Chapter 27 The Unwanted Banquet
This damn palace was definitely built to make people get lost.
Or maybe I'm just completely hopeless with directions.
Either way, I was totally screwed. Five minutes ago, I was positive I passed that exact same ugly marble statue.
Now? I was back in the same endless hallway, and the identical creepy tapestries on the walls were starting to give me a massive headache.
My feet were on absolute fire. These stupid high heels were the worst thing I could've worn for an escape mission, and the plain grey dress I picked to blend in just felt like a heavy sack of potatoes dragging me down.
"Stupid, stupid, dumbass," I muttered under my breath.
I took a right, then a left, only to end up in a corridor that was even quieter.
The ballroom music was barely a whisper now, cut off by these ridiculously thick stone walls.
I kept looking for a door that led to the carriage lot, but all I found were rows of heavy oak doors shut tight.
I was full-on losing my mind. If a guard caught me wandering around a restricted area of the palace, what was my excuse?
'Oh, sorry, I just got turned around while fleeing the Grand General?'
Yeah, right. That's a one way ticket to a dungeon cell.
I kept walking until the hallway finally dumped me into an open courtyard.
It was a small garden with a stone fountain in the middle.
The sound of water splashing was the exact opposite of the chaotic screaming going on inside my head.
I didn't care about noble etiquette or acting like a proper lady anymore.
I just slammed myself down on the edge of the stone, aggressively rubbing my throbbing ankles.
"Breathe, Ilse," I told myself. "Calm down. He doesn't know you ran. You're just a nobody noble getting some fresh air. Normal behavior."
I looked down into the water, staring at my reflection. I looked pale as a ghost and completely wiped out.
"You're really going to get your head chopped off, aren't you?" I whispered.
Talking to myself was literally the only thing keeping me from completely losing my mind.
Look at me. A villainess who dies not because of some grand political scheme or a cool assassination plot, but because she got lost in a hallway trying to ditch a party.
History books are going to mock me forever.
I could see it clearly. The execution block, the crowd, and Claus standing there with that annoying, blank expression on his face.
He probably wouldn't even be mad. He'd just be annoyed that he had to waste his time executing a girl who couldn't even find the exit.
"I need to move," I said, a bit louder this time. "The family carriage is at the east gate. If I can just sneak through the servant halls on the left, I can probably hit the front yard without passing the main guards."
I took a deep breath, trying to force my legs to work. I had to stand up. Look normal. If anyone saw me, I'd just say I got dizzy. Simple.
I pressed my hands against the stone fountain, ready to push myself up and dive back into the palace maze, when I heard it. The heavy, unmistakable thud of military boots coming from behind the bushes.
The footsteps stopped.
My body went completely rigid. My heart, which had finally started to slow down, shot straight into my throat. No music, no party noise. Just my own pulse hammering in my ears.
I didn't dare turn around. I didn't need to. That same scent, cedar wood and cold metal slapped me in the face. He was standing right behind me.
"Is my victory celebration not to your liking, Mademoiselle de Varannes?"
The voice was deep, scraping, and completely deadpan. No anger, no politeness. Just the tone of someone who completely owned the situation, and I was just the rat caught in his trap. I squeezed my eyes shut. Running was pointless. The guy was literally breathing down my neck.