Page 49 of Villainess's Redemption
We entered the house, and Noah called out, “Rosalind? It’s me. I’ve… brought someone to see you.”
A moment later, Rosalind appeared from an adjoining room. Her chestnut hair was pulled back in a simple braid, and she wore a plain dress—her dresses might not have been as extravagant as mine or those of other ladies, but they were still better than this. Her eyes widened when she saw me, and a mix of emotions flashing across her face: surprise, hurt, and… was that anger?
“Ilyana?” she breathed, her voice was barely above a whisper, but her eyes were two molten pools of lava.
This wasn’t going to be easy. I offered her a tentative smile. “Hello, Rosalind. It’s been a while.”
Noah cleared his throat. “I’ll leave you two to talk,” he said, glancing between us. “Ilyana, I’ll be outside, alright?”
I nodded, and he retreated, leaving Rosalind and me alone in the small sitting room.
For a moment, we just stared at each other. The air felt thick with unspoken words and shared history. I took a deep breath, preparing to navigate this conversation carefully.
“You look… well,” I said, breaking the silence. Well, that wasn’t awkward at all.
Rosalind let out a short, incredulous laugh, her voice hollow. “Do I? Do I really?”
I winced internally. Nice opening, Ilyana. Really stellar work there.
“I’m sorry,” I said, the words feeling foreign on my tongue. “That was… insensitive of me.”
I stood there, frozen, as Rosalind’s blazing eyes bore into mine. The small sitting room suddenly felt suffocating, the walls closing in around us. I’d known this conversation wouldn’t be easy, but I hadn’t expected it to be quite this hostile. Then again, what did I expect? A warm welcome and a cup of tea?
“Why are you here, Ilyana?” Rosalind shouted, her voice dripping with venom. “Have you come to gloat?”
In the past, I had come here to do exactly that. But this time I wanted to placate her anger and make her forgive me. If she gave up her revenge on me then two of her potential lovers wouldn’t be after my head. No, it was three… or was it four? She had way too many men who had fallen for her.
I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes at my own thoughts and instead softened my expression. “No,” I said, holding my hands out in a placating gesture. “I’ve come to help.”
Rosalind scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. The movement drew attention to how thin she’d become, her once-fine dress hanging loosely on her frame. “Help? You? The woman who orchestrated my family’s downfall?”
I flinched at her words. Damn, that stung more than I’d like to admit. Past-me really was a piece of work, wasn’t she?
Before I could respond, Rosalind closed the distance between us in quick, angry strides. Her face was inches from mine, her breath hot on my cheek as she hissed, “What? You think I didn’t know that it was you behind all this?”
I resisted the urge to step back. Running away wouldn’t solve anything, and I’d done enough of that in my past life. “I knowI’ve done terrible things, Rosalind,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “Things I can never fully atone for. But I’m trying to make it right.”
“Make it right?” Rosalind’s voice rose, her eyes flashing with a fury that could’ve melted steel. “My father is dead, Ilyana. My family is ruined. How can you possibly make that right?”
Wait a minute, did she not know? I took a deep breath, steeling myself. “He’s not dead. Didn’t you hear about the retrial?”
That got her attention. Her eyes widened slightly, disbelief warring with hope on her face.
“Yes, your father was probably framed and there’s going to be a retrial,” I continued, seizing the moment. “He’s in Bellrose estate now, not in prison.”
For a fleeting second, I thought I saw her eyes soften. But then the walls slammed back up, and she scoffed, “Aren’t you ashamed to spout nonsense in front of me? Framed? Of course, he was framed. By you,” she jabbed a finger at my chest, her nail digging into my skin through the fabric of my dress painfully.
I bit back a sigh. This was going about as well as trying to bathe a cat. “Wait, Rosalind,” I said, trying to keep my voice level. “I know my intentions to become friends with you weren’t purely out of the goodness of my heart. I-I had other intentions, but it wasn’t me who framed your father.”
At least, I hope it wasn’t ultimately me, the surprising development in the case making me hopeful. I just had to find a way to either catch the real culprit or expose that tidbit of information I had without implicating myself in the process.
I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn’t notice Rosalind’s hand moving until it was too late. The vase sailed through the air, and I was too slow to dodge. It connected with my forehead with a sickening crack, and pain exploded behind my eyes.
I stumbled back and for a moment my vision turned black. I thought I would faint but slowly my vision cleared and I could feel something warm on my face. When I touched my forehead, my fingers came away red with blood. Wonderful. My anger flared, looking at the blood.
No, don’t get angry Ilyana.I shook my head, trying to dispel the evil thoughts my anger had brought upon me.
The commotion must have alerted Noah because he came bursting through the door a moment later. His eyes widened as he took in the scene – me, bleeding and dazed, and Rosalind, still seething with rage.
