The Original Villainess

CHAPTER 9

“Stand still!”

I groaned and attempted to straighten my posture as best I could so the designer could continue pinning fabric to my body. “Mister Andre,” I gritted through clenched teeth, “would you like to tell me why my wedding gown is still in seventy individual pieces?”

“You can’t rush genius!” he declared.

“I didn’t ask for genius,” I grumbled. “I just want my dress. It’s been two weeks! Shouldn’t some of the pieces be fitting together now? Weren’t you going to find a premade dress to begin working with, and then tailor it? Why have you started from scratch?”

“Everything is falling together at the pace that I have predicted,” Mister Andre insisted, shooting me a cold look. “Your dress does not exist in this world, so I cannot find a base dress and alter it. I must begin anew. Besides, you’re the one who added an extra step by giving me those new sketches.”

“I didn’t want to!” I protested. “The duke reminded me that I’d be insulting the royal family if I didn’t have a separate reception dress, but it was too late to get an entirely new dress run up, so I thought I was doing you a favor!”

“Stand still!”

I grumbled under my breath and stood still. My feet ached to be shifted. My toes flexed under the fabric Mister Andre was pinning to my body. My eye twitched.

I reached to scratch it.

“Still!” Mister Andre commanded darkly.

I froze.

“Truth be told,” Mister Andre admitted after a minute of silence, “your design was ingenious. I can’t believe nobody’s ever thought of it before. It’s so…simple, yet clever. How did you manage?”

I got reborn into a romance novel, that’s how, I silently retorted wryly. “I am a woman. I spend hours of my day getting dressed for one occasion or another. The last thing I need is to spend hours changing my gown the day of my wedding, and making my guests wait. If it takes a long time to put on, it’ll take just as long to take off. This way, I can cut down the time it takes to switch dresses, and at the end of the night, when I’m dead on my feet, I’ll be able to take it off quickly, so I’m not falling asleep trying to get undressed.”

Zane cleared his throat, and I rolled my eyes. People. They know the nasty is happening, but they refuse to say anything about it. Even the implication that it happens is evil.

“Nearly done,” Mister Andre said. “Have you looked into accessories?”

“I have a necklace, so I’m not worried about that. I probably have earrings, but I’m not sure yet. I’ll have to go through my jewelry box. I’m mostly worried about my shoes. For the ceremony, I suppose anything will do, but for the reception, I can’t abide uncomfortable shoes. If they make my feet hurt from dancing, then I’ll take them off.” I felt several eyes on me, but I refused to meet them. “I won’t apologize for comfort!” I exclaimed. My gaze fell on the unassembled dress pieces. They look pretty. I hope they fall into place in time. I hope they look okay all together, and it wasn’t just a weird vision in my head.

“All done for now,” Mister Andre said. He gingerly lifted the pinned fabric off of me. “Come back in four days, and it’ll look more put together. I want to make sure it fits you every step of the way. Try not to lose or gain too much weight in the next couple of weeks, or else we’ll need to rip out the seams and start over.”

Ugh. Maybe I should have just ordered an empire waist dress. It’s dangerous to go on a diet while pregnant, and I can’t stop myself from gaining weight or getting hungry, so the best thing I can do is try to eat healthy. Gah! Brynne! Why’d you have to go and fall in love with that bastard?!

“I’ll help you, my lady!” Dorothy declared. “I’ll stop bringing you sweets with your tea!”

But I like sweets with my tea, I pouted silently as Mister Andre finished gathering up the pieces of my dress.

“I’ll tell the cook not to serve desserts for the next two weeks until the wedding,” Zane interjected, and I gaped at him.

Even him?

“Don’t look so down, my lady!” Dorothy added cheerfully. “It’s only until the wedding, so you can fit into your dress. Then you can have all the sweets you want!”

But I want them now! I knew it was only my pregnancy craving that was having me protest against them so much.

“Well, only so much as you should,” Zane stated, touching a finger to my nose. “All that sugar and no exercise will make you gain weight quickly.”

I frowned at my brother. So he was that kind of person. It shouldn’t surprise me, seeing how that is how the men of this world were taught. In fact, that’s probably how the men of every world were taught! Rude bastards. I hung off Dorothy’s shoulders on our way out of the boutique. “So what?”

“Huh?”

“I’ll still be beautiful,” I said, giving my hair a little flip as my feet gave a little skip onto the sidewalk, “no matter how much I weigh. But as long as I’m healthy, then it’s fine, right?” I spun on my heel to smile at them. “Something tells me the duke…he probably only cares if I’m healthy.” I bent down to smell some flowers at a market cart. Because he’s a doctor, so he probably knows that weight gain isn’t necessarily bad. But also, because he doesn’t love me, so he’s more interested in making sure I make it through pregnancy in one piece, so he won’t have to get remarried and have another kid.

