Page 17 of Villainess's Redemption
Laurel was startled at my outburst. “My lady?”
I waved a hand dismissively. “Never mind, Laurel. Just… thinking aloud.”
As I lay there, feeling the softness of the bed beneath me, I couldn’t help but marvel at the luxury. After two years of sleeping on hard pallets and frozen ground, this felt like floating on a cloud. The absence of that extravagant, rib-crushing gown was a blessing in itself.
A thought struck me. “Laurel?”
“Yes, my lady?”
“Are all my gowns so… extravagant?”
She nodded, confusion clear on her face. “Of course, my lady. As befits your station.”
I groaned internally. Of course, they were. The old Ilyana had reveled in such frivolities. But I couldn’t wear those every day, just thinking about wearing them makes me sweat. I need something simpler to comfortably walk around.
“Let’s go shopping for some new gowns tomorrow,” I said, making a mental note to find something more practical. “Something… simpler.”
Laurel’s eyebrows shot up, but she nodded. “As you wish, my lady.”
As she turned to leave, I called out once more. “Laurel?”
She paused at the door. “Yes?”
“Thank you. For everything.”
A small smile graced her lips before she ducked out, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I closed my eyes, willing sleep to come. There was so much to do, so many wrongs to right. Lord Magnus’s execution loomed large in my mind. I needed to find a way to stop it, to save him and by extension, Rosalind. But how?
As I drifted off into a dreamless sleep, one thought echoed through my mind: I had to act fast. The clock was ticking, and this time, I couldn’t afford to fail.
Chapter 5
I jolted awake, my heart racing as I found myself enveloped in silken sheets and plush pillows. For a moment, I panicked. Where was the scratchy wool blanket? The lumpy straw mattress? Where was I? Then reality—or rather, my new reality—came crashing down on me like a bucket of ice water. Dying in the fringes. Time traveling. Marrying Noah… again.
I bolted upright, my heart pounding. This was real.
“Oh, right. I’m back in the lap of luxury. Yay me,” I muttered, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
Sunlight streamed through the ornate windows, bathing my chambers in a warm glow. The room was a stark contrast to the hovel I’d called home in exile. I surveyed my opulent surroundings, taking in the ornate furnishings that now seemed more like a gilded cage than a dream come true. The massive four-poster stood in the middle, its intricately carved headboard depicting Aetherian artwork. Velvet curtains in ivory and gold framed floor-to-ceiling windows, currently allowing streams of morning light to filter through.
My gaze landed on the door leading to Noah’s chambers. It stood there, closed, its polished mahogany surface gleaming in the early sun. From what I remembered, he wouldn’t returnuntil later today. Thank the gods I didn’t have to share a bed with him. I snorted. “Well, at least I don’t have to worry about awkward morning-after conversations.”
Hauling myself out of bed—which, I’ll admit, had been a struggle given how ridiculously comfortable it was—I padded over to the ornate writing desk. Time to get down to business. I grabbed a quill and journal, jotting down my to-do list with determined strokes.
1. Buy new dresses (If I don’t want to suffocate or trip or faint).
2. Save Magnus from execution (Because apparently, I’m in the business of saving lives now).
3. Get Rosalind and Noah together (Playing matchmaker for my husband. Oh, the irony).
4. Get a divorce (Nothing says ‘fresh start’ like ending a marriage that’s barely begun).
5. Convince my family to move to the countryside (Because who doesn’t love the smell of manure in the morning?)
6. Open a restaurant and become a chef or start farming (From lady to line cook. Mother would be so proud).
I stared at the list, chuckling darkly. “Well, Ilyana, when you decide to change your life, you really go all out, don’t you?”
