The Villainess Became My Alpha Husband

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

I said, "You usually do." She usually did something bad to me, right? I can’t trust her at all, but that doesn’t mean 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 me 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 game itself was nothing special, but the strange way she kept watching me made every small move feel louder.

At one point I muttered, "You are staring again." Why was she staring at me again? Is something 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?

Me?

"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 me?!"

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

"Are you going to say something bad to me?"

"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 me go quiet for a moment. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

The fire popped softly in the hearth, breaking the silence now and then with a quiet crackle that made the whole room feel slower, warmer, and oddly tense. Outside the window, the palace seemed 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 me, not speaking, only watching with that steady, unreadable expression that always made me feel like she was measuring 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 me."

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 mean anything."

"It means 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 same 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 me more irritated. "Don’t be so agreeable to me."

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 me. "You really are difficult."

"And you are impossible."

That earned me 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 me 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 me."

"I do know you."

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

That time, she actually looked amused. "That sounds like a compliment."

"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 me. I drew another card and muttered, "You keep looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you are waiting for something."

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

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

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

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 anytime 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 me for a second, then said, "That is the first kind thing you have said to me 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 same kind of silence as before. It was more careful now, more aware.

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

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 me for three turns."

"Because you deserve it."

"Fair."

That made me 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 meant 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 somehow 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.