Page 96 of I Ran Away to Evil 3
“Does your fan match your outfit tonight?” he asked. He wanted her to say yes because his own outfit for the ball was already picked out and ready for him. It wasn’t arcane magic to guess, since they were his household colors, but his mask had purple-and-silver accents that would go hand in hand with her fan. The costume and mask were specially designed, and he couldn’t change them now … or at least, he never would’ve thought to change them until now.
Julian was considering what he would do if she said no; he didn’t want them to clash.
“Yes.” Her soft brown eyes caught his, and there was a touch of … embarrassment? She hid behind her fan and said, “The fan matches my outfit perfectly, so if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be going now.”
She already knew what he was going to wear. She could see the future,hadseen the future, and had deliberately chosen the fan to match with his outfit.
Julian called after her, “I’ll be here.”
He waited until she slipped into the western wing before he chuckled to himself. The tea had been a repeat of everything he’d done previously, with nothing new … excepting, of course, his partner. Gerda had been the only saving grace.
She’d perfected five types of curtsy, the head nod, and the fan snap.
She’d struggled holding the fork in her left hand, instinctively picking it up every time with the right instead.
She’d mastered recognizing when someone poisoned her glade crystal drink instantly, noting the sounds of the glass before and after he added juice.
She’d laughed when Cousin Tabitha hit herself with her fan while trying to signal that she was interested in going for a walk around the ballroom. It had been genuine, and she’d apologized to Tabby right away for the slight.
Then Gerda had scrunched up her nose in distaste when the human Baroness Hermingard had grabbed her partner by the wrist and dug her long, pointed nails into flesh. The preela adventurer, one Yeshik Amil, was a guest from the Empire of Sands, and the pair had only partnered because they’d been paired together at the end. Yeshik had used a skill to poison her drink for the demonstration, and instead of letting it happen, she’d made a show of stopping him.
The baroness was from Drendil, young and foolish. Julian agreed with the troll’s quiet, long-suffering sigh at the young woman’s antics.
But he needed to stop thinking of Gerda and start thinking about what he was supposed to be doing next.
Julian returned to his rooms before summoning his second-in-command and paladin.
“What do you mean I can’t go to the ball!” Sir Tully yelled, shocked and appalled at the order.
“I’ll make it a thousand experience points quest,” Julian replied, enticing the man with his banked personal stash. His Duke title granted him a certain amount of EXP every month to hand out quests, and he’d saved up quite a bit.
Julian set his coronet on his head then delicately worked it into his dreads, adjusting it straight. From the mirror, he could see Visha standing at attention looking calm and collected, and Sir Tully rubbing his neck in frustration. Tully was in full formal royal guard wear, with a purple embroidered tabard over plate armor that had been polished until it sparkled.
“Ican’t. I’m supposed to escort my cousin Penny. Ihaveto go, or mother will skin me alive and feed me to the griffins—”
“Miss Penny Bracken?” Julian turned to face his flustered paladin.
“Yes! I’m supposed to be watching out for her.” Sir Tully shrugged. “She’s got a bit of a temper and, well, you know how the Masquerade crowd can get.”
He did know. Julian also knew Miss Penny was the young lady in pink that Gerda had warned him about. He wasn’t surprised that any lady would light his human friend on fire. Sir Tully did that to people.
Julian was smiling again; he forced his face back to normal as he turned to stare at Visha. “And you? Do you have plans for the evening?”
His second-in-command looked at Tully, sighed, then met Julian’s eyes. “No, Your Grace.”
“She’s still not drinking anything, so the whole event is a waste for her,” Sir Tully said, gaining a sharp glare from Visha.
“Tully,” Julian cut in before Visha stabbed the human. “Go escort your cousin.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. Tully thumped a fist on his chest before ducking out the door. Then he promptly stuck his head back inside the room. “Oh! And can you stop and chat with us for a few minutes tonight? I want to show my cousin that she’s wrong and I’m a valued member of the team.”
“Maybe,” Julian got out. This was his last chance to warn his friend about the upcoming evening’s events … and he chose to wave Tully away instead.
It wasn’t the first time Tully had been set on fire. He’d be fine. Julian would worry about the furniture instead.
“Alright, Visha, here is what I need you to do …”
CHAPTER 55
