Page 57 of Villainess's Redemption
I snatched my hand back, willing my racing heart to calm down. “What are you playing at, Your Highness?”
His lips quirked into that infuriating half-smile. “Game? I’m merely concerned for your well-being, Lady Ilyana.”
“Oh please,” I scoffed, folding my arms across my chest. “Since when has my ‘well-being’ been of any interest to you?”
Anderic’s eyes darkened, the playfulness vanishing in an instant. “You’d be surprised,” he said, his voice low and intense.
I swallowed hard, fighting the urge to step back. The air between us crackled with tension, and I found myself struggling to breathe normally.
“Your Highness!” A voice called from below, breaking the moment. “His Majesty requests your presence immediately.”
Anderic’s jaw tightened, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face before his usual mask of calm slipped back into place. He nodded to the messenger before turning back to me.
“We’ll speak later, lya,” he said, his voice pitched low enough that only I could hear.
With that, he turned and strode away, leaving me feeling off-balance and more confused than ever. I watched his retreating form, noting how the muscles in his back rippled with each movement.Get a grip, Ilyana.
I turned to Laurel, who was watching me with a mix of amusement and curiosity. “Not. A. Word,” I hissed.
Laurel, thankfully didn’t say anything and we walked in silence for a few moments. The silence between us was awkward enough. I sighed, deciding it was time to address the elephant in the room.
“Laurel,” I began, keeping my voice low, “I’m sorry about leaving you behind that day. Can you let go of it already? It’s been a week of this cold shoulder treatment.”
Laurel’s lips tightened, but she didn’t respond. I rolled my eyes.
“Look, I know I messed up. I was in a hurry and not thinking straight. But I’ve let you be for a week and apologized now, haven’t I? What more do you want from me?”
She finally turned to face me, her eyes blazing. “What I want, my lady, is for you to treat me like a human with emotions. Do you know how worried I was when I didn’t hear from either you or Lord Noah? And then you walked in with a huge wound and bleeding. I know you may not see me as a friend but growing up all I had was you, even when you didn’t like me, I always considered you and the D’Arcanes as… family.”
I flinched at her words. “I… I’m sorry. I never thought of it like that. And I do consider you a part of my family and… also a friend. In fact you’re the only true friend I have at this point.”
Laurel studied my face for a moment, then nodded. “Very well, Ilyana. I accept your apology.”
Relief washed over me, hearing her call my name again, but it was short-lived as I remembered our earlier encounter with Prince Anderic. I fixed Laurel with a deadpan stare. “Now that we’ve sorted that out, did you really have to throw me to that lion earlier?”
Laurel had the grace to look slightly flustered, but she quickly recovered. “Well, I didn’t lie.”
I sighed. “What do you think of him?”
“Prince Anderic?” When I nodded, she continued, “He looks like he really cares about you, Ilyana.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that inappropriate?”
Laurel shrugged. “Since Lord Noah doesn’t seem to care much and is salivating for that girl, I don’t see any harm.”
Her words were tinged with a hint of anger and offense. It seemed everyone had noticed my predicament. Not that I could admit this was exactly what I wanted. I remained quiet, lost in thought as we walked.
“Ilyana,” Laurel’s voice broke through my reverie, “may I speak freely?”
“You already call me by my name, do you really think you need permission?” But I nodded anyway, curious about what she had to say.
“I think… I think you deserve better than Lord Noah. The way he looks at Lady Rosalind, it’s not right. And the Prince… well, he might be dangerous, but at least he sees you.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I’d been so focused on my plans, on changing the future, that I hadn’t allowed myself to really feel this… whatever that was going on with Anderic.
I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. “It’s complicated, Laurel. More than you know.”
She looked at me with curiosity. “How so?”
