The Villainess was Loved

Chapter Sixty-One: Buyer’s Regret

Rheyes Kerhid Norvig

“What the hell was that?”

Elora asked as soon as they entered their private room.

It took a while for the two to settle and even longer for the chef to gather his bearings, all factors that permitted him to delay his answer.

It wasn’t that he walked into the restaurant intending to make a scene; hell, he should be in Kranis.

But after the rumours of the happenings of the ball reached Elora’s ears, he and the Countess being the surprising main characters, he had had little choice but to postpone his endeavours to reestablish matters.

Stanely left with the calvary as planned, leaving him stranded in his travel options.

Of course, there were other options other than horseback, like train or teleport, but they made him nauseous.

Flying suited him best, but the capital was unlike the north. Where they embraced different species, they ridiculed them here. If he were to turn into a hydra, all nine heads attached, he would terrify the nation.

Where his difference was the pride of dragon kind, it made him a monster in the capital.

The moment they walked into ‘Blue Bear Restaurant’, he scanned the building as he always does, only in doing so, he managed to notice someone he thought was best left alone.

Of course, his first instinct had been to tell Elora that they should leave; heavens only knew what the Countess might do if she saw him.

‘Gods, what if she clings to me?’

He near shuddered at the thought.

It would taint his image of her, but perhaps that was a good thing.

Unfortunately, as ‘Blue Bear’ prided itself on quick service, they were shortly ascending steps to the VVIP section, clarifying the contents of the Countess’s conversation.

*

“Who gave you the marking on your neck? Gods, were you assaulted, or did you…?”

“Okay, why does it look as though you wish I were assaulted? Is there something you aren’t telling me, Wreigner?”

*

Of course, the Countess wouldn’t share with him such information; even she wasn’t allowed to discuss it.

‘Still, Wreigner? Jacob’s brother?’

‘Gods, should I have made her sign a mute contract?’

*

“Then how did you get the bruise?”

“It's an interesting story; I’ll tell you one day, perhaps, when we meet in Springtime’s pub?”

*

‘Huh? She intends to tell him?’

His frown only grew deeper the faster they ascended the steps.

‘I should warn her not to-,’

His thoughts were cut short the moment he saw her.

Her hair fell on her back in long loose curls; still, he could catch glimpses of her back periodically due to her movements. A back as smooth as pearls dipping down her more than abundant posterior, one he wished he could squeeze its softness once more.

The silk of her dress clung loosely to her, it was perhaps a polite outfit, but it was anything but to him.

He could easily slide his hands down the gap on her back’s curve, part her legs slightly, then slide-

“Stabilise things in Clay? So how long, a week, a month, a year? How can you expect me to wait that long when each time I see you, it feels as though you move further away from me?”

His thoughts stilled after hearing what sounded like a proclamation of love.

He turned his attention to Jacob’s brother; their faces were eerily similar, only unlike his joyful brother, he looked as though he was in pain.

‘Hah…he loves her?’

‘Who the hell would kiss a p********e on the mouth*?’

A gnawing possibility made his gut churn.

‘Does she love him?’

“Wreigner-,”

The Countess began, but a furious interruption sprouted from him.

“This isn’t the right place to act out a lover’s quarrel, now, is it?”

He wouldn’t listen; he couldn’t.

He could place his finger on it, but he would more willingly burn than watch their love turn requited.

The Countess’s intense evergreen gaze met his, then grew rigid and pale after too short a time.

“I greet his h…”

Her face turned unreadable only after the greeting, as though the word, ‘highness’, had a disclosing spell over it.

It was then that Rheyes remembered the Countess’s adamant refusal to address him by his name. Yet mere moments ago, she called Jacob’s replacement by his?

They were in the throes of ecstasy, it would have been for one night, yet she still drew a line so deep he had not even realised it was to maintain more than distance from him.

‘Annoying.’

It was as though this was their first time meeting.

As though she had not come on his hands, as though he had not tasted her till she cried.

‘Seriously…annoying.’

When Elora mentioned that she was courting Harell, he felt a tinge of relief because political marriages were never out of love.

Still, the feeling was too short lived to enjoy.

Of course, it meant that she could not use their night together as leverage, making the expensive mute contract unnecessary but…

What the hell was he feeling?

If the courtship becomes a success, that means that she would get married to that idealist puppet.

Harell wasn’t a bad match. If he cast aside the Empress and underwent a rebellious phase, especially with someone like the Countess puppeteering him, he would garner a lot of support, and worse, she will move on.

He will then become a stain in her past, just like the men she had been with before, as few as they were.

He let go of her hand at Elora’s command; only her voice had brought him back to reality; however, upon seeing her bright smile pointed towards his brother, he snapped.

“Nothing much.”

He finally answered his sister as he settled more comfortably on the chair.

“Steak, no side. I want it rare, preferably with blood still dripping. Don’t make me send it back twice. There will be consequences.”

He gave the chef his order, then turned to Elora.

“First of all, gross order, secondly, you need veggies; thirdly, you made it sound as though she prostituted herself in front of her courting partner when she had simply helped you?”