“You’re absolutely right, my lady!” Dorothy sniffed.

Why is she crying?

“You will always be beautiful! And since the duke seems to truly love you, then no matter what you look like, you will stay beautiful in his eyes! I’m all fired up now! I need to make you the prettiest bride!”

I watched after her as she stormed down the street purposefully, fists pumping the air, frequently followed by an enthusiastic yell. I met Zane with wide eyes. “I may have created a monster,” I whispered fearfully.

“I’m honestly a bit worried for you, sister,” he whispered back.

“Isn’t that your maid?”

I glanced up when I heard a familiar voice behind me. “Yes,” I responded simply to Levi’s question as he, too, watched Dorothy fade into the crowd.

“What is she doing?”

I smirked at him. “She’s preparing to make me the most beautiful bride.”

He met my eyes seriously. “You’re already the most beautiful bride.”

I turned away to hide my blush, but I couldn’t stop the small smile that crept onto my lips. “Thank you.”

“Actually, we should ask him,” Zane suggested, and I blinked, trying to remember what we were talking about before Levi showed up. “Since you seem determined to not listen to Andre.”

“That’s right!” I gripped Levi’s hand and grinned. “We just came from the dress boutique. The designer told me not to lose or gain any weight until the wedding, so the dress will fit properly.”

“Sound advice,” the duke nodded.

“Then we started talking about what would happen if I gained weight. I told them I’d be beautiful no matter what, but a lot of men get upset if their wives don’t fit the perfect mold that society has created for them. What do you think?”

He took one of my hands and raised it to his lips. “I don’t care what my wife looks like, as long as she’s happy and healthy. In fact, should you gain weight, then I will be delighted, my dear wife, for there will just be more of you to love.”

My heart stuttered at the seriousness in his tone and the emotion in his eyes, and I pulled my hand away. “Okay, okay. People are going to think we’re madly in love with each other if you keep doing that sort of thing in public.”

“Who said we weren’t?”

I wanna punch that smile right off his face. “I do,” I gritted through clenched teeth.

“But did you tell me, one week before I sent the letter of proposal to your house, that–”

I screeched and clapped both my hands over Levi’s mouth with a glare.

Zane cleared his throat. “Your Grace, are we interrupting you?”

Levi smirked under my hands, pulling them away from his mouth just enough to kiss my fingers before folding them into his own. “Not at all. I’ve completed my business for the day.”

“Then, would you mind escorting my sister home? I have to go…hunt down Dorothy and drag her back.”

I giggled at the exhaustion on my brother’s face. “Don’t be too hard on her,” I teased, patting the top of his head before he disappeared down the street. As soon as he was gone, Levi’s hand tightened around mine and he dragged me the opposite direction, ducking inside a dark alley. He buried his nose in the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply as he pressed my back to the alley wall. Wha–?

“What else did you do today?” he asked after a moment of silence, cheek resting on my shoulder.

He’s like a child. It’s adorable. My hand came up hesitantly, before I gave it the last push it needed to settle on top of his head, stroking his hair. Whatever, just go for it! I waited, but he neither moved, nor told me to stop. “Well, I had lunch with my brother, and I found you a wedding gift.”

He lifted his head just enough to meet my eyes. “What is it?”

I shrugged innocently. “If I tell you, it won’t be a surprise.”

“Will I like it?”

I don’t know! I know nothing about you, because you weren’t in the original novel! “Maybe. I don’t know your tastes very well. But!” I scowled, anger flowing to the brim. “Do you know what happened? I’m so mad at him.”

Levi blinked several times before straightening and shaking his head. “Slow down. Start from the beginning. What happened?”

“We went to a jeweler, okay? And the man had a slimy smile when he saw Zane and me, but as soon as he saw Dorothy, he got all haughty and disrespectful. Excuse me! She’s my maid! Treating her like that is as good as treating me like that! I wanted to punch him in the face right there! But you’d be proud of me,” I grinned up at Levi knowingly. “I kept my cool, and asked to see some pieces. Then I said everything was too ugly for my fiance to wear, because he was so handsome, he’d outshine each piece.”

Levi chuckled, a light in his eyes I couldn’t name. “Is that so?”

“So he tried to get me to see the stones that hadn’t been set in a piece yet, and he was practically drooling, that pervert.”

“p*****t?”

“Never mind. But I said it was a shame, because nothing suited you, because everything was too gaudy, and then Zane mentioned you by name as we were leaving, and the man looked furious!” I cackled. “Oh, that felt good.”

Levi’s hand brushed away a tear in the corner of my eye, tilting my head back so I could meet his soft gaze as he smiled down at me. “Where’d you go after that?”

