the Villainess they took for granted

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: a Terrible Idea

"You know," Cassian said eventually, "this conversation is heading somewhere terrible."

Marian sat beneath the tree.

The lake shimmered quietly before them.

The tears had stopped.

The heartbreak had not.

"I know."

Cassian looked alarmed by how easily she admitted it.

Reasonable.

Marian was slightly alarmed too.

Only slightly.

The silence stretched between them.

Comfortable now.

Or perhaps merely inevitable.

A dangerous development either way.

For several minutes neither spoke.

Then Marian sighed.

"Do you know what’s truly unfair?"

Cassian immediately looked exhausted.

An impressive feat considering she had only spoken six words.

"No."

"You sound very certain."

"I know that tone."

Marian felt mildly offended.

"What tone?"

"The one that comes before bad decisions."

The audacity.

She picked up a leaf and threw it at him.

The leaf drifted harmlessly to the ground.

Cassian looked unimpressed.

Marian felt cheated.

"Anyway."

Cassian sighed.

"Anyway."

Marian folded her arms.

"I’ve spent months being understanding."

Cassian said nothing.

Because she was right.

Months.

Months of patience.

Months of excuses.

Months of convincing herself she was imagining things.

Months of waiting.

The realization made her angry all over again.

"Everyone expects me to be understanding."

Again, Cassian remained silent.

Because she was right about that too.

Lady Marian Valmont.

Future Empress.

Kind.

Graceful.

Reasonable.

Understanding.

Always understanding.

Never angry.

Never selfish.

Never difficult.

Marian was becoming increasingly tired of that version of herself.

"I’m tired of being understanding."

The admission escaped before she could stop it.

The words hung between them.

Heavy.

Honest.

Cassian studied her for a moment.

Then:

"That isn’t usually when people make their best decisions."

Marian glared.

"You’re being very annoying."

"I’ve been told that before."

The infuriating man.

She looked back toward the lake.

The water remained peaceful.

Marian resented it.

For a while neither spoke.

Then a thought appeared.

Small.

Terrible.

Persistent.

"What if I stopped chasing him?"

Cassian blinked.

Then nodded.

"Good."

Marian frowned.

"What?"

"That sounds healthy."

She stared.

Then narrowed her eyes.

"That’s not the idea."

Cassian immediately looked concerned.

A wise choice.

"I was afraid of that."

Marian ignored him.

"What if I stopped waiting for him?"

Cassian considered it.

"Also healthy."

The audacity.

She threw another leaf.

This one hit his shoulder.

A minor victory.

Cassian brushed it away.

Unmoved.

"You’re impossible."

"I’ve heard that too."

Marian hated how easy it was to talk to him.

The realization was deeply inconvenient.

For a brief moment her gaze drifted toward him.

The afternoon sunlight caught in his dark hair.

His riding jacket had been abandoned sometime during their conversation.

The sleeves of his shirt rolled to his forearms.

Marian immediately looked away.

Because she had absolutely no business noticing that.

None whatsoever.

The fact that she noticed anyway felt like a personal betrayal.

Fortunately, Cassian appeared unaware.

Unfortunately, Marian was not.

She cleared her throat.

"What if I spent my time elsewhere?"

The words came casually.

Too casually.

Silence.

Complete silence.

The kind of silence that arrives when two people understand exactly what has not been said.

Cassian stared at the lake.

Marian stared at the lake.

Neither looked at the other.

Neither needed to.

Finally:

"Absolutely not."

The answer came so quickly that Marian almost laughed.

"I haven’t even finished."

"I don’t need you to."

She turned toward him.

Offended.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

Cassian finally looked at her.

The look in his eyes was equal parts disbelief and resignation.

"You are contemplating something catastrophic."

"That’s dramatic."

"That’s accurate."

Marian tried very hard not to smile.

Failed.

Slightly.

"Why?"

The question slipped out before she could stop it.

Cassian froze.

Just for a moment.

Because he could not answer honestly.

Not completely.

Not:

Because you’re vulnerable.

Not:

Because Adrian is my cousin.

Not:

Because this is already more dangerous than you realize.

Instead he settled for:

"Because Adrian would murder me."

The answer startled a laugh out of her.

A real laugh.

The first truly real one all afternoon.

Cassian visibly relaxed.

Only slightly.

Enough that Marian noticed.

The realization warmed something inside her.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

"At least he’d finally notice."

The words escaped before she could stop them.

Silence.

The laughter vanished.

Immediately.

Because she had meant it as a joke.

Mostly.

Mostly.

Cassian stared at her.

Long enough that Marian wished she could take the words back.

Not because they weren’t true.

Because they were.

Far too true.

The afternoon breeze stirred the trees around them.

Somewhere across the lake, a bird took flight.

Neither spoke.

At last Cassian exhaled.

Slowly.

As though accepting something unfortunate.

"That’s what worries me."

Marian looked away.

Because for the first time since the fight—

for the first time since Adrian asked for distance—

she realized she wasn’t only hurt anymore.

She was angry.

And anger, unlike heartbreak, came with ideas.

Terrible ideas.

The worst part?

A small, stubborn part of her wanted to see one through.

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