Chapter Fourteen
“Take me, Bash,” Elissa moaned as she tossed back her head full of fiery curls to give my roving lips full range of her neck and shoulders. “Wherever, whenever you want…”
“I want you right now,” I murmured against her collar bone, and then my hands explored beneath the edges of her skirt only to find my wife without panties on. “You were planning this, weren’t you?”
“I want to always be ready to please you,” my wife whispered, but then she gasped as my fingers roved to her warm mound.
Elissa was already dripping wet, and I could tell the idea of being caught had only turned her on even more, so I didn’t waste any time in finding her node of pleasure and rubbing it gently until her hips began to buck.
I worked her up until she was biting her lip to keep in her moans, and then I sent her over the edge by sliding one finger inside her slick tunnel while my thumb continued its assault on her clit.
“Oh, fuck,” Elissa gasped as every muscle in her body shivered.
I held her in my arms while the orgasm shook through her, and when she slowly came back to reality, I unfastened my pants.
“I am so fucking hard,” I growled as my cock bounded free from the restraint of my pants and stood at attention.
“Mmm,” Elissa moaned as her tiny, delicate hands wrapped around my thick shaft. “You certainly are.”
Then my wife lowered herself into a squatting position, and the beautiful red-haired goddess looked up at me with earnest emerald eyes as she wrapped her petite mouth around the tip of my cock. Her cheeks bulged as she slowly slid her mouth down my shaft, and I hissed with pleasure from both the sensation and the image.
“You better hurry,” I murmured in a teasing tone. “Someone could come in at any second.”
“You always know before anyone does anything,” my wife pointed out with a wink. “I’m not worried about timing when you are concerned.”
My tiny goddess had a good point, so I simply grinned and let her continue her ministrations on my throbbing cock. I found myself to be extra sensitive with the possible threat of discovery looming, and my blood pulsed in my ears.
Elissa bobbed her head as she took in more and more of my cock into her mouth, and her cheeks sucked inward as she pulled off with a wet plop.
“Come here,” I said in a husky voice full of need, and I lifted her to her feet before I spun her around.
“Whatever you say, husband,” Elissa giggled, and then she wiggled her ass up against my rock-hard dick.
“I say I want to be inside you,” I said, and then I spread her ass cheeks apart with one hand while I gripped my slippery shaft with the other. I angled my cock toward her wet lips, and I slid my entire length inside in one swift thrust.
“Fuck!” Elissa gasped, but then her hands shot to cover her mouth.
“That’s right,” I chuckled. “Try to stay quiet.”
Then I pulled out again before I thrust hard once more, and my wife squeaked when I rubbed my tip against the entrance to her womb. I thrust again, and again, and her squeaks grew louder with each motion, but she still obediently clasped her hands over her lips in an effort to stay quiet.
I didn’t relent until her knees began to shake and fail to hold up her weight, and then I slid out momentarily to swivel her around, pick her up, and plant her back down on my cock.
“Oh, my!” Elissa’s eyes widened as she slid down my shaft until I was filling her up. “That feels good…”
“Fuck, yeah, it does,” I murmured as I gripped her ass in both hands, and I slowly lifted her up my shaft until my tip was bulging near her lips, but then I lowered her with one swift motion and slammed her down onto my cock.
“More!” my wife begged in a panting whisper. “Harder!”
“Whatever you want,” I murmured as I continued to bounce her up and down on my dick.
Elissa clung to my shoulders, hooked her ankles behind my lower back, and flung her head backward to expose her pale, freckled throat. It was incredibly sexy to have her in my arms, with her dress pulled half down and the skirt lifted half up. It would only take a second for her to straighten up her uniform, but anyone could walk in at any moment and find me balls deep in her.
My beautiful red-haired wife bounced up and down as she bit her lip to keep from crying out, and sweat ran down my forehead. I could feel my urge for release building, but I wanted to enjoy the moment for as long as possible since there was no telling if it might get suddenly interrupted.
The thought excited me even more, and my heart thudded in my chest. Elissa was radiant in the light of the kitchen, and the heat from the wood stove was making us both sweat, but I didn’t mind. I was highly entertained by the beads of perspiration that dripped down my wife’s neck while I thrust my dick deep inside her tight pussy.
“I’m… I’m… I’m going to…” Elissa gasped, and her fiery tendrils were saggy with sweat as she bounced up and down.
“You’re going to come?” I asked as I furrowed my brow with concentration in an effort not to explode at the thought.
Before Elissa could answer, however, her pussy tightened around the shaft of my cock and pulsated as her entire body shook with another orgasm. It was too much for me to bear, and I saw stars as my seed exploded out of me to fill her welcoming womb. I pressed her down against my throbbing cock as I sprayed load after load of my thick cum deep inside her, and I held my wife close to me for a long moment while we both caught our breaths and came back to reality. Her emerald eyes were hazy from our lovemaking when I finally opened my eyes and gazed at her flushed face.
