the Villainess they took for granted

Chapter 33: Chapter 33: A Dangerous Thought

The ride back to the hunting lodge was quieter than the ride to the lake.

Not awkward.

Just quiet.

The sort of quiet that came after too much had been said.

Or perhaps not enough.

Marian rode beside Cassian through the forest trail.

Sunlight filtered through golden leaves overhead.

The afternoon air carried the scent of pine and earth.

Beautiful.

She finally noticed.

Only a little.

For most of the ride, neither spoke.

Strangely, the silence did not feel uncomfortable.

That realization was deeply concerning.

Marian had spent years in rooms with Cassian Ashford.

Balls.

Banquets.

Court functions.

Political gatherings.

She had never once imagined herself spending an entire afternoon alone with him.

And yet somehow—

she had.

The realization made her glance sideways.

Cassian was watching the trail ahead.

One hand resting loosely on the reins.

Completely unaware of her attention.

Or pretending to be.

With him, either seemed possible.

Marian quickly looked away.

Because she had no business studying the shape of his profile.

Absolutely none.

Clearly her judgment had suffered permanent damage.

A tragic consequence of emotional distress.

For several moments she stared determinedly ahead.

Then remembered him getting hit by leaves.

And smiled.

The smile vanished immediately.

Because she realized she was smiling.

Wonderful.

Just wonderful.

The rest of the journey passed in relative peace.

When the hunting lodge finally appeared through the trees, Marian felt something unexpected.

Disappointment.

The realization was horrifying.

Fortunately, she was able to blame it on exhaustion.

A very versatile explanation.

At the stables, servants hurried forward to take their horses.

Neither Marian nor Cassian said much.

The conversation by the lake seemed oddly distant now.

As though it had happened to different people.

"Good evening, Lady Marian."

"Good evening, Your Grace."

A pause.

Then:

"Try not to start any disasters."

Marian looked scandalized.

"I have no idea what you mean."

Cassian gave her a look.

The sort of look one gave particularly unconvincing children.

Then he walked away.

The infuriating man.

Marian watched him disappear into the lodge.

Then immediately became annoyed with herself for watching.

The evening passed slowly.

Dinner.

Conversation.

Polite smiles.

Everything felt normal.

Which somehow made it worse.

Adrian wasn’t there.

Not physically.

He was.

Somewhere across the room.

Speaking with advisors.

Listening to reports.

Performing the endless duties of a Crown Prince.

Yet he might as well have been miles away.

For the first time in eighteen years, Marian did not seek him out.

And Adrian did not seek her out either.

The realization settled heavily in her chest.

That night she lay awake staring at the ceiling.

Sleep refused to cooperate.

Again.

A recurring theme lately.

The conversation beside the stream returned.

Then the conversation by the lake.

Then Adrian.

Always Adrian.

Choose me.

The words echoed through her mind.

And his answer.

Maybe we need time.

Marian closed her eyes.

Anger stirred immediately.

Not grief.

Not heartbreak.

Anger.

Why was she the one hurting?

Why was she the one waiting?

Why was she the one expected to understand?

Months.

She had spent months understanding.

Months being patient.

Months making excuses for him.

And where had that gotten her?

The answer was obvious.

Nowhere.

A dangerous thought appeared.

Small.

Sharp.

Persistent.

Let him wonder.

Marian’s eyes opened.

The thought remained.

Let him wonder where I am.

Let him wonder what I’m doing.

Let him wonder why I’m not waiting.

The idea settled into place.

Slowly.

Comfortably.

Like a key finding the correct lock.

For the first time all day, satisfaction flickered through her.

Tiny.

Petty.

Wonderful.

Maybe Cassian was right.

Maybe Adrian was taking her for granted.

Maybe he had simply become too accustomed to her always being there.

Always understanding.

Always waiting.

Always choosing him.

Then perhaps it was time he learned otherwise.

The thought should have horrified her.

Instead it made perfect sense.

And then another thought appeared.

A much more dangerous one.

If she wanted Adrian to notice—

Who would make him notice?

Silence filled the room.

Marian stared at the ceiling.

Because unfortunately—

ridiculously—

there was only one answer.

