Page 82 of Villainess's Redemption
No. Absolutely not.
Relief washed over me as I took in the familiar surroundings of my bedchamber. Just a dream. Nothing more than the product of too much wine and an overactive imagination.
“Oh thank the gods, it was just a nightmare,” I muttered, pressing my palms against my temples.
“My lady?” Laurel’s concerned voice broke through my disoriented thoughts. “Are you alright?”
I squinted at her, wincing as sunlight stabbed at my eyes. “I’m fine,” I croaked, my throat as dry as the southern deserts. “Just a nightmare.”
Laurel pressed a cool glass into my hands. “Lemon water,” she explained. “For your headache.”
I gulped it down gratefully, the tart liquid soothing my parched mouth. “Thank you,” I murmured, already feeling marginally more human.
A sly smile crept across Laurel’s face. “Was your nightmare about Prince Anderic, by any chance?”
I stared at her, my blood running cold. “How did you—”
“Well, considering he’s the one who carried you back to your room last night…” Laurel trailed off, her eyes dancing with barely suppressed mirth.
The glass slipped from my fingers, clattering to the floor. Laurel’s words hit me like a bucket of ice water, shocking me into full alertness. Memories came flooding back—stumbling through the palace corridors, bursting into Anderic’s chambers, and then…
“Oh gods,” I groaned, burying my face in my hands. “It wasn’t a nightmare. I’ve done something irreversible.”
Laurel patted my shoulder, her voice thick with amusement. “If by ‘irreversible’ you mean that kiss—”
My head snapped up. “How do you know about that?!”
“You talked about it all night in your sleep,” Laurel said, not even trying to hide her grin now. “Quite enthusiastically, I might add.”
I let out a strangled groan. “Whatexactlydid I say?”
“Something about his chest being unfairly hard?” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “And his hair being ‘annoyingly perfect’? Oh, and let’s not forget the part about his eyes being ‘like the ocean during a storm.’”
“Kill me now,” I flopped back onto the bed, wishing the mattress would swallow me whole. “This can’t be happening,” I moaned. “I kissed Prince Anderic.IkissedPrince Anderic. It wasn’t even him but me.Me!”
“From what I gathered from his mannerisms, he probably kissed you back,” Laurel offered helpfully.
I glared at her through my fingers. “Not. Helping.”
Laurel shrugged, still smiling. “Just trying to look on the bright side, my lady.”
“I’m never leaving this room again,” I declared, pulling the covers over my head. “I’ll become a hermit, write poetry about my shame—maybe even take up needlework.”
“You hate needlework.”
“Exactly! It will be part of my penance.”
Laurel’s light laughter filled the room. “And what shall I tell the prince when he comes asking for you?”
I peeked out from under the blanket. “He wouldn’t…”
“Oh?” Laurel raised an eyebrow. “Shall we wager on that?”
Would he?The memory of his lips on mine, the taste of spiced rum, the way his fingers had tangled in my hair…
Oh gods, what have I done?
I sat up again, my mind racing. “Right. It’s fine. Everything’s fine. I just need to avoid him for the rest of my life. Simple,” I nodded, more to convince myself than Laurel. “I’ll stay in my room today. Maybe forever. You can bring me food, right?”