Suddenly, there was a noise outside the kitchen door, and we hurriedly redressed before the cooks burst into the room in the middle of a conversation.
“--never messing up the master’s dinner again,” Jo insisted.
“Just do your job, and I’ll do mine,” the cook I’d dubbed “Shorty” replied in a gruff voice.
Elissa and I exchanged a knowing glance, and I resisted the urge to giggle. I took my wife’s hand in mine, and I led her toward the kitchen door. We passed by the cooks without giving them a second glance, and neither one of them looked our way.
I’d just fucked my wife’s brains out in the middle of Racine’s kitchen, and no one was the wiser.
Being a god was fucking awesome.
“I’m thinking it’s time to go home,” I said with a wide grin. I was still high from the aftershocks of our lovemaking, and I pictured her sweaty throat in my mind as I took her hand. “Well, back to the inn, anyway.”
“Oh, alright.” Elissa returned my smile, but then she lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “I thought we had more to do with your plan.”
“Tomorrow,” I informed her quietly with a small nod. “I’ve had enough fun in the castle for now.”
“It is a lot of fun to pretend to be someone else for a short while,” Elissa said in a thoughtful tone. “I hope I can please you with my performance.”
“Oh, you have,” I assured her as images of our quickie flashed through my mind’s eye. “You have pleased me in ways you don’t even remember.”
“Is that a good thing?” My wife tilted her head to the side and looked up at me with her vibrant eyes full of adoration.
“Definitely.” I nodded emphatically. “You’re amazing, Lissy.”
I sent Elissa out of the wizard’s wing first, and then I followed a few moments later. I didn’t want anyone to connect the two of us together, but as far as the rest of Racine’s household knew, we were both new hires. I wondered briefly if there was a rule about staff fraternizing with each other, but what the court wizard didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
We caught back up with each other outside the castle, and the two of us clasped our hands together before we trotted back through Arginold to the inn.
“Race you upstairs,” I said with a twinkle in my eyes as we approached the business.
“Deal,” Elissa replied immediately, and her emerald eyes lit up with competitiveness. “Enjoy the view!”
Then she took off running up the steps of the inn before she disappeared inside the threshold. It was a nondescript-looking establishment, and it seemed fairly vacant besides a family who I occasionally spotted in the dining hall, but the downstairs was empty when Elissa and I arrived.
We rushed up the steps to our room in a fit of giggles, and the two of us burst through the door at the exact same time, breathless and red-faced from the run.
“What’s wrong?” Mahini frowned as she stood up from her rug-covered spot by the table, but then she scanned over our faces, and her stern expression relaxed.
“Nothing, my devoted one,” I reassured her. “Everything is right in the world.”
“What did I miss?” Eva asked as she emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel with her short jagged blonde hair damp.
“Nothing.” I took a moment to ogle the curves of her shoulders and the smoothness of her freshly cleaned skin. “You look delicious.”
“Just finished washing off the stable muck.” The duke’s daughter winked, and she bit her lower lip in a flirtatious manner. “Want a taste?”
“Always.” I grinned, and I crossed the distance between us in a few quick paces. Then I scooped her up into my arms and kissed her hard. The duke’s daughter returned the kiss, and her lips parted eagerly to my roving tongue. It was several moments before we came back up for air, and my smile widened even more. “You taste amazing.”
“I’m glad you enjoy the flavor, Great One,” Eva replied in a teasing tone.
I loved watching Evangeline come out of her shell and get flirtier, and the duke’s daughter had certainly grown in confidence since leaving her father’s side. I supposed that was part of every woman’s journey, but not every woman got to be with the God of Time.
“I’ll enjoy it for the rest of my life,” I assured her as I set her back on her feet.
“So, how was your venture at the castle?” Eva asked. “Did you accomplish everything you needed to?”
“Bash and I had a quick fuck in the wizard’s kitchen,” Elissa giggled as her emerald eyes twinkled with mischief. “I suppose I’m familiar with Racine’s wing of the castle, though, so there’s that.”
“Lucky,” Eva sighed, and she fluttered her eyelashes at me. “I can’t wait to get Bash alone myself.”
“Me, either.” Mahini smirked. “But I am a patient woman.”
“You girls are wonderful.” I grinned. “You’ll each get plenty of alone time with me, don’t worry.”
“I hope we accomplished enough,” Elissa added with a thoughtful frown. “You were barely gone from my side for a moment.”
“Oh, we accomplished plenty,” I laughed. “Everything is ready to move on to phase two of my plan.”
