Chapter 39: A Carnival Date

Redfall Shore.

A popular weekend retreat for the capital’s residents and, more importantly, the venue for a particular traveling carnival this weekend. A carnival that, in the novel, held secrets the protagonist would uncover, secrets that granted him a special power.

That kind of power wasn’t something you forgot easily. It was the best contingency plan a man could ask for if everything else went wrong.

"A carnival?"

Trish stood beside me in a practical violet dress, holding a parasol aloft to shield us both from the afternoon sun. Her gaze swept over the bustling grounds, taking in the performers, the vendors, the colorful stalls with open intrigue.

Then her eyes landed on something, or rather, someone, and her expression shifted.

"Isn’t that Lord Lucius and Celeste?"

I followed her line of sight. Sure enough, there they were, moving through the crowd like they’d stepped straight out of the novel’s pages.

Still following the script, then.

Too bad for them. I planned to get to this little secret first.

"Let’s not waste time on them."

I turned away from Lucius and Celeste, already mapping the carnival layout in my head from what I remembered of the novel.

The secret wasn’t hidden in some grand, obvious attraction. It was tucked away in the kind of place most people walked past without a second glance, a fortune teller’s tent near the edge of the grounds, its faded purple fabric patched in more places than it wasn’t.

The old woman inside wasn’t just a fortune teller. She was almost like a gatekeeper, testing whether those who sought her had the resolve to handle what she offered.

In the original story, Lucius had stumbled onto her by accident. Then he’d passed her test through a combination of dumb luck and protagonist plot armor.

I didn’t need luck, though. And if things went well, I wouldn’t need to do much of anything at all. Titania had already given me what I needed to pass this without a problem.

She had already said if I really wanted something, she’d consider answering.

"Shall we explore?"

I offered Trish my arm, and she took it without hesitation, falling into step beside me as we moved through the carnival.

The crowd parted around us naturally, eyes drawn to the unusual pair, the infamous Brimstone son and the silