Page 67 of Villainess's Redemption
As we came to an abrupt halt, I found my voice. “What do you think you’re doing?” I demanded, but my words were cut short as Anderic leaned in close, his face mere inches from mine.
“How did you know about the shipwreck before it happened?” he asked, his voice low and harsh.
Ah, there it was. The reason for this drama. He suspected I had something to do with it. It didn’t even surprise me at this point, but why did my heart clench so painfully at his accusation?
I schooled my features into a mask of innocence. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, knowing full well I couldn’t tell him I knew it from my previous life. Better to pretend not to know anything.
His eyes narrowed. “Then why did you have that store owner buy all the raw silk from the market? It’s as if you knew exactly what was about to happen. And precisely the ships I was investigating. How very convenient.”
Damn it. He knew about Annalise and had her followed too. I didn’t know this shipwreck was suspicious or that he was investigating it. In my past life, everyone had known about the accident, but there had been no whispers of foul play. I felt sweat beading on my forehead despite the cool breeze.
What should I do? Deny everything? No, that would only make me look more guilty. Perhaps a partial truth…
“Yes, I did,” I admitted, lifting my chin defiantly. “So what?”
Anderic leaned in even closer, his breath warm on my face. “So you’re agreeing that you knew.”
A strange warmth spread through my stomach. Was that the poison finally taking effect? It had to be. There was no other explanation for the way my skin tingled where his breath touched it.
“Why are you so quick to accuse me whenever there’s something wrong? Why do I always get looked on with suspicion? Why do you do this to me always? Why do some people have everything without even asking for it while someone like me can never get a shred of respect even after trying so much? If you want me to become a villain so badly, then fine I’ll become one. And what if I did know?” I challenged, my voicebreaking at the end and barely above a whisper. I was breathing heavily. “What would you do to me, Your Highness?”
His eyes, those damnable pools of blue that seemed to see right through me, searched my face. For what, I couldn’t say. Guilt? Fear? The truth?
“I’m not accusing you of anything… yet. I’m still investigating,” he said, his voice low but holding a hint of warmth after my outburst. “But I will find out soon enough, Ilyana. Make no mistake about that. If you’re not guilty, there’s nothing to fear. I’ll ask you directly, Are you involved?”
As I opened my mouth to reply, a wave of dizziness washed over me. The warmth in my stomach turned to a searing heat. Oh god, was this it? Was the poison finally taking hold?
I had to finish this quickly and go back to the greenhouse.
I swallowed hard, fighting the urge to step back as dizziness washed over me. “No, I have no idea what you are talking about. But yes, I asked Annalise to buy all the raw silk because I knew something would happen soon.”
Anderic’s eyes narrowed, his piercing gaze looking for any signs of a lie. “Explain.”
He leaned back against the alcove wall, giving me some space to breathe. The rough stone scraped against my back as I mirrored his posture, buying time to think. My head was spinning, whether from the poison or the interrogation, I couldn’t be sure.
I closed my eyes, trying to gather my thoughts through the haze of dizziness. I took a shaky breath, weighing my options, and considered what I could safely reveal. The cool stone of the alcove pressed against my back, grounding me as I struggled to focus. The truth was out of the question - he’d think me mad if I mentioned time travel. An idea struck me through the haze.
“It’s common sense, actually,” I said, forcing my voice to remain steady despite how breathless I was feeling. “They’vebeen over-harvesting in the east. Combined with less rainfall and dry weather, a fire was bound to happen. If you look at the pattern, it occurred three years ago too when they made the same mistakes.”
Anderic’s brow furrowed, but I pressed on before he could interject.
“I’ve been reading all the news coming from the east. If you look closely, the hints were there all along,” I fixed him with what I hoped was a haughty stare. “I may not look it, but I do read, you know.”
A ghost of a smile played at the corners of his mouth. “I never doubted your intelligence, Ilyana. Only your motives.”
“My motives?” I scoffed, ignoring the way my stomach lurched. “And what nefarious plot could I possibly be hatching by creating a silk shortage?”
“That remains to be seen,” he murmured, leaning closer. His scent - sandalwood and something distinctlyhim- enveloped me. “Though I must admit, your explanation is… plausible.”
I raised an eyebrow, fighting to keep my expression neutral as another wave of dizziness hit. “High praise indeed, Your Highness. Shall I swoon now, or would you prefer I wait until we have an audience?”
Anderic’s laugh was low and rich, sending an entirely different kind of heat through my body. “Your wit never fails to entertain, my lady.” Anderic’s brow furrowed again. “But the shipwreck?”
I opened my mouth to reply, but the words caught in my throat as my vision swam. The greenhouse. I needed to get back before -
I shook my head, immediately regretting the movement as a wave of dizziness crashed over me. My hand flew out to steady myself against the wall as I fought to catch my breath.
“Are you alright?” Anderic asked, concern flashing across his face as he took a step towards me. “You’ve gone quite pale.”
