Page 34 of Villainess's Redemption
Well, this is going swimmingly.
He deflated slightly, crossing his arm. “I can’t.”
“But Father—”
“Give me a reason. Why?” he demanded, cutting me off.
I paused, my mind racing to find some reasonable excuse to convince him. I couldn’t exactly tell him about my time-traveling from the future or my newfound moral compass. And expecting a man who hadn’t faced death yet to become a better person overnight was a stretch, even for me. No, I had to find something else. What did he love more than his family? His position? His power?
Think, Ilyana, think!
My mouth went dry as I blurted out, “It’s to save our lives.”
That got his attention as he straightened in his chair. “Explain,” he commanded, leaning forward.
I swallowed hard, choosing my words carefully. “If we get caught, you’ll be executed, and the rest of the family will be exiled.”
Not a lie, but not the whole truth either. I held my breath, watching the emotions play across his face: disbelief, curiosity, and finally, a little bit of fear. But then the arrogance returned once again.
Father laughed, the patronizing kind. “You’re worrying for nothing, daughter. No one will suspect anything.”
“Not true, Father. In fact, someone already has.”
Father’s eyes narrowed as he leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled under his chin. The study suddenly felt suffocating, the walls closing in around us. I resisted the urge to tug at my collar. Honestly, Father needed to invest in better ventilation. Or was that just my nerves making me sweat?
“Given the exceptional work of Magnus, who would benefit most from his downfall?” I asked, my voice steady despite the rapid beating of my heart. “Especially given his clean, impressive track record. Whose position would have been threatened?”
With each question, Father’s face darkened like storm clouds gathering on the horizon. I half expected thunder to start rumbling from his throat.
“Think about it, Father. A hardworking officer with a clean, upstanding career gets promoted and returns to the capital. There, he works exceptionally well, rises in rank quickly, and suddenly gets accused of embezzlement by another officer who has been working in the Ministry of Revenue far longer and is known to be very close to… you.”
“What do you know?” he finally growled, his knuckles white as he gripped the arms of his chair.
Oh, nothing much. Just that I’ve lived through this nightmare once before and I’m trying to save our sorry hidesfrom the executioner’s block. But I couldn’t exactly lead with that, could I?
I took a deep breath, steeling myself. “Since I’m now in the palace, I’ve… sneaked around a bit,” I paused, watching his reaction. Not exactly a lie, I didn’t need to sneak around to know but I did end up sneaking. Who cares for the truth? “And I’ve learned that the prince and Noah are suspicious of this case. They’re investigating.”
Father’s eyes widened a fraction before narrowing dangerously. “How do you know this?” he asked, his voice low and threatening.
Umm, didn’t I just say I sneaked around? Since when did father have short-term memory loss?
I forced a bitter laugh. “Come now, Father. You didn’t raise a fool. I’ve seen how the court works, and how quickly fortunes can turn. We’re playing a dangerous game, and if we’re not careful, we’ll end up as the pawns instead of the players,” I leaned forward, dropping my voice to match his conspiratorial tone. “I have my ways, Father. Just as you have yours.”
Father scoffed, waving a dismissive hand as if I had spoken of an impossibility. “My plans are meticulous. No one would suspect a thing.”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Oh yes, because framing an honest man for embezzlement is the height of subtlety. Bravo, Father. Truly inspired work.”
His face flushed an ugly shade of puce. “Watch your tone, young lady. I won’t be spoken to like that in my own study.”
I bit back a retort. Now wasn’t the time for my newly discovered moral compass to make an appearance. I needed to tread carefully.
“I apologize, Father,” I said, forcing my voice to sound contrite. “I’m just worried. If the prince is investigating, it’s only a matter of time before they uncover the truth.”
The prince has already started, unfortunately.
Father’s jaw clenched, a vein throbbing at his temple. Of course, he knew. Most people in the court might fall for the golden prince persona but my father and a few of the high-level officials knew how dangerous the prince was. They had to, someone of their position would have to know such things to hold onto their power. “They have no proof. It’s all circumstantial.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Are you willing to bet your life on that? Our family’s future?”