“Which is?” Mahini pressed with curiosity burning in her ice-blue eyes.
“Next, I am going to plant a letter somewhere in the castle.” I winked. “Then the duke is going to get a hold of it and read it.”
“That doesn’t sound that difficult.” Eva tilted her head to the side as she thought this over. “It could be as simple as leaving it on his desk.”
“We will see what happens.” I wiggled my eyebrows. “You want to explore the castle with me tomorrow, Eva? See if it is any different than you remember it from when you were a little girl?”
“That sounds like a lot of fun,” Eva answered, and her gray eyes were alight with joy. “What if we get caught?”
“Don’t worry about anything.” I rubbed her shoulders affectionately. “I’ll take care of all the details.”
“I trust you completely,” the duke’s daughter assured me in an earnest tone. “I’m excited.”
“Can you wait till tomorrow?” I laughed as I tweaked her nose.
“Yes.” She nodded. “I’ll wait as long as is needed, I just want to be by your side as you do your god things.”
“What about me?” Mahini asked with one arched eyebrow and folded arms. “Everyone else gets to go see the castle, and I’m stuck sewing tapestries together.”
“Oh, my sweet desert goddess, have no fear,” I said in a mysterious tone. “You will have your turn during phase three.”
“Well…” Mahini thought this over for a moment before she nodded. “Very well. I will make sure the tapestries are ready for when you need them. By the way, when will you need them to be finished?”
“As soon as possible.” I frowned. “They’re essential to my plan, so everything can wait until they are done.”
“We will help,” Elissa offered with a cheerful smile. “We can finish it tonight if we all work together.”
“That’s right,” Eva added. “Just let me get dressed, and then I will be more than happy to chip in some sewing time.”
“Thank you,” Mahini said with a soft smile. “It will be nice to get it done tonight.”
“Let’s do it.” I grinned. “As soon as Eva stops being so naked and sexy.”
Evangeline laughed, but she obligingly moved to where our packs were piled in the corner to retrieve some clothes.
A short while later, the four of us were sitting cross-legged on the floor with the pile of sewn together tapestries between us. Elissa sewed her section to Eva’s, who sewed hers to mine, and finally, Mahini added my tapestry to the long strand of them. We were able to go through the rest of the available textiles before we all started to yawn.
It was well past dark at that point, so we called it a night and crawled into bed together. I loved being able to snuggle up in between all three women in a pile of limbs and good-smelling hair. Elissa’s freckled shoulder was directly in front of my face, while Mahini’s soft breath caressed the back of my neck. Evangeline cuddled up against Elissa’s other side, and the duke’s daughter reached over my wife’s body to hold my hand.
It was blissful and perfect, and I sighed contentedly as I fell asleep. I dreamed of Racine’s anger and envisioned my plan going off without a hitch, so I woke up with a smile on my face ready to meet the new day.
My plan was to practice setting up the duke today, so I made a new save point before I even got out of bed. I stood and gazed down at the beauties in my bed for a long moment before I crossed the room to my travel packs in order to get dressed in some clean clothes. Then I remembered how refreshed Eva looked after getting out of the bath, so I decided to have a long soak in the hot soapy water.
I hadn’t been a big fan of baths when I was still in my old world where showers were available, but I’d come to enjoy the process of sitting in a deep tub full of hot water. It was relaxing on sore muscles, and it helped me clear my thoughts to focus on what needed to be done.
The bath was incredibly warm, and I sat in the warmth until all my fingers and toes were pruney. Then I toweled off and got dressed in a servant’s uniform for the duke’s household. I had one for females that Evangeline could use to fit in with the rest of the staff in the castle, and my excitement grew even more.
The castle was like my giant playground, and I could manipulate and pull strings to make whatever I wanted happen. I was anxious to get all the pieces of my plan into place so I could sit back and watch these two assholes take each other out.
Surprisingly, Evangeline was the first one to wake up, which was definitely a sign of how excited she was to explore the castle with me. The duke’s daughter yawned as she slipped out of bed, but she planted a kiss on my cheek before she took a seat at the table opposite me.
“Good morning, Great One,” Eva said with a soft smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
“Wow, Eva, you’re awake early,” I observed with raised eyebrows.
“I didn’t want to miss a single moment of today,” she replied. “I am eager to see what a god does with his free time.”
“It’s nothing that unordinary,” I laughed.
“Good morning,” Mahini said from the bed as she yawned and stretched. “I’m surprised you two are still here.”
“We’ll go after breakfast.” I grinned. “Eva still needs to get dressed in her disguise.”
“What is my disguise?” Eva’s lips twitched with a smile.
“A servant.” I shrugged. “Can’t argue with simplistic. It’s easy enough to get around without raising any questions that way.”
