I took one final look down at Eric from down the hallway and offered him a polite smile. He stared at me as I walked away.
“See to it, Helen,” I said, “that Prince Eric is given whatever he desires. Should he ask for rich sweets, please bring them. If he wants the belly of a hog, then please cook it.”
Helen walked with me up the twisting stone staircases of the manor.
“Of course, Lady Vanessa. I shall see to it that the gentleman is taken care of.”
Helen paused at the top of the steps and glanced back at me.
I asked, “What’s the delay?”
Helen played with the frill of her maid’s apron, then said, “As you know, my lady, I live to serve you. That is my purpose. But only a few days ago you instructed me to be cruel to Prince Eric. Now I am to be kind.”
Helen gulped, looked away at me, and fanned a hand at her face.
“Forgive me!” she exclaimed. “I did not mean to be so insolent.”
I set a hand on her shoulder, and she stared at it with large, worried eyes. After a second of keeping my hand on her, and smiling tenderly at her, she relaxed.
“It is a confusing time,” I told her, “And I am grateful for your loyalty.”
Helen choked up, and tears formed in her eyes.
I said, “People can have a change of heart, Helen. Now, let’s get my attire ready to meet with Falcon. Time is of the essence.”
Helen nodded rapidly and we entered my bedroom. She rummaged through the drawers of my dresser and produced a short-sleeve red velvet dress with a black lace trim, lacey black gloves that extended up to the edge of my elbows, and slim, knee-high black leather boots.
I quickly changed and observed myself in the full-length vanity mirror while Helen combed my raven hair straight. I looked just as I had envisioned Vanessa Blake to be– royal, lethal, and sexy.
I just needed to act that way with Falcon, who was as grand a schemer as they came. In the story, Falcon had used Vanessa’s obsession with him against her. He would pretend to love her and lead her on only to get what he desired in the end. It was a cruel case of the Villainess getting exactly what she deserved.
In this case, it was the power in Eric’s pendant that Falcon hoped would help him rebel against his father and take the throne for himself.
Something that would leave us all in a tragic fate for all of us if it came to be.
Helen finished brushing my hair and said, “There! You are as lovely as always, my lady. Falcon awaits you in the courtyard, near the tallest apple tree.”
“Thank you, Helen,” I said, taking a final admiring glance at myself. I smirked. In my life as Lily, I may have lacked confidence, but here, in this world, I could be as bold as I wanted to be.
I made my way out of the manor and into the main grounds. The sun was bright, the temperature pleasant, the sky a sparkling blue, and the grass a bright green. In the distance, vast farms of crops grew tall, and herds of cattle, sheep, and goats grazed on grass. Even further out, there was a large stone wall, and beyond it a big town filled with many bustling people.
As marvelous as the surrounding area of Oakheart was, nothing could compare to the castle behind the manor. Up a steep dirt road was a castle with stone so polished it looked silver. Giant red flags waved in the wind.
I could hear giggling coming from somewhere in the gardens as I passed by, and it made me curious enough to deter me from my path.
“You can’t be serious!” I heard a voice exclaim.
I ducked behind a row of bushes and parted them. There, standing under one of the large apple trees, stood Ariana and Falcon. Ariana’s hand was wrapped around Falcon’s and a blissful smile stretched her face.
She was, in the book, a character hellbent on making Vanessa’s life worse, though most saw her as the kind hearted, flower-collecting girl she pretended to be.
This scene in front of me made me frown.
In the books, Ariana was notoriously trying to get in between Vanessa and Falcon. Scheming her way into Falcon’s good graces in order to become his chosen favorite over Vanessa. I wasn’t interested in trying to fight my way to the top of Ariana’s list of enemies just yet, so I’d have to play this carefully.
I stepped back from the bushes and fixed my dress before heading back around to the main path and making my way into the gardens. When I approached the couple, Falcon immediately brushed Ariana’s hand away from him with a quick flick of his wrist.
I bit my bottom lip when Ariana scowled.
“Lady Vanessa.”
I bowed my head slightly to them both. “Greetings. My maid told me you had a message for me?”
I looked directly at Falcon as I spoke, watching the way his lips twisted up.
“Why yes. I did.”
Stepping away from the tree, Falcon gave Ariana a dismissive wave and tredded over towards me.
It made her sputter. “Lord Falcon—”
He turned and gave her a pointed look, shutting her up immediately.
I laced my fingers towards the front of my waist, watching her as she slowly slinked away. Well, if I wasn’t her enemy before, I definitely was now…
“Lady Vanessa.” Falcon’s voice brought back my attention. “It’s so good to see you.”
I smiled up at him. “And you, Lord Falcon. What may I do for you?”
His large hand wrapped around my arm, tugging me close enough to bump my chest against his. The sudden action surprised me and made me hold my breath.
“Have you gotten a hold of the necklace yet?”
The necklace—?
“No,” I lowered my voice. “Not yet.”
His brows furrowed. “What do you mean, ‘not yet’? You have him locked in your cellar. What more time do you need to extract the damned thing?”
His aggressive tone surprised me. I tried to pull back from him in order to put some distance between us but his grip only tightened on my forearm.
“F-Falcon—”
“No.” He growled. “You listen to me now. If you so much as betray me by keeping that necklace for yourself, so help me I will end you.”
My eyes widened, my entire body flinching when he raised a large hand high in the air to strike me. I squeezed my eyes shut, my heart pounding as I waited for the blow to hit my face. It would leave a bad enough mark that I’d have to figure out how to cover it once I went back home.
I just hoped it wouldn’t completely knock me out.
I jolted when I felt his feather soft touch against my cheek instead. My legs shook as I opened my eyes.
“My dearest Vanessa,” he crooned. “Once you have the necklace, we’ll be able to finally get everything that we’ve wanted. Don’t you understand that?”
I swallowed, nodding along even though I really didn’t understand at all. “O-of course… Lord Falcon.”
“Good.” He said, “Excellent.”
I slid his hand down my arm and grabbed my hand, lifting it to his lips to kiss my knuckles. I felt my heart continue to pound. This man… was truly a maniac. Even worse than what I remembered from the books. I’d always considered Falcon a dangerous character, but witnessing it first hand really was something else entirely.
He let go of me, straightening himself up before saying, “Well now. Off you go.”
*****
Ariana’s POV
I ducked behind the apple tree that I was hiding behind once Vanessa turned and took her leave. My nails dug into the tree trunk when I saw the slow smirk crossing Falcon’s lips as she departed.
If she really thought she was going to get in between Falcon and I, she had another thing coming.
I pushed myself back from the tree and slipped further into the garden, away from main path. If a necklace was all Falcon wanted, then a necklace he would get.
Delivered by yours truly.