Damned by Him

Chapter 84: Disappearing.

Saline maintained the routine of going to Xandros till a day to the wedding which was now questioned by Lilian because it was now morning and now Saline had not returned.

The moment Lilian finished adjusting the final fold of Florence’s elaborate gown, she released a quiet breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding.

The dress had taken far longer than expected. Every ribbon, every embroidered layer, every jeweled clasp had to sit perfectly. Florence was not the type of woman who tolerated imperfections, especially on an occasion where half the noble ladies of the kingdom would be watching her every movement.

Lilian stepped back, smoothing the last wrinkle from the skirt before smiling softly.

"There," she said. "You’re all set, Aunt Florence."

Florence finally looked away from the mirror, turning slowly to inspect herself from every angle. A satisfied smile touched her lips.

"I knew I could rely on you."

Lilian couldn’t help smiling in return.

But the warmth in Florence’s expression quickly faded as she looked around the dressing chamber.

"...Where’s Saline?"

The maids exchanged uneasy glances..... Florence now had maids thanks to the fact that she was getting married to the Commander but Florence had adapted to Lilian’s help and Saline’s chaos...

Which is why she notiythat she was missing right now.

Silence answered her question.

Florence frowned slightly.

"I thought I saw her last evening or didn’t I?."

One of the servants bowed her head nervously.

"She was, Lady Florence. We don’t know where she went this early morning...or maybe she hasn’t woken up."

Florence sighed under her breath before her gaze landed on Lilian.

"Lilian."

"Yes, Aunt?"

"Would you mind finding Saline for me? I need her before the ceremony begins."

The request immediately made Lilian’s smile falter.

Find Saline?.....

She had absolutely no idea where the girl was and it was already eating her up.

Florence noticed the hesitation almost instantly.

"Is something wrong?" she asked gently.

Lilian quickly shook her head.

"No. It’s nothing."

"You look worried."

"I’m fine," Lilian assured her with a small smile. "I’ll bring her back."

Florence studied her for another second before nodding.

"All right. Don’t take too long."

"I won’t."

Without another word, Lilian slipped out of the dressing chamber. However, the moment the heavy doors closed behind her, the confidence she had displayed vanished.

She let out a quiet sigh.

Find Saline...

That would have been much easier if she had even the slightest idea where the girl had disappeared to.

She was supposed to be back for her Aunt’s wedding and there she was with a freaking Male.....what the hell was she supposed to do...not like she could shape shift into Saline and then move around.

Lilian rubbed her temple.

This is going to be difficult.

Still, she couldn’t return to Florence empty-handed.

Florence had asked her because she trusted her.

That alone was enough reason to keep searching..... even though it would be pretend.

She was going to have witnesses that saw her searching for the non existent.

But only her knew that and now she hoped that Saline would come back to her senses and head back here.

Straightening her shoulders, Lilian made her way through the palace halls, carefully peeking into every room she passed.

Nothing.

She stopped a pair of servants carrying fresh linens.

Neither had seen Saline.

She checked the eastern balcony overlooking the royal gardens.

Empty.

The hallway leading toward the banquet hall was equally deserted.

Minutes passed, and with every failed attempt, the knot in Lilian’s stomach grew tighter.

She really wished Saline would appear out of the thin air.

She promised not to freak out and instead hug her because she was going to be in trouble because of her.

She rounded another marble corridor, scanning the passage ahead.

She had barely taken three steps when someone suddenly stepped into her path.

Lilian halted so abruptly that she nearly collided with the woman.

Her brows drew together.

"...Gina."

The other woman folded her arms leisurely, as though she had been waiting there all along.

A slow, mocking smile spread across her lips.

"Well," Gina drawled. "What a surprise."

Lilian wasn’t fooled for a second.

Nothing about this meeting felt accidental.

She kept her face carefully blank.

"Excuse me."

She stepped sideways, intending to continue down the hallway.

Gina moved just as quickly, blocking her path again.

The smile on her face widened.

"Why the hurry?"

"I have work to do."

"Oh?"

Gina tilted her head.

"And does that work happen to involve searching for someone?"

Lilian’s expression remained calm.

"I don’t know what you mean."

Gina laughed softly.

It wasn’t a pleasant laugh.

It carried the unmistakable sound of someone enjoying another person’s discomfort.

"Oh, come now."

She leaned forward slightly.

"We both know Florence sent you looking."

Lilian said nothing.

The silence only encouraged Gina further.

"I’ll save you the trouble."

She shrugged casually.

