Villainess’s Redemption (Reborn Villainess #1)

Chapter 23

I stepped out of the room, my shoulders slumped in defeat. Laurel’s anxious face greeted me, her brows furrowed with concern.

“Well?” she asked, wringing her hands.

I looked up, a slow smile spreading across my face. Then, unable to contain my joy any longer, I let out an ecstatic shriek.

“I’m free!” I exclaimed, throwing my arms around Laurel.

We hugged tightly, bouncing on our toes like giddy children. The weight of my cage had finally lifted, and I felt lighter than air. I am a bird. No, I’m air itself.

“Oh, Laurel,” I said, pulling back to look at her, “I’ve been disowned by mother, but I couldn’t care less!”

Laurel’s eyes widened. “Disowned? But my lady—”

I waved off her concern. “It’s a small price to pay for freedom. Now, let’s go celebrate with some of that delicious food in the courtroom, shall we?”

Winning back my mother wouldn’t be easy but it was doable. So, I wasn’t worried.

Laurel hesitated a bit but then smiled.

As we made our way down the opulent halls, I couldn’t help but marvel at how differently I viewed the palace now. Now that I was leaving the palace, I suddenly missed the show of excessive wealth. How quickly one’s perspective can change.

“You know, Laurel,” I mused, “I think I’ll miss the unlimited access to wine cellars more than anything else about this place.”

Laurel snorted, then quickly covered her mouth, remembering my recent stint. But I was too happy to think about that.

“It’s alright to laugh,” I assured her. “In fact, I insist on it. We have much to be joyful about.”

As we approached the courtroom, the sounds of merriment we expected were replaced by something far more sinister. Screams echoed through the halls, accompanied by the thunderous sound of running feet.

My heart plummeted. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t supposed to happen now.

“Stay close,” I ordered Laurel, my voice tight with fear as we hurried toward the commotion.

The scene that greeted us was one of utter chaos. Nobles in their finery scattered like frightened birds, their faces pale with terror. And there were black-clad figures, their faces obscured by masks, wielding wickedly sharp blades.

Assassins. Here. Now.

But how? The spring ball had come and gone without incident. I’d thought since it hadn’t happened then it wouldn’t happen anymore. Another incident that now had changed with my meddling.

Mother. She was supposed to be here.

“Mother!” The word burst from my lips as the realization struck me like ice water. My heart thundered against my ribs. “Laurel, we need to find my mother!”

“But my lady, the assassins—”

I was already running, my skirts bunched in my fists. Laurel’s footsteps echoed behind me as we navigated through the panicked crowds. The screams grew louder, bouncing off marble walls and mixing with the clash of steel.

A noblewoman in blue silk rushed past. I grabbed her arm, probably harder than necessary. “Lady Adelena D’Arcane—have you seen her?”

The woman’s face was ashen, her eyes wide with terror. When she didn’t respond immediately, I shook her. “Please! Dark hair, black eyes—”

“She—she left,” the woman stammered. “Right after you. She never returned after she left with you.”

Relief flooded through me, making my knees weak. Mother was safe. She’d left after disowning me—the irony wasn’t lost on me. But then another thought struck: Queen Felicia.

In my previous life, I’d seen how the assassination attempt had failed, but three maids had died including Lady Amelia who was like a second mother to Anderic. The memory of the Queen’s genuine warmth during my illness, her vulnerability as she shared her past—damn it all, I actually liked her now.

I scanned the chaos, remembering the pattern of attack. The assassins had focused on the center and left side of the grand hall, where the nobles typically gathered. But the right side, near the pillars where servants moved through their hidden passages…

“Laurel,” I turned to my maid. “You need to—”

“I’m staying with you,” her chin lifted stubbornly. “Whatever madness you’re planning, I’m part of it.”

I blinked at her, this shy girl who’d once cowered at my voice. I’m so proud of her. “Fine. Then listen carefully. We need to stay to the right, near the pillars. The assassins won’t—”

“Better yet.” Laurel’s eyes gleamed with intelligence. “The servants’ passages. There’s one that leads directly behind the throne. Follow me.”

She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward an innocuous tapestry. As she pushed it aside, revealing a narrow door.

The passage was dark and cramped, just enough for servants to move around and do their daily tasks without being seen. Laurel navigated with surprising confidence, leading me through turns I would have missed.

“How do you know these paths so well?” I whispered. She wasn’t a palace servant after all.

“Well, I had to do something to occupy my time while you were in coma,” she whispered back.

Before I could respond, screams erupted from ahead—closer now, more desperate. We were getting near the throne room.

“Ready?” Laurel’s hand squeezed mine.

I squeezed back, wondering when exactly I’d started trusting her with my life. “As I’ll ever be.”

She pushed open another hidden door, and the sounds of fighting hit us full force. Through the narrow opening, I could see Queen Felicia’s purple gown, surrounded by a ring of black-clad figures.

There were some palace soldiers fighting but it wouldn’t be enough. Where the hell were Lennox and the Elites when they were needed.

But before I could think of a way to save the Queen, a figure in red silk appeared.

Rosalind.

Through the hidden door, I watched Rosalind move like a deadly dancer, her sword flashing in elegant arcs. Each precise strike found its mark, dropping assassins with lethal efficiency.

Well. That was unexpected.

“I thought she was supposed to be the delicate flower,” Laurel muttered to me.

