Page 171 of I Ran Away to Evil
Chloe was standing beside the drinks table with Julia and the grand duchess. They toasted Ria and congratulated her on her first dance.
Keith watched over the princess as she accepted a glass of sparkling cider from Julia. His gaze swept the room, taking in all the important and unimportant attendees of the evening.
Minstrel Bronwynn had stepped onto the dais, joining the musicians to sing accompaniment for the rest of the evening..
Gerda, the bridge troll, leaned against the wall like one of those wallflowers Feliwyn wrote about in her lurid romance novels. She wore a form fitting purple evening gown that let her blend into the crowd of noble’s seamlessly. How had she gotten an invitation?
Their Royal Highness was poised as an elderly man and chatting up a pair of debutantes. Keith was too far away to smell the telltale perfume favored by the fox, but he couldn’t imagine any other ruler on the Valarian continent who would wear violent-pink arachne silk robes in such an … ostentatious manner.
It had been a good idea to come this way, Keith thought. Henrietta would be surrounded by her friends when her parents finally caught up with them.
Which was, unfortunately, right now.
CHAPTER 105
I Will Never Marry You
Henrietta
“Henri!”
I couldn’t help it; I flinched. Something in Mother’s voice did that. Maybe it was the way she stressed theEEsound longer than necessary. I put my polite smile back on and turned to greet my parents.
“Mother.” I curtsied. “Father.”
I didn’t officially greet Knight Commander Havork where he stood behind my parents, but our eyes met. His face was impassive.
Keith reached a protective arm around me, settling his hand on my back and giving me extra support. “Good evening, King Simon, Queen Thalia.”
“Do not speak to me, Monfort,” my father snarled. “I’ve had enough. We’re here to bring Henrietta home, and there’s nothing you can do here to stop us. Get over here, Henri.”
King Simon gestured for me to stand beside him, but I didn’t move. “I apologize, Father, but I won’t be going with you.”
“You dare!” Queen Thalia snapped her fan with a force that usually signaled an unfortunate evening of discipline for me… Honestly, I needed to stop glossing over the unpleasantness; it signaled physical and emotional abuse. “Henri, come herethis instant.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Julia grab Chloe and hold her back. Our conversation had drawn other people’s attention as well. Bastian stepped forward, frowning, the Sumbrian noblewoman still on his arm. Lady Cress sneered, laughing at the commotion we were causing.
Grand Duchess Calisto arrived, drawn by the commotion, and stepped up beside us. “Excuse me, Your Majesty. Henrietta is a guest at my ball, and as an adult, she is free to make her own choices.”
Queen Thalia laughed. “My child will obey or suffer the consequences. She’llwantto join us, as we have something very important to tell her. We are her elders, and she will respect our age and wisdom.”
My father waved at someone in the crowd. “We have good news, Henri. If you hadn’t failed so utterly to complete the simple task you were assigned, we wouldn’t have had this wonderful opportunity.”
A man with lanky features stepped forward. He was wearing a green suit of straight trousers and an overly long waistcoat. If I had to guess, I’d say he was in his forties, but it was hard to tell with his clean-shaven, sharp features. He looked me over with an appraising eye, taking longer to assess my hips and feet. I almost regretted my ankle-length dress, but the boots would be perfect for kicking him in the—
“Princess Henrietta,” his voice dripped honey, with a stickier undertone, as he bent at the waist.
I thought he was giving a customary bow, but his arm snaked out and caught my hand. Startled, I almost attacked on reflex. As it was, I did not break his fingers. Though when he dragged my hand to his face and planted a wet kiss on my palm, I wished I had.
“Let us introduce Marquess Chadwick Dorset,” Father announced.
When the marquess didn’t let go of my hand and instead breathed heavily on my skin, I snatched my hand back firmly. As was expected, the man couldn’t compete with my strength. I’d never met him before, but something about the name sounded familiar—
“He’s your fiancé, dear,” Queen Thalia told me.
My mind froze. A wash of Keith’s royal intent burst out behind me, hitting my parents and the marquess. He controlled it well; no one else close by batted an eyelash.
“No,” I breathed the word, then, stronger, I repeated, “No. I refuse.”
