Page 91 of I Ran Away to Evil 3
“You just want me to stop being me so that we can be together?” he demanded, pain in his voice. “So that your father will approve? But that’s not how this works, Amy.”
“You can be an assassin and not kill people,” she countered.
The man laughed, a sharp thing. “And you can be a saintess who forgives everyoneelse, for all I care.”
Someone stepped in my path.
“Madame Potts! I know I shouldn’t introduce myself when we haven’t formally met yet, but isn’t this afternoon tea all about meeting people?” A giant was between me and my target. I stared up into dark eyes and a charming smile. “I’m Erik Stormbreaker.”
He was too close.
“That’s nice. But if you will excuse me—”
“Do you have a partner, Miss Gerda?” There were a few others who’d used the opportunity to join in. One, a foxman with black hair wearing long red robes with black peonies interrupted me. His ear twitched once. “Or do you prefer Madame Potts?”
“Now, Shiro, I got up the nerve to speak with her first.” Erik pulled at his dark-blue vest. “The least you could do is let her reject me first before cutting in.”
“I’m afraid I have to reject both of you, gentlemen,” I stated, taking a step back and gripping my skirt. “I already have a date.”
“Ah, of course.” Erik sighed as Shiro patted him on the arm in pity.
With that, I walked around the pair to see that Lady Amy was now standing alone, looking lost.
“Amy!” I called, hurrying over to the young woman.
She turned when she heard her name and sniffed once before putting on a welcoming face. “Gerda, you’re here.”
“How are things?” I asked, walking right up to her and taking her arm like a close friend. She seemed to appreciate the sentiment and sniffed once more.
“I’m sorry, I’ve just been … busy … with things.” Amy glanced toward the east wing and then sighed before drawing herself up and asking me, “What about you? I’m sorry that your secret got out; it wasn’t me—I promise!”
“I know it wasn’t …” Her sincerity made me pause. “Wait, did you already know?”
“That you were Madame Potts? Um, yeah. I figured it out that first time I came over to your house.” She blushed a bit, her dark-green skin going darker in her cheeks. “You just, I don’t know, sounded the same? You talked the same, I mean.”
“I’m impressed. But no, the leader of the Blackfog spies outed my identity,” I explained. Thinking back on it, I frowned. “Wait … I don’t remember seeing you during the ceremony?”
How could I have missed that? I knew I’d been focused on stopping the Keeper of Fate, but I couldn’t believe I’d overlooked the elf’s absence. Something terrible could have happened to her, and I wouldn’t have even noticed.
Amy hurriedly explained, “I, um, I was running late and missed entering before they started.”
“And you wouldn’t have been able to slip in,” I said, feeling sorry that she’d had to wait outside, “since Grand Duchess Calisto separated the building into a pocket dimension after that.”
“Exactly.” The elf relaxed, thinking I’d fallen for her excuses.
“Is the man you were arguing with the reason you were late?”
Lady Amy drew in a sharp breath and argued, “No, he’s—I haven’t—We haven’t—There isn’t anything going on between us—”
I took pity on the flustered woman and squeezed her arm reassuringly. “I overheard your argument. I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”
“You-You heard us?” Instead of reassuring her, Lady Amy went as pale green as my own softer shades.
“Just the end,” I explained, worried about her reaction. I would need to tell Henrietta to check in on Amy—and ask what Justice said about the prophecy at the same time. There were so many things to remember to do, I was worried I’d miss one.
I should poke Brownie as well. If Lady Amy was in the middle of her first love—and a forbidden romance by what little I’d caught of it—she would need all the friends she could get.
I patted the girl on the back. “It’ll be okay, Amy. Why don’t we talk after the tea party? You kept my secret when you could have shared, so I’ll keep yours. What do you say?”
