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...
Dylan clenched her fists. The Marquis—a man with generational wealth, properties and even stocks—didn't give her or her mother a single penny. Instead, he left them to suffer from starvation and a lack of basic necessities.
"Even if you're his illegitimate child, you can't erase the blood that—"
"There's no reason"—she cut him off with a small smile—"for you to approach me like this, Lord Lucas."
A strange expression flashed across Lucas' face, and Dylan wondered what he was thinking about.
"I've never used my blood to ask for anything," she muttered, softly. "Not even once. So rest assured, my Lord. This is a secret that will follow me to my grave."
She turned her back on him, not leaving any space for him to answer. Lucas stared at her back, stunned, with no thoughts in his head at all—as if his mind had completely erased itself.
'I won't let you claim your rights as my family belatedly.'
***
After class, a tall man was leaning against the classroom doorway with his arms folded. He grinned, showing pearly white teeth as their eyes met.
Dangerous. His smile was dangerous.
"Lord Laikin." Dylan smiled, fleetingly. "For what do I owe the honour?"
"May I have a word?" he asked, staring shyly at the floor.
She didn't look at him. Instead, her eyes were glued to the open window just beyond his shoulder. Her hair fluttered slightly in the breeze that blew in from it. All of a sudden, she felt Laikin touch it, running his fingers through the bottom strands.
"Lord Laikin," she asked him, "what is it that you want?"
He looked up, meeting Dylan's expressionless eyes. He had such beautiful eyes. They were a light, clear blue—the colour of the sky. His eyes looked just like her mother's. It was why Dylan loved the sky so much.
If parallels existed in this world, then Dylan and Laikin stood analogous to one another. They were both people who manipulated others to get what they wanted.
It was why Dylan could never fall for him—he was too similar to her. In the novel, Laikin wasn't someone who approached you without ulterior motives.
'I know you approached me for a reason, so what is it?'
"Milady has made an impression on me," he said, dropping his hand. "It's not just your beautiful looks, but your mind as well."
Dylan blinked at him. "My mind?"
"May I ask you for a favour?" He took her hand and kissed it. "Would milady be willing to lend me some of her time this weekend?"
Dylan pulled her hand back, her face growing warmer.
"What is this?" said a voice behind her, and glancing up, she saw Caspian.
'Shit, I forgot he was in my class.'
"Let go of her," he said, anger in his voice.
He grabbed Dylan's shoulders, pulling her roughly against him. "Did he touch you inappropriately?" His voice was soft, anger suddenly a thing of the past.
Dylan bit at her lip. It was best if her twisted relationship with the Crown Prince remained hidden.
"Lord Laikin," she said, "please send a letter to my room with details concerning your offer."
When you're indebted to someone, you owe that person something. If Dylan could tip the scale in her favour, then Laikin could be another pawn on her chessboard.
'I could use this to my advantage.'
Dylan made an apologetic expression and didn't think she could raise her face ever again. Suddenly her feet were moving, almost without her discretion.
"Come here," said Dylan, catching hold of Caspian's arm and dragging him with her. In her mind, dragging a Royal around seemed like a pretty serious liability.
'I'm supposed to be staying away from the male lead. Instead, I'm tip-toeing towards my death.'
"I'll never have a woman, especially if they're this much trouble," Caspian declared.
She let go of his arm. "You can't do that," she said, "people might get the wrong idea, Your Highness."
"Cas," said Caspian, grinning. "Won't you call me Cas?"
The Crown Prince is the male lead in the original story. He was described as a character with a constant need for reassurance and obsessive tendencies.
'If it continues like this—it might get bad.'
"Cas," she whispered, looking up at him. "You—"
"Again." His voice was rough as he said, "Say it again."
The sound of footsteps running down the hall drew her attention. She flung herself backwards, pulling Caspian with her through the door to an empty classroom. The last thing she wanted was for more people to see them together.
'Too close.'
They were standing close enough to feel one another's warmth—their faces only inches apart. Dylan instinctively shoved him away.
'This is bad.'
"I'm sorry, Cas, maybe I shouldn't have done that," she said, resting her hand on his arm.
'I shouldn't have asked you for this.'
She tried to pull her hand back, but he quickly grabbed it. Dylan flinched slightly. Still, the feel of his hand was oddly reassuring.
"Use me," he whispered, bringing her hand to his cheek. "Use me as much as you want. If it's you—you can use me all you want."
At that exact moment, Dylan realized that she had already stepped over the line into someone else's story.
'I guess if I'm going to be a villainess, I'll be a damn good one.'
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AUTHOR'S NOTE:
What do we think of their twisted relationship? Do you think Dylan will be able to discard him as she planned to... or will something else happen?