He had. He would not deny that.

In fact, he broke their arrangement when he had expected her to.

Yet even in that unexpected turn, she remained unphased.

“You realise Harell is your competitor?”

“So? I'm better off than he is. Plus, I doubt having a social outcast in arm will help his reputation in high society.”

“Baby Ra, why do you refuse to grow up?”

“Don’t call me that. I am not five anymore.”

“I’ll call you what I want.”

Elora rolled her eyes, but he proceeded with the conversation rather than acknowledge she was annoyed.

“You have never had a conversation with the Countess, have you?”

“Of course not. We do not run in the same circles.”

“hm…? Let us hope you do not regret that.”

Rheyes turned his gaze to the night view, and rather than maintain the vision of the serene beauty, his head flashed back to the Countess’s pale face.

He wronged her.

He took a deep breath, then hastily replaced her image in his mind.

Indeed, he was in a foul mood.

But their meeting confirmed one thing; they must never meet again.

*

*

*

Arusei Evergreen

“It was a disaster! I mean, can you believe he did that?”

I leaned over the balcony and peered down at the view.

Crashing Breca’s symposium was one thing, but I hadn’t intended to rant to her, especially when her artwork was among the exhibition pieces.

It was her big day, yet here I am, raining on her parade.

Still, the view from the hills was amazing.

Rather than glimmering bejewelled golden pieces, the metropolis surrounding central resembled a sea of stars.

“I told you Wreigner likes you. I. Told. You. So.”

“Kick me when I am down, why don’t you?”

“What do you expect, sympathy?”

“Who was I supposed to believe? You, or the man saying ‘I love Regina’ at every odd interval?”

“He was lying! People lie! You lie, for goodness sake!!”

“I know that, Breca, but If I listened to you, rather than him, how different would I be, compared to those who listen to the rumours about me then make their assumptions?”

“Are you stupid or pretending to be?! Don’t defend your idiocy! I am your friend, different from anyone else in the freaking Empire. You f****d up when you f****d him, and f****d up again when you f****d Rheyes!”

I opened my mouth, then closed it.

In all sense, she was right.

“I would never have slept with him if …”

“Well, you did, so all that matters now is what you will do next?”

“For starters, join the nunnery, maybe pledge myself to abstinence. I don’t know, something along those lines.”

“Good luck with that. What about Rheyes? What if you meet him at a ball or something?”

“I wonder if I have permission to kill him?”

“Can you, even with permission, he is the strongest person in the Empire?”

“God, I hate him. I mean, where does he get off with that bullshit?”

 “ ‘Would you prefer cash, or do you accept credit?’ ”

I mimicked his voice mockingly.

“I should have taken that card! God! What a bastard!”

Breca sipped the sherry in her hand exceptionally loudly, then placed it on the end table near the lounge chair she sat on.

“Seems like you have sorted that out.”

“sorted it out? Yes! I never want to get involved with him ever again!”

“Ooh what about Harell, will you marry him, disaster date aside?”

“Hah! Yes, marriage, that’s the solution to all my problems.”

“Try saying that with less sarcasm in your voice.”

“I can't marry Harell.”

“Why not?”

“For starters, he is so pure that I feel ashamed to be myself before him. Does that make sense?”

“So you feel guilty?”

“At the moment, I feel unheard. I said I feel ashamed, embarrassed, self-conscious; not guilty.”

“Mmm, synonyms aside, what do you think that means for you and the Empress?”

“Haaah! My problems have no bottom. Let us dive into yours? Why didn’t you bring Kat?”

“I did invite her.”

“But?”

“Alden called. He was in town, taking a break with a few of his friends from the university.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, ‘oh’.”

She chuckled.

“It's fine; first loves are often unrequited.”

“I would have said ‘s**t,’ but okay, we’ll settle for civility.”

“Well, I feel like s**t if that helps.”

“I’d drink to that if you, I don’t know, offered me a drink?!”

“Hell no, I’ll need to go back inside to get a drink. Do you know how many people want an artist to look at their work and give them tips? No way, let's go to a pub?”

“And risk meeting the next person I've slept with? I’d rather stay dehydrated.”

“That’s the spirit!”

Ettiene was never one for commoner locations, but I'd rather not risk it with my luck.

“By the way, when do we leave for Clay? Kat may spend a few more days with Alden.”

“Tomorrow evening, I want to pass by Gorge town to get some permanent mercenaries to pose as Clay Knights. The imperial ones are useless.”

“But you are stuck with them.”

“Not really; they can always get into an accident, maybe retire early, maybe die. World’s full of possibilities.”

“The spy may be harder to kill off.”

“Yeah…but ‘hard’ doesn’t mean impossible.”

Though it might as well be, Leon is a male lead.

“Kat can join us later; that’s not a problem.”

“Speaking of not a problem, uh…Kat, how do I say this? Kat loathes Rheyes, so she isn’t happy that you slept with him. Try not to mention him around her anymore.”

“Oh…okay, no problem. I don’t even want to discuss him anymore.”

{Who the hell would kiss a p********e on the mouth*- who the hell would fall in love with a prostitute.}