the Villainess they took for granted

Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Tomorrow’s Answer

Marian woke up already regretting the day.

The problem with sleep was that eventually it ended.

And the moment it ended, reality returned.

Unfortunately, reality currently consisted of Cassian Ashford.

More specifically:

Cassian Ashford having an answer.

Somewhere.

Possibly.

Maybe.

Marian buried her face in her pillow.

This accomplished nothing.

As expected.

Because no amount of hiding beneath blankets could change what had happened.

She had asked the question.

He had heard it.

And now she was waiting.

Waiting, Marian discovered, was horrible.

Far worse than confessing.

At least when she confessed, she had been doing something.

Now she could only wait.

Which felt deeply unfair.

"My lady?"

Marian lifted her head.

Her maid stood nearby.

Looking concerned.

A familiar expression these days.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"No."

A pause.

"...Perhaps a little."

Her maid frowned.

"Should I send for a physician?"

"No."

Another pause.

"Unless physicians can diagnose poor decisions."

The maid blinked.

Marian immediately sat up.

"Forget I said that."

The maid wisely chose not to comment.

Getting dressed proved unexpectedly difficult.

Which was absurd.

Marian had planned every outfit for this trip weeks ago.

Every dress had already been selected.

Every accessory coordinated.

Every appearance considered.

There should have been nothing to decide.

Yet somehow she spent ten minutes staring at perfectly acceptable gowns.

Unable to choose.

Finally she selected one simply because her maid looked close to losing patience.

Marian understood the feeling.

She was losing patience with herself too.

She was Lady Marian Valmort.

Future Crown Princess.

A woman who had survived political scandals.

Court intrigue.

Being lost in a forest.

Yet somehow one man had reduced her to this.

The realization was infuriating.

And entirely his fault.

Mostly.

Breakfast was worse.

Because Cassian wasn’t there.

At first Marian didn’t notice.

Then she did.

And immediately wished she hadn’t.

The empty chair across the room seemed strangely conspicuous.

Which was ridiculous.

The room contained dozens of people.

One absent duke should not have been noticeable.

Yet somehow it was.

Marian forced herself to eat.

Failed.

Forced herself again.

Succeeded slightly better.

Across the table, Elena chatted happily about the previous day’s activities.

Marian nodded at appropriate moments.

Answered when required.

Remembered almost none of the conversation afterward.

Because part of her attention remained fixed on the entrance.

Waiting.

Without admitting she was waiting.

A difficult balance.

Then thirty minutes passed.

Still no Cassian.

The thoughts began.

Naturally.

Because Marian’s imagination was a terrible thing.

Had he changed his mind?

Had he decided this was impossible?

Had he spent the evening regretting everything?

The questions multiplied quickly.

Marian hated every single one.

Then the doors opened.

And Cassian entered.

The effect was immediate.

Her heart forgot its responsibilities.

The room remained exactly the same.

Nothing dramatic happened.

No announcement.

No fanfare.

Yet Marian knew.

Immediately.

Something had changed.

Not in the room.

In him.

Cassian looked calm.

Not the relaxed calm she was familiar with.

Not the easy confidence that always seemed natural to him.

This was different.

Resolved.

Certain.

As though he had finally reached the end of a decision.

The realization sent a wave of nervousness through her.

Because suddenly she knew.

He had an answer.

Whether she liked that answer remained to be seen.

Cassian’s gaze found hers briefly.

Only briefly.

Yet somehow that was enough.

He knew she understood.

And she knew he knew.

Which was not helpful.

Not helpful at all.

The rest of breakfast became an exercise in patience.

A terrible exercise.

Because every opportunity to speak disappeared almost immediately.

Someone approached Cassian.

A visiting noble requested his attention.

Then Adrian joined a discussion.

Then another guest interrupted.

Then Marian was drawn into a conversation she barely followed.

The entire day continued in much the same manner.

Near misses.

Interruptions.

Opportunities appearing and disappearing before either could act.

By afternoon, Marian was convinced fate was personally mocking her.

Which felt increasingly plausible.

At one point she spotted Cassian across a garden path.

For one glorious moment, neither appeared occupied.

Then three elderly noblewomen emerged from nowhere.

