Chapter 8
I woke up with a headache that felt like a herd of elephants had waltzed across my skull. Staring at the ornate ceiling of my chambers, I blinked away the fog of unconsciousness. The window revealed a sky as dark as my prospects. Fantastic. I’d missed my chance to convince Father, and now I was behind schedule. At this rate, I’d need another lifetime to fix the mess I’d made in my first one.
I groaned as I sat up, my brain sloshing around in my head like a barrel of ale. Laurel rushed to my side, tears streaming down her face as she fretted over my condition. How dramatic. I let her cry, partly because I was too dizzy to stop her and partly because her concern was… actually kind of nice. But as her wails crescendoed, my headache intensified. It was like having my own personal banshee.
“Laurel,” I croaked, my voice sounding like I’d gargled gravel, “what happened after I… gracefully lost consciousness?”
She sniffled and handed me a glass of water. Bless her heart. I took a sip, relishing the cool liquid as it soothed my parched throat.
“Oh, my lady,” Laurel began, her voice quavering, “it was awful! You just collapsed, and Lord Noah caught you but you had already hit the ground. He carried you here himself and called for the doctor right away.”
How chivalrous of my dear husband. I wondered if he’d been practicing his damsel-in-distress rescue techniques. “And where is he now?”
“Lord Noah stayed by your side all day, my lady. He refused to leave even when Captain Lennox came with an urgent message from Prince Anderic.”
Well, well. Looks like my fainting spell had some unexpected turns of events. This was different from the past. Who knew losing consciousness could be such a pain?
“Prince Anderic himself came here when Lord Noah didn’t respond to his summons,” Laurel continued, her eyes wide with awe. “He was shocked to see you in such a state and apologized to Lord Noah for the interruption. They’ll meet tomorrow to discuss whatever urgent matter it was.”
I couldn’t help but smirk. Prince Anderic, shocked? I’d pay good money to see that. And it seemed I’d inadvertently bought myself more time to speak with Father again tomorrow. At least something good came out of it.
“Even the queen was worried about you, my lady,” Laurel added, gesturing to a vase overflowing with flowers. “She sent those herself.”
I eyed the arrangement skeptically. How thoughtful of Her Majesty to send a reminder of my own wilting social status. Still, it was a step in the right direction. Perhaps my little fainting act had done more than just delay the inevitable – it might have actually improved my standing with the royal family.
“And Lord Noah?” I asked, realizing I hadn’t heard his whereabouts in this flurry of information.
“He retired for the night some time ago, my lady.”
Poor, devoted Noah. If only he knew the truth about his conniving wife. But his absence meant I could start planning my escape tomorrow without his well-meaning interference.
I settled back against the pillows, my head spinning with a spell of dizziness. Maybe I shouldn’t move much. “Laurel, be a dear and fetch me my journal and a quill. It seems I have some damage control to do.”
As Laurel scurried off to fulfill my request, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of my situation. Here I was, supposedly recovering from a fainting spell, and all I could think about was how to manipulate the situation to my advantage. Some things never change, I supposed.
But as I waited for Laurel to return, a sobering thought crept into my mind. This wasn’t just about me anymore. My family’s fate hung in the balance, and I couldn’t afford to make any more mistakes.
I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the challenges ahead. Tomorrow would be a new day, and I intended to make the most of it. After all, how often does one get a second chance to rewrite their own history?
Laurel returned with the writing materials, and I smiled at her gratefully. “Thank you, Laurel.”
So, let’s see what I know.
Since Noah didn’t go today, he’ll probably go tomorrow. So I just had to sleep until they left, and then I could make my escape. Easy.
It was in fact not that easy.
I woke up to Noah’s smiling face hovering over me, a steaming cup of tea in his hands. My head throbbed in protest as I shot up, then promptly collapsed back onto the pillows.
“Careful,” Noah chided, catching me with his free hand.
What in the seven hells was he doing here? He wasn’t supposed to be here. My plans were unraveling faster than a cheap tapestry.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, pressing the cup into my hands.
“Like I’ve been trampled by a herd of wild boars,” I muttered, sipping the tea and wishing he’d spontaneously combust. Or at least leave. “But I’m sure I’ll survive.”
“I’m glad to know you are feeling better. I was worried when you fainted yesterday.”
I smiled, “Thank you for helping me yesterday.”
