Page 120 of I Ran Away to Evil
The Semi-Naked Beastman Lounging on a Daybed in the Dungeon
Keith
“Rufus!” Keith burst in on the semi-naked beastman lounging on a daybed in the dungeon.
Rufus was wearing a red silk robe and some comfy slippers while he drank wine and read one of Her Eminence Feliwyn’s sordid romance novels. He looked at Keith over the rim of his tiny reading glasses. “Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Are you day drinking? Never mind, I don’t care.” There was a moment while Keith tried to find the words to say why he was there. Finally, he settled on, “You were right.”
“I know that.” Rufus closed his book and sat up. “But it’s always nice to hear. What changed in the last hour that made you realize I’m right?”
Keith didn’twantto say that he’d seen Henrietta in the library and had wanted to push her up against the shelves and kiss her silly. And what was worse … she’d looked like she expected him to do just that.
Everything was happening so fast. Too fast. He’d never expected a young, adorable warrior princess who smelled like freshly baked cookies to waltz into his life and thenlikehim instead ofmurderhim.
All the beautiful women sent his way until this point had secretly aimed a knife at his heart or poisoned his tea. She’d carried him to bed and nursed him back to health herself when he’d gotten injured.
Even though Henrietta Doryn of Drendilwaslike other girls in many ways, including the fact that she technicallyhadbeen sent here to kill him … she’d become one of his closest—well, they were more than friends at this point.
Keith sighed.
She was funny and smart and highly skilled, and he had become addicted to her baking. It wasn’t that he didn’t remember what it was like before she came here two months ago—he didn’twantto remember.
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Keith confessed. “But I’m falling in love with the princess.”
“I told you so. Now, tell me about it.” The beastman put aside his reading and stood up, motioning Keith to take a seat on the daybed in his place. Rufus somehow managed to look professional as he took up his seat, cross-legged and still in a silk robe. “Are you alright if I use some basic perks to help?”
Keith agreed, and the two settled in for a second session that day. Keith felt the wave of [Calming Effect] wash over him. He didn’t fight it, but then, he noticed another spell subtly influencing him. Keith raised an eyebrow at Rufus and accepted the second unknown spell. Honestly, he would trust Rufus with his life on top of his well-being. The man was Keith’s most trusted advisor and best friend, even if the beastmandidhave terrible taste in literature.
Suddenly, words came easier, and his thoughts were unbared by anxiety and frustration.
“The princess smells delicious,” he heard himself say. “She’s so cute that sometimes I just want to ruffle her hair or kiss her. Now, it seems like that’s all I want to do.” His true feelings spilled out in a jumble and so did his fears. “I’m worried that I’ll make a terrible mess and keep crossing the line without her permission.”
Rufus raised an eyebrow at that. “You crossed a line?”
“I can’t stop touching her.” Keith dropped his head into his hands.
“Without permission?” Rufus’s voice was harder than he’d ever heard it. But Keith kept going as if something was inspiring him to let it all out.
“I pushed her hair behind her ear,” Keith confessed. “And sometimes, I grab her hand before I’ve asked. And it’s becoming harder and harder to resist kissing her after she kissed me in Gren’s Keep.”
Rufus lifted a hand to cover his face. He looked like he was in pain for some reason. Keith had to wait for the beastman to compose himself.
“Go on.”
“I am not ready.” Keith lay back on the daybed and threw his hands in the air. “But I spend five minutes in her company, and that’s all I can think of. I almost kissed her in the library. We aren’t engaged yet, Rufus. This is serious!”
“And how did Henrietta react?”
“I …” Keith rubbed the bridge of his nose. “She … she told me she’s interested in doing more.”
“I see.” Rufus nodded sagely and leaned forward. “So you’ve come here to rub it in your best friend’s face that you are about to get married and live happily ever after?”
“What? No!” Keith sat up so fast he needed to readjust his glasses. Maybe he should get them refitted with how many times that was happening. “I came here because I needed advice on how to not mess this up!”
“Well, for starters, you couldnotrun to me every time you want to kiss your girlfriend,” Rufus advised. “If you don’t want her to get any weird ideas, you could also just talk to her.”
“I do talk to her!” Keith protested. “I told her I like her and I’m interested in a relationship, maybe, and that we could go slowly.”