I jutted my chin to the far side of the alley we were in. “There’s a whole new world over there that I didn’t know existed. It won’t be done for several days, but I hope you like it. I’ve noticed you don’t wear jewelry much, and when you do, it tends to be relatively simple, so I designed it to fit in.” I bit my lip, one hand smoothing a crease in his cravat as I became overly sensitive to his pondering gaze, my skin burning where his eyes roamed. “It might be a bit unconventional, but like the necklace you gave me, I hope you’ll wear it at the wedding. Oh!” I exclaimed, remembering what I was going to ask him. “I wanted to ask.” I stood up on my tiptoes in excitement. “I was wondering if there were some books I could read about the temple.”

Levi blinked in surprise. “The temple?”

I nodded, leaning into him, my arms wrapping around his waist. He always smells so good. He’s so warm. I wanna hold him forever. “Books about the temple and the job they’ve been entrusted to do, the arrangement the throne has made with the temple, the history of the temple. Stuff like that. Are there books like that? Is it possible for me to read them?”

“Well.” He c****d his head. “It’s not impossible.”

I pouted. “Why do you say it like that?”

“Because the only books about the temple are found either in the temple, or the library at the royal palace.”

I slumped back, my grip around his waist loosening. “Oh.” You can only get into the royal library with permission from the royal family, and you’re only allowed to read the books at the temple with permission from the high priest, who usually just asks the king if it’s okay. Maybe, since the whole country should know by now that I’m marrying Duke Langly, I could bring my family crest to the temple, and they might let me in. The original story didn’t delve too deep into the relationship between the throne and the temple, but I remember the temple decided to back Carson when House Langly opted for independence, effectively making the temple and Levi enemies. So maybe it would be a bad idea to try that route after all?

His own arms came up around me, keeping me from pulling away. “You look so disappointed. Was it that important to you?”

I nodded. I need to see if I can find out anything about the peace the temple is supposed to keep among the people, and maybe find out why there are children starving on the streets, despite all that. I should probably plan some visits to a few orphanages, as well. I wonder if Levi would be willing to go with me. I peaked at the duke, and found him giving me an amused smile. No, he’s probably too busy to deal with stuff like that. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“My dear wife. Have you forgotten who your fiance is?”

I c****d my head at him. “You are?”

“Then, did you forget who I am?”

Who he is? Of course not. He’s Levi Langly, Duke Langly of House Langly, the king’s most trusted sword and…9th in line for the throne. I facepalmed myself. “You’re the king’s cousin.”

“Which means?”

I batted my eyes at him. “Pwetty pwease, Your Gwace, may I go to the woyal libwawy?”

He pushed me almost roughly against the alley wall. “My dear wife is so cute, mimicking a child like that. But I wonder if that’s all she’s able to do,” he growled lowly, nose tracing my jawline. “I think she should…sweeten the pot a little, wouldn’t you agree?”

Oh. I think I’ve forgotten at some point, but Levi is also a man. He may not have proposed because he loves me, but I do act rather familiar towards him—though most of that is his own fault, for sneaking into my life as a doctor—and that is bound to cause problems at times. My fingers brushed through his hair as I urged him to lift his head to meet my eyes. But when he looks like that, then how can I say no? It’s not wrong, is it? I asked myself as I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his, my eyes fluttering close. We are engaged, after all. As long as I can keep this crazy s*x drive of Brynne’s under control, then a few makeout sessions won’t hurt. He’s an insanely good kisser, at any rate.

Levi was rougher than he usually was when kissing me as punishment for not calling him by his name. His teeth bit my lower lip eagerly, even as his tongue begged entrance, deepening the kiss. His body was pressed tightly against mine, and eventually, my lungs ran out of air from both the pressure and the kiss. As I gasped for breath, his lips trailed down my neck, nibbling at my collarbone. A fire inside me threatened to spread, and I moaned, clamping a hand over my mouth immediately after.

His lips curved upwards against my skin, his hands holding my waist flush against him, and I started to shove him away, heat clinging to my face.

“One more,” he teased, pressing his forehead against mine.

“No,” I bit back, looking away.

His fingers traced my ears. “They look like tomatoes.” He pressed his lips against them, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin, and I shivered. “They taste delicious,” he murmured.

I buried my face in my hands to muffle my squeak. “Please stop,” I begged pathetically. Why must he do this?

“You were right last time.”

I didn’t move my hands. “About what?”

His breath was hot in my ear as he whispered, “I cannot wait for our wedding night.” Then he pressed one more kiss to my ear and pulled away.

The heat inside me clenched tightly around my core at his words, a strangled gasp leaving my throat. Of course he can’t wait. He probably only wanted to get married so he could have s*x whenever he wanted. I wouldn’t be surprised if half the men in this world did that, since marrying for love is incredibly rare. But it’s possible, isn’t it, after being married and being intimate for so long, becoming comfortable with your spouse…it’s possible that you’ll grow to love them, right? I looked up at Levi as he ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to hide the evidence of our makeout session. Then…could I ever hope that one day…he might actually love me?