Page 16 of Villainess's Redemption
As the hours ticked by, Noah didn’t arrive. I dozed off leaning against the bedpost, exhaustion from the day’s events finally catching up with me. Dying, time traveling, and reincarnating all on the in one day would take a toll on anyone.
I was jolted awake by Laurel bursting into the room, her face flushed with anger.
Wow, she has already started to bloom. I need to keep proving my sincerity.
“My lady,” she exclaimed, her voice trembling with indignation. “Lord Noah… he’s left the palace!”
I blinked, feigning surprise even though I was doing a victorious dance in my mind. I knew this would happen. “Left? What do you mean?”
Laurel’s hands clenched into fists at her sides. “He rode out not long ago. The guests… they’re talking. Mocking. Saying he left without…,” she trailed off, her cheeks flushing.
“Without consummating the marriage,” I finished for her, my voice calm.
Laurel’s eyes flashed with protective fury which even shocked me. “It’s not right, my lady! I’ll go find him, I’ll—”
“No, Laurel,” I said, rising from the bed. “There’s no need. It won’t help.”
She gaped at me, clearly struggling to understand my calm reaction. “But my lady, your reputation—”
I shook my head, a bitter smile tugging at my lips. “Let them talk. It changes nothing.”
“How can you be so calm?” Laurel demanded, her newfound boldness surprising us both. “They’re laughing at you!”
I met her gaze steadily. “Their laughter means nothing to me, Laurel. Let it go.”
She opened her mouth to protest further, but something in my expression stopped her. She deflated, confusion and concern warring on her face. “As you wish, my lady.”
As Laurel helped me prepare for bed, I could feel her eyes on me, full of questions she didn’t dare ask. I knew this was just the beginning – Noah’s absence would set tongues wagging throughout the court. But I had weathered far worse storms than this.
Some snide gossip is nothing compared to the life I led in exile.
I lay in the vast, empty bed, staring at the intricate patterns on the ceiling. The silence of the room was deafening, a stark contrast to the raucous celebration that had taken place just hours ago. In my past life, this moment had been filled with rage and tears, the sting of Noah’s abandonment like a knife to my heart. But now? Now I felt nothing but a calm acceptance.
“My lady?” Laurel’s timid voice broke through my reverie. “Are you… alright?”
I turned my head to look at her, noting the concern etched on her face. It was still strange to see her looking at me directly, without fear. “I’m fine, Laurel. Truly.”
She wrung her hands, clearly torn between her newfound boldness and her ingrained subservience. “But Lord Noah…”
“Is where he needs to be,” I finished for her, sitting up in bed. “And so am I.”
Laurel’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
I sighed, patting the bed beside me. After a moment’s hesitation, she perched on the very edge, her eyes wide with surprise at the gesture. “Noah never loved me, Laurel. And now… now I don’t love him either.”
“But the wedding… your family…”
I shook my head, a wry smile tugging at my lips. “I know, I was the one who desperately wanted to marry Noah. But I’ve changed my mind, I don’t want him anymore. What I want now is for Noah to find happiness with the woman he truly loves. And for me to take my family far from this nest of vipers we call the capital and maybe become a… farmer. Or a chef.”
Laurel gasped, scandalized. “My lady! You shouldn’t say such things,” she paused and said quietly, “Also you barely know anything about cooking.”
I chuckled, the sound foreign even to my own ears. When was the last time I had laughed? “Oh, Laurel. If only you knew…”
As I sat there, my mind wandered to Noah and where he must be now. Last week, Lord Magnus Bellrose had been imprisoned, awaiting execution. His estate was seized, his title stripped, and his daughter Rosalind exiled. But Rosalind, the clever girl that she was, had escaped. Now she was in the capital, disguised and desperate, searching for clues to clear her father’s name.
I knew Noah had sent Liam to find her, to convince her to accept their help. But Rosalind was stubborn and distrustful. So Noah had gone himself, determined to protect the woman he truly loved even if he didn’t realize it yet. But he will and both of them will fall in love.
I sighed in frustration, flopping back onto the pillows. “Ugh! Why couldn’t I have traveled back one more month? I could have stopped all of this before it even began!”
