This Villain Is Mine Now - Chapter 40

“…And who is this?”

“Ah, this is my friend, Leo Bonaparte,” Elaina introduced him, despite her evident discomfort.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Grace,” Leo said with a smile that seemed almost too perfect, extending his hand toward Lyle. Lyle hesitated, staring at the offered hand for a long moment.

Leo was surely aware that it was customary for someone of higher rank to initiate a handshake with someone of lower status.

Slowly, Lyle extended his hand, grasping Leo’s with a firm grip, though the intent behind Leo’s gesture remained unclear.

“Indeed. A pleasure to meet you as well, Lord Bonaparte.”

“I’ve heard about your engagement to Elaina. She’s a fine match. Congratulations.”

Leo’s gaze drifted to Lyle’s attire—a garment from the Marbella Salon. As luxurious as it was, it seemed just as out of place on him as something else did: the idea of a knight order.

Becoming a knight was a highly honorable pursuit, but the thought of a man like Lyle owning a knight order? That’s a joke taken too far, Leo mused to himself. This was a man once known as the butcher of the battlefield, with no trace of honor to be found.

Leo had tried to stay out of Elaina’s personal affairs, not wanting to overstep as a friend, but hearing that Lyle intended to form a knight order was the final straw.

“I’ve heard from Elaina that you’re planning to form a knight order,” Leo said with a smile that concealed the sharp edge of his words.

“Indeed.”

Sensing the tension escalating between the two men, Elaina quickly intervened, prying their hands apart. “You should go now, Leo.”

“Why? I just got here. There’s much I’m curious to ask His Grace.”

“Interesting. For someone who’s just met me, you certainly have a lot of questions. Let’s hear them,” Lyle replied, his expression unreadable. Leo raised an eyebrow.

“Forming a knight order isn’t something one can do on a whim. Are you aware of that?”

“I am. The Duke of Winchester has agreed to assist with the process. What else?”

“Ah, I see. So, you’re relying on the Winchester family’s support for that as well,” Leo remarked, his voice dropping to a near whisper, but loud enough for Lyle to hear clearly.

“Let me be blunt. You should abandon that plan.”

“And why is that?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Don’t use the honor of knights just to flaunt your family’s wealth.”

Historically, many had created knight orders to showcase their excess wealth.

Leo continued, “If you go through with this, many will view it with suspicion. They’ll wonder if you have ulterior motives.”

Since his return to the capital after the war, Lyle Grant had been making bold moves. Announcing his marriage to someone from a prestigious family like Elaina’s, and now planning to create a knight order? Anyone could easily draw parallels to the events of ten years ago.

“Ulterior motives, you say. I’ll take your advice to heart.”

Elaina, exasperated, spoke up in Lyle’s defense. “You idiot, there’s no ulterior motive. I told you it’s for the extermination of monsters in the Mabel mountain range.”

“Do you really think that’s feasible?” Leo’s voice rose in frustration. “No knight order has dared to take on such a challenge.”

At that moment, a low chuckle echoed through the room. When Leo turned, he saw Lyle with a look of genuine amusement.

“Ah, my apologies. Your comments were just too amusing.”

“And what, pray tell, is so funny?” Leo demanded.

“Simply the fact that because you can’t do it, you assume I can’t either,” Lyle replied with a shrug. “Well, if it’s just a bunch of young lords playing around with swords, then achieving anything would indeed be impossible.”

“You’re suggesting that you can accomplish what I cannot?” Leo gritted his teeth, struggling to maintain his composure as his pride took a severe hit.

“That’s correct.”

“Take that back.”

“Why would I? It’s the truth.”

Lyle’s response was calm, as if he didn’t even see the need to dispute the matter.

Furious, Leo removed one of his gloves and threw it to the ground. He couldn’t just walk away after having his pride as a knight trampled on.

“In that case, teach me a lesson. I would be honored to learn from the great Archduke.”

***

They say friends tend to resemble each other. Lyle found himself reflecting on this old adage as he thought about Leo. The way Leo bared his teeth in anger was strikingly similar to how Elaina had once stood in his way for Diane’s sake.

To barge into someone’s home without permission and then demand a lesson in swordsmanship? It was an attitude so arrogant that no one could possibly believe he was serious about learning. There was no attempt to hide the fact that his pride was wounded, as if to say, ‘How dare someone like you speak to me this way?’

