Page 73 of I Ran Away to Evil 3
CHAPTER 41
Spill the Tea
Gerda
I was sitting on a couch, sandwiched between Henrietta and King Keith, while most everyone who had previously been in the sanctuary found a spot in the parlor.
Grand Duchess Calisto and Duke Julian sat across from me, Her Grace downing a second mana potion. Their Royal Highness hovered behind them instead of taking one of the available chairs. The fox was obviously impatient to be elsewhere, exacting revenge on a suspecting spy, but couldn’t resist their curiosity.
The newlyweds and their party members were absent, playing host at the official luncheon. Sir Tully was running laps outside, and Visha was on guard duty for Alice in the dungeon. That left Pram and John, the latter of which was in Julian’s shadow.
Pram was handling a tray of snacks, and pouring drinks. The selkie was a deft hand, and I happily sipped from a cup of caruleal tea, a blend from southern Peldeep that was pink and hinted of grapefruit.
“Alright, spill the tea!” Henrietta couldn’t contain her excitement and stared up at me with bright, shining eyes. “Are you actually Madame Potts?”
I considered my response.
“It’s pronouncedMadame,” I joked, knowing it didn’t matter because no one here spoke French except for me. I took another sip from my handleless teacup to calm my racing heart.
The room reacted differently all at once.
“Of course,” King Keith muttered under his breath. The Dark Lord was still hurt that I’d taken over all of his bridges, and it showed.
Silver eyes narrowed as Duke Julian regarded me. Whatever he thought, he said nothing.
Because at that point, Their Royal Highness changed shape.
The guise of a stately gentleman with long white facial hair and bushy eyebrows wearing heavy court robes faded into a huge fox towering overhead. Their many tails were half hidden in a red-and-white fog. Rowen’s usually playful slit eyes were open, staring at me intently. I felt their aura, and some skill hit me as they confirmed, “Youare Madame Potts?”
I didn’t flinch under the weight. “Yes.”
It was the truth, and Rowensawit. The pressure from their aura subsided, and the fox nodded once. Suddenly, they shifted again, this time into a middle-aged androgynous adventurer wearing a thin circlet, with long black hair tied at the nape of their neck.
“Then I owe you a great debt.” Rowen walked around the couch and took a seat in the armchair next to Duchess Calisto. Bracing both elbows on their knees, the fox said with utmost sincerity, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad I could help,” I replied, resisting the urge to tell them it was nothing or otherwise downplay my part in saving their life. I had a feeling they would take that as an insult.
“I wouldalsolike to thank you,” Grand Duchess Calisto spoke, drawing everyone’s attention, “since I assume today would have gonea lotdifferently if you had not been there.”
“Ah, yes.” It was time to get back to the matter at hand. “The skill I use to see the future is random, and it only shows meoneof many future outcomes. I just pointed out where the traps were going to go off, and John found them for me.”
My particular set of abilities were actually overpowered, but I wasn’t here to show off. I was here to survive. Even if no one here seemed like the type to lock me away in a tower for my future-telling skills, why chance it?
“So, your knight was right.” King Keith eyed Julian. “Miss Gerdawascheating.”
“Everyone had a chance to inspect the hall, love, and there were no limits on which skill could be used to search,” Henrietta chastised. “Besides, it’s a point of pride thatourbridge troll is the winner.”
“Gods.” The Dark Lord reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. “After today, everyone is going to find out that Madame Potts lives inourkingdom. We already get enough attention …”
He sounded preemptively exhausted, and Henrietta tried to cheer him up. “It’ll be fine. Between the two of us, I’m sure we can protect Miss Gerda.”
“That’s not …” Keith began, then changed tactics. “Thank you, love.”
“He’s right.” Their Royal Highness leaned back and crossed their legs, regarding me with curiosity. “Now that it’s known, I can’t imagine the secret being safe for long. Especially when the leader of the largest information guild on the continent is the one who figured it out. What do you plan to do now?”
“I haven’t decided,” I lied. By the look on Rowen’s face, they could tell. Instead of prying, they simply nodded and offered, “Peldeep will always welcome you.”
“Rowen!” Henrietta turned on the fox, eyes blazing. “No poaching our elite!”
