the Villainess they took for granted

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: The Dance

The evening began beautifully.

Marian hated it immediately.

The ballroom overlooked the western lake, its towering windows reflecting hundreds of candlelights back into the room. Crystal chandeliers glittered overhead. Music drifted through the hall. Noblemen laughed. Ladies gathered in elegant circles. Servants glided silently between guests carrying silver trays laden with champagne and delicate pastries.

Everything was elegant.

Everything was perfect.

Which made it unbearable.

Marian stood near one of the windows, pretending to admire the view outside.

In reality, she was trying very hard not to look toward Adrian.

The effort lasted approximately seven seconds.

A personal record.

Across the ballroom, Adrian stood among several nobles.

The Crown Prince looked exactly as he always did.

Composed.

Capable.

Confident.

Twenty-one years old and already carrying responsibilities most men twice his age would struggle to bear.

There had been a time when Marian admired that about him.

There still was.

That was the problem.

The orchestra shifted melodies.

A new dance began.

Marian looked away from the windows.

Then froze.

Because she saw Elena.

The young woman stood near the edge of the dance floor speaking with a gentleman. A moment later, a messenger approached. The gentleman apologized and departed.

Leaving Elena standing awkwardly alone.

Marian watched without interest.

Then Adrian noticed.

Of course he noticed.

The Crown Prince noticed everything.

A bitter thought surfaced.

Except the things that mattered.

Immediately Marian felt guilty.

Because it wasn’t fair.

Adrian had always been kind.

Always thoughtful.

Always—

The thought ended abruptly.

Because Adrian crossed the room.

Said something to Elena.

And then offered his hand.

Simple.

Polite.

Entirely proper.

The sort of gesture Adrian would offer anyone.

Marian knew that.

She knew it.

Yet somehow it still hurt.

The orchestra continued.

Adrian escorted Elena onto the dance floor.

Nothing inappropriate.

Nothing scandalous.

Nothing wrong.

Yet Marian felt something sink quietly inside her chest.

Again.

Not anger.

Not jealousy.

Not even heartbreak.

Just exhaustion.

The weary ache of watching the same wound reopen.

Why wasn’t I enough?

The question appeared before she could stop it.

Marian immediately looked away.

Because she hated that question.

Hated how often it returned.

Hated that it still mattered.

For several moments she stared out at the dark lake beyond the glass.

”You’re glaring at the water.”

Marian closed her eyes.

Of course.

Of course it was him.

”Perhaps it deserves it.”

Beside her, Cassian followed her gaze.

”Did it commit a crime?”

”Several.”

”I see.”

The infuriating man.

Marian finally looked at him.

And immediately regretted it.

Because tonight Cassian looked unfairly handsome.

Black formal attire.

Dark hair.

Sharp features.

Twenty-three years old.

Young enough that laughter still came easily.

Old enough to hide what he was thinking.

A dangerous combination.

The realization was entirely unhelpful.

Cassian studied her face.

His gaze shifted briefly toward the dance floor.

Toward Adrian.

Toward Elena.

Understanding arrived immediately.

Marian hated that.

Not because he understood.

Because he was right.

For one brief moment neither spoke.

Then:

”Dance with me.”

Marian blinked.

”No.”

The answer arrived instantly.

Cassian looked unsurprised.

Reasonable.

He had probably expected it.

”You didn’t even think about it.”

”I don’t need rescuing.”

Something softened in his expression.

Not pity.

Thankfully.

Marian wasn’t sure she could survive pity.

”Good.”

She frowned.

”Good?”

”Good.”

His voice remained calm.

”Then we’re simply dancing.”

The answer stole half her argument.

The infuriating man.

Marian folded her arms.

”People will talk.”

Cassian glanced around the ballroom.

At the dozens of dancing couples.

Then back at her.

”That is generally what people do.”

Marian stared.

The man was impossible.

Then he held out his hand.

Again.

Patiently.

Steadily.

”I insist.”

The words were simple.

Polite.

Yet somehow impossible to refuse.

For one moment Marian hesitated.

Then she placed her hand in his.

And immediately regretted it.

Not because of the dance.

Not because of the ballroom.

Because the instant their fingers touched—

something changed.

Not dramatically.

Not visibly.

Yet unmistakably.

A strange awareness swept through her.

Familiar.

Disturbingly familiar.

Her pulse stumbled.

Then quickened.

Immediately.

Ridiculously.

Oh no.

Not again.

The realization struck with horrifying clarity.

The lake.

The stumble.

The catch.

The moment his arm had wrapped around her waist.

That strange awareness.

That impossible feeling.

It was here again.

And this time she had no excuse.

She wasn’t heartbroken beside a lake.

She wasn’t crying.

She wasn’t falling.

She was simply holding his hand.

Which somehow made it worse.

Beside her, Cassian went very still.

Only briefly.

Then his expression became perfectly composed again.

Too composed.

Which meant he had noticed it too.

Wonderful.

Just wonderful.

Cassian guided her toward the dance floor.

Marian became painfully aware of every step.

The orchestra swelled.

Couples moved around them.

