"What are you doing here?" Charles looked like he couldn't decide whether to be shocked or furious, and that made me want to laugh.
"That's what I should be asking you."
"It's none of your business."
"You're right, Lord Exeter!" I said with a fake smile. "Just like what I do is none of yours."
He didn't reply to me, only turned his angry gaze toward my brother.
So there we were, in front of the academy... Me, my brother, Charles, and Charles' sister standing in complete silence. The quiet made the atmosphere even more awkward.
I glared at Hector. He hadn't told me anything about this.
At the very least, he could've mentioned that the brother-complex guy was Charles!
But of course, my death stares went completely unnoticed. My dear brother was too busy staring at the girl in front of him with adoration.
I shifted my gaze toward Charles' sister.
She had the same green eyes as her brother, paired with hair that shone like cherry blossom pink.
Honestly, she was stunning...
Her gentle aura practically radiated kindness, and when she noticed me looking at her, she seemed a little flustered. Finally, she broke the silence, speaking to me.
"M-my greetings, Lady Federline. I am Selena Exeter. I truly wasn't expecting you to be here, so I was a bit surprised. But not in a bad way, of course! I'm glad I could meet you."
Does she know about my terrible reputation, I wonder? Unlike Charles, she's really polite. Maybe she's only being nice because I'm Hector's sister.
"It's a pleasure, Lady Exeter. I am Heather Federline. Things happened a bit suddenly, so I ended up coming here unannounced. Please forgive my intrusion."
"No, no, there's nothing to apologize for." Selena said with a kind smile.
That was when Hector decided to open his mouth. "Actually, I told Heather not to come, but she insisted so much on seeing Charles that I had no choice but to bring her along."
The three of us stared at him in shock while I thought, What the hell are you even saying?!
But Hector wasn't done yet. "I'm sure Heather wants to spend some time alone with Charles." He gave Charles a sly grin.
"What a pity, Lord Exeter! You won't be able to join us on our date today."
At that moment, I'm certain both Charles and I wanted nothing more than to punch Hector in the face.
Charles looked like a dragon about to breathe fire.
"You should've known I'd never go anywhere with this damned girl, Hector. You'll need a better plan than this," he snapped, throwing a glance at me toward the end.
"Charles, watch your words!" Selena's gentle voice turned sharp as she scolded him.
Instantly, Charles switched from "angry beast" mode to "puppy dog" mode. "But sis, she started it first."
I nearly burst out laughing, he sounded like a kindergartener tattling to the teacher.
"Regardless, you cannot speak to Lady Federline in such a manner."
"But I'm only stating the truth. Why are you so upset? Everyone knows what kind of person Heather is, after all."
…Time to put my acting skills to use. If I weren't a writer, I'd definitely be an actress. I'm that talented, okay?
With tears welling in my eyes, I looked at Charles. "B-but why, Charles? Why are you saying such things to me?!"
All eyes turned to me, while Charles stared at me as though I were the weirdest creature alive.
Selena hurried over in concern. "Are you all right, Lady Federline?"
I went full-on drama queen. "A-after you saw me in such an embarrassing state, how can you say such cruel things?!"
"What?! What are you even talking about?"
Oh, come on. You know exactly what I mean.
Seeing his panicked face felt so satisfying. Who would've thought that catching me in a nightgown would turn out to be his life's biggest mistake?
"Heather, what do you mean?" my brother asked.
"Well, this morning Charles saw me in my ni-" Before I could finish, Charles slapped his hand over my mouth.
"It's nothing important! Lady Federline is exaggerating. Isn't that right, Lady Federline?" His expression screamed anxiety. And I got it, if rumors about this spread, it would definitely cause trouble for him.
(After all, he's in love with Tiana.)
When he finally removed his hand, I leaned closer and whispered in a voice only he could hear.
"You told me a woman in her nightgown should only be seen by her husband. Because of that, we might be forced to marry, Lord Exeter! If that's what you want, then by all means, chase after them. But if you don't want to marry me, you'll have to come with me. Choose wisely."
Ah…maybe I really am turning into a villainess. Is this the curse of Heather Federline?
Charles didn't hesitate. He grabbed my arm and started dragging me away, speaking to his sister over his shoulder.
"Sorry, sis, but I have to go with Heather. I'll ruin your date some other time- I mean, join you on your date another time."
Selena looked delighted. "I didn't know the two of you had such a relationship! Go settle your issues!" She waved at us cheerfully.
…What relationship are you even talking about, dear sister?!
As for Hector, his smirk screamed victory. Congratulations, you bastard. You got what you wanted.
Well done. Really.
~
"Thanks to you, my sister thinks we're lovers. Are you happy now?"
"Oh, I'm overjoyed. So happy I might just kill myself from the bliss," I replied sarcastically.
Sometimes I forget this man is destined to be my future murderer. The thought of being mistaken as his lover makes me feel sick.
"Ridiculous! Why am I even stuck in the same carriage with you?"
We were on our way to the city center. Hector had insisted I go there, so I agreed. Apparently, he and Selena were headed elsewhere.
"I don't get why you hate me so much. We were getting along just fine this morning."
"We were never getting along, and you know the reason very well."
"Right, because I blackmailed you. I'm also a liar, an opportunist, cruel, and cursed."
He blinked at me in surprise. "At least you're self-aware."
"I have my reasons, though. You're unbelievably rude!"
"Were you born just to drive me insane?"
"Hey! I didn't even know you when I was born!!"
Honestly, that argument was so airtight it deserved an award.
He sighed deeply. "I don't want to waste another word on you." He turned his gaze out the window, defeated.
Wow. Did I just shut down a man with anger issues? I'm amazing!! Truly...
"Look, I'm sorry for blackmailing you. I promise I won't bring that up again."
"Why…" He didn't finish his sentence.
"What?"
"Why are you apologizing?"
Of course he was surprised. A so-called villainess admitting fault? Naturally suspicious.
"I'm just acknowledging that I was wrong."
He gave me a serious look. "The fact that you can apologize so easily is infuriating."
What am I supposed to do? Apologize, and it's wrong. Don't apologize, still wrong!
"Then what do you want me to do?"
He turned his eyes away. "First, you should tell me what your brother offered you."
"Ha! What are you talking about?"
"He must've promised you something, didn't he? In exchange for keeping me distracted!"
Wow, look at him being all sharp. Then again, it wasn't hard to figure out.
"He gave me a beautiful jeweled necklace," I admitted.
"Exactly what I'd expect from you. Expensive trinkets always work on you."
Of course, what he didn't know was that the necklace wasn't just any piece of jewelry. It held a power no one else knew about.
And I wasn't planning on telling him anytime soon.