“I understand.” Eva nodded. “Incognito.”
“Exactly.” I grinned. “I’m glad you get it. I was a little worried you’d be hesitant to dress as a servant, since you’re used to being the one getting waited on hand and foot.”
“I don’t mind playing pretend sometimes,” Eva laughed. “I cleaned out stables, Bash, what’s wrong with wearing a servant’s uniform for a day?”
“You make a good point,” I chuckled.
“Maybe I don’t want to go to the castle after all.” Mahini joined us at the table with a wry smirk. “Sounds like you’re just putting the girls to work when they do.”
“You’ll come when I tell you to,” I teased. “And it’s going to be a lot of fun. Just wait.”
“I’ll wait for as long as you want,” the desert goddess replied. “I’m more than happy to take turns with the other girls.”
“Cool. I feel lucky to have such amazing companions with me on this adventure.” I looked toward the bed to check and see if Elissa was still sleeping, but her hair was covering her freckled face, so I assumed she was. “I was hoping Elissa would wake up soon so we can have breakfast. I’m starving.”
Plotting and scheming were hard work, and I’d been rushing to get all the pieces in place so much that I hadn’t really stopped to enjoy a meal for a while. I’d spammed my respawns so many times over the last few days that it was difficult to remember the last meal I’d even eaten, and my stomach growled with need.
Evangeline bounded from her chair at my words, and she jumped onto the bed to bounce the mattress Elissa was asleep on.
“Wake up, sleepy head,” the duke’s daughter teased as she tickled my wife’s sides. “You always do this to me, so this is just me getting even!”
It was true enough, so I just watched from the sidelines while Eva woke up my wife. Elissa giggled as she sat up and rubbed the sleep away from her eyes.
“Well, that’s certainly an entertaining way to wake up,” my wife observed with amusement dancing in her emerald eyes. “What’s going on?”
“We are waiting for you before we order breakfast,” I explained. “And we’re hungry.”
“That’s sweet of you to wait,” Elissa replied. “But you shouldn’t have. I was enjoying my slumber for once.”
The red-haired beauty rose from the bed to get dressed, and a short while later the four of us were eating a hearty breakfast at the small table. There were chunks of ham, fried eggs, freshly baked biscuits, and lots of creamy, savory gravy. It was decadent and rich, however unhealthy it was, but I didn’t care.
I got enough exercise in my life to keep my body toned and healthy, so I was able to eat whatever I wanted without consequences.
The four of us ate greedily until we were about to burst at the seams, and then Eva and I headed out toward the castle. Elissa and Mahini were going about their tasks for the day as well, so I gave them each a kiss on their foreheads. I made sure I had the forged letter tucked inside my pocket before I left the room at the inn, though, since I wanted to practice planting it somewhere that would get it into the duke’s hands without my direct involvement.
I wasn’t sure how to do that just yet, but I had all the time in the world to experiment with and figure it out.
“Arginold is sure a depressing town,” Eva observed as we made our way to the side entrance, and she eyed the downtrodden expressions on people’s faces as they passed us by. “Bastianville is so full of happiness in comparison.”
“Well, Bastianville doesn’t have anything to worry about with me in charge,” I reminded the duke’s daughter. “Duke Arginold is the kind of man who will send a troop of mercenaries to attack one of his own small villages, so I can’t imagine him being the best ruler of the territory.”
“What will happen to the town after we leave?” Eva asked with a worried frown.
“The king will likely distribute the territory between the remaining nobles with boundaries joining Arginold’s.” I shrugged. “But to be honest, I’m not entirely sure yet what will happen. My powers do come with some limits.”
We approached the side entrance, but the guards didn’t give us a second look as they let us past. Eva shot me an excited look as we crossed the threshold, and I flashed her a cheeky grin. It was exciting to sneak around unbeknownst to the duke or the court wizard. Their enemy was walking within their very walls, but the two of them had no idea, and they wouldn’t until it was too late.
Eva followed behind me as I made my way through the familiar hallways and corridors until we arrived in the duke’s living quarters. The impossibly long hallway was empty once we climbed up to the second level, but I could hear voices from up ahead echoing from an open door.
The sound of Duchess Penelope’s laughter rippled out into the hallway, and Eva gave me a questioning glance.
“Who is that?” the blonde asked as she craned her neck to see into the room up ahead.
“That’s the duke’s wife,” I explained in a low voice. “She’s nice. I don’t know why she married the duke, he seems like such an asshole.”
“It probably wasn’t her choice,” Eva pointed out. “My father would have married me off to some noble if I’d stuck around Bullard long enough. Women don’t get to make their own choices in this world, Great One.”
