Page 48 of I Ran Away to Evil #3
The Duke Would Like Me to Escort You to the Dungeon
Gerda
It was an amazingly informative afternoon.
Gail and Tabitha were only too happy to share family stories, like the time Julian had gone missing when he was four, only to turn up eight hours later asleep in the kitchen pantry having eaten an entire basket of bimbleberries.
And when he was seven and tried to use a shield that was too big for him, dropping it and breaking his toe.
Or the time he’d cut off the bottom of Grand Duchess Calisto’s brand-new ball gown to fit Julia for playing dress-up when he was nine.
Or the time that Tabitha’s mother had been poisoned at a ball when he was twelve, and Julian had tried “helping” by casting a shield around her …
a shield that prevented anyone from approaching the poor woman with an antidote.
It was fine, Tabitha assured me; her mother had survived.
Gail and Tabitha were too young to remember much themselves, but they’d overheard enough from their older relatives to fill the afternoon.
And so far, only six people had tried to interrupt us.
Very rude, to think they were more important than listening to the cute childhood shenanigans of my favorite character.
The luncheon was wrapping up when someone approached me whom I feared would need more than a simple shooing away.
“Greetings,” the villainess, Lady Cassandra Cress, stood before our seated group just as Gail was regaling me with a fun story about the time Julia had accidentally split the dining room table in half, before their Aunt Calisto realized she needed to reinforce everything.
The Paladin of Light wasn’t as strong as Henrietta—few were—but that didn’t mean she couldn’t crumple a wooden table in a temper tantrum.
Lady Cassandra Cress had red hair and high eyebrows that made her look perpetually annoyed.
The woman kept her ears covered by her hairstyle and a wide pearl-set headband.
She did so deliberately because her father was angry that she was born human instead of an elf …
which was a simple way of saying she had a lifetime of household trauma.
Two friends stood nervously behind her.
“Lady Cassandra,” I said, succinctly. Some part of me had wanted to snub her for all of the struggles she’d put Henrietta through while I was trying to win over Duke Julian, but I held myself back. “Are you also here to tell me funny stories about the bride?”
This was a post-wedding luncheon.
Lady Cassandra fanned herself imperiously. “I am here to find out who I will marry.”
I couldn’t resist a poke. “Is it one of us?”
Gail stared up at Lady Cassandra in polite terror, while Tabitha covered her mouth with her own fan to hide a laugh.
“Hm,” the woman humphed. “I have come to you , Madame Potts, for a fortune. Tell me, who here is worthy of my hand?”
I almost said something unkind, but I caught the slight tremor in Lady Cassandra’s fan.
The woman was an impressive menace to society, but she was also out here trying her best …
or so I told myself. Besides, this was an opportunity to give another character I liked a chance at a happily ever after.
Even if that character had foolishly fallen for Lady Cassandra.
The woman was desperate to marry Duke Julian to appease her incredibly ornery father and was ignoring the one person who already loved her.
As I was thinking, a silence fell between us.
Gail and Tabitha shared a look, and Lady Cassandra held her breath.
Answering her would set a terrible precedent, but maybe this was exactly what I needed to set an example.
“You know”—I cocked my head to the side—“I only foretell disasters … Are you sure you want me to look into your love life?”
The lady stiffened. It was more than I’d afforded anyone else who’d come up to me tonight, but the implications were enough to make the lady pause.
Then she drew herself up and stated, “I am sure.”
“Okay.” I turned to Gail and used her formal address. “If you apologize to Lady Mercer for the interruption, and Gail is alright with it.”
“I am!” Gail nodded vigorously. I stifled a laugh and said, “You’re supposed to agree after the apology. It’s only polite.”
Lady Cassandra chewed her lip in frustration but nodded at Gail. She ground out, “I’m sorry for interrupting, Lady Mercer.”
That scratched my itch for revenge on the villainess who’d come between me and Julian—I meant, Henrietta and Julian. Lady Cassandra was the worst kind of villainess. She’d created situations where the main characters had to live through excruciatingly embarrassing moments of awkwardness.
It’d made me rage playing through each of her scenarios.
But that was then, and this was now.
“Foretell Fate,” I said, making up some ability name I didn’t have. Closing my eyes, I counted to ten before opening them and then glanced at my character sheet. I read over my stats like I was reading some prophecy that had popped up showing me Lady Cassandra’s fate.
Oh, my experience points had gone up to 9662/15750. It was nice to see all of my hard work here was paying off.
When I gauged that enough time had passed, I focused again on Lady Cassandra. She was red in the face and unsteady, but ready for whatever terrible future awaited her.
“ If you get engaged this year …” I whispered softly, and she hurriedly bent forward to hear whatever it was I had to say, along with everyone else in the room.
“Then it will fail, and your house will fall to ruin. Your friends will abandon you, and your true love will sacrifice himself to save you, but it will be too late.”
She recoiled, her face twisted in horror. I held firm. That was her fate in Henrietta’s route in North Sumbria, and it would be her fate again if she didn’t figure things out and make a change.
Now, I spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. “ But! If you get engaged to the one who already loves you when the first flower blooms in spring, you have hope for your own Happily Ever After . ”
Lady Cassandra closed her mouth and stared at me, her face going through a variety of emotions: frustration, hopelessness … fear. She curtsied perfectly and managed a curt, “Thank you, Madame Potts.” She then turned on her heels and stormed out of the luncheon.
The entire place erupted with discussion on my prophecy. People even started inching closer again, intent blazing in their eyes.
I stood for a well-timed and hasty retreat.
“Lady Gail, Lady Tabitha, it was a pleasure.” I smiled at the girls.
They’d remained at the edge of their chairs during my performance.
Now, they leapt to their feet to curtsy farewell properly.
I gave them a reassuring smile. “I look forward to seeing you both at the tea party tomorrow, and maybe hearing the end of Gail’s story. ”
Between the tea party and the Masquerade Ball, it felt like this festival was never going to end.
I slipped from the dining hall and headed toward my room. If I started now, I might have enough time to properly do my hair …
“Miss Gerda!” Sir Tully jogged toward me at breakneck speed. He stopped just shy of an arm’s length away, smiling. “Miss Gerda, the duke would like me to escort you to the dungeon.”
I raised an eyebrow at the human, wondering if he knew how easily misunderstood something like that could be.
“Alright, lead on.”