Then Cassian’s hand settled at her waist.

And the awareness deepened.

Not because it began there.

Because it had already begun.

The hand.

That had been the mistake.

Now there was nowhere left to hide from it.

For several moments neither spoke.

Which was unusual.

Deeply unusual.

Because talking had never been difficult with Cassian.

Arguing, certainly.

Insulting each other, frequently.

But silence?

Silence belonged to strangers.

Not to them.

Yet somehow it settled between them anyway.

Marian became painfully aware of his hand in hers.

Of the warmth of it.

Of the steady pressure at her waist.

Of the fact that she could hear her own heartbeat.

Which was ridiculous.

Entirely ridiculous.

She was twenty years old.

Not fourteen.

So why was her pulse behaving like this?

The question refused to leave.

As though sensing her attention, Cassian looked down.

Their eyes met.

And suddenly the ballroom seemed to disappear.

Not completely.

Just enough.

Enough that Marian forgot what she had been about to say.

Enough that her breath caught.

Enough that heat rushed unexpectedly into her cheeks.

Oh no.

The realization arrived instantly.

Mortifyingly.

Because she was blushing.

Actually blushing.

Like some foolish debutante.

Marian looked away immediately.

Far too quickly.

Far too obviously.

Wonderful.

Just wonderful.

For one horrifying moment she considered throwing herself directly into the lake.

It seemed preferable.

Beside her, Cassian cleared his throat.

Once.

Then:

”I have terrible news.”

Marian seized the conversation like a drowning woman grabbing a lifeline.

”What?”

”I’ve just realized you’re shorter than I thought.”

The abrupt absurdity startled a laugh out of her.

”What?”

His expression remained perfectly solemn.

”I know. I’ve been struggling with it for several minutes.”

”You are impossible.”

”There she is.”

The answer came immediately.

And somehow the awkwardness eased.

Not entirely.

Never entirely.

But enough that both of them could breathe again.

”I am not difficult.”

Cassian actually laughed.

The low sound settled somewhere inconvenient inside her chest.

”I admire your commitment to fantasy.”

”You’re insufferable.”

”And yet you accepted my invitation.”

The audacity.

The absolute audacity.

The dance continued.

Conversation returned.

Banter returned.

Normality returned.

Or at least something resembling it.

Until Marian made a mistake.

A tiny one.

An old one.

Without thinking, she glanced toward Adrian.

The habit was automatic.

Years old.

And there he was.

Still dancing.

Still speaking.

Still smiling politely.

Still entirely unaware.

The familiar hurt returned.

Small.

Quiet.

Yet real.

Cassian saw it immediately.

Of course he did.

The infuriating man noticed everything.

Something shifted in his expression.

For a moment, sympathy.

Because he knew that look.

The lake.

The woodland path.

The aftermath of every painful conversation.

Then something else appeared.

Briefly.

Gone almost before it arrived.

An irrational flicker of irritation.

Because for the last several minutes she had been here.

Present.

Laughing.

Arguing.

Dancing.

And somehow Adrian had still found a way to occupy her thoughts.

The realization unsettled him immediately.

Because it wasn’t his place to feel irritated.

Not even slightly.

Yet the feeling had appeared anyway.

Which was unfortunate.

Deeply unfortunate.

The music slowed.

Then softened.

The dance was ending.

Marian became aware of it immediately.

And unexpectedly—

she didn’t want it to.

The realization startled her.

Because this dance had begun as consolation.

As distraction.

As kindness.

Somewhere along the way, it had become something else.

Not romance.

Not love.

Not even anything she could name.

Just—

something.

The final note faded.

Applause echoed softly through the ballroom.

The dance was over.

Neither moved.

Not immediately.

Only a heartbeat.

Perhaps less.

Then both noticed.

And stepped apart.

Far too quickly.

As though distance might solve a problem neither had yet named.

Marian’s pulse refused to calm.

Cassian’s expression remained perfectly composed.

Which would have been far more convincing if she hadn’t seen the exact moment his composure slipped.

Just once.

Just enough.

Another gentleman approached Marian shortly afterward, requesting the next dance.

Marian declined.

Politely.

She wasn’t entirely certain why.

Across the ballroom, Cassian was intercepted by several nobles and an elderly duchess.

Conversation resumed.

Society resumed.

The evening continued.

Everything returned to normal.

Except—

not quite.

Because twenty minutes later, while listening to a viscount explain something unimaginably dull, Cassian’s attention drifted.

Entirely by accident.

Across the ballroom.

And found Marian.

Standing beside one of the windows.

Laughing at something another lady had said.

The sight held him for a second longer than necessary.

Then another.

The realization arrived unexpectedly.

He had not meant to look for her.

At least he didn’t think he had.

A troubling thought.

Across the room, Marian felt the strange sensation of being watched.

She looked up.

Their eyes met.

Just for a second.

Then both immediately looked elsewhere.

As though caught doing something they couldn’t quite explain.

The ballroom continued around them.

The music.

The laughter.

The conversation.

Perfectly normal.

Yet somehow neither of them felt entirely normal anymore.

And neither was quite ready to ask why.