“That’s so different from my world, but I suppose it used to be a lot more like Sorreyal a long time ago.” I shrugged. “Anyway, I get that. Penelope likely had no choice in her husband, but I’m sure Arginold was a good match for her family.”
“Very true,” Eva said with a sage nod, but then we arrived at the duke’s study.
I peeked inside to see if anyone occupied the room, and when I found it empty, I gestured for Evangeline to follow me in. The duke’s daughter gazed around at the bookshelves full of leather-bound volumes, and she eyed the rich mahogany desk appreciatively. The noble born blonde was more familiar with the trappings of a castle than I was, so it was interesting to see what piqued her interest.
“So, what are we doing here?” Eva asked as she slid her fingers over the spines of the books along one shelf. “Just looking around?”
“I’m going to plant a letter here from one court wizard to another,” I explained, and I chuckled as I thought about how awesome my idea was. “Duke Arginold will be so pissed when he reads it, it’s going to be highly entertaining.”
“That’s genius,” Eva complimented with a mischievous twinkle in her gray eyes.
“I agree.” I grinned, and then I strode over to the desk to place the letter front and center among the scattered papers that covered the surface. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
“That’s it?” Eva asked with a confused tilt of her head. “What do we do next?”
“We have to wait to see if the duke goes into his study to read the letter.” I smirked. “Then all hell will break loose.”
“Will we need a priest?” Eva’s eyebrows knitted with worry.
“No, no,” I laughed. “It’s just a figure of speech. Forget it, come on, follow me. Let’s go find someplace to stand and look busy while we wait.”
A few moments later, the two of us were dusting in the hallway, and Eva fought back giggles each time we made eye contact. I had to admit it was difficult to keep my facial expression neutral with the laughing eyes of the duke’s daughter across the hallway from me.
Eva was having fun with the charade, and I was entertained by watching her try to play a perfect maid. She wiggled her duster into every nook and cranny, ran it along the edges of picture frames, and delicately traced the lines of vases on stands. After each completed task, she would turn and flash me a broad smile, almost like she was constantly searching for my approval. Her light-hearted mood bolstered mine even more, and I was swallowing chuckles while I pretended to do my own dusting.
I was so preoccupied by playing with Evangeline, I almost missed seeing Marty walk down the hallway and enter the duke’s study.
“Shit,” I muttered. The star employee would likely mess up my plans if he spotted the letter, so I rushed down the hallway toward him. “Hey, Marty!”
“Yes?” The curly-haired servant turned to me with one arched eyebrow. “What do you need?”
“I was just sent to fetch you,” I lied. “The duchess wants you.”
“S-She…” Marty shook his head as if to dispel a dream. “Thank you. I’ll go right after I finish my current task.”
Then the duke’s servant nodded to me before he turned back to the study entrance. I had no other ideas or reasons to keep him from entering, so I watched helplessly while he went into the room and closed the door.
I resumed my pretend dusting, and Eva shot me a questioning glance. I shook my head, and I mouthed the word “later” to explain I was still waiting. I kept my eyes peeled on the study door, but I didn’t have to wait very long before Marty returned to the hallway with an armload of papers.
“Where are you taking those?” I asked as I rushed forward once more. “I can take them for you.”
“That is none of your concern,” Marty said with an apologetic smile.
Damn, how could he be so nice while also being firm?
“Seriously, man, I want to show off to the boss guy.” I flashed him my most charming smile. “I’ve seen you running your tail off around here, you do enough already. Let me handle a little of the load. All I’m doing is some dumb dusting, anyway.”
“Every task has importance,” Marty replied with a shake of his head. “If you continue to show ambition, you may earn promotions and more trust from the lord, but it will take some time. Be patient.”
“Fine,” I sighed with great reluctance, and I stepped back to allow the servant to walk past me.
He shook his head again as he departed, and he paused outside the duchess’ door.
“I will return shortly, my lady,” Marty called through the open doorway, and then he continued on down the impossibly long hallway toward the stairs.
“Why?” The duchess sounded confused, but the servant was already beyond earshot.
I hurried over to the study door, and Evangeline was a pace behind me when I slid inside the room. I rushed over to the desk and checked the remaining papers and letters for the one I’d left, but the familiar envelope was missing.
“Son of a bitch, Marty,” I hissed. “He took the letter.”
“What now?” Eva asked with a determined lift of her chin. “How can I help?”
“I admire your tenacity,” I complimented with an appreciative smile. “But I’m going to reset back to my save point.”
“I don’t understand.” Eva furrowed her brow in confusion. “What is a save point?”
Chime.
I was back at the inn with the ladies asleep beside me, and all was right in the world. I had another opportunity to plant the letter where the duke would find it, but I had to be a little bit smarter about it this time.
