the Villainess they took for granted

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Distance

The dining hall was already full by the time Marian and Adrian reached their table.

Conversation flowed easily around them.

Laughter echoed beneath crystal chandeliers.

Servants moved gracefully between guests.

Everything appeared perfectly normal.

Marian wished she felt the same.

The problem revealed itself the moment she sat down.

Adrian took the seat beside her.

Naturally.

Expectedly.

And across from her sat Cassian.

The realization arrived with embarrassing speed.

This was going to be difficult.

Not because either man was doing anything.

Because she was.

Or rather, because she suddenly seemed incapable of forgetting either of them existed.

Adrian sat at her side.

His presence familiar.

Comfortable.

Cassian sat across from her.

His presence impossible to ignore.

Marian accepted a glass of wine.

Then immediately regretted it.

Because now she needed something to do with her hands.

Across the table, Cassian appeared to be experiencing a remarkably similar problem.

Which should not have pleased her as much as it did.

The realization was unfortunate.

To Marian’s right, Elena was speaking with an elderly countess about medicinal herbs.

A conversation that somehow became more animated than most political discussions.

The countess appeared fascinated.

Elena appeared trapped.

Marian nearly smiled.

At least someone else was suffering.

Dinner began.

The first course arrived.

Conversation shifted naturally.

Hunting.

Politics.

Trade.

The quality of the roads.

The weather.

All the traditional topics people discussed before eventually arguing about taxes.

A nobleman farther down the table launched into a lengthy story involving a hunting accident and an unusually aggressive goose.

Nobody seemed entirely convinced.

Including the storyteller.

Marian found herself relaxing.

Slowly.

Perhaps she had worried for nothing.

Perhaps dinner would proceed normally after all.

Then someone asked Cassian a question.

And Marian immediately looked up.

The movement happened before she realized it.

Instinct.

Nothing more.

Cassian answered.

Dryly.

Amusingly.

Several people laughed.

Including Marian.

Cassian’s eyes found hers for a brief second.

Then both looked away.

The moment lasted less than a heartbeat.

Yet Marian felt strangely warm afterward.

Which was ridiculous.

Completely ridiculous.

To her right, Adrian continued speaking with another noble.

The contrast struck unexpectedly.

Because there was nothing wrong.

Nothing at all.

Adrian was attentive.

Present.

More attentive than he had been months ago.

The realization carried a familiar sting.

Because if Adrian had behaved this way earlier—

No.

Marian stopped herself.

That road led nowhere useful.

The second course arrived.

Conversation shifted again.

This time toward the following day’s hunt.

Several nobles immediately began exaggerating their abilities.

The number of legendary hunters present increased dramatically within five minutes.

A miracle.

One elderly baron apparently claimed he once hunted a bear using only a walking stick.

The table reacted with appropriate skepticism.

Even Adrian looked doubtful.

"Surely not."

"I assure Your Highness it is true."

"It sounds fatal."

The baron looked offended.

The surrounding nobles laughed.

Marian did too.

The atmosphere grew lighter.

Comfortable.

Easy.

For a little while she forgot herself.

Then another noble turned toward her.

"Lady Marian, I hear your arrival this afternoon caused quite a disturbance."

Marian blinked.

"A disturbance?"

"So I was told."

"By whom?"

The noblewoman smiled.

"A reliable source."

Across the table, Cassian suddenly appeared fascinated by his wine.

The traitor.

Marian narrowed her eyes.

Several nobles laughed.

Cassian wisely continued studying his glass.

The exchange lasted only moments.

Harmless.

Yet something strange happened afterward.

Marian glanced toward Cassian again.

Not deliberately.

Simply because she expected to find him amused.

And she did.

Cassian was already looking at her.

As though he had expected her to look.

The realization startled both of them.

Marian looked away first.

Across the table, Cassian reached for his wine.

Far too quickly.

As though he suddenly needed something to do.

The movement should have been insignificant.

Yet Adrian noticed.

Not suspicion.

Not jealousy.

Recognition.

The same uncomfortable feeling he had experienced on the terrace.

The same feeling that had followed him throughout the evening.

Because this was not the first time.

That was what bothered him.

Not the glance itself.

The repetition.

Something seemed to pass between Marian and Cassian.

Nothing improper.

Nothing obvious.

Yet Adrian kept noticing it.

And he could not understand why.

Across the table, Elena was discussing medicinal supply routes with another noble.

Completely unaware of the thoughts occupying the Crown Prince.

To Elena, the evening seemed pleasant.

Lady Marian looked happier lately.

The Crown Prince seemed more relaxed around his fiancée.

The atmosphere felt warmer than it had months ago.

The observation pleased her.

Conversation continued.

The final course arrived.

Then dessert.

One by one, nobles began standing.

The evening gradually came to an end.

Servants cleared tables.

Guests drifted toward smaller gatherings.

The formal dinner was over.

Marian rose.

So did Adrian.

Across the table, Cassian stood as well.

For a brief moment, their eyes met.

Nothing happened.

Neither smiled.

Neither spoke.

Yet the awareness remained.

And somehow that felt worse.

Much worse.

Adrian offered Marian his arm.

She accepted automatically.

Together they left the dining hall.

The walk back felt strangely familiar.

Comfortable.

Quiet.

Almost like old times.

They spoke about small things.

Nothing important.

The gathering.

Tomorrow’s hunt.

The ridiculous baron and his bear story.

At one point Marian laughed.

And Adrian felt something inside him loosen.

Hope.

Perhaps.

A dangerous thing.

Eventually they reached her door.

The corridor was quiet.

Most guests remained elsewhere in the lodge.

Neither seemed eager to break the silence.

For a moment they simply stood there.

The atmosphere felt strangely familiar.

Like something from years ago.

Before the arguments.

Before the distance.

Before everything became complicated.

Adrian looked at her.

And for the first time that evening, Marian felt nervous.

Not because of Adrian.

Because of herself.

Because she suddenly wasn’t sure what would happen next.

A faint smile appeared on Adrian’s face.

"Good night, Marian."

"Good night, Adrian."

The answer came softly.

Naturally.

The way it always had.

Then Adrian leaned forward.

Not suddenly.

Not unexpectedly.

Just naturally.

The way he always had.

The way they always had.

A simple goodnight kiss.

Nothing more.

Nothing unusual.

For eighteen years it would have felt entirely ordinary.

And yet—

At the last moment Marian turned her head.

The movement was small.

Instinctive.

Almost unconscious.

She did not even realize she had done it until Adrian’s lips brushed her cheek instead.

Silence.

The realization hit immediately.

Marian froze.

Adrian did too.

For one terrible second neither moved.

Neither spoke.

Because both of them understood exactly what had happened.

Not a rejection.

Not intentionally.

Yet not an accident either.

Something in between.

Something neither knew how to explain.

Adrian stepped back first.

The faint smile had disappeared.

Not completely.

Just enough.

"Good night, Marian."

The words sounded exactly the same.

Which somehow made them worse.

Marian swallowed.

"Good night."

Then she opened the door.

And entered her room.

The door closed quietly behind her.

Leaving Adrian alone in the corridor.

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