[9]

BANG! BANG! BANG!

“Go away!” a muffled sound yelled. At least we finally got a response from Elmont.

Florence grew more frantic by the second. Between my curse, and being on the cusp of failing her goddess on her first quest, she looked about to charge headfirst into the door. Removing the curse had not helped her mental state.

“Elmont, open the door this instant!” Florence stepped back, and began leveling rhythmic kicks at the door, like a lumberjack working to fell a tree.

I frowned at Elaine, who was just as embarrassed by the ruckus. Fortunately, the noise had not gone unnoticed.

A pair of alarmed servants came running, and I breathed a sigh of relief. In hindsight, looking for a servant would have been the smart thing to do. Florence said that Angelina took the keys they used to gain entry to my room when she absconded. If any of us were thinking clearly, getting another set would have been obvious.

“We need access to Lord Elmont’s room at once,” Elaine told the servant.

The man did not question the command of Lady Highrow. He simply nodded and produced a key ring. He barely had time to unlock the door before Florence shot into the room.

“Angelina! Angelina! You must stop at once!” Florence yelled.

Elaine and I followed, the servants did not.

“Where is she?” Florence yelled at Elmont, who stood before us in googles and an apron, holding a smoking beaker.

“Where is who!?” Elmont screamed. Then, without waiting for anyone to answer, yelled, “You idiots better not have ruined this potion! I will take the herbs out of your damn hides!”

“Apologies Elmont, we can see we have erred,” Elaine said.

Elmont set the beaker down on a table lined with alchemical supplies and removed his goggles.

“Lady Highrow? What are you doing here? What is going on?” Seeing Elaine calmed him down.

“She must have gone back to your room. No, or her room!” Florence said, addressing me, relief clear on her face.

“Do you mean Angelina? Why would she be in Harald’s room?” Elmont asked.

Elaine and I shared a look.

“We believe someone drugged Angelina,” Elaine said neutrally. “We hoped she came here.”

Elmont’s eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “And… you thought I, what? Took advantage of my fiance?”

“Again, apologies Elmont,” Elaine said.

“Let’s go,” Florence said, worry written on her face.

Elaine and I rushed after her, ignoring Elmont’s questions. “What’s wrong?” I asked Florence in the hallway.

“I’m afraid she might have thrown herself at a servant.” Florence said.

I laughed. “You were okay with her throwing herself at me, but not a servant?”

“Well, yes! I knew she liked you. She told me as much after she spotted you on the deck. She wouldn’t shut up about the ‘golden-eyed boy’, and how she had fallen for you. In the state she is in, any unscrupulous man could take advantage of her.”

“And if that happens, it will be you who is to blame,” Elaine said.

Florence nodded in agreement and searched for a key to fit my door.

“Wait,” I said.

Both women looked at me.

“Let’s try her room first. I just remembered, I saw a servant coming out of there. Right before I ran into Elaine.”

Florence jogged ahead of us. It turned out she did not need a key. We saw Florence fling open the unlocked door and disappear.

“Angelina! Oh thank the Gods!” Florence shouted.

Elaine and I walked into the black room, and for the first time, I wished I could not see in the dark.

Angelina lay naked across her lavish bed, covered judiciously in pudding. She moaned, spreading the dessert around her naked mounds with one hand, and slurped it off her fingers with the other.

Elaine reached for an arcanolamp. I yelled, “Don’t!” But it was already too late.

Everyone had enough decency to be astounded by the sight.

Angelina only seemed to notice me. “Harald! You finally came, I need you. I wish for you to lick this pudding off of every inch of my body!”

“I, uh,” I started, backing away.

“What in the Abyss!?” yelled Elmont. Understandably, I had not heard him come in behind us.

“Oh look, boring old Elle is here,” Angelina taunted.

“W-who did this to you?” Elmont asked, but glaring at me.

“The only one that is doing anything to me is Harald.” Angelina said with a laugh. “Harald dear, I loved you from the moment I saw you.” Her eyes seemed to gain a bit of clarity as she looked at the surrounding faces. “Take a good look at what you will never touch, Elmont. Even if I marry you, I will only lie with Harald. Maybe, one day if you are a good little stick-in-the-mud I’ll let you watch while he mounts me. The babies of your line will all have golden eyes.”