I was determined to make sure everything went smoothly, but the end result was the important thing.
During this attempt, I took longer to reach the study, and I instead showed Evangeline other parts of the castle. I wanted to give Marty plenty of time to get to the study before me so he would already be gone when I planted the letter. I knew he would be serving dinner to the two nobles, so I had a small window of time between when he cleaned the study and when he returned for mealtime.
When I felt enough time had passed, we made our way up to the second floor where the duke’s living quarters were. I took my time, and I showed Eva every single room, except for the treasury, since I wasn’t able to get inside that area just yet.
The duke’s daughter looked around with a shrewd gaze and analytical eyes, and I watched her closely, since I was highly curious about the inner workings of her well-educated brain. Evangeline grew up in a castle much like this one, but she didn’t seem vain or power hungry like the other nobles I’d encountered, and the quality was endearing. She was humble and hard-working despite her cushioned upbringing, and she brightened up my day with just her presence.
Bringing Eva to the castle was a good idea. It was way more fun to play around right beneath the duke’s nose when I had company.
Finally, we made our way into the study, and Eva gazed around at the shelf-lined walls and eyed the mahogany desk appreciatively.
“So, what are we doing here?” Eva asked as she slid her fingers over the spines of the books along one shelf. “Just looking around?”
“Planting a letter from one court wizard to the other,” I explained again.
“But isn’t this the duke’s study?” Eva shot me a confused look.
“I want the duke to find the letter.” I grinned. “He’s going to be so pissed, all hell will break loose.”
I turned and scanned over the surface of the desk. It looked neat and tidy, a big difference from how it had looked when we’d been in here the first time, so it was obvious to me that Marty had already come and gone.
I grinned as I placed the letter front and center in the middle of the desk, and then I turned and rubbed my hands together.
“That’s it?” Eva asked with a confused tilt of her head. “What do we do next?”
“Next, we wait.” I chuckled. “It’s going to be epic, Eva.”
“What’s going to happen?” the duke’s daughter asked as she cocked one hip to the side and placed her hand on it.
“The duke is going to read the letter from one court wizard to the other,” I said in a voice full of mischief. “Then his paranoid ass is going to fly off the handle. All hell is going to break loose, but that’s just a saying from my world, we won’t actually need a priest or anything.”
“How did you know I was going to ask that?” Eva shook her head with awe. “Your powers still amaze me, Great One. I’ve never known anyone as powerful as you are.”
“And you never will,” I replied with a cocky smile. “I’m the only God of Time there is, after all, but let’s get out of here and find someplace to hide in plain sight.”
“Your words confuse me sometimes, but it always works out just as you say,” Eva said with a wry smile. “So, I have no choice but to trust you completely.”
“Perfect,” I laughed. “I trust you, too, Eva. You’ve more than proven yourself to me. I can’t wait for you to see the fallout we just caused. Come on.”
Then I led the duke’s daughter back out into the hallway, and the two of us pretended to clean the artifacts in the corridor while I waited for the duke to enter his study. He always went and read his papers before dinner, so I knew it wouldn’t take that long, but I was getting anxious to get some results.
A short while later, the Duke of Arginold marched down the hallway with his overcoat splayed out behind him like a flag. He had a stern demeanor, and he scowled at me when he caught me staring at him, but a moment later, he entered his study.
I waited with bated breath for the duke to finish reading the letter I’d left on his desk, but he remained in his study for a long time. Finally, after what felt like hours had passed, the duke peeked his head out into the hallway and beckoned to me.
“You there.” The duke frowned as I put down my duster and made my way over to him. “Stop what you’re doing for now. I have an errand for you to run.”
“Yes, sir,” I replied with a small bow of my head. “How can I serve you?”
He didn’t seem very angry, and I tried to hide my disappointment. Still, he had no idea I was the enemy he’d tried to kill multiple times now, and it brought me great pleasure to be completely unrecognized in his presence.
“I need you to deliver this letter to Racine’s household,” the duke said as he handed me the unopened letter I’d left on his desk. “It was brought to me by mistake.”
“Ah, shitttt,” I groaned out loud when I saw it, and the duke gave me a questioning look. “Oh well, I can just reset. Thanks, anyway.”
Chime.
I was back at the inn with the ladies asleep beside me, and I sighed. I had to figure out a way to get the duke to open the letter. My entire scheme depended upon Arginold being just as pissed off at Racine as the court wizard was at him.
I would decipher exactly what needed to be done, even if it took me a thousand lifetimes. I was dedicated to my plan, and I was getting more and more excited to see the final outcome.
And to get away with the treasure.
I took Evangeline with me up to the castle again, and I gave her the tour of the rooms once more. I was enjoying her reactions even more since I knew they were coming, and I remembered things she’d spotted during previous attempts so I could point them out to her before she spotted them.