"Saline isn’t here."

Lilian felt her heartbeat skip.

For the smallest fraction of a second, surprise crossed her face.

She masked it almost immediately.

"...I don’t understand."

"No?"

Gina’s smile turned positively gleeful.

"I said Saline is gone."

She deliberately paused before adding,

"Again."

Those single words carried enough meaning to make Lilian’s pulse quicken.

Again?

Did that mean Gina already knew Saline had secretly left the palace before?

Or was she simply fishing for information?

Lilian couldn’t tell.

Either possibility was dangerous.

She forced herself to remain calm.

"I think you’ve mistaken her for someone else."

She attempted to walk around Gina once more.

Again, the woman stepped directly into her path.

Lilian’s patience began to wear thin.

"What exactly do you want?"

"Oh, nothing."

Gina smiled innocently.

"I simply find it amusing."

"Amusing?"

"Watching you pretend."

Lilian stared at her.

"I have no reason to pretend."

"No?"

Gina slowly circled her like a predator.

"Then why did you react the moment I mentioned Saline?"

Lilian cursed herself inwardly.

She had recovered quickly.

Apparently not quickly enough.

Gina had noticed.

Of course she had.

The woman missed very little.

"I reacted because you stepped in front of me."

"A poor excuse."

Gina chuckled.

"I’ve been watching for quite some time now."

Those words immediately put Lilian on edge.

Watching?

Since when?

How much had she seen?

Gina’s eyes sparkled with malicious satisfaction.

"You’ve been wandering these halls with all the clue of where Saline was and here you are pretending."

She laughed again.

"Quite pitiful."

Lilian refused to give her the satisfaction of responding.

Silence was often stronger than anger.

Unfortunately, Gina wasn’t interested in silence.

She took another slow step closer.

"So tell me..."

Her voice became almost playful.

"Should I report this to the Queen?"

Lilian finally looked directly into her eyes.

"The Queen?"

"Mm."

Gina nodded.

"I wonder..."

She pretended to think.

"How would Her Majesty react if she discovered her precious humans keeps disappearing without permission?"

Lilian’s expression remained unreadable.

"I don’t know."

"Oh?"

"And I don’t particularly care."

That answer seemed to surprise Gina for a moment.

Only for a moment.

Her smile soon returned.

"Still pretending."

Lilian folded her arms.

"If you’re finished wasting my time, I’d like to continue searching."

"You won’t find her."

"And you know this how?"

Gina’s smile deepened.

"I simply do....and you too considering the fact you both went out together."

The confidence in her voice sent another wave of unease through Lilian.

She wasn’t bluffing.

Or at least she didn’t sound like she was.

That realization was dangerous.

If Gina truly knew where Saline had gone—or worse, why she had disappeared—then matters were far more serious than Lilian had imagined.

She couldn’t reveal that concern.

Not here.

Not to Gina.

Instead, she sighed in apparent boredom.

"You’ve said enough."

She stepped forward.

This time she deliberately invaded Gina’s personal space instead of retreating.

The unexpected move caught the other woman off guard.

For the first time since the conversation began, Gina hesitated.

Only briefly.

Lilian lowered her voice.

"If you truly know something, then report it."

Gina blinked.

Lilian continued before she could speak.

"But if you’re merely trying to provoke me into admitting something I don’t know..."

A faint smile appeared on Lilian’s lips.

"...then you’ve wasted both of our time."

The confidence in her tone caused Gina’s expression to harden.

She had expected panic.

Instead, Lilian remained composed.

Neither woman spoke.

The corridor fell eerily silent.

Servants walking in the distance wisely chose another route after noticing the tension between them.

The silence stretched.

Finally, Gina clicked her tongue.

"You’ll regret this."

"Perhaps."

Lilian met her gaze steadily.

"But today isn’t that day."

Without waiting for permission, she brushed past Gina’s shoulder.

This time, Gina didn’t stop her.

Lilian continued walking down the corridor with measured, confident steps, refusing to look back.

Only after she had turned the next corner did she allow herself to exhale.

Her heart was pounding far harder than she had allowed Gina to see.

Something about that encounter felt wrong.

Very wrong.

Gina knew too much.

Whether she possessed proof or was merely piecing together suspicions, Lilian couldn’t afford to underestimate her any longer.

This was no longer a simple search.

Gina had thought she would be satisfied with how things went but she wasn’t at all....she stood there as she clenched her fist and then with a strong look she looked at where Lilian had gone and before she could think her leg matched and she followed Lilian brimming with anger.