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...
"This isn't quite what I expected," said Dylan, peering down at the letter.
"Can I have a look at it, too, Dyl?" asked Grisa.
The two girls were currently dressed in nightgowns and slippers, lazing about on Dylan's bed. Since the weekend was approaching, Grisa insisted on having a pyjama party before they parted ways for a few days.
The letter Jessie said was delivered by Laikin's servant was currently in Dylan's hands. Dylan frowned, reading his elegant handwriting. The letter was a formal invitation to spend the weekend at Marquis Frederique's estate.
'You asked me for some time, but I didn't think you'd request for a whole weekend.'
"Don't go. I always thought he was kind of strange." Grisa spoke, keeping her voice low—loud enough for only them to hear. "He didn't even tell you the reason why. What if it ends up being a trap?"
Dylan shrugged, looking at the letter. "The Duke has a good business relationship with the current Marquis of Frederique. It wouldn't hurt to go."
Dylan paused, but let out a low, hazy chuckle. At some point, she had stopped referring to the Duke as "father".
Grisa sighed. "Fine, but next weekend come to my father's mansion with me."
Jessie, meanwhile, was studying Dylan's face with a frown. Dylan pretended not to notice, continuing to chat with her friend. It was the Duke who personally selected Jessie and sent her to the academy alongside Dylan. Although she was kind, her loyalty lied with him and not the lady she served.
Jessie opened her mouth to speak, just as Dylan expected she would. "Milady," she said, "shouldn't you be returning to the Duke's estate this weekend?"
With that simple question, Dylan knew every single one of her movements were being reported to her adoptive father. Jessie was like a spy—monitoring her actions. Dylan made her way to her desk, setting out a fresh sheet of parchment and a new envelope.
'This will become quite troublesome for my future plans.'
Dylan's fake smile turned unbearably sweet. "I'm sure the Duke will understand," she said. "Did you send him the letter like I asked you to? The one that says I won't be returning home this weekend?"
Dylan was making it clear that she would not return home. Not only did she need Laikin to be indebted to her, but she also wished to see Edwin. It was also an opportunity to move freely without the Duke knowing of her exact actions.
'Yes, I need freedom so I can do that thing.'
"No," Jessie said, shaking her head. "I will send it out tomorrow morning, milady."
"Good, good." Dylan picked up a quill and dipped it in ink. "Please bring this letter to Lord Laikin's room tomorrow morning as well."
Grisa, who was hugging a pillow on Dylan's bed, tilted her head. "How's the Crown Prince?"
Dylan's hand paused. Caspian was an attractive man, but a romantic relationship with him was the last thing on her mind. Building their relationship any further would mean easing into intimacy—something she wasn't capable of doing.
"Gris," she said after resuming her writing, "you shouldn't ask stuff like that. His Highness and I are hardly friends—like I've told you."
"Really?" she asked with a doubtful expression.
"Really. If anything, I think you should get to know the Crown Prince. You are better suited for him than I am."
Dylan's eyelashes looked down as she wrote—her big brown eyes lacking any emotion. For her plan to work, the Crown Prince's target of obsession had to be eventually swapped out. Once he dealt with Axil on her behalf, Dylan didn't have any further use for him.
"No," Grisa said, flopping her back down onto Dylan's mattress. "I could never be Crown Princess. Besides, there's someone I like."
Dylan froze. "Someone you like?" she asked with a dry tone.
"Yeah."
Dylan placed the quill down and picked the paper up, scanning over her writing briefly, before handing it to Mina to seal.
"I don't think any man is worthy of my Gris. Unless he can give you an empire." Dylan plopped down on the bed next to Grisa. "You should reconsider."
Grisa chuckled. "Okay," she said. "Let's get some rest!"
'Yes, this is okay. I don't need to rush. Little by little, I'll plant the seeds in her head.'
In the end, all Dylan wanted was to escape from all this horror and misery. If she had to use those around her, then she would do so without hesitation.
***
The next afternoon, Laikin sent a servant to fetch Dylan and her maids from her dorm room.
"Please allow me to guide you to my father's estate," he said, then bowed his head. "If it's alright with the lady, I'd like to share a carriage with you."
'What is your end goal, Laikin de Frederique? I've read all about you. You're no gentleman.'
In Laikin's letter, he detailed that he would bring an extra carriage to the academy for her. What he didn't mention was that they would be riding together. His ultimate goal was not an extra carriage for Dylan, but an extra carriage for their attendants.
Based on his appearance alone, he looked very innocent. Laikin outwardly appeared as a courteous and honourable man. Only Dylan knew about the mask he wore on a daily basis and his true nature. They were people pretending to be things they weren't—a fact that made them both extremely dangerous.
Dylan answered with a slight smile. "Very well," she said. "Shall we depart?"
'Let's see which one of us is the better actor.'
Strong warm fingers touched her hand as he escorted her onto the carriage. Dylan took a seat across from him and glanced out the window. In the yard, at the gates, a pair of familiar silver eyes seemed to be watching her. The carriage wheels rattled as they began to move, and she lost sight of the man as they rounded a bend.
'Was that Cas?'
Dylan's gentle features were drawn, her gaze distracted. As she looked out the window, Laikin watched her with a a blank expression. For a moment he continued to stare at her, and then a smile slowly worked its way across his face.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hey readers, I need your input! Do you want Dylan to start developing feelings for one of the male characters?
As of right now, Dylan only views everyone so far as pawns to use on her chessboard. What if her emotions, which she thought had disappeared a long time ago, started to mess up her plans?
What do you think? And which male lead do you prefer?
