’t you think?” Elaina asked, turning to Lyle.

Lyle nodded. They had visited the weapon shop early in the morning to find something suitable for Knox. Since Knox hadn’t undergone any physical training yet, there weren’t many swords that would be appropriate for him. Knox’s body was not much different from Elaina’s, meaning he lacked the necessary muscle to wield a sword properly.

Typically, Lyle would have waited until Knox had built some muscle before buying a sword, but seeing the eager anticipation on his brother’s face, he couldn’t leave empty-handed. Eventually, Lyle decided on a slender rapier for Knox.

“I didn’t know you used rapiers,” Elaina commented.

“No, I don’t. The rapier is just for Knox for now. The Grant family traditionally uses greatswords,” Lyle explained. “It’s merely a motivational tool until he builds enough strength. The Grant family is known for its strength-based swordsmanship.”

On the battlefield, Lyle wielded a two-handed sword, a heavy weapon that required immense strength to sweep through enemies. While he might not need such a brute force weapon in the future, a bastardsword was still the minimum for a Grant.

“Rapiers are elegant swords, designed for quick thrusts and parries. That’s not my style.”

“I see,” Elaina nodded thoughtfully, recalling the best rapier user in the empire she knew. “I hope Knox will be able to handle a different kind of sword soon.”

Lyle chuckled at her words. “We won’t need to buy another sword for Knox.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll pass down the swords used by our grandfather and father to Knox when he’s ready,” Lyle said. “The housekeeper kept them in storage. He couldn’t bring himself to dispose of them.”

When Lyle mentioned taking Knox to the weapon shop, the housekeeper led him to the basement where they found many valuable swords that had belonged to their ancestors.

“That’s wonderful,” Elaina remarked.

“Hey, hurry up! Did you eat snails or something? Why are you so slow?” Knox called out, waving from a distance. He was impatient to complete his assignment and gather all the stamps.

“Do we really have to explore this entire garden?” Elaina sighed.

“Probably,” Lyle replied.

“Good thing I wore comfortable shoes. Otherwise, I’d have given up by now,” she said, waving back at Knox. Despite the physical exertion, seeing the child’s joyful face made Elaina feel invigorated.

“Shall we go then?”

“You seem to be leaning on me quite a bit,” Lyle noted.

“Cut me some slack. I’m really tired,” Elaina replied, leaning heavily on Lyle as they walked briskly. Her carefree behavior made Lyle shake his head slightly.

***

As they reached the next checkpoint, someone was already stamping their paper. Knox, waiting in line, found the back of the person strangely familiar.

“Hey, Knox?” The child who had just received a stamp turned around, revealing a face that made Knox’s shoulders tense up.

A girl with silver hair, resembling a rabbit, recognized Knox and greeted him cheerfully.

“Marion… um, hello.”

“Hi! You’re here for the assignment too!” Marion beamed at Knox, but soon, her attention shifted to the person behind him.

“Elaina?” Marion’s eyes widened in delight.

“Marion?” Elaina’s surprise turned into joy as she lifted Marion up and hugged her tightly. “It’s been a while! And look at you, you and Knox are the same age, aren’t you?”

Marion nodded, beaming with excitement. “Yeah, we are!”

Elaina set Marion down gently, her mind racing. If Marion was here, it likely meant her family was nearby.

“Who did you come with today, Marion?” Elaina asked, scanning the area nervously.

“Mom. Why?” Marion’s innocent curiosity made Elaina breathe a sigh of relief.

“And your brother? He didn’t come?”

“Leo? No, he’s really busy today.”

Elaina smiled, relieved. “Good. Marion, can you keep it a secret that we met here today?”

Marion looked puzzled. “Why?”

“Just because,” Elaina replied, awkwardly. She didn’t want to explain that Marion’s brother knowing about their encounter would be a hassle.

“Okay, I won’t tell Leo,” Marion agreed, nodding earnestly.

“What a smart little lady you are,” Elaina said as she pinched Marion’s cheek gently. As an only child, Elaina had always been close to Marion’s family from a young age. Marion’s older brother was the same age as Elaina, but having a younger sister made him act like an older brother to her as well.

‘I still haven’t told him properly,’ she thought. Just imagining how much he would pester her if he found out made her head ache.

Marion, after stamping her tour paper, handed the stamp to Knox. He accepted it, mumbling a thank you.

“See you at the academy, Knox,” Marion said with a bright smile as she waved and walked away.

‘Look at you,’ Elaina thought as she watched Knox’s slightly dazed expression. He hesitated but eventually waved back.

“What are you looking at?” Knox snapped, realizing that Elaina was watching him.

“Nothing.”

“Don’t smile!”

“I’m not.”

“Don’t laugh!”

“Alright, alright.”

Their playful bickering brought a smile to Elaina’s face as they continued their tour of the garden.

***

“Let’s head back,” Lyle said after stamping the last paper. He checked the time and calculated that they could stop by the confectionery shop and still make it back to the estate by the time he had informed the butler. “I’ll go ahead and call for the carriage. You two can walk slowly.”

Lyle strode off with his long legs, leaving Elaina and Knox to walk at a more leisurely pace. Knox seemed preoccupied, likely thinking about Marion, whom they’d met earlier. He grumbled a bit before asking Elaina how she knew Marion.

“Marion is the younger sister of my friend. We’ve known each other since we were very young.”

“…Really?”

“She’s a pretty and kind girl, isn’t she?”

“Well…”

Knox scratched his head and nodded slightly. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and the botanical garden tour paper Knox was holding flew out of his hand, scattering around them.

“I’ll get it,” Elaina said, quickly running after the paper.

When she returned to Knox, a boy about Knox’s age was standing beside him.

“Hey, beggar! You here for the assignment too?” The boy’s sneering tone made Elaina stop in her tracks. The bigger boy laughed mockingly at Knox.

“You’re here alone, aren’t you? I’ll tell Mr. Jones tomorrow that Knox Grant didn’t do his assignment properly!”

“That’s not true! I’m here with my family!”

“Really?”

Hearing about the family, the boy hesitated, looking around nervously as if expecting Lyle to appear. Not seeing any tall man around, he puffed out his chest again.

“Ha! Liar! Your only family is that guy, right? The murder demon who killed a million people in the war!”

“No, my brother isn’t like that!”

“What do you know? One grandson is a liar, and the other is a murder demon. Your grandfather must have been a liar and a murder demon. No wonder he committed treason!”

“No, it’s not like that! If that’s true, then your father must be quite dumb and ill-tempered, seeing how stupid and nasty you are.”

“Who, who are you!” The boy jumped at the sudden voice behind him. Elaina looked down at the boy with a stern expression.

“Who do you think? I’m Knox’s family,” she said, crouching down to look the boy in the eye.

The boy, realizing someone had heard his taunting, looked scared and averted his eyes from Elaina’s intense gaze.

“Judging by your face, you must be from the Verua family, right?”

“Eek.”

“Whether Knox is lying or not can be easily checked. Want to come and confirm it yourself?”

“N-no, I…”

The boy, now at a loss, received a cold, piercing look from Elaina.