“Of course, I would. I’m your husband after all,” he said as if he was trying to convince himself.
We made painful small talk as I drained my cup, praying to any god who’d listen for him to vanish. Apparently, someone was feeling generous today.
Noah’s expression turned serious. “Ilyana, I know I said I’d make it up to you somehow, and I promised to accompany you today, but…”
I met his gaze, feeling excited. Say something good.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t go with you today. There are some urgent matters I need to look into.”
Before I could feign distress, a knock at the door heralded Prince Anderic’s arrival. Speak of the devil, and he appears—in all his golden glory.
“Lady Stormbourne,” he greeted me with a nod. “I hope I’m not intruding. How are you feeling?”
“Like a delicate flower in the midst of a hurricane,” I replied dryly. “But I’m sure I’ll bloom again soon enough.”
Anderic’s lips twitched, suppressing a smirk. “I’m glad to hear it. I’m afraid I must apologize for borrowing your husband today. Some urgent state matters require our attention.”
Urgent state matters, my foot. They were unknowingly investigating my downfall. But I wasn’t worried. I still had time to outmaneuver them both.
Anderic watched me carefully, clearly expecting a tantrum. Instead, I smiled sweetly. “Of course, I understand completely. The kingdom’s needs must come first.”
His eyes narrowed, confusion flickering across his face. But then that sickeningly charming smile was back in place.
“We’ll leave you to rest,” Noah said, squeezing my hand. Don’t touch me!
“Yes, do take care, Lady Stormbourne,” Anderic added. “We wouldn’t want you fainting again, would we?”
I forced a demure nod. “I’ll do my best to remain conscious, Your Highness.”
As soon as the door closed behind them, I sprang into action. Rest? Ha! I could rest when I was dead. Right now, I had a family to save and a future to rewrite.
“Laurel!” I called, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. “Get ready. We’re going on a little trip.”
My faithful handmaid appeared, her eyes wide with concern. “My lady, are you sure that’s wise? You’ve only just recovered-”
“From a fainting spell, not the plague,” I retorted, rifling through my wardrobe to find a good gown since my old ones were still being altered and new ones hadn’t arrived yet. A pale-yellow sundress, it had to do for now. “Besides, nothing cures a headache quite like a family visit.”
Laurel’s brow furrowed. “We’re going to your parents’ house?”
“Indeed, we are,” I said, tossing the yellow sundress onto the bed. “And we need to hurry.”
As Laurel helped me dress, I kept looking at the door anxiously. What if they returned again?
“My lady,” Laurel ventured as she laced up my gown, “won’t Lord Noah be upset if he returns to find you gone?”
I snorted. “Darling, I’m fairly certain Noah would be more upset if he returned to find me still here. Now, let’s go before someone decides I need another wellness check.”
We slipped out of the palace like criminals in broad daylight, which, considering my past, wasn’t too far from the truth. The carriage ride to my parent’s estate was mercifully uneventful, giving me time to gather my thoughts and steel my nerves.
The carriage rattled to a stop outside my parents’ manor, and I peered out the window with a mix of nostalgia and dread. Home sweet home, where every brick held a memory of my misspent youth. How quaint.
D’Arcane manor was a sight to behold, not as grand and beautiful as the palace but beautiful in its own way. Made with white stone to match the aesthetic of the city, hardly any other noble could boast of such a marvel. But all this opulence didn’t matter if we were dead. What a sobering thought.
As I descended from the carriage with all the grace of a newborn fawn, courtesy of the lingering dizziness, I caught sight of my parents waiting at the gate. Mother, bless her heart, looked ready to faint herself. Father’s expression was caught somewhere between concern and constipation. Charming.
“Ilyana, darling!” Mother cried, rushing forward to envelop me in a cloud of lavender perfume and maternal worry. “We were so worried when we heard about your fainting spell!”
I patted her back awkwardly. “There, there, Mother. I assure you; I’m still breathing. No need for hysterics.”
Father cleared his throat, his eyes darting between me and the conspicuously Noah-less carriage. “Where’s your husband, daughter? Surely, he didn’t let you travel alone in your condition?”
Ah, yes. My “condition.” One fainting spell and suddenly I was made of porcelain.
“Oh, you know how it is, Father,” I said, waving a hand dismissively. “Urgent matters of state and all that. I’m sure he’s off saving the kingdom from enemy spies and corruption.”
