the Villainess they took for granted

Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Morning

For the first time in days, Marian woke up smiling.

The realization arrived before she even opened her eyes.

A strange lightness.

A warmth she hadn’t felt in a very long time.

Then memory returned.

Cassian.

His hand.

His smile.

You are.

Marian immediately buried her face in her pillow.

Because she was apparently incapable of surviving that memory.

It had been less than twelve hours.

Less than twelve.

And already she had replayed the conversation enough times to qualify as a medical condition.

This was deeply concerning.

And completely unavoidable.

A muffled laugh escaped into the pillow.

Then another.

Then she remembered Adrian.

The laughter stopped.

Not entirely.

Just enough.

Reality quietly returned.

The engagement.

The future.

The consequences.

They had not disappeared overnight.

Of course they hadn’t.

Nothing was that simple.

Marian stared at the ceiling.

For several moments she lay perfectly still.

Thinking.

Then slowly sat up.

Because there was something different now.

Yesterday she had been facing those questions alone.

Today she wasn’t.

The realization settled somewhere deep inside her chest.

Comforting.

Steadying.

And somehow that made all the difference.

Breakfast was dangerous.

Not because anything happened.

Because nothing happened.

Which somehow felt worse.

Marian entered the dining hall.

Saw Cassian.

And immediately became aware of his existence.

Entirely.

Hopelessly.

Completely.

The man was simply sitting there.

Drinking tea.

Existing.

And somehow that felt unreasonable.

Then Cassian looked up.

Their eyes met.

For one brief moment.

And Marian immediately remembered his hand around hers.

Disaster.

Complete disaster.

She looked away so quickly she nearly gave herself whiplash.

Across the room, Cassian’s mouth twitched.

The traitor.

Breakfast proceeded.

Or attempted to.

Marian discovered that certainty was apparently no better than uncertainty.

Before, she had spent every meal wondering.

Now she spent every meal remembering.

Which was somehow worse.

At one point Elena looked between them.

Then frowned slightly.

Not suspicious.

Merely thoughtful.

As though she had noticed something she couldn’t quite explain.

Fortunately she said nothing.

Marian was grateful.

Extremely grateful.

Because she wasn’t prepared for questions.

Not from Elena.

Not from anyone.

Especially not herself.

The conversation happened shortly before noon.

Not by accident.

Not through chance.

Deliberately.

For the first time since the forest, neither of them was running from it.

A quiet terrace overlooked the estate gardens.

Far enough from the main gathering to ensure privacy.

Close enough to avoid gossip.

Marian arrived first.

Naturally.

Because waiting had become one of her least favorite activities.

And yet somehow she was doing it again.

Fortunately this time the wait was short.

Cassian arrived several minutes later.

The sight of him still made something flutter embarrassingly inside her chest.

Marian refused to acknowledge it.

Cassian appeared equally determined not to comment.

They sat across from one another.

For a few moments neither spoke.

Not awkwardly.

Simply gathering their thoughts.

Because this conversation mattered.

Far more than either wished it did.

Finally Marian broke the silence.

"We can’t keep pretending."

The words hung between them.

Cassian nodded.

"No."

Simple.

Certain.

No argument.

No hesitation.

Because both of them knew she was right.

The days of pretending had ended the moment they walked into that garden.

The moment she asked her question.

The moment he answered.

Marian lowered her gaze briefly.

Then forced herself to continue.

"Eventually people will notice."

Cassian followed her train of thought immediately.

Not because the answer was difficult.

Because there was only one person both of them were thinking about.

Adrian.

Silence settled over the terrace.

Heavier than before.

Because suddenly this wasn’t about feelings.

It was about consequences.

About responsibility.

About the people who would be hurt.

Cassian leaned back slightly.

His expression remained calm.

Yet Marian could see the tension beneath it.

He had been thinking about this too.

Of course he had.

"I won’t lie to him."

The statement arrived quietly.

Without drama.

Without anger.

Without hesitation.

Marian closed her eyes briefly.

Because she had expected that answer.

And because she agreed.

Entirely.

"Neither will I."

The words hurt.

Not because they were wrong.

Because they were necessary.

For several moments neither spoke.

The breeze stirred the garden below.

Birdsong drifted through the air.

The world remained irritatingly peaceful.

As though it had no idea how difficult this conversation was.

Then Marian exhaled slowly.

The decision had already been made.

Perhaps long ago.

She was merely saying it aloud now.

"I need to speak to Adrian."

The words landed between them.

Final.

Irreversible.

The point of no return.

Because once that conversation happened—

Everything changed.

The engagement.

The future.

The lives they had built.

Everything.

Cassian was silent for several moments.

Not because he disagreed.

Because he understood exactly what those words cost.

Finally he nodded.

"Yes."

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

Marian looked out toward the gardens.

Trying not to think about what came next.

Trying not to imagine Adrian’s face.

Trying not to imagine the hurt.

The disappointment.

The betrayal.

Her chest tightened.

Then something warm settled over her hand.

Marian blinked.

Looked down.

Cassian’s hand rested over hers.

Not dramatically.

Not possessively.

Simply there.

Solid.

Steady.

A reminder.

She looked up.

Met his eyes.

And found the same certainty she had seen the night before.

Whatever happened next—

He wasn’t stepping away.

Cassian’s thumb brushed lightly against her knuckles.

Once.

The small gesture somehow meant more than a dozen speeches.

Then he spoke.

Quietly.

Honestly.

"Whatever happens next..."

Marian held her breath.

"You won’t face it alone."

Silence.

The words settled slowly.

Deeply.

And Marian felt something inside her finally ease.

Not because the future had become easier.

It hadn’t.

Not because the difficult conversations had disappeared.

They hadn’t.

But because she finally understood something.

The road ahead was frightening.

Complicated.

Painful.

And she no longer had to walk it by herself.

For the first time since arriving at the hunting lodge, Marian felt ready.

Not happy.

Not confident.

Ready.

And somehow that was enough.

--

AN: does it feel a bit boring or redundunt or something? Sorry, just felt so, but think this necessary.

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