the Villainess they took for granted

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Coincidence

Marian spent the next ten minutes being annoyed.

Primarily with herself.

The rest of the garden was innocent.

Mostly.

Cassian, unfortunately, was not.

The man had been pulled away by another guest.

A perfectly normal occurrence.

A completely reasonable occurrence.

An occurrence that should not have affected her in the slightest.

Yet somehow the conversation’s abrupt ending lingered.

Like a book interrupted halfway through a Chapter.

The comparison irritated her immediately.

Because she did not spend her afternoons eagerly awaiting conversations with Cassian Ashford.

Certainly not.

The fact that she had already replayed three separate parts of that conversation in her head was entirely irrelevant.

Marian walked toward one of the refreshment tables.

Determined to occupy herself.

It did not work.

Nothing had worked properly lately.

A servant offered her lemonade.

She accepted.

Another guest attempted conversation.

She tried.

Genuinely tried.

Unfortunately her attention drifted.

Again.

Across the gardens.

Toward the archery field.

Toward Adrian.

The sight hit harder than expected.

Not because he was looking at Elena.

That would’ve been simpler.

No.

He was laughing.

Not loudly.

Not dramatically.

Just enough.

The kind of easy smile she used to see all the time.

Years ago.

Before everything became complicated.

Marian stood very still.

Because suddenly a terrible realization struck her.

She couldn’t remember the last time Adrian had looked relaxed around her.

The thought settled heavily inside her.

And once it arrived, it refused to leave.

When had that happened?

When had they become so careful around each other?

So measured?

So afraid of saying the wrong thing?

There had been a time when conversation came easily.

A time when she could tell Adrian anything.

A time when she knew exactly what he was thinking.

Now?

Now they seemed to spend most conversations misunderstanding each other.

The realization hurt.

More than she wanted to admit.

Across the field, Elena said something.

Adrian smiled again.

Marian looked away first.

Immediately.

Because that particular line of thought was heading somewhere dangerous.

And she already had enough dangerous thoughts.

The afternoon activities resumed shortly afterward.

Several guests organized informal teams.

Some chose archery.

Others selected riding trails.

A few wandered toward the lakeside paths.

The gathering gradually separated into smaller groups.

Marian listened with half an ear.

Then someone mentioned a woodland walk.

A scenic route through the eastern gardens.

Light conversation.

Refreshments.

No horses.

Much better.

Marian had spent enough time around horses recently to last a lifetime.

Names were exchanged.

Groups formed.

Without thinking, Marian glanced across the gathering.

Cassian.

The realization came instantly.

Followed by another.

He was joining that group.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Marian looked away.

Then immediately hated herself for finding the information useful.

A terrible sign.

A truly terrible sign.

Several ladies invited her to join them elsewhere.

A perfectly pleasant group.

A perfectly sensible choice.

Marian almost accepted.

Almost.

Then she looked toward Adrian.

The Crown Prince was already occupied.

Speaking with several nobles.

Listening to another report.

Busy.

Always busy.

The familiar frustration returned.

And suddenly—

Very suddenly—

Marian made a decision.

A tiny one.

An insignificant one.

A completely innocent one.

Which should have worried her more than it did.

"I think I’ll join the woodland walk."

The words escaped before she could reconsider.

Several guests smiled.

Plans were adjusted.

The group began moving.

And before Marian could think too carefully about it—

She found herself walking beside Cassian.

Again.

The man looked upward.

Briefly.

As though appealing to divine intervention.

The gods remained silent.

Reasonable.

They were probably enjoying this.

"You."

Marian looked offended.

"What about me?"

Cassian gestured vaguely between them.

"This."

A pause.

Then:

"Is becoming suspicious."

The audacity.

Marian stared.

Then blinked.

Slowly.

"You think very highly of yourself."

"I think exactly the correct amount."

The answer arrived far too quickly.

Marian laughed.

Against her will.

Again.

The man was impossible.

The woodland path wound through tall trees.

Autumn sunlight filtered through the branches overhead.

Guests spread naturally along the trail.

Some moved ahead.

Some lingered behind.

Conversations rose and fell around them.

For a while, things felt strangely normal.

Easy.

Dangerously easy.

Cassian pointed toward a distant ridge.

A story followed.

Some disaster involving a horse.

A fence.

And apparently a duke.

Marian laughed so hard she nearly missed the ending.

Which only encouraged him.

The infuriating man.

Minutes passed.

Then more.

And slowly, Marian became aware of something.

She wasn’t thinking about Adrian.

The realization stopped her cold.

Not physically.

Mentally.

Because Adrian had occupied her thoughts for weeks.

Months.

Perhaps longer.

Yet for the last half hour—

Nothing.

No anger.

No hurt.

No jealousy.

Nothing.

Only conversation.

Only laughter.

Only—

Marian immediately shut down that thought.

Absolutely not.

No.

Across the path, one of the guests called Cassian’s name.

The conversation broke apart.

The moment dissolved.

And suddenly Adrian returned to her thoughts.

The contrast was immediate.

Painful.

Unavoidable.

Cassian noticed.

Of course he did.

The infuriating man noticed everything.

For several moments he said nothing.

Then his gaze drifted across the gathering.

Toward the distant gardens.

Toward where Adrian remained.

The Crown Prince was exactly where he’d been before.

Speaking with nobles.

Reviewing plans.

Managing responsibilities.

Perfectly reasonable.

Perfectly understandable.

Cassian looked away.

Thoughtful.

Quiet.

Not judging.

Not condemning.

Simply seeing.

And perhaps, for the first time, understanding why Marian was so angry.

The realization unsettled him more than he wanted to admit.

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