Mother’s brow furrowed. “But surely nothing could be more important than his wife’s health?”
I bit back a laugh. If only she knew.
Before I could conjure up another creative excuse for Noah’s absence, Father’s face clouded over. “What could possibly be more pressing than accompanying his wife after such an incident? This is unacceptable!”
Oh, wonderful. Now I had to defend the honor of a man I’d tricked into marriage. The irony was not lost on me.
Thankfully, Mother swooped in like an avenging angel in a floral dress. “Now, Elyas,” she chided, “I’m sure Lord Noah had his reasons. You know how demanding royal duties can be.”
I wanted to correct her. As much as Noah was beloved by the royal family, he wasn’t royalty but my mother always fancied being related to royalty. If not the prince, then his cousin.
Father grumbled something unintelligible, but the storm in his eyes subsided. Crisis averted. I made a mental note to thank Mother later for her impeccable timing.
“Now,” Mother said, linking her arm through mine, “let’s get you inside and settled. You look pale as a ghost, dear.”
As we made our way into the manor, I couldn’t help but marvel at how little had changed. The same meticulously manicured gardens, the same imposing stone facade, the same air of quiet opulence. It was like stepping back in time – which, I supposed, I had. Funny how life works out sometimes.
Mother fussed over me the entire way to my old room, peppering me with questions about my health and throwing concerned glances at me as if I might shatter at any moment. I answered her queries with as much patience as I could muster, which admittedly wasn’t much.
“Yes, Mother, I’m eating well. No, Mother, I’m not overexerting myself. Yes, Mother, I’m getting enough rest. No, Mother, I haven’t been consorting with any nefarious characters lately.” Well, aside from myself, but that was neither here nor there.
“Where’s Sebastian?” I asked Mother as we walked down the sunlit corridor, my eyes scanning the familiar space.
Mother smoothed her skirts, a habit she’d never quite broken. “Oh, he waited for you yesterday, but since you couldn’t make it, he had to return to his duties today. Don’t worry, dear. He’ll be back tomorrow.”
A pang of guilt twisted in my gut. While I’d been playing the fainting damsel, my brother had been waiting to see me. At least in this timeline, he wasn’t breaking his back in the mines or lying dead in our hovel. The thought of seeing him tomorrow, alive and whole, sent a wave of relief through me so intense it nearly brought tears to my eyes.
“I see,” I managed, fighting to keep my voice steady. “That’s good. Very good.”
Mother tilted her head, concern creasing her brow. “Ilyana? Are you alright?”
I smiled, perhaps a bit too brightly. “Never better. Just thinking about all the ways I’m going to torment my dear brother when he returns. Someone needs to keep his ego in check, after all.”
But inside, my determination burned hotter than ever. Sebastian was alive. My parents were alive. And this time, I’d make damn sure they stayed that way.
Now, if I could just figure out how to explain to Father why framing Lord Bellrose for treason might not be the best idea without sounding like I’d lost my mind.
Finally, we reached the sanctuary of my childhood bedroom. I stepped inside, and it was like being slapped in the face with a bouquet of memories – some sweet, most embarrassing.
The room was exactly as I’d left it, frozen in time. Pale pink walls adorned with fanciful paintings of mostly myself in various ages. A canopied bed draped in diaphanous white curtains that I’d once thought made me look like a fairy princess but now realized just made me look like I was hiding from the world. Which, to be fair, wasn’t entirely inaccurate.
Bookshelves lined one wall, filled with an eclectic mix of romance novels, treatises on political strategy, and the occasional book on exotic poisons, purely for academic purposes, of course. My writing desk still stood by the window, its surface covered in a fine layer of dust. How many schemes had I hatched at that very spot? Too many to count, and not nearly enough to save me from my own idiocy.
A vanity mirror dominated one corner, surrounded by an impressive array of cosmetics and hair accessories. I caught my reflection and winced. Good lord, I really did look like death warmed over. No wonder Mother was in such a tizzy.
“There now,” Mother said, guiding me to sit on the bed. “You just rest here, and I’ll have some tea sent up.”
“Mother, really, I’m fine,” I protested weakly, but she was already halfway out the door.
Left alone in my childhood sanctuary, I flopped back on the bed with a dramatic sigh. The ceiling, I noted with some amusement, still bore the faint scorch marks from that time I’d tried to conjure a love spell.