We perused the books in the duke’s study, but I was hesitant to plant the letter in the same room with how many times I’d failed already. I was ready to try something new, so I led Eva away from the bookshelves into the hallway. I looked up and down the hallway as I wracked my brain for a new idea, and suddenly I spotted faithful Marty trotting happily down the corridor.
He was carrying an armful of dirty laundry, mostly dresses, and the wide smile on his face told me he’d just left the presence of the duchess, but the load in his arms gave me an idea.
“This way,” I said to Evangeline, and I grabbed her hand before I rushed down the hallway toward the duke’s bedroom. “I have an idea.”
“Alright,” she gasped out in response before she hurried to fall into pace beside me.
I paused outside the duke’s open bedroom door, and I peered inside, but the space was empty. I’d taken long enough on the tour that the duke had moved on to the throne room where he spent the majority of his day.
Then I spotted the pile of dirty laundry on the floor. Each day Marty and his team of underlings cleaned all of the rooms on this floor, and that included the duke’s bedroom. The head servant had already tended to the duchess’ room, but he hadn’t made it this far yet, so I still had an opportunity in front of me.
I dug through the dirty clothes while Evangeline eyed me curiously, and then I found Arginold’s sleeping robe. I slid the letter into the pocket of the robe, and then I let the robe fall back into the pile.
“I am so confused,” Eva laughed. “Why are you playing with dirty laundry? Are we going to wash it?”
“No,” I chuckled. “I just placed a letter there for cleaning staff to find and take to the duke. Wait until we get to watch the fallout.”
“That sounds exciting!” Eva’s gray eyes widened, and she accepted my hand once more as we made our way into the hallway.
I wasn’t worried about getting caught fraternizing while on the clock. I could always respawn if something went wrong, but I had a lot of hope for my newest route of action.
This way, I was even further removed from the source of the information that fell into the duke’s hands.
“Where are we going now?” Eva asked.
“We are going to wait to see who takes the duke’s laundry.” I grinned. “It’s like hiding Easter eggs, but we get to watch and see who finds it.”
“What’s an Easter egg?” The duke’s daughter tilted her head to the side with a look of confusion. She still wasn’t used to my random references from my old world, but she’d figure it out soon enough.
The other girls just brushed off my randomness at that point, but it was cute to see Evangeline’s reactions.
“Where I come from, people color boil eggs in a bunch of different colors and then hide them for the kids to find,” I laughed. “It can be a lot of fun when you’re little.”
“Like searching for buried treasure?” Eva’s eyes lit up with understanding. “I used to play that game all the time when I was little.”
“Sort of.” I smirked. “But our game is also kind of like hide and seek.”
“That also sounds like fun,” Eva observed.
“Alright, so we pretend like we’re working in this hallway until we notice someone leaving with the clothes,” I said. “Then we follow that person back to the laundry room to see who they give it to.”
“What if it ends up back in the hands of the wizard?” Eva frowned, and I could see the wheels turning behind her intelligent gray eyes.
“Then we try again.” I smirked. “I will probably do this a few times until it's perfected.”
“Try again?” Eva’s frown line deepened.
I was tempted to try to explain my powers to her, but I’d learned from my previous experiences with attempting to tell Mahini and Elissa about it that it wouldn’t end well, so I decided to go the vague route.
“Never mind, just god things,” I said, and I jerked my chin down the hallway. “Find a good place to act like you’re doing things, but stay within eyesight of the bedroom door.”
“Yes, sir,” the duke’s daughter chirped, and then we both resumed our pretend dusting for yet another time.
A short while later, another servant meandered down the hall. It was an older man named Fred who I’d seen carrying dirty laundry in the past, so my heartbeat quickened. There was a very good chance he was on his way to the duke’s bedroom.
I held my breath as Fred walked down the impossibly long hallway at an incredibly slow pace, but he was an old man, and I couldn’t blame him for his poor gait. Then he made a right-hand turn and entered the bedroom.
I almost whooped with joy, but I kept my composure and remained calm. I heard Eva inhale sharply when she noticed the same thing I had, and I held a finger over my lips to signal for her to be quiet. We didn’t want anyone to think we were acting oddly, after all.
This was even better than I could have hoped for. Fred had terrible eyesight, and it was a well-known fact around the castle that he couldn’t read without his spectacles, and I hadn’t seen them on his face when he passed by me. I waited until the old man emerged from the bedroom with an armful of dirty laundry, and then once he passed by me, I fell into pace beside him.
I spotted the corner of the letter I’d planted jutting out from the pile of clothes, and I cleared my throat to get Fred’s attention.
