the Villainess they took for granted

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Habits

Marian discovered something deeply alarming.

She had spent an entire week being disappointed.

The realization arrived on a Thursday afternoon.

And somehow that made it worse.

Because Thursday was a perfectly innocent day.

A day that had done absolutely nothing wrong.

Yet here she was.

Disappointed.

Again.

Wonderful.

Absolutely wonderful.

Marian turned a page in the book resting on her lap.

Then immediately realized she had not absorbed a single word.

Not one.

The book might as well have been written in another language.

Because her thoughts refused to cooperate.

The problem was embarrassingly simple.

She had not seen Cassian all week.

Seven days.

Not an eternity.

Not even unusual.

People had responsibilities.

Schedules.

Lives.

Cassian, unfortunately, possessed all three.

Which should have been entirely reasonable.

Instead Marian found herself noticing.

Constantly.

The riding grounds.

No Cassian.

A luncheon hosted by a countess.

No Cassian.

A walk through the south gardens.

Still no Cassian.

A charity committee meeting.

No Cassian again.

The situation was becoming ridiculous.

Because she wasn’t looking for him.

Obviously.

The fact that she kept noticing when he wasn’t present was completely unrelated.

Entirely unrelated.

Marian had informed herself of this repeatedly.

The information remained unconvinced.

The worst part was that she kept expecting to see him.

A familiar laugh.

A teasing comment.

A ridiculous smile.

Then nothing.

And every single time, disappointment followed.

The realization horrified her.

Because when exactly had that happened?

When had seeing Cassian become something she anticipated?

Not enjoyed.

Expected.

There was a difference.

A dangerous difference.

The thought followed her all week.

Until eventually she found herself in the palace library.

Not because she was looking for Cassian.

Obviously.

That would be absurd.

The fact that she drifted toward the western reading rooms was merely coincidence.

A complete coincidence.

The western reading rooms happened to be quiet.

Comfortable.

Convenient.

The fact that Cassian occasionally spent time there had absolutely nothing to do with her decision.

Nothing whatsoever.

Marian entered the room.

Looked around.

No Cassian.

Disappointment arrived immediately.

Again.

Wonderful.

Her dignity was truly dead.

With a sigh, Marian continued deeper into the library.

Perhaps he was elsewhere.

Not that she cared.

Naturally.

She passed between rows of shelves.

Looked down one aisle.

Then another.

Then another.

No Cassian.

At this point Marian became annoyed.

At herself.

At Cassian.

At fate.

At the entire Empire.

What exactly was she doing?

This was absurd.

She was a duke’s daughter.

A future Crown Princess.

A grown woman.

Not some lovestruck girl wandering through a library.

The realization should have sent her home.

Instead she checked one more aisle.

Then another.

Which only made everything worse.

Because now she had evidence.

She was absolutely looking for him.

The horror was complete.

--

Across the room, entirely unaware of Marian’s crisis, Cassian Ashford was reading.

Or attempting to.

Which was more than could be said for the rest of his week.

Cassian had spent the past seven days discovering several deeply unpleasant truths.

The first was that he noticed Marian’s absence.

Frequently.

The second was that he disliked noticing it.

And the third was that noticing it did absolutely nothing to stop him.

The situation was deeply unfair.

Earlier in the week he had visited the south gardens.

Entirely by accident.

Only to learn later that Marian had been there that morning.

Then a reception.

She had left an hour before he arrived.

A luncheon.

She had attended the previous day.

Apparently the universe found this amusing.

Cassian did not.

The library, however, was different.

The library was safe.

Unlike receptions and gardens, he actually belonged here.

Despite his reputation, Cassian spent a surprising amount of time reading.

Ducal responsibilities required it.

Trade agreements.

Economic reports.

Military updates.

The sort of things nobody considered exciting.

Except unfortunately him.

Which was why he had finally relaxed upon entering the western reading rooms.

No expectations.

No distractions.

No thoughts about a certain blonde-haired woman.

The illusion lasted approximately twenty minutes.

Movement caught his attention.

Cassian looked up.

Then froze.

Because a familiar blonde head appeared between the shelves.

Marian.

For one brief moment, relief hit him with embarrassing force.

There she was.

Finally.

The realization was deeply alarming.

More alarming still was what happened next.

Marian didn’t see him.

Instead she continued walking.

Looking around.

One aisle.

Then another.

Then another.

Cassian watched.

Curious.

Because she wasn’t browsing.

She was searching.

The distinction was important.

A dangerous thought immediately appeared.

Could she be—

No.

Absolutely not.

Don’t be ridiculous.

Yet somehow the possibility remained.

Then Marian sighed.

Turned.

Clearly preparing to leave.

And suddenly Cassian didn’t want that.

So he spoke.

"Lady Marian."

The reaction was immediate.

Marian stopped.

Turned.

And for one brief second—

before she remembered herself—

Cassian saw it.

Relief.

Pure.

Undeniable.

Relief.

The exact same relief he had felt moments earlier.

Something warm settled quietly inside his chest.

Dangerously warm.

Then Marian recovered.

Immediately.

Naturally.

"You’re disturbing the peace."

Cassian glanced around the empty reading room.

"The peace appears unharmed."

"I was reading."

"A tragic loss for literature."

Marian rolled her eyes.

And somehow the entire week became worth it.

The realization was embarrassing.

He ignored it completely.

Marian approached the table.

Book held against her chest.

Trying very hard to appear composed.

Unfortunately for her, Cassian had become rather good at reading her expressions.

"Looking for something?"

The question escaped before he could stop it.

Marian narrowed her eyes immediately.

"No."

"A particular book?"

"No."

"A particular person?"

The glare intensified.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Cassian decided he valued his continued survival and changed the subject.

For now.

Marian sat across from him.

The afternoon passed surprisingly quickly.

Books were opened.

Rarely read.

Conversations began.

Wandered.

Expanded.

Politics.

History.

An unfortunate peacock involved in a noble scandal.

Marian laughed so hard she nearly dropped her book.

Cassian considered this a personal victory.

Several hours disappeared.

Neither seemed to notice.

Until sunlight shifted across the floor.

And Marian finally stood.

"I should go."

Cassian nodded.

Reasonable.

Polite.

Entirely normal.

Yet something inside him felt unexpectedly reluctant.

As though the afternoon had ended too soon.

"Try not to terrorize any librarians."

Cassian placed a hand over his heart.

"I make no promises."

Marian laughed.

One final time.

Then left.

The door closed.

Silence returned.

The room felt noticeably quieter.

Cassian stared at the book in front of him.

Then sighed.

Because he had not read a single page.

Not one.

An entire afternoon gone.

And somehow all he remembered was Marian.

Her smile.

Her laughter.

The relief on her face when she saw him.

The memory lingered.

Dangerous.

Hopeful.

Impossible to ignore.

Somewhere else in the palace, Marian was experiencing a remarkably similar problem.

Neither knew it.

Neither would have admitted it.

Yet both had arrived at the same conclusion.

The best part of their week had been seeing each other.

And habits, once formed, were remarkably difficult to break.

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