Page 128 of I Ran Away to Evil
“Yes,” Rinrin said simply, nodding. “That would do nicely.”
He couldn’t imagine how much burn salve and potions the castle approved for the kitchen and laundry room; that wasn’t the kind of report that passed his desk. Hopefully, he could move a few heat-resistant golems here, and they would save on pain and suffering—and also the kingdom finances.
He wouldn’t dream of suggesting the same to Panlith. The thought of burnt toast at every meal for a week made him shudder. He left the kitchens alone, approved most of whatever they requested, and Keith rejoiced in a variety of sweet, sweet pastries. More, now that Henrietta was making him personal treats.
On the topic of Henrietta …
“I’m here because of my buttons. Could you fix them for tonight?” Keith plucked at his clothes.
“His ViciousnesswantsRinrin to repair his buttons?” Rinrin sniffed, a single tear running down her cheek. “I have dreamed of this day! This Rinrin will do so. Gladly.”
Keith eyed the moist-eyed ratkin. “Should I come back—”
“No!” The ratkin jumped to her feet. “Take off your clothesright now. I will repair them! Toto, bring the new batch of arachne thread!”
One of the ratkins jumped up and ran for the storage closet.
Keith crossed his arms in front of him defensively. He looked around the room at his minions, who had stopped to watch the exchange. “Now, just wait one second, Rinrin. I’m not going to—”
“I’ll fix the buttons!” The ratkin stalked closer to the Dark Lord, a gleam in her eye that had nothing to do with tears.
Keith came to dinner with clothing that had been washed, repaired, and ironed. He pulled awkwardly at the done-up collar that hugged his throat, and hoped that it gave him the proper appearance of a Dark Magician King.
By royal decree, no one would ever speak of what had happened in that laundry room.
CHAPTER 77
It Was Terrible. It Was Heartbreaking
Henrietta
Bronwynn and I enjoyed a lovely afternoon romping around the Dark Enchanted Forest castle.
I hadn’t actually spent much time in the village, though I’d heard wonderful things about Scowls. Brownie let me know that she’d been in the middle of securing a performance spot at the tavern when the guards had arrived and escorted herpolitelyaway for questioning.
If they honored the agreed-upon times, Brownie would be performing for three nights starting tomorrow.
“So let me get this straight,” Brownie said. They were walking toward the main dining hall for dinner. “King Keith takes meals with everyone? Every day?”
“Kinda?” I shrugged. “It’s mostly us and the generals, and they come and go depending on work. Rufus and Chloe live in the castle, so they’re around. The other generals live in their own territories guarding the four borders, and there are a few nobles, but I don’t know much of how it works; it’s entirely dependent on the territory?”
The elves, the naga, the lizardkin, and the beastfolk all had some form of hierarchy, but it wasn’t consistent across the Dark Enchanted Forest.
“SoI’mhaving dinner with the Dark Lord and his generals?” Brownie asked, amused.
“And Countess Julia of North Sumbria. She’s Chloe’s fiancée,” I added. “Oh. And me, of course.”
“Well, this will be fun.”
I agreed. I enjoyed the nights when everyone had dinner together just as much as I enjoyed those warm nights when Keith and I had our dinner privately in the garden. There hadn’t been snow since the winter solstice, and beautifulsunny days with a light breeze had come nice and early this year. Every chance I got, I took my meals outside.
We were the last to arrive for dinner. I nodded at everyone and then showed Brownie where the food was laid out. Each dish was separated, and there were serving utensils so we could pick and choose what we wanted.
I was partial to the slow-roasted honey-glazed duck, whipped garlic spuds, and salad. Panlith made a baby green salad tossed with nuts, unigoat cheese, bimbleberries, and rose petals that I could eat for every meal.
“Wow.” Brownie took a deep breath, appreciating the smells. She chose a bowl of wild mushroom soup, citron baked fish, and roasted peppers stuffed with candied nuts and creamed unigoat cheese. She leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Can I come over for dinner every night?”
I smiled up at her. “You are always welcome here and I’m sure Keith wouldn’t mind, though I’ll double-check with him later.”
