This Villain Is Mine Now - Chapter 85

Sarah, momentarily stunned, found herself speechless, staring at Lyle’s face for what felt like an eternity.

He wasn’t returning with them?

After a brief hesitation, Sarah gathered her thoughts and cautiously opened her mouth to speak.

“Pardon me, Your Grace, but may I ask the reason? Her Grace will likely find this difficult to accept.”

Sarah had already been fretting over Elaina’s unusual behavior since their return from the mountain. Normally, Elaina would begrudgingly agree to share a room with Lyle despite her protests. This time, however, no amount of coaxing worked.

“Did something happen between the two of you?”

Sarah asked Lyle the same question she had previously asked Elaina. Just as Elaina had done, Lyle offered no answer.

“This isn’t a matter that requires her understanding. Just tell her I’ve made this decision.”

“But…”

“You’re dismissed.”

Lyle refused further discussion. Left with no choice, Sarah exited the room.

How was she supposed to deliver this message? Closing the door behind her, Sarah clutched her throbbing head.

***

“What?!”

Elaina’s voice rose sharply. Her expression, one of complete disbelief, made Sarah swallow hard. Elaina’s reaction was far more intense than Sarah had anticipated.

“What did you just say, Sarah?”

“Well, um… that is…”

Feeling cornered, Sarah looked around nervously. While she was a capable maid, this situation was beyond her expertise. She saw no clear path to resolving the matter amicably.

It was bad enough that Lyle had unilaterally decided she should return to the capital alone, but his curt response, saying it wasn’t a matter requiring her understanding, had made things worse. His tone had been that of issuing orders to a subordinate, and Elaina was not the type to tolerate such treatment.

“Well, you see, life in the capital is more comfortable than staying here in Mabel! Perhaps that’s why His Grace suggested this?”

Sarah desperately tried to interpret Lyle’s actions in a positive light. However, her efforts were in vain. Elaina, already deaf to reason, shot up from her seat.

“W-where are you going, madam?”

“Judging by your reaction, it seems I haven’t received a proper explanation. So, I’ll go and get one myself.”

Sarah couldn’t bring herself to stop Elaina. If Elaina had merely been angry, Sarah might have tried to calm her down. But this wasn’t about anger—it was deeper.

‘Of course she’s upset.’

Having been by Elaina’s side for so long, Sarah vividly remembered how Elaina had shaken her household by insisting on marrying Lyle Grant. Initially opposed to the marriage, even Sarah had eventually come to support their union. The two of them were an unexpectedly well-matched couple.

Lyle, despite his fearsome reputation as the murderer, was actually a reserved man who treated his subordinates with care. But what truly won Sarah over was the way he treated Elaina. He never refused her anything and, despite his awkwardness, seemed to genuinely give his all to their relationship.

Because of this, Sarah came to acknowledge it. Contrary to her initial expectations, the young lady at the side of the “murderer” genuinely seemed happy.

And it wasn’t just Elaina.

After her marriage, the people of the Grant family came to hold great importance for the people of the Winchester family as well.

This wasn’t merely because the duke and duchess cherished Knox as though he were a newly found youngest son.

Even Sarah now felt more affection for the butlers and maids of the Grant family than for her former colleagues at the Winchester household.

It wasn’t only Elaina who was hurt by Lyle’s actions. Sarah, too, felt a deep sense of disappointment toward Lyle, who now seemed to be pushing Elaina away.

Clenching her fists, Sarah finally spoke up.

“You’re right, madam. Go and ask him yourself.”

The tone of Sarah’s voice, which had moments earlier been trying to dissuade her madam, had changed completely.

“After all, His Grace has no intention of explaining things to me. Perhaps he’ll speak more openly if you ask him directly.”

In the end, it was their problem to solve. As the saying went, a quarrel between spouses was like cutting water with a knife.

Elaina’s normally graceful strides were replaced by firm, purposeful steps as she made her way to Lyle’s room. The sharp sound of her heels striking the stone floor echoed through the corridor.

“Is His Grace inside?” she asked a maid stationed outside the room, her flushed face betraying her agitation.

“No, madam. He stepped out a short while ago.”

The maid explained that Lyle had left shortly after Sarah’s visit.

“Then why are you standing here?”

“His Grace instructed me to inform you of his absence should you come looking for him.”

“Was this outing planned?”

“No, it wasn’t.”

As expected, this was clearly an attempt to avoid her.

“Madam?”

Despite the maid’s explanation, Elaina made no move to leave. Instead, she fixed her gaze on the door.

Just as Lyle had anticipated her confrontation, Elaina had come to understand many aspects of his character during their time together.

“Open the door. I’ll wait for him inside.”

The usually warm and kind voice that Elaina addressed her staff with was replaced by a chilling tone that startled the maid.

Flustered, the maid quickly opened the door. She hesitated briefly, wondering if she should allow this, but ultimately decided that since the room had been Elaina’s as well, it was permissible.

‘He didn’t say not to let her in,’ she reasoned, watching nervously as Elaina stepped inside.

***

Meanwhile, Lyle mounted his horse and rode off, using the excuse that he needed to check the mountain path before the merchant guild used it. He ignored Drane’s advice to take the knights with him, claiming there might be unforeseen dangers, and left the mansion at full speed.

Before he knew it, he was deep in the forest. The path through the woods, smoothed and maintained by the monsters, was so well-kept that it posed no issue for riding a horse.

Tying his horse to a suitable spot, Lyle leaned against a tree and sat down.

“…What the hell am I doing?”

Although he had given a plausible excuse, the truth was that he had fled—almost as if running away—because he couldn’t face Elaina.

The matters involving Elaina stirred emotions in Lyle that he had never experienced before. Love. Fear. And now, self-pity.

It was nothing more than sleeping in separate rooms, yet he felt as though Elaina was rejecting him. He couldn’t even bring himself to ask her why. The moment he saw the discomfort on her face, he feared their precarious marriage would come to a complete end.

Up until now, his life had always revolved around a single, clear goal.

On the battlefield, it was survival.

After returning, it was restoring his family.

Once he reclaimed his title, it was the subjugation of monsters.

These clear tasks had served as guides, providing direction for his path.

But now that he had become aware of his feelings for Elaina, he felt like a ship adrift, utterly lost. His emotions for her swung between extremes, like a broken compass.

He had left the estate as if fleeing to avoid confronting her, yet part of him wanted to return immediately and confess his true feelings to her.

Caught between the conflicting pulls of impulse and reason, a fierce internal tug-of-war ensued.

In the end, reason prevailed.

He was scared. Terrified, even, at the realization that he still harbored such deeply human emotions.

What if Elaina, who still smiled when they faced each other despite avoiding him, grew distant because of his rash actions?

What if the agreement they had made to remain friends after marriage disintegrated, leaving them unable to even look each other in the eye?

What if, during the remainder of their contract, they drifted into an even more awkward relationship?

And so, he chose to push her away. He made excuses to keep Elaina from staying by his side any longer.

Perhaps if she were out of sight, these unstable emotions would gradually settle.

Calling for Sarah to deliver his message had been impulsive, but in hindsight, it was likely the wisest decision.

Lyle returned to the mansion well past nightfall.

Of the staff working at the Mabel mansion, only Sarah was a permanent resident. The rest were hired villagers who returned to their homes after their shifts.

Thus, when Lyle arrived at the estate, no one was there to greet him.

Quietly, Lyle headed toward his room. His steps halted when he noticed light spilling out from beneath his door.