This Villain Is Mine Now - Chapter 30

“Stop it.” Knox grabbed Elaina’s shoulder as she knelt to match the boy’s eye level.

“It’s just a joke between friends. Don’t make it embarrassing.”

“What? A joke? How is this a joke?”

“N-no! It’s a joke, really! We’re friends,” the boy quickly agreed, nodding fervently at Knox’s words.

“See you at the academy tomorrow!” he called out as he ran off without looking back, leaving Elaina fuming.

“Knox, you…”

“I’m fine.”

“Fine? How can you be fine? He needs to be taught a lesson so he never says such things again.”

“Compared to what they usually say, this is nothing.”

Knox tugged the paper from Elaina’s hand, his expression bitter.

“I just don’t want to let kids like that ruin my day. If my brother finds out, it’ll just make him feel worse.” He smiled weakly, as if to brush it off, insisting it was no big deal.

But the more Knox downplayed it, the more Elaina’s anger smoldered. The only child she had been around was Marion, and the children she met at events always behaved angelically in her presence. She had never imagined a ten-year-old could say something so malicious.

‘This isn’t something to just let go,’ she thought. But for now, she decided to hold back. Until she was officially married into the Grant family, it wouldn’t look good for her to interfere in their matters too deeply.

‘First order of business after the wedding,’ she resolved, placing Knox’s name at the top of her priorities, even above the renovations at the mansion. She hadn’t considered how Knox’s life at the academy might be, and she was certain Lyle, being less attentive to such nuances, hadn’t either.

“Alright, if you insist,” she finally conceded, “but there won’t be a second time. If anyone, be it that boy or anyone else, says something rude to you, you must tell me, or Lyle, or at the very least, the butler. Understand?”

“It’s really nothing…”

“It is something! Promise me you’ll tell an adult.”

Elaina’s authoritative tone made Knox’s eyes widen. She extended her hand.

“Promise. You won’t keep it to yourself.”

“Ugh, it’s really not a big deal…”

“Quickly! Or I’ll tell Lyle everything I saw right now.”

It was clear she meant it. Reluctantly, Knox hooked his pinky around hers.

Elaina stamped their pinky promise firmly, reiterating her demand multiple times as they walked back to the carriage.

***

“Look over there.”

The carriage of the Winchester family, frequently seen around the city these days, had drawn the attention of a few men. A friend nudged another, prompting him to look. He quickly understood what his friend wanted him to see.

“Lady Winchester is truly an impressive woman.”

“Indeed. But does she need to go this far?”

Following Elaina Winchester out of the carriage was not the usual imposing figure, but someone else entirely.

“That’s Diane Redwood.”

Unlike Elaina, who walked confidently, Diane seemed to shrink into herself, eyes fixed on the ground.

“Diane, are you feeling alright? You don’t look well.”

Elaina’s question made Diane force an awkward smile and shake her head. “No, it’s just… I’m a bit nervous.”

“What is there to be nervous about? We’re just going to look at furniture together.”

The men couldn’t believe their ears. Diane Redwood, the woman whose betrothal had been taken, was now helping to choose furniture for another woman’s marriage to the same man. They couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

“But Elaina, is it really okay for someone like me to help choose furniture for you and the Archduke?”

Diane’s hesitant words didn’t seem to bother Elaina at all.

“Of course it is. Normally, I would do this with the Archduke, but he’s too busy, and, well, his taste is a bit… Anyway, he said I could choose whatever I want, so it’s fine.”

Elaina linked her arm with Diane’s, the sight resembling a prisoner being led away to onlookers.

“We don’t have time to waste. We have so many places to visit today. Let’s go.”

Elaina’s happiness contrasted starkly with Diane’s pale face.

“Did you hear that?”

“Of course. Women are truly scary creatures.”

Despite feeling pity for Diane, the men also found her passivity frustrating.

“Does Lady Redwood have no pride?”

“What would you do? You’d have to do whatever the Lady Winchester wants for the sake of family honor.”

“True. We’d all have to do our best to please her.”

They realized they wouldn’t react much differently. Turning Lady Winchester into an enemy was not an option. The thought left a bitter taste in their mouths.

“Have you heard the latest news?”

Their interest still focused on Diane, one friend leaned in closer to hear the whispered words.

“They say Marquis Redwood is urgently looking for a match for his daughter.”

“I heard that too. But every family he’s approached has refused.”

“Actually, they even approached me with a proposal.”

“Me too, actually.”

They laughed bitterly, shaking their heads. It was clear that Marquis Redwood was desperate.

“Why is he in such a rush to marry off his daughter?”

“I don’t know. But there’s a rumor going around.”

“What rumor?”

“Ah, you see, there’s a rumor that Lady Redwood might not actually be the Marquis’s biological daughter.”

“What?”

The man’s voice rose in surprise. His companion quickly brought a finger to his lips, urging silence. “Shh, shh. It’s an old rumor and never fully confirmed, but people used to say that Lady Redwood was born to a maid, not the Marchioness. She doesn’t really resemble the Marchioness much. I don’t know all the details, though.”

“That’s quite a story. But if that were true, it wouldn’t explain why the Marchioness has been so protective of her all these years.”

“Then why did you refuse the marriage proposal?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” The man glared, his tone sharp. “She was once betrothed to the Archduke. Why would I settle for being a replacement for such an unrefined person?”

“True enough. It’s insulting to think they’d consider us less significant than the crumbling Grant family. It feels like they’re saying our family is even less worthy.”

“Exactly. Besides, forming an alliance with someone so despised by Lady Winchester doesn’t sit well with me.”

“Though the Redwood fortune is tempting, it just doesn’t add up.”

“Right, it doesn’t.”

The man nodded, shivering slightly at the thought.

***

“The Archduke has a younger brother, correct? How about decorating his room more cheerfully?”

“Oh, that’s a wonderful idea. I’ve also felt that the current furniture is too old-fashioned,” Elaina agreed, asking the clerk to show them some brighter wooden furniture. Diane’s face flushed red.

She had spent the entire day pondering over Elaina’s letter, requesting her help in choosing the furniture.

“I’m glad I could help.”

“Oh, please. I’m more grateful that you came along with me. But are you really okay? You seemed uncomfortable when you got off the carriage.”

“Oh… that.”

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

After hesitating for a moment, Diane lowered her head. “It was because of the men standing nearby when we got out of the carriage.”

“Huh? Were there men? I didn’t notice anyone around.”

Elaina had been so focused on getting to the furniture store that she hadn’t paid attention to who was around. Diane explained what had been happening recently.

“Since the marriage proposal with the Archduke fell through, my father has been very anxious. He seems desperate to get me married off, but it’s not going well… Those men were from families my father recently sent marriage proposals to.”

She had seen so many portraits of potential suitors in the past few days that she could hardly keep track. But she recognized the faces of the two most recent ones.

“They seemed to know each other… I don’t understand why my father would send proposals to both of them.”

She had always known her own dignity mattered little to her father, but the thought of becoming a laughingstock was unbearable.