The Villainess Became My Alpha Husband Chapter 52: Elaine Is The Worst

Elaine’s fingers paused on the cards. "Because you keep acting like I am about to do sothing terrible."

I said, "You usually do." She usually did sothing bad to , right? I can’t trust her at all, but that doesn’t an I can’t beave civilly with her.

That made her quiet for a second. When she spoke again, her voice was lower. "I know."

I looked down at my hand of cards, then back at her. "Then why are you being like this?"

"Like what?"

"Nice."

Her mouth tightened slightly, but not in anger. More like she didn’t have a simple answer. "Because I want to be."

I stared at her for a beat too long. "That is suspicious."

She gave a short, dry look. "Everything I do is suspicious to you."

"Usually for a reason."

"I know."

"Don’t repeat your words!"

"Fine, I will not."

"Let’s see." I shook my head, pinching my nose.

The cards rustled again as she dealt the next round. Her hands were careful, precise, and annoyingly steady. Mine were slower, still a little shaky from the healing, but I kept up well enough. The ga itself was nothing special, but the strange way she kept watching made every small move feel louder.

At one point I muttered, "You are staring again." Why was she staring at again? Is sothing on my face?

Elaine muttered, "I am not."

"You are."

"I am not."

"Yes, you are."

Elaine lifted one brow. "You are very sensitive today."

Sensitive?

?

"I am always sensitive." I was an assassin, and many of my contracts were chosen by my emotions. Cold-hearted murder isn’t my genre.

"That is true," she said, and there was the faintest trace of a smile in her voice.

"Are you mocking ?!"

Elaine sighed, "I am not. Ogas are sensitive... so, you are too. Why do wives have to be so sensitive when their husbands say sothing bad to them?"

"Are you going to say sothing bad to ?"

"No, of course not."

I gave her a hard look. "Don’t sound pleased about it."

"I wasn’t."

"You were."

"I wasn’t."

I scowled and drew another card. "You are terrible at lying."

"And you are terrible at pretending not to care."

That made go quiet for a mont.

The fire popped softly in the hearth, breaking the silence now and then with a quiet crackle that made the whole room feel slower, warr, and oddly tense. Outside the window, the palace seed far away, like it belonged to another world entirely—one where people had cleaner intentions and fewer bruises to hide.

Elaine rested both hands on the table and waited, not pressing , not speaking, only watching with that steady, unreadable expression that always made feel like she was asuring my every breath.

I frowned at the cards in my hand, then at her. "If you really want to play, then play properly."

Her eyes lifted to mine at once. "I am."

"No, you are being careful."

"I am always careful."

"You are being careful with ."

A small pause followed. Not long, but long enough to make the room feel tighter.

Then Elaine said, "Yes."

That one word carried too much weight. Too much honesty. I did not like that at all.

I looked away first, annoyed at myself for noticing it. "That does not an anything."

"It ans I don’t want to hurt you."

I let out a short laugh, sharp and unbelieving. "That is a new one."

"I know."

I turned my head back toward her, narrowing my eyes. "The sa words again? How much do you know anyway? Are you an encyclopaedia?"

Her brow furrowed. "Encyclo... what?"

"Just shut up."

"If that is what you want."

That only made more irritated. "Don’t be so agreeable to ."

Elaine blinked once, then looked faintly puzzled. "Would you prefer I argue?"

"Yes. At least that would be normal."

She glanced down at the table, then back at . "You really are difficult."

"And you are impossible."

That earned the smallest twitch at the corner of her mouth, almost a smile but not quite. I hated that I noticed it.

I pushed the next card onto the table a little harder than necessary, making it slap against the wood. "We will see how long that lasts."

Elaine did not argue. She only picked up her cards again and said quietly, "We will."

The answer irritated more than if she had snapped back. "You are the worst."

She tilted her head slightly. "Because I am being nice?"

"Because you act like you know ."

"I do know you."

I scoffed. "No, you know enough to be annoying."

That ti, she actually looked amused. "That sounds like a complint."

"It is not."

"I think it might be."

"It is definitely not."

Her quiet, stubborn calm made my jaw tighten. I looked back at my cards, pretending to study them, though I already knew my hand was better than hers by a little. "If you lose, you admit I am right."

"And if you lose?" she asked.

I glanced up. "I am not losing."

Elaine’s eyes stayed on mine for a beat too long. "That is not what I asked."

I huffed, "If I lose, then... fine. You can say whatever you want for the rest of the day."

"Anything?"

I eyed her suspiciously. "Within reason."

"That sounds like you are afraid."

"I am not afraid."

"You sounded afraid."

"I sounded irritated."

"You are irritated because you know I am right."

I stared at her. "You really are insufferable."

"And yet you are still playing."

"I am only playing because I am bored."

"Of course."

Her tone made that sound like a lie, and I hated how much it bothered . I drew another card and muttered, "You keep looking at like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you are waiting for sothing."

Elaine went quiet for a mont. "Maybe I am."

I lifted my gaze sharply. "Waiting for what?"

She looked down at her cards before answering. "For you to believe ."

The room felt still after that.

I frowned, not sure whether to laugh at her or throw another card at her. "That is not happening anyti soon."

"I know."

"Then why say it?"

"Because it is true."

I clicked my tongue and leaned back slightly in the chair. "You are very annoying when you are honest."

"And you are very suspicious when I am not."

"Good."

She looked at for a second, then said, "That is the first kind thing you have said to all day."

I blinked once. "That was not kind."

"It was for you."

I had no answer for that, so I looked back down at my cards and pretended to think. The silence stretched again, but it was not the sa kind of silence as before. It was more careful now, more aware.

Elaine broke it first. "Do you want to continue the ga?"

I gave her a flat look. "We are already in the middle of it."

"Yes, but you keep getting distracted."

I nearly choked on a laugh. "I am not distracted."

"You are. You have been glaring at for three turns."

"Because you deserve it."

"Fair."

That made pause. "You agree too fast."

"I know."

I stared at her. "Again? You really are the worst."

Elaine looked down at her cards, then back up. "You already said that."

"And I ant it."

"Fine, I guess."

I narrowed my eyes, then slid another card onto the table with exaggerated force. "One day, I am going to win against you and make you regret this."

Her expression softened just a little. "I am looking forward to it."

That was sohow even more annoying.

I muttered, "You are unbearable."

Elaine’s gaze held mine, quiet and steady. "And yet you are still here."

I opened my mouth to reply, then stopped.

Because she was right.

And that, more than anything, was the worst part.