Elmont turned an interesting shade of purple, partially from rage, partially from shame and embarrassment. It almost matched the color of his hair.

“This wasn’t me!” I said quickly, holding my hands up.

Elmont still looked like he wanted to kill me.

To her credit, Florence stepped up to take the blame. “I did this to her, but I’m not making her say these things. All I did was lower her inhibitions a little.”

“A little?” asked Elaine over her shoulder, fighting to cover up a combative, jiggling Angelina with a blanket.

“Okay, not a little.” Florence admitted. “Still, this is what her heart desires. She is not lying about any of it.”

“It’s true,” Angelina confirmed from under the pile of blankets Elaine had succeeded in throwing over her. “Harald, please, don’t leave me. I’ll marry you if I must. You hear that, Elmont? The betrothal is off, I have fallen for him. I will be a good wife to you, Harald!”

“You should go,” Florence said to the three of us. “I’ll stay here with her.”

Elaine stepped back, so Florence could take her place for sitting atop Angelina.

The three of us exited into the hallway. I was nervous about Elmont, but I needn’t have been. His face looked defeated.

“Come, you can sleep in my room,” Elaine said. Then after a moment she began blushing, “Um, I m-mean on the couch. You’ve had enough interfering noble--”

“Nonsense.” Elmont said. “I’m sorry, Lady Highrow, but that is preposterous and you know it. He can stay with me. It’s been a long bloody night.”

Elaine looked skeptical. “Elmont, Harald is a friend. I know we upset you, but I will not allow you to harm him.”

“I have no intention of doing anything untoward, Elaine. I promise. In fact, Harald, I owe you an apology.” Elmont took a deep sigh. “Because of my insecurity, I have treated you poorly. For that, I am sorry. Please, you can stay with me. At the very least, you know you will be safe from Angelina there.”

I wanted to go with Elaine, but Elmont was right. It would not be proper, and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt her reputation. Especially after what I had done to it in the temple square that day.

“Give us a minute,” Elaine said to Elmont, and he nodded, then headed back to his room.

I turned to Elaine, “Well, Lady Highrow, I hope we can do this again soon.”

She laughed, and it made me smile.

“I believe Elmont means you no harm, but please be careful. I am in room 7, don’t hesitate to come by if you need something. I mean it, Harald.”

Elaine escorted me to Elmont’s door, then repeated herself until I swore I would go to her if I needed help.

Elmont was in the middle of downing a cup of wine when I walked in.

“You know,” he said. “All of this is my fault. There was a time at the beginning of our courtship, when I could have tried. I doubt Angelina and I would have fallen in love; we are much too different for all of that. But few noble couples are. Instead, I treated her like she was a duty. If only I had listened to my mother and made some kind of effort, her and I could have been at least friends. That would have made all the difference.”

I nodded to him to show that I was listening.

“Want a drink?” he asked.

“No, thank you.”

“Anyway, I meant what I said about being sorry. I have nothing against you. You can take the bed if you like.”

“I would prefer to sleep in the bubble, if you don’t mind.” I said, noting that he already had the window panel slid open. Probably to let the fumes of his earlier potion making escape.

Elmont nodded, then pulled the servant cord. After a few minutes, someone brought me bedding, which I laid out on the circle sofa. The sofa was more comfortable than anything I had ever slept on, but I could not find rest. There was a heaviness in the air, and I felt motivated to end it. Elmont had tried to be the better man and ask forgiveness.

“Elmont? Are you still awake?” I asked into the silence of the room.

“Yes? Doubt I will sleep much tonight. I can’t stop thinking about how I am going to explain to my father how the betrothal is off without mentioning pudding.”

We both laughed. After that, the tension eased.

“Well, I was wondering if you might teach me about Alchemy. Alchemy and Herbalism are both class skills of mine.”

Elmont sat up, excited. “Will I? I’m going to talk off your damned ear, man!”

It was just the distraction we both needed.

“All right, let’s get some rest first. I’m only a novice, but I have a good idea that we shouldn’t do that stuff while exhausted.”

“Fair enough. Good night.”

“And to you.”

As I lay there under the stars, drifting to sleep, I thought Angelina might be right. Maybe these people could be my friends. I know I did not want them for enemies.