Oh, Noah! The things I had done for you.
I lay there, staring at the ceiling and contemplating the cosmic joke that was my life. Here I was, Lady Ilyana D’Arcane, once the most conniving debutante in all of Aetheria, now reduced to hiding in my childhood bedroom like a scolded puppy. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. And by ‘fallen,’ I mean ‘spectacularly face-planted into a pile of her own bad decisions.’
Before I could further wallow in self-pity, my mother bustled back into the room, trailing a parade of maids laden with enough food to feed a small army. Or one particularly hungry woman. Same difference, really.
Since I had decided to sneak out of the palace this morning, I had skipped breakfast..
“Ilyana, darling,” Mother cooed, arranging herself on the edge of my bed like a hen settling onto her eggs. “I’ve brought you some refreshments. You must keep up your strength, you know.”
I eyed the spread with a mixture of a starving villager and mild horror. There were delicate pastries, finger sandwiches, and at least three different types of tea.
“Thank you, Mother,” I said, reaching for a cup of tea. “I’m sure this will cure all that ails me. Who needs doctors when you have such great food, right?”
Mother completely missed the sarcasm. “Exactly, dear! Now, tell me,” She leaned in conspiratorially, “when can we expect the pitter-patter of tiny feet?”
I choked on my tea, barely managing to avoid spewing it across the pristine bedspread. “I beg your pardon?”
“Grandchildren, Ilyana!” Mother clasped her hands together, eyes shining with unbridled enthusiasm. “Surely you and Lord Noah have discussed the matter?”
Oh, we’d discussed plenty of matters, alright. Like how good the weather was every day. Somehow, I didn’t think that was quite what Mother had in mind.
I almost snorted, thinking about how Noah and I had never even shared a bed, let alone baby-making activities. The closest we’d come to ‘discussing children’ was when I’d pretended to sleep with him while he was black-out drunk. Ah, marital bliss.
“Well, Mother,” I said, plastering on my best ‘dutiful daughter’ smile, “Noah and I are taking things… slowly. We want to enjoy our time as newlyweds before we think about children.”
Mother’s face fell faster than a soufflé in a thunderstorm. “But darling, you’re not getting any younger! And think of the family name!”
Yes, because nothing says ‘family legacy’ quite like a child born from deceit and mutual resentment. What a charming bedtime story that would make.
“Speaking of family,” I said, desperate to change the subject before Mother started planning nursery decorations, “Where’s Father? Is he still angry?”
No need to delay the inevitable.
Mother’s brow furrowed. “Oh, your father… Well, he had planned to take the day off when we heard you and Noah would be visiting. But since Noah couldn’t make it, he’s a bit… put out. He’s probably sulking in his study, the old bear.”
Fantastic. Not only did I have to save my family from impending doom, but I also had to navigate my father’s wounded pride. It was like trying to navigate a horde of angry elephants while tap dancing in glass slippers.
“I should go speak with him,” I said, setting aside my barely touched tea. My hunger forgotten. For now, at least.
Mother patted my hand, completely missing the dread dripping from my words. “That’s a wonderful idea, dear. Your father could use some cheering up. And do try to explain Lord Noah’s absence. Your father was quite looking forward to discussing… well, I’m sure it’s nothing important.”
Nothing important. Right.
I extricated myself from Mother’s clutches with promises to rest and eat and general assurances that I wasn’t about to keel over at any moment.
I paused outside the heavy oak door of Father’s study, steeling myself for the conversation ahead. How does one go about saying, “Father, remember that whole ‘ruining other’s family and getting us all exiled’ thing? Yeah, let’s not do that this time around, shall we?”
I raised my hand to knock, then hesitated. Through the thick wood, I could hear the scratch of a quill on parchment, punctuated by the occasional frustrated sigh. Father was working, no doubt.
Standing there, my hand poised to knock, I felt the weight of my mission settle on my shoulders like a lead cloak. I was about to alter the course of our family’s history, to rewrite a future that only I knew. And all it would take was one conversation with my father, the man whose ambition and love for me had nearly destroyed us all.
No pressure, right?
I took a deep breath, trying to channel some of that infamous cunning. I’d need every ounce of wit and charm I possessed to pull this off. It was time to put on the performance of a lifetime.
With one final, sardonic smile at the absurdity of it all, I raised my hand once more and knocked on the door of my father’s study.