“Looks can be deceiving.” Laurel’s eyes were wide with awe. “You don’t have to look that impressed,” I muttered bitterly.

I’d never learned to wield a sword properly in either of my lives. Hunting knives, yes. The occasional dagger, certainly. I knew Rosalind was very skilled with swords but watching her slice through the assassins with the grace of a master swordswoman made me feel oddly inadequate.

Across the chaos, Noah fought alongside her, his movements perfectly synchronized with hers. They truly were meant for each other. The thought brought an unexpected smile to my face.

A flash of gold caught my eye. Anderic stood surrounded by three assassins, but his expression held only bored annoyance. His sword moved faster than my eyes could track, and suddenly two assassins lay bleeding while the third backed away.

“Show off,” I muttered, even as my heart rate picked up at the sight.

The Elites poured in through the main doors, Lennox at their head. Their black uniforms blended with the assassins’, but their calculated precision set them apart. Where the assassins struck with desperate fury, the Elites moved like a well-oiled machine.

“Should we…?” Laurel gestured vaguely at the fighting.

“Let’s not get in their way,” I pulled her back deeper into the passage. “Besides, I’m rather enjoying the view.”

Anderic had shed his formal jacket, the white of his shirt stark against the growing bloodstains. His golden curls caught the light as he spun, his blade finding another target. The man moved like liquid gold, deadly and beautiful.

An assassin broke away from the main fight, heading straight for our hidden door. I yanked Laurel behind me, cursing our lack of weapons. But before he reached us, a familiar voice rang out.

“Going somewhere?”

Anderic’s sword sprouted from the assassin’s chest. He yanked it free with a flourish, spattering blood across the marble floor. His eyes met mine through the gap in the wall, and his lips curved into that infuriating smirk.

“Hiding in the walls, lya?”

“I prefer to think of it as strategic positioning,” I stepped out, trying to ignore how my heart hammered at his proximity. “Someone had to make sure you didn’t get yourself killed.”

His eyes darkened. “What? By standing there and being a target? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is? Get back insid—”

A shout from behind him cut off whatever he was about to say. Three more assassins charged toward us, their blades glinting with deadly purpose.

Anderic moved faster than I thought, placing himself between us and the threat. “We’ll finish this discussion later.”

As he engaged the assassins, I couldn’t help but notice how his muscles rippled beneath his blood-stained shirt. “Is this really the time to be showing off?” Not that it was his fault for being this attractive.

His laugh, rich and dangerous, sent shivers down my spine. “For you, Princess? Always.”

The first assassin fell, then the second. But as Anderic turned to face the third, I caught movement in the shadows above. Another assassin, bow drawn, taking aim at the golden prince’s unprotected back.

Not on my watch!

My body moved before my mind could catch up. I grabbed the nearest object—a heavy silver candlestick—and hurled it with all my might. But it was too heavy to reach that assassin.

“What are you going to do with that?” Laurel whispered beside me, “polish them to death?”

She pulled a kitchen knife from somewhere in her skirt and gave it to me. “Here, use this.”

I just stared at her.

“Hurry up. Are you waiting for him to skewer Prince Anderic?”

I gripped the kitchen knife Laurel had thrust into my hand, its weight unfamiliar yet oddly comforting at the moment. The assassin above was still drawing his bow, aiming for Anderic’s unprotected back. My heart raced, time seeming to slow as I gauged the distance.

“Here goes nothing,” I muttered, drawing my arm back.

I threw the knife with all my might, sending up a silent prayer to whatever deity might be listening. To my utter astonishment, the blade found its mark, embedding itself deep in the assassin’s eye socket. He toppled from his perch with a sickening thud.

“Holy cow,” I breathed, staring at my hand in disbelief. “Did you see that?”

I turned to Laurel, unable to contain my glee. I did a little shimmy, wiggling my hips in an impromptu victory dance. “I’m so talented, right?”

Laurel’s eyes were wide with a mix of horror and admiration. “My lady, I had no idea you possessed such… talents.”

“Neither did I,” I admitted, still giddy from the rush of adrenaline. “Maybe I missed my true calling as an assassin.”

The sounds of battle were dying down, replaced by the groans of the wounded and the barked orders of the Elites. Most of the black-clad intruders lay motionless on the blood-slicked marble floor.

I peered out from our hiding spot, assessing the situation. The immediate danger seemed to have passed. Queen Felicia was being escorted away by a phalanx of guards, while Rosalind and Noah were helping the wounded. Anderic, of course, looked as if he’d just stepped out of a painting, despite the blood spattering his white shirt.

“I think it’s safe now,” I told Laurel. “Let’s—”

“Lady Ilyana!” Laurel’s scream cut through the air, sharp with terror.

Everything slowed to a crawl. I turned, the world blurring around me as I moved. An arrow, its shaft gleaming like torchlight, hurtled towards me. How had I missed another archer?

My life flashed before my eyes—both of them. The petty schemes, the fall from grace, the struggle for survival in the fringes. And now, just when I’d been given a second chance, when I’d finally started to make things right…

This was it.

This was how I died.

Again.

I’d often wondered if my miraculous return to the past had been some cosmic joke. Now, it seemed, the punchline had finally arrived.

As the arrow sped closer, a strange calm washed over me. At least this time, I thought wryly, I’d die in silk instead of rags.

What a gruesome way to die.

Again.