Page 11 of I Ran Away to Evil 3
“Actually”—the queen shot me a conspiratorial look—“I’m thinking about picking up a gift for Brownie’s engagement.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“We barely got to talk about her plans back in the Hollow.” Henrietta crossed her arms and pouted. “And she doesn’t seem that … I don’t know, serious about it?”
“Do they have to be in a rush?”
Henrietta sighed. “No, and I know my own wedding was quick—”
“You fell pretty fast for tall, dark-haired, and evil,” I teased.
My queen blushed but smiled.
It’d taken a year of prep work to prevent the massacre that would’ve been Henrietta romping around the Dark Enchanted Forest.
First, I’d made dueling between nobles a common occurrence.
As usual, when enacting change, I’d started in North Sumbria and worked my way out from there. Anything that was popular in North Sumbria quickly caught on elsewhere, so if I got everyone to think that fighting to the death was gauche, then I’d potentially prevent the full-on bloodbath that would be Henrietta arriving at the Black Fortress.
Even I couldn’t have anticipated there would benobloodshed and that the guards would just politely let the girl enter to duel their king. That had been a miracle on its own, and I wished I’d been there to see how she’d accomplished it.
The second thing I’d done was organize a straight path to the castle for Henrietta. I’d kindly asked any and all magical creatures whocouldbe mistaken for monsters to leave the area. Anyone who lived within sight of the Great Road heading toward Drendil had had to be convinced to vacate.
I’d only had to bonk a few dire wolves on the nose before they’d learned they should keep to the hills farther from the path. They’d still kept close to Lake Loria and would come down to drink from her waters, but otherwise, they’d known to stay clear.
I’d left the unicorns. The mushfolk would’ve been easy experience points for the princess, so I’d parted with enough gold to find them a nice birch meadow near the border to Servalt. I’d been worried about the phoenix birds who lived in the woods nearby, but they’d just laid eggs and weren’t going to be easily moved.
After watching them closely for a month, I’d ended up saving the nest from an earth wyrm attack, and the phoenix couple had gifted me two tail feathers before moving their nest deeper into the woods.
And then, I’d made sure I was Henrietta’s firstencounter, as Bronwynn would put it.
Speaking of the bard, she was walking back over with her chosen bottle.
“What about you?” Henrietta asked, looking up at me.
“Whataboutme?” I asked, confused at the turn in the conversation.
My queen’s smile took on a predatory gleam as she asked, “You went to the Spring Ball. Are you sure you didn’t seeanyonewho pulled at your heartstrings?”
“Wait.” Bronwynn returned at the worst time. “Do you like someone, Gerda?”
I managed a tight smile. “No. I don’t.”
Honestly, I’d played through every route in Season One: The laid-back adventurer Trevor Malory, leader of the Lancers; the obnoxious Sir Phineas, the most powerful knight her age and most likely to become knight commander after Havork; Duke Wyldon of Servalt, the glasses-wearing prime minister’s son who came to negotiate a treaty after Henrietta killed the Dark Lord; and Knight Commander Bastian of Peldeep, an ambassador for King Basil of Peldeep, who came to discuss the same.
After all of the routes had been finished, I’d even unlocked the two bonus routes.
I’d rushed through the first, a grueling story with the irredeemable Master Thomas, and then I’d played through the second bonus route six times.
I knew Julian von Slyke’s storyline like the back of my hand, and he was the love interest I stanned the hardest … which was why I’d deliberately steered clear of the duke of the North all these years.
I couldn’t trust myself in his presence. That half elf needed a hug.
“I’m sorry.” Henrietta patted my arm. “I know you had a bad experience before. If you wanted to, I bet we could get you a session with Rufus. He’sbrilliant.”
“I don’t—” I started, then paused. “Gerda the Bridge Troll” had had an awful ex-husband, and my own ex fromthe beforewasn’t much to write home about either.
MaybeIneeded a hug.
