Dylan de Beaumon, the adopted daughter of a Duke, recalls the memories of her past-life after hitting her head. Upon realizing she was a villainess character in a novel, she decides to use her intellectual giftedness to get a good career and run awa...
Halfway to Faerchester, the coachman pulled his horses to a halt. The road ahead of them was covered completely with muddy water. Moreover, his horses were fatigued to the point of exhaustion.
"We may have to backtrack and take another route." As the coachman spoke, his face revealed an apologetic expression. "I'm very sorry, Lady Dylan."
"It's not your fault," she said, "but the weather's."
The weather had taken its toll on each of them. He looked exhausted and anxious—the strain of driving in the rain clearly visible on his face.
"Let's stop a while and rest," said Dylan, looking up toward the clearing sky. "It'll be a bit draughty but I don't think it'll rain again."
"Yes, milady." A smile of wonderful relief flashed across his face. "Thank you, milady."
Dylan looked down. Mud stained the bottom of her skirts up to the knee, and small droplets were spattered over the rest. She reached down to try and brush at the stains, only to be stopped by Cadence's fingers wrapping around her wrist.
"Perhaps you're right," she said with a sigh. "I shouldn't brush at the stains."
Cadence gritted his teeth, releasing his grasp on her wrist. He realized she had no idea how his body responded to her slight movement.
"Sir Cadence, can you help me off?" Adjusting herself in front of him, she heard Cadence groan. "Oh, sorry. Am I hurting you?"
He hurriedly shook his head. He was embarrassed at the way his body responded to her. She probably wasn't aware of her effect on him.
Cadence wriggled as he got off the horse, reached up, grabbed her and helped her off the horse.
"I'm going for a swim," she declared, frowning at her filthy outfit. "Is there a river nearby?"
"If you go right through there, milady." The coachman pointed a few yards away where a close cluster of trees stood. "But the water's freezing. Milady might not—"
"It's fine," she interrupted, lifting up her soaked skirts. "At any rate, it's not just a swim. I need a bath. And I need to wash this dress."
'I can't show up at Faerchester looking like this. Jessie might kill me.'
***
With the faint afternoon sun shining on its surface, the river looked beautiful. Dylan dipped her fingers in the water and played with a few minnows that danced across the surface. The water was cold but bearable.
"Freezing, huh," she muttered under her breath. "I used to bathe in river water during winter months."
Cadence repressed inappropriate thoughts as he watched her play with the minnows. He was literally battling against himself, trying not to succumb to the burning desire he felt for her. He was her knight. He would never be anything more.
"Would you undo the hooks at the back of my dress before you go?"
A lump formed in Cadence's throat, and he swallowed nervously. Gentle fingers brushed the skin between her shoulder blades and worked their way down. Dylan pressed the dress to her chest to keep it from falling off. His eyes traced the curve of her bare back, and he wanted to know if the skin was as soft as it looked.
"You can wait behind that tree," she said, without turning around. "I'll talk to you, so you know I'm okay."
She closed her eyes, waiting until his footsteps stopped. Then she sighed, pulling her dress up over her head, and draping it over a tree branch so it wouldn't get wet. She'd clean it later. For now, she just wanted to clean herself.
Dylan waded into the river, fish darting out of her path as she went. The cold water against her bare skin felt good.
"I'm going to tell you a story," she said, glancing at the shoreline. "It's about a little girl."
Cadence sat with his back against a large white birch tree and did his best to listen her words.
Dylan dunked her head. She came up, spitting out water, and smoothed her hair with her hands. Her long golden hair glistened under the sunlight. "She knew all too well how easily everything could be snatched from her. Perhaps it was because she had already lost her everything."
Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back and allowed the water to wash over her, soaking her from head to toe. Dylan knew this story all too well—because it was hers.
"She had nothing, no one left to love her. Then one day, a fox disguised as a man came to her. He promised her a better life—and best of all, he promised her a family. And so, she took his hand, believing there was nowhere else for her to go."
Dylan caught a glimpse of her reflection in the water. It felt as if a stranger looked back. A stranger playing a role she hated.
"But he lied." She stared until she was able to admit the reflection was of her own face. "He lied because human beings are selfish and cruel."
'He took advantage of a girl with nothing, just to satisfy his own grief.'
She laughed bitterly. "He turned the little girl into a puppet, and forced her to wear a mask—a mask that belonged to the very man who took everything from the child."
Squeezing his hands into fists, Cadence wished desperately that Dylan could find happiness. He wanted to hurt them. Wanted to make them pay for crushing his master's precious heart.
"It was then when the little girl decided that she didn't want to play family anymore. She didn't want a father. Nor did she want a brother. She just wanted to be free and..." She trailed off, going silent for several minutes.
Cadence let the quiet linger. If Dylan wanted to speak further, she would. If she didn't, he wouldn't push her.
After a time, she continued. "Do you think she'll..." She cleared her throat. "Do you think she'll find it before death? Freedom?"
Cadence flinched. He didn't fear death—he welcomed it, waited for it. He had concluded suicide was the only way out of his terrible life. But now, he was reluctant to welcome the thought of leaving the world. Not when Dylan had showed him several reasons to stay.
Then he heard a rustling beside him, and turned his head. When Dylan emerged from the bushes, she was fully dressed and she had let her hair down, letting the curls spread around her shoulders as they dried. She looked better, he thought.
"Run away with me," she told him, "so we can both be free."
He stiffened suddenly and his eyes widened. Dylan watched his expression change. Was she too direct about it?
Then he moved his hand away from his side, and lifted it into the air. "Okay," he signed.
Dylan smiled. "Okay," she signed back.
Cadence knew at that exact moment that he would follow this girl anywhere. He didn't think it was possible—falling in love. But somehow, he had fallen utterly and completely in love with her.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Thank you for all of your support and encouragement <3
