Page 26 of Villainess's Redemption
I shrugged. “What good would anger do? We’re married now. We should start being more understanding of each other as we mean to go on, don’t you think?”
Noah’s shoulders slumped, the guilt in his eyes intensifying. It was almost comical how my forgiveness seemed to cause him more distress than if I’d thrown a tantrum.
“I’ll make it up to you,” he said earnestly. “Tomorrow, when we visit your parents’ house as newlyweds. I promise I’ll be the perfect husband.”
I bit back a snort. Oh, you poor, naive man. I knew full well that tomorrow would bring another “urgent matter” courtesy of Prince Anderic. But I simply smiled and nodded.
“That sounds lovely, Noah. Thank you.”
He looked at me for a long moment, as if trying to solve a particularly difficult puzzle.Yes, yes, I changed overnight.Then, with a nod, he bid me goodnight and left.
As the door closed behind him, I let out a long breath. “Well, that was exhausting,” I muttered to myself. “Who knew being nice could be so draining?”
I crawled into bed, my mind still whirling with half-formed plans and guilt-ridden thoughts. Tomorrow would bring its ownchallenges, I knew. But for now, sleep beckoned. And who was I to refuse such a tempting offer?
* * *
I blinked awake, the early morning light filtering through the curtains. For a moment, I was disoriented. Where was the drafty shack? The smell of mold? Then reality crashed back. Right. Time travel. Fancy palace. Married to the wrong man. What a delightful mess I’d made for myself.
I need to get used to being in the palace again.
With a groan, I hauled myself out of bed. “Rise and shine, Ilyana,” I muttered. “Time to go play the dutiful wife. How thrilling.”
I got ready quickly with the help of Laurel, smoothing down my gown and plastering on my best ‘I’m definitely not planning anything’ smile. As I stepped into the hallway, I nearly collided with Noah.
“Ilyana!” He blinked at me; shock written all over his face. “You’re… awake. And dressed.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Instead, I raised an eyebrow. “Your observational skills are truly astounding, dear husband. Yes, I am indeed both awake and clothed. Shocking, I know.”
I couldn’t help but be cranky in the morning. Even though I got used to waking up early, it didn’t mean I enjoyed it. Far from it actually.
Noah cleared his throat, clearly thrown off balance. “I just meant… it’s early. You’re usually…”
“Comatose until noon? Sleep until the sun begs me to wake up?” I finished for him. “Yes, well, I thought I’d try thisrevolutionary new concept called ‘being punctual.’ Quite the adventure, I assure you.”
Stop, Ilyana! Don’t ruin everything over a bit of sleep.
Noah cleared his throat again, clearly unsure how to respond to my sudden crankiness after being so polite and understanding for a whole of… one day. “Shall we… go to breakfast together, then?”
“Why, what a novel idea,” I said, linking my arm through his. “Lead on, my gallant escort.”
Okay, I give up. I can’t be nice until I had my tea.
We walked to breakfast together, attempting to make small talk that felt about as natural as a fish trying to climb a tree. But hey, at least I was trying. I nodded and smiled at appropriate times but my displeasure must have shown.
Ugh! tea! tea! tea! I need tea.
As we entered the dining room, I plastered on my most dazzling smile. “Good morning, Your Majesties,” I chirped, curtseying to King Arnald and Queen Felicia, a complete change in my behavior from earlier.
The Queen returned my smile, warmth radiating from her expression. “Good morning, Ilyana. It’s lovely to see you joining us so early.”
I preened internally. Take that, past Ilyana. Look at me, winning over the queen with my charming ways and ability to wake up before noon.
King Arnald gave me a dazzling smile which made the corner of his eyes crinkle. It really was very odd to see the King being so warm. “Ilyana. Welcome, welcome. Did you have a good night’s sleep?”
I was about to respond when that irritatingly annoying smooth voice cut through the air like a dark cloud blotting out the sun. “Won’t you greet me too? Or is it all reserved for my mother?”
My smile froze, my face paled as I turned to face Prince Anderic. How could I have forgotten about him? Oh right, because in my previous life, I’d been smart enough to avoid these early morning gatherings. For a moment, I contemplated the pros and cons of ‘accidentally’ spilling hot tea in his lap. But no, that wouldn’t do. I was supposed to be good now.