Marian had never seen them before.

She was convinced they had been created specifically to ruin her day.

The universe clearly had a sense of humor.

A cruel one.

--

Evening arrived.

Lanterns illuminated the lodge.

Music drifted through the halls.

Guests gathered once more.

Conversation filled the room.

Marian arrived beside Adrian.

As expected.

As she always had.

The Crown Prince greeted several nobles.

Marian exchanged polite conversation with others.

The evening unfolded much like every gathering before it.

At least on the surface.

Beneath that surface, Marian’s nerves had become unbearable.

Because every hour that passed reminded her of the same thing.

Cassian still had not answered.

Or perhaps he had.

And simply hadn’t found the opportunity.

The uncertainty was exhausting.

A nobleman approached Adrian.

Then another.

Soon a small group had gathered around the Crown Prince.

Political discussions.

Regional concerns.

Matters of governance.

The sort of conversations that naturally followed Adrian wherever he went.

Eventually Adrian glanced toward Marian.

"I’ll only be a moment."

Marian forced a smile.

"Of course."

Adrian nodded.

Then turned back toward the conversation.

Leaving Marian temporarily alone.

Not abandoned.

Simply unattended.

For the first time all evening.

Marian accepted a glass of wine from a passing servant.

Then immediately regretted it.

Because now she had something to accidentally drop.

The realization was unhelpful.

She placed the glass on a nearby table.

Safer.

Far safer.

Across the room, Adrian listened to a provincial lord explain something about trade routes.

Unfortunately his attention drifted.

Only briefly.

Long enough for his gaze to move across the gathering.

And settle on Marian.

At the exact moment another figure began crossing the room.

Cassian.

Adrian’s eyes lingered for a second.

Not because the sight was unusual.

Because it wasn’t.

Cassian and Marian had spoken often since the forest incident.

The Duke approaching the future Crown Princess was entirely natural.

Even so, Adrian found himself remembering their conversation yesterday.

The hunt.

The questions.

The answers that weren’t answers.

A strange feeling returned.

Not suspicion.

Something quieter.

Something he couldn’t quite name.

Then one of the nobles addressed him again.

The moment passed.

Adrian returned his attention to the discussion.

Meanwhile Marian had not yet noticed Cassian.

A fact that lasted approximately three seconds.

Then she felt it.

That peculiar awareness she seemed incapable of controlling.

She looked up.

And froze.

Because Cassian was walking directly toward her.

Not hurriedly.

Not secretly.

Simply with purpose.

Every step seemed unbearably deliberate.

Marian’s pulse immediately betrayed her.

The room remained exactly the same.

Conversation continued.

Music played.

Guests laughed.

Yet suddenly all of it felt distant.

Because she knew.

He had an answer.

Whether she wanted to hear that answer was another matter entirely.

Cassian stopped before her.

For one brief moment neither spoke.

Then—

"Lady Marian."

His voice was calm.

Steady.

Resolved.

The hesitation that had shadowed him for days was gone.

Marian felt her stomach drop.

Because she noticed it too.

"Your Grace."

The words came out softer than intended.

Then Cassian offered his arm.

Entirely proper.

Entirely respectable.

Entirely devastating.

"Would you walk with me?"

The question was simple.

Yet Marian knew.

This wasn’t a walk.

This was the answer.

For one terrible second she simply stared.

Then slowly placed her hand on his arm.

The contact was brief.

Proper.

Yet somehow it felt more intimate than it should have.

Cassian’s expression softened.

Only slightly.

Enough.

Together they turned toward the doors.

Across the room, Adrian happened to glance up again.

This time he noticed them leaving.

For a moment his gaze followed their retreating figures.

A duke.

A noble lady.

A perfectly ordinary sight.

Yet the same strange feeling returned.

Not jealousy.

Not suspicion.

Simply the quiet sense that something had shifted.

Something he had not yet seen clearly.

The feeling lingered even after they disappeared beyond the doors.

Meanwhile Marian heard none of it.

Because she was walking beside Cassian.

And for the first time since the garden—

There were no interruptions.

No excuses.

No delays.

Only the two of them.

And the answer waiting ahead.

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