This Villain Is Mine Now - Chapter 79

A few days passed, and Nathan and Diane returned to the capital with Knox. Though Knox wanted to stay longer in Mabel, he couldn’t, as he had only obtained permission to leave in the middle of the academy semester.

“The next letter will be delivered by this little one,” Elaina said, handing Diane the falcon that Lyle had gifted her.

In order to act as a messenger, the falcon needed to have visited the area in question. Diane planned to take Knox to Winchester, and from there, she would return directly to Hennet. The falcon traveling with them would remember the locations of both the capital and Hennet.

“I’ve already informed my parents, so they’ll be expecting you, Knox.”

Elaina decided to stay in Mabel for the time being. She was grateful for her sharp intuition; otherwise, she might have let Lyle push himself too far without noticing.

Draine, whenever he met Elaina, would go on at length about how Lyle truly needed rest. No matter how much she read and processed documents every day, the amount on his desk was always far greater.

“Once the busy tasks are finished, I’ll return, so until then, take care, Knox.”

“I’m not a kid. You don’t need to worry about me like that.”

Knox climbed into the carriage energetically, carefully observing his older brother’s expression.

‘He doesn’t look that sick.’

But the fact that Lyle didn’t send Elaina back with him suggested that, despite not showing it outwardly, he must be extremely exhausted. If that wasn’t the case, he wouldn’t have asked her to stay and help with his work.

Indeed, while in Mabel, Elaina spent nearly all her time with Lyle. They were so overwhelmed with work that they didn’t even have time to return to their rooms, and eventually, they ended up using the same room again.

Sharing a room was no longer awkward. The workload was impossible for one person to handle alone, so Elaina allowed Lyle to assist her with reviewing documents within reasonable limits. As a result, they sat side by side at the same desk, worked, dined, and slept together—living in complete harmony.

Thanks to their efforts, the piled-up work was almost finished. Before long, they’d be able to return to the capital.

According to Draine, it wasn’t just the people of the territory gathering in Mabel. Talented individuals were also flocking to the north, hoping to catch Lyle’s eye and bring a new wind of change to the region.

With a bit more effort, Draine encouraged them, the situation in the north would stabilize, and Lyle would be able to return to the capital within a few months.

“They’re all gone now.”

Feeling strangely empty, Elaina waved at the departing carriage for a long time. She regretted not having had much time to spend with Diane or Knox, as she’d been helping Lyle with his work.

“It seems I’ve kept you all to myself. I’m sorry,” Lyle apologized, smiling as if it were just a simple remark.

Elaina laughed at his apology, as if to say it was unnecessary. “If you’re really sorry, then come with me to Hennet next time. We still haven’t kept our promise to visit Diane’s home.”

“Alright.”

Lyle smiled gently as he replied. Startled, Elaina quickly averted her gaze. Yes, Lyle had changed a bit.

‘He hadn’t smiled like that before.’

His attitude hadn’t changed. In fact, it had become more straightforward, if anything. He treated Elaina with utmost respect. Though there was a slight distance compared to before, it wasn’t strange since he was a reserved person by nature.

But that smile. Occasionally, that smile seemed so unusual. After smiling like that, Lyle would immediately wipe it away, looking troubled.

She thought she’d come to understand him quite well, but apparently, she didn’t. These days, Lyle was an enigmatic figure to Elaina.

“Alright, let’s go back and finish our work.”

Brushing off her thoughts, Elaina spoke cheerfully. Thanks to their joint efforts, the mountain of paperwork had been reduced to about one-fifth of its original size.

If they finished this week, they’d be able to return to the capital. It wasn’t ideal for the lady of the house to be away for so long, so Elaina was planning to return as soon as possible.

However, when the two of them returned to the office, they were met with yet another mountain of paperwork on the desk.

“What is this…”

“Ah, these are the documents from Gran and Prix that have just arrived. They cover the past decade’s harvests, taxes, population, timber, forests, and specialties of the territory. They were asked to report all sorts of miscellaneous things, and now they’ve finally arrived.”

Draine sighed deeply, explaining that additional documents from Pendita were still pending, as they needed more time to compile the necessary information.

“So there’s even more beyond this…,” Elaina trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.

Draine nodded in confirmation. “Indeed. Since it’s a large city that was once called the capital of the north, there will surely be extensive documents to send.”

He continued, joking, “It’s truly fortunate that Your Grace, the Archduchess, stayed. It may be difficult for you to return to the capital for a while, but please bear with us a bit longer.”

Elaina looked at the mountain of paperwork, dumbfounded. Beside her, Lyle spoke up, “These aren’t urgent, so we can take our time reviewing them, right?”

“Of course. I wasn’t planning to touch them until next month anyway.”

Draine would normally have summarized the documents and reported only the important details, but this time, it was all a ruse to keep Elaina in Mabel longer.

Unaware of this, Elaina simply stared in dismay at the documents, while Lyle immediately saw through Draine’s intentions.

“We’ll resubmit the paperwork later. At this rate, someone other than me might fall ill.”

Lyle placed a hand on Elaina’s shoulder. As she snapped out of her daze, he spoke again, “It seems I’m not the only one who needs rest. What do you think?”

Instead of replying, Elaina nodded. Looking at the seemingly endless pile of paperwork made her long for a break.

***

“If there’s one thing I’ve realized during my time in Mabel, it’s that Lyle needs to cut back on his workload.”

It was a sunny afternoon. In the quiet mansion backyard, now that everyone had left, Elaina and Lyle were enjoying tea.

Though Draine had dutifully packed away the documents and taken them back at Lyle’s command, the overwhelming sight still lingered in Elaina’s mind.

She knew her father, the duke, was always busy, but Lyle seemed even busier. Elaina sipped her tea as she gave Lyle some earnest advice.

“Listen, Lyle. My father was very busy, but he still made time for his family at least one day a week.”

Though she understood his busy schedule, she insisted he take at least one full day off each week.

“Knox won’t stay a child forever. He already spends so much time apart from his brother, so it would be good for you to take a day off each week to spend time together.”

Of course, this wasn’t just for Knox’s sake.

“Besides, busy men aren’t very popular. At least keep one day a week free for your family.”

Only half a year ago, Lyle Grant had been the subject of ridicule, holding an empty title. Now, he was the focus of the entire aristocracy.

In another six months, if they divorced, suitors from every noble family would surely come knocking.

Elaina, once called the star of the social world, knew well that many noblewomen with busy husbands secretly enjoyed affairs behind their backs.

So this was advice meant for Lyle.

‘Well, not that he’ll actually listen.’

Even though she’d told him to rest during their stay here, Lyle hadn’t listened. The most she’d managed was getting him to reluctantly take a nap after her constant nagging.

However, Lyle’s response was different from what Elaina expected.

“Alright.”

For a moment, Elaina had to think about what exactly he was agreeing to. Lyle spoke again, looking at her.

“Spending time with family. That’s what I meant.”

“Oh… really? From when?”

“From now on.”

Lyle answered Elaina’s bewildered question.

“Think about what you want to do this weekend.”

It was then that she realized.

In Mabel, the only person Lyle could call family… was her.