Dark eyes.

A crooked smile.

An infuriating talent for being correct.

Cassian Ashford.

The realization was so absurd that Marian actually laughed.

Once.

Briefly.

Then she covered her face with both hands.

"Oh, that’s a terrible idea."

The worst part?

She wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to dismiss it.

--

The next morning, Marian woke up determined not to think about Adrian.

It was a spectacular failure.

By breakfast she had already thought about him seventeen times.

Possibly eighteen.

She stopped counting after the seventh.

The dining room was already busy when she arrived.

Nobles gathered around the tables.

Servants moved quietly between them.

Conversations drifted through the room.

Normal.

Everything felt perfectly normal.

Marian hated it.

Her eyes found Adrian immediately.

A habit.

An unfortunate one.

The Crown Prince sat near the windows.

Reviewing documents while eating breakfast.

Working.

Always working.

For one ridiculous moment, Marian waited.

For what, she wasn’t entirely sure.

A glance.

A hesitation.

Something.

Anything.

After all, two days ago they had nearly torn their engagement apart.

Yesterday she had spent hours crying beside a lake.

Surely something should be different.

Surely someone should feel different.

Adrian turned a page.

Spoke briefly with an aide.

Accepted another document.

Completely normal.

Marian stared.

Then felt irrationally angry.

Of course he was normal.

Why wouldn’t he be?

He was the one who had asked for distance.

The one who had decided they needed time.

Meanwhile she hadn’t slept properly in days.

Wonderful.

Just wonderful.

The realization followed her throughout breakfast.

Every glance in Adrian’s direction made it worse.

Not because he was ignoring her.

That would’ve been easier.

No.

He was behaving exactly as he always did.

And somehow that felt worse.

As though their fight had only mattered to one of them.

The thought was unfair.

Marian knew it.

That did not stop her from thinking it.

By the time breakfast ended, she was in an absolutely terrible mood.

Which was unfortunate.

Because that was when she saw Cassian.

Across the room.

And immediately remembered the lake.

The conversation.

The leaves.

The infuriatingly accurate observations.

The realization annoyed her.

Then she noticed something else.

Cassian was very deliberately not looking at her.

Marian frowned.

Interesting.

Yesterday they had spent hours talking.

Today?

Nothing.

Not even a glance.

Polite.

Formal.

Distant.

The realization irritated her far more than it should have.

She told herself that was because he was being strange.

Unfortunately, she did not entirely believe herself.

The rest of the morning passed quickly.

Marian attempted to occupy herself.

Failed.

Repeatedly.

Eventually she found herself walking through one of the lodge’s side corridors.

And there he was.

Cassian.

Alone.

Marian stopped.

Cassian noticed her immediately.

A brief look crossed his face.

Something suspiciously similar to resignation.

Then it vanished.

"Lady Marian."

The formal greeting annoyed her instantly.

"Your Grace."

Silence.

A very polite silence.

A very irritating silence.

Finally Marian folded her arms.

"You seem determined to avoid me."

One dark eyebrow lifted.

"I assure you, I have no such intention."

Liar.

Not a particularly convincing one either.

Marian narrowed her eyes.

"You’re a terrible liar."

To his credit, Cassian actually looked offended.

"I am an excellent liar."

"That confidence suggests otherwise."

The corner of his mouth twitched.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

For a moment neither spoke.

Then Cassian sighed.

Slowly.

The sigh of a man who sensed trouble approaching.

Reasonable.

Trouble had arrived.

Marian hesitated.

Only briefly.

Then:

"What if you’re wrong?"

Cassian closed his eyes.

Immediately.

As though physically pained.

And Marian knew.

He knew exactly what she meant.

Which meant he had been thinking about it too.

The realization was unexpectedly satisfying.

When he opened his eyes again, he looked tired.

"About which terrible idea?"

Marian smiled.

A small smile.

Dangerous.

The sort of smile that made sensible men nervous.

The sort of smile that made Cassian look toward the nearest exit.

Neither reaction was accidental.

And for the first time since the fight—

for the first time since Adrian asked for distance—

Marian felt something other than grief.

Curiosity.

And perhaps something even more dangerous.

Possibility.

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