“I’m sorry. I should have stopped him,” Elaina apologized.

“No, it’s fine. I was curious myself,” Lyle replied calmly.

At fifteen, barely a few years after he first took up the sword, Lyle was dragged to the battlefield, where he had to learn and experience raw, primal violence. The formal techniques he had learned from textbooks were utterly useless there. So, Lyle discarded everything he had been taught and rebuilt his skills from the ground up, honing his swordsmanship by instinct on the brink of death.

And now, through Leo Bonaparte, who had walked a completely different path, Lyle was curious to see just how strong the sword honed through a more traditional route might be.

“Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard, right? I’m curious to see how skilled he really is.”

A killing sword from the battlefield versus a guard’s sword meant to protect. A blade learned instinctively on the edge of death versus one forged through advanced academy training.

Lyle didn’t expect to lose. He was simply intrigued to see the level of the Imperial Guard’s skills. Though he didn’t voice it, the amused smile on his face betrayed his thoughts.

“Honestly, you two…” Elaina sighed.

‘Stubborn men,’ she thought. 

It was already too late to intervene. Neither the fuming Leo nor the smiling Lyle seemed inclined to defuse the situation. All Elaina could do was hope that their confrontation wouldn’t escalate into something serious.

Despite the dilapidated state of the mansion, its sheer size meant the three of them had to walk quite a distance before they finally reached a large open area. Elaina’s eyes widened in surprise as she took in the well-maintained training ground, a stark contrast to the rest of the estate.

“This place is surprisingly tidy,” she remarked.

“That’s because I need to train here every day. Instead of cleaning the unused rooms, I asked them to maintain this area,” Lyle replied.

At the mention of daily swordsmanship training, Leo scoffed inwardly. What could that brute possibly know about swordsmanship training?

“You train every day? At what time?” Elaina asked, curious.

“At dawn. I come here as soon as I wake up.”

“Interesting. My father isn’t a warrior, so he doesn’t know much about sword training. What kind of training do you do at dawn?”

Leo stared at Elaina in disbelief.

“Why are you asking?”

“Since when were you so interested in swordsmanship?”

In all the years they had grown up together, Elaina had never once shown any interest in Leo’s sword training. Seeing her now, standing so close to Lyle and chattering away, left him feeling both hurt and betrayed.

“What’s so impressive about sword training that every swordsman does?” Leo directed his words at Lyle. “I train daily as well. Even if it’s just the ‘playful antics of noblemen,’ it’s more than enough to handle Your Grace’s blade.”

Lyle smirked at Leo’s defiant expression. “It seems my words have offended you. For that, I apologize.”

The nonchalant attitude only served to stoke Leo’s anger further. Does he not realize how infuriating he is?

“No, don’t apologize. Honestly, I’m not sure how effective solitary sword training could be—assuming, of course, that you’ve been training properly. Sword training should push your muscles to their limits, not just involve a few casual swings.”

Lyle cut in before Leo could finish. “It seems I was mistaken.”

Leo, on the verge of continuing his tirade, stopped in his tracks, thrown off by Lyle’s sudden remark. Lyle chuckled softly, his gaze fixed on Leo.

“I thought you came here to spar, not to engage in idle chatter.”

“…What did you say?” Leo’s hand trembled slightly. He wasn’t accustomed to being spoken to with such disdain.

“As you suggested, we’ll see if I’ve merely been swinging my sword casually once we cross blades.”

Leo shot him a venomous glare and finished his earlier thought. “I’m sure the training you’ve done isn’t up to proper standards. Without someone to teach you systematically, that’s only to be expected.”

Lyle’s eyes drifted to the rapier at Leo’s waist. “You use a rapier. Well, if you lack strength, a lighter sword is indeed easier to wield without tiring.”

Lacking strength. It was the last thing Leo wanted to hear.

“Only fools believe that wildly swinging a sword will magically make their opponent meet every strike. They don’t even understand that a thrust is far more effective than a slash.”

Leo emphasized the word ‘fools’ as he spoke, glaring at Lyle with fierce determination. Lyle met his gaze calmly, his smile unshaken by Leo’s hostility.