Page 17 of I Ran Away to Evil 3
Gerda
I shouldn’t have done that.
Tonight had been going so well. I’d bought flowers for my hair, and Henrietta had enjoyed trying all of the street food—don’t ask me how she ate so much for someone so tiny—and Minstrel Brownie had taken to breaking out into song every time there was a pause in the scheduled performance.
The original band hired for the town square, The Hart and Hare, took a thirty-minute break every two hours. Now was one of those breaks, and Brownie was having a blast entertaining the crowd.
I had to admit, she wasamazing. Her music was upbeat and catchy, and she had a beautiful singing voice.
Yes, everything had been going well … until I spottedhim.
Duke Julian of North Sumbria. The half elf took after his human mother, dark skinned and sharp featured. His purple hair was from his elven father’s side, and he wore it long and bound in locks tied at the back of his head.
He was leaning against a magical lantern post, listening to the music.
I couldn’t help staring at him; he was just that strikingly attractive. Something about the way he always looked stern—it made me want to tease him. While playing through his route, he’d only ever smiled at the end. And only if I’d made all of the right choices along the way.
Making him smile had been worth all of the effort I’d put in.
Without Henrietta going down the hidden route, there’d been no reason for Julian to leave his fortress. And I’d missed him at the Spring Ball while trying to save everyone.
Tonight, his outfit was pure fan service. He was wearing black leather traveling clothes, knee-high boots, and a belt without a pouch or dagger. Hehad a warrior’s build, though I had to admit I was a little more toned than he was.
His silver eyes suddenly met mine from across the square.
I froze.
And I might have panicked. But only for a second. Glancing over his shoulder, I did my best to pretend that I was really looking at someonebehindhim. When Julian’s eyes followed mine, I used the opportunity to step out of sight, ducking behind the nearest stall.
If he was at the market … The premonition from earlier flashed through my mind. He must have dropped his locket on his way out of the palace.
I hesitated for only a second. Brownie was still very much distracted with her performance, and Henrietta was nearby arm wrestling someone for a free floofpoof roast skewer. I’d had my own taste of the lightly salted roasted bird earlier. It tasted a lot like chicken … but then again, a lot of the monsters tasted like chicken.
“Henrietta?” I waited until the queen slammed her challenger’s arm down and claimed her floofpoof prize before getting her attention.
“Gerda!” She smiled at me and pointed at the lineup of five burly individuals all ready for a turn. “Would you like me to win you a snack?”
I shook my head even as the next contestant, an ogre twice the size of Henrietta, took the seat and offered his hand. “Not if I crush you first, girlie!”
“Bring it!” Henrietta laughed then slammed the ogre’s hand into the table so hard the table creaked.
“I am going to turn in for the evening,” I let her know. “But I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Have a good night,” Henrietta replied. Then she turned back to the ogre, who was shaking out his sore hand. The Dark Lady patted her opponent on the arm reassuringly. “That was great! I’ll have the soy-glaze flying pork skewer, please.”
The vendor rushed to fulfill the order even as the ogre accepted defeat and paid for the food.
I left the busy town square and headed up the main road to the palace. There was no need to backtrack and follow the duke from where he’d come—[Sense Fate] had already told me where the locket had fallen.
This would have been an ideal game scenario for the Heroine of Justice and Duke Julian to come together. Instead, I was going to pick up the locket and turn it over to the palace staff.
Her Royal Viciousness, Queen Henrietta had already found her Happily Ever After. There was no heroine left to go and solve all of the quests that continued to pop up, so it was up to me to ensure things didn’t go too far off the rails.
That had been my original purpose for becoming Madame Potts. If Henriettawas too busy to complete all of the important scenarios and I was tied down to my bridges, then I could just let everyone know what was going to happen, and they could solve the problems on their own. Every nation in Valaria had their own high-level elite to throw at trouble.
I arrived at the palace’s outer gate and flashed my invitation. It was something I’d won from Julia months back. The woman had been on a warpath to make it to the Black Fortress as fast as possible, so I’d traded passage—and even offered her a shortcut with my bridge teleport skills—for special guest invitations to each of the major events in North Sumbria this year.
Julia was a good sort, and within the week she’d sent me passes for the Spring Ball, the Summer Masquerade, the Fall Ball, and the Winter Feast.
