Page 29 of Villainess's Redemption
But my self-congratulation was short-lived as I remembered the next hurdle: visiting my parents. More specifically, convincing my father.
After breakfast, I waited for the carriage to take me to my parents’ house. That’s when it hit me like a ton of bricks. Noah was supposed to be called away by Anderic right about now. But because I’d woken up early, we were ahead of schedule.
Panic gripped me. I couldn’t go to my parents’ house with Noah. We’d have to share a room, unlike the palace where we both had our separate rooms. How was I supposed to convince my father not to ruin our lives with Noah hovering around?
I watched Noah approach, my mind racing. Think, Ilyana, think! You’ve orchestrated the downfall of an entire family. Surely you can figure out how to stall for some time.
He was getting closer. No time left. In a moment of sheer desperation, I did the only thing I could think of.
My mind raced. I needed a plan, and I needed it now. I was running out of options.
I fainted.
Or rather, I attempted to faint. Gracefully. Like a delicate flower wilting in the sun. Like I had done a thousand times in the past.
In theory, it was a brilliant plan. In practice? Not so much.
What actually happened was far less elegant. As I felt myself falling, I realized two crucial things. One, Laurel and Noah were too far away to catch me. Two, the marble floor looked a lot harder from this angle.
In my haste to avoid one awkward situation, I’d miscalculated badly.
“My lady!” Laurel cried out.
“Ilyana!” Noah shouted, lunging forward.
But it was too late. I hit the ground with a very undignified thud, my head making a rather alarming sound as it connected with the floor.
As darkness crept into the edges of my vision, I had one last coherent thought:Well, Ilyana, you wanted to change the future. Congratulations. You’ve just changed it to include a concussion.
Then, everything went black.
Chapter 8
I woke up with a headache that felt like a herd of elephants had waltzed across my skull. Staring at the ornate ceiling of my chambers, I blinked away the fog of unconsciousness. The window revealed a sky as dark as my prospects. Fantastic. I’d missed my chance to convince Father, and now I was behind schedule. At this rate, I’d need another lifetime to fix the mess I’d made in my first one.
I groaned as I sat up, my brain sloshing around in my head like a barrel of ale. Laurel rushed to my side, tears streaming down her face as she fretted over my condition. How dramatic. I let her cry, partly because I was too dizzy to stop her and partly because her concern was… actually kind of nice. But as her wails crescendoed, my headache intensified. It was like having my own personal banshee.
“Laurel,” I croaked, my voice sounding like I’d gargled gravel, “what happened after I… gracefully lost consciousness?”
She sniffled and handed me a glass of water. Bless her heart. I took a sip, relishing the cool liquid as it soothed my parched throat.
“Oh, my lady,” Laurel began, her voice quavering, “it was awful! You just collapsed, and Lord Noah caught you but youhad already hit the ground. He carried you here himself and called for the doctor right away.”
How chivalrous of my dear husband. I wondered if he’d been practicing his damsel-in-distress rescue techniques. “And where is he now?”
“Lord Noah stayed by your side all day, my lady. He refused to leave even when Captain Lennox came with an urgent message from Prince Anderic.”
Well, well. Looks like my fainting spell had some unexpected turns of events. This was different from the past. Who knew losing consciousness could be such a pain?
“Prince Anderic himself came here when Lord Noah didn’t respond to his summons,” Laurel continued, her eyes wide with awe. “He was shocked to see you in such a state and apologized to Lord Noah for the interruption. They’ll meet tomorrow to discuss whatever urgent matter it was.”
I couldn’t help but smirk. Prince Anderic, shocked? I’d pay good money to see that. And it seemed I’d inadvertently bought myself more time to speak with Father again tomorrow. At least something good came out of it.
“Even the queen was worried about you, my lady,” Laurel added, gesturing to a vase overflowing with flowers. “She sent those herself.”
I eyed the arrangement skeptically. How thoughtful of Her Majesty to send a reminder of my own wilting social status. Still, it was a step in the right direction. Perhaps my little fainting act had done more than just delay the inevitable – it might have actually improved my standing with the royal family.
“And Lord Noah?” I asked, realizing I hadn’t heard his whereabouts in this flurry of information.