“There’s a paper there,” I said in a friendly tone. “Be careful not to wash it, Fred, we all know you’re blind as a bat.”
“Oh, dear,” the old man gasped, and he maneuvered the clothes in his arms so he could withdraw the letter from the pocket. “I can’t see what it says, who is it addressed to?”
“The Duke of Arginold,” I lied. “It looks important. I’d take it to him right away. Here, allow me to take the clothes to the laundry room while you bring this letter to the duke.”
“Oh, okay…” Fred blinked at me for a long moment, but then I removed the bundle of clothes from his arms and left him standing there holding the letter addressed to the court wizard, Racine.
“Hurry,” I pressed, and the old man nodded.
“Very good. I’m sure the duke will be pleased.” Fred flashed me a quick smile before he slowly made his way down the hallway. “I’m trusting you to get that laundry where it needs to go.”
“Of course,” I replied, but the second Fred was out of sight, I dropped the laundry in a corner.
“Onward to the throne room, my love,” I said as I bowed to Evangeline.
“What’s going to happen in the throne room?” Eva asked with bright gray eyes.
“All hell is going to break loose,” I informed her with a cocky grin. “And no, we won’t need a priest.”
“How did you know I would ask that?” Eva shook her head with awe.
That never got old to me.
We rushed down the corridors to the throne room, but I didn’t want to get there too quickly. Fred needed time to make it there first, and then the duke had to read the letter, but if I timed it just right, we’d arrive before Arginold exploded with rage.
It would be like watching fireworks on the Fourth of July but with people.
We made it a little bit earlier than I intended, since Fred was just handing the duke the letter when I walked in. I didn’t want Fred to recognize me if there was any blowback to the messenger since the throne room was full of nobles and courtiers. I’d spent some time getting to know the people of lesser consequence, but I’d found them to be mostly boring and dull. I spotted several familiar faces, but of course no one remembered me since I’d always reset back to my save point after meeting them.
I held Eva’s hand while I made my way through the crowd of people. I wanted to have a good view of the dais where the Duke of Arginold was sitting, but I didn’t want to be right in his field of vision when he got pissed off. There was no telling what kind of violence he would cause to anyone close enough to feel his wrath.
I had a good idea what kind of man Arginold was, and he wasn’t someone I trusted to remain peaceful and nonviolent when pushed to rage. I was about to see how far I could push a man before he was murderous, and I was trusting the duke’s incessant paranoia to help me out.
Eva stayed right by my side, and her gray eyes were full of trust when I checked to see how she was feeling. I flashed her a wide smile, and then I turned my attention to the dais.
Arginold was frowning in concentration as he read over the piece of paper, and the longer he read, the redder his face became. The lines between his eyebrows deepened, and his scowl darkened until I could have sworn an angry black storm cloud hovered above the man.
This was it, the moment everything came down to. What would Arginold do with this feeling?
I held my breath with anxious glee, and I squeezed Evangeline’s hand tightly.
“He doesn’t look happy,” Eva murmured quietly, and I shot her a mysterious wink in response.
Suddenly, Arginold crushed the paper in his hand and stood to his feet. He clenched his fist, and even from this distance, I could see him working the muscle in his jaw.
He was pissed.
“Racine!” The duke glared around at the throne room like he could summon the court wizard with just his rage. “Somebody fetch me the damn wizard!”
“Oh, he is so mad!” Eva giggled.
The duke was certainly enraged, but I wasn’t sure if he was entirely murderous just yet, so I stepped forward and cleared my throat.
“Why do you want the wizard?” I asked, and every eye in the room turned to look at me. I saw more than one face staring in open-mouthed amazement, but I supposed it wasn’t every day that a servant questioned the duke.
“I… Am… Going… To… Kill… Him!” Arginold growled, and the crowd gasped in shock.
The duke was too blind with rage to notice the insolence of a servant, and the people in the audience chamber quickly began to disperse as though they would be on the receiving end of the duke’s anger if they were there a moment longer.
I wondered if anyone had ever seen the duke this angry before, and I almost wanted to give myself a prize for unlocking a new high score.
One highly pissed off duke for the win.
Suddenly, Arginold turned his gaze to me, and I swallowed hard when I realized Eva and me were the only ones remaining in the audience chamber. Even Fred had hightailed it out of there as quickly as the old man could.
“You…” The duke pointed his finger in my face, and his scowl grew even darker.
I wasn’t about to stick around and see what was going to happen next. I could already tell it wasn’t anything good, but at least I knew that my plan would work. I just had to reset back to my save point and do it for real.
Chime.
I was back at the inn with the ladies asleep beside me, and all was right in the world.
I knew how to pit the wizard against the duke and the duke against the wizard. Now it was time to set the plan in motion while I stole all the gold.