Page 17 of Barbi and the Villain

When he leaves, I lock the door and quickly undress, happy to be out of my soaked garments. I take my pajamas and my underwear off and use a rag to clean my body thoroughly and remove all the dirt. I use the same rag on PomPom, cleaning her paws and the tips of her coat that have become matted from mud.

When we’re both clean, I let PomPom eat while I wash my clothes in the remaining water. There is some sparse furniture in the room aside from the single bed, and I manage to strew the clothes around to dry.

PomPom is satisfied with her modest meal, a bit of stew with some meat and bones.

I scowl.

As soon as we get back home, I’ll have to brush her teeth and clean them properly, maybe schedule a visit to the vet to make sure this food didn’t do any damage. Alas, beggars can’t be choosers, and she needs to eat.

For me, Willy had added a chicken wing, a few slices of bread and cheese, and some of the same stew.

My stomach grumbles in hunger and as much as that food looks less than appetizing, I cannot say no either. I dig in, eating even the last crumb of bread.

I don’t know when I fall asleep. But at some point, a banging noise startles me and I jump up. PomPom, too, starts barking, aggression rolling off her.

“Lady Barbi, it’s me, Willy. We will be leaving soon.”

“Oh.” I sigh in relief. “I’ll be right down.”

The clothes are semi-dry, but I didn’t expect anything better. I put my pajamas back on and, taking PomPom in my arms, I head downstairs.

All the soldiers are already outside, and as I get closer to the door, I hear the sound of conflict.

“She’s a lady, sir,” Willy whines.

“Are you ready to vouch for her with your life? You foolish kid…”

My eyes widen, and for some reason, Willy has endeared himself to me and I don’t want to see him dead.

I open the door to the inn, step out, and meet the leader’s gaze head-on.

“Willy is now my personal guard. You cannot speak to my guard like that.”

“Personal guard?” The man laughs, the other soldiers joining in to mock Willy.

As I let my gaze roam around the crowd, I’m able to assess them better now that the sky is clear and the sun is shining brightly. They are all middle-aged, with the leader being somewhere in his forties. Willy is the youngest, and going by his subservient body language, it’s something that the others hold against him.

“Yes. I assume you’ve heard of the Havilland family?” I ask in a haughty voice.

The leader’s eyes widen.

I smile.

“I am the youngest child of the Marquis de Havilland. Should you mistreat me or Willy, it will not bode well for you.”

PomPom barks, agreeing with me.

The de Havilland family is one of the wealthiest in Kiya. They were mentioned a few times in the books, and I vaguely recall them having ten or more daughters—the marquis could never get his much-desired male heir. With that many daughters, it’s impossible that he would know all of them.

“If I remember correctly, the Marquis perished some ten years ago.” The leader narrows his eyes.

“That does not take away my title, does it? Or the fact that my family owns half of Kiya.” I stare him down. His nostrils flare in annoyance.

He doesn’t trust me. Which, for good reason since I am spewing lie after lie. Luckily, his soldiers believe me as they one by one kneel in front of me and apologize for not giving me my due respect.

I smile.

God, my lies keep piling up. I don’t want to imagine what will happen when I’m discovered. But I can’t think about that. I just need to get to The Five and explain my situation to them. I’m sure they will forgive my small lies and help me get back home.

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