Page 45 of Villainess's Redemption
I saw the flicker of emotion in his eyes at Rosalind’s name. Got him.
“Besides,” I continued, not giving him a chance to argue, “there’s so much happening here at court. The investigation, the retrial - we’re needed here, Noah. Our duty to the kingdom comes first, doesn’t it?”
He nodded slowly, looking both relieved and disappointed. I decided to seize the moment and make my escape.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” I said, already ushering him towards the door, “I really must freshen up and change. The journey was so dusty, you know how it is.”
“But-”
“We’ll talk more later, I promise,” I assured him, practically shoving him out the door. “Thank you for being so understanding, darling!”
The door clicked shut, and I leaned against it, letting out a long, weary sigh. “Well,” I muttered to the empty room, “that was fun.”
I closed my eyes, taking a moment to gather my thoughts. Between Noah’s misguided attempts at romance, the looming threat of exposure, and the tangled web of court politics, I wasbeginning to wonder if life in the fringes hadn’t been simpler after all.
Just another day in the life of Lady Ilyana D’Arcane, former villain extraordinaire and current reluctant heroine.
Chapter 12
I quickly changed into a fresh dress and told Laurel to stay behind as I headed to the palace garden to avoid Noah. The garden, while breathtakingly beautiful, rarely had visitors. Most people preferred the greenhouse over the garden, as the Queen visited the greenhouse more, and as usual, everyone flocked there in the hope of currying favors. It was quiet here. The mid-afternoon breeze was cool and refreshing.
In my past life, I discovered this place after finally realizing, on the winter solstice, that Noah would never be mine. I came here and cried my heart out. That was the only time I came here. Then tragedy struck… for me, mostly. Now, I walked along the tree line on one side of the garden, taking in fresh air and feeling peaceful.
Ah, nature. So serene. So quiet. So boring. I rolled my eyes at my own thoughts. What was I expecting? But it was nice. Boring was good. A boring life was far better than an exciting one. After a lifetime of chaos, schemes, and backstabbing a peaceful boring life was what I needed.
I was deep in my thoughts, debating how boring life was with my imaginary evil side when suddenly, a hand clamped over my mouth, and another pulled me sideways into an alcove,mostly hidden by the trees. Before I could even register what was happening, I found myself pushed against the wall of the alcove with none other than Prince Anderic leaning over me, one of his hands on the wall above my head and the other still clamped over my mouth.
My heart started to pound violently again after realizing who was standing in front of me. Prince Golderic, the golden asshat of Aetheria, loomed over me like a predator cornering its prey. He was so much taller than me that he had to lean down to reach my face level, his broad shoulders and imposing presence making me feel small and vulnerable. The spring breeze moved through his hair, golden curls dancing in the wind, teasing me with their proximity. The scent of sandalwood and leather enveloped me. This close, I could see the faint white scar on the side of his face from his temple to his jaw, a blemish that only seemed to enhance his dangerous allure.
So, the perfect prince wasn’t so perfect after all. I had never been close enough to notice that before. I fought to keep my composure, acutely aware of how our position must appear to any passersby but the reality was far different.
His eyes bore into mine as if trying to dissect a particularly interesting insect. My breath hitched in my throat, not from his otherworldly beauty, but from the clear expression on his face.
He looked like he wanted to murder someone— hopefully not me. All his charming facade was gone, leaving behind the cold, calculating prince.
Oh, Lord! Save me from this deranged prince.
My eyes frantically looked around to find someone, but there was no one. If this lunatic decided to kill me here, there would be no one to intervene. Not that anyone would believe their precious golden prince was capable of murdering someone. If he killed me, they would probably think that I tripped and fell on his sword. Multiple times. In the back.
I could feel his breath on my face as if an angry dragon wanted to devour me. At that moment, I did the only thing I could think of - I bit his hand which in hindsight probably wasn’t the best thing to do.
His eyes widened slightly, the cold cerulean blue heating up, and for a brief moment, I thought I really would die. But then his mouth quirked up on one side as he smirked. He tsked as he pulled his hand back to inspect it, and I saw that I had bitten hard enough to draw blood.
Death. Yeah, that’s exactly what was waiting for me.
“Are we biting to greet each other now?” he looked back at me, the smirk still in place as he licked the blood. His eyes taunted me.
I swallowed.See! A Completely deranged. Who in their right mind licks their own blood… like that?
“So… is it my turn to bite you?” he said, his voice low and dangerous.
My mind went blank at the huskiness of his voice. Was this how I was going to die? What a headline that would make. ‘Lady Devoured by Royal Teeth: A Tale of Garden Gore.’
I deliberately ignored his question as I asked, “What do you want?”
He took a step back. I released the breath I didn’t even know I was holding.
“No, your Highness?” His voice was calm, a bit too calm for my liking as he caressed a vine. It almost made him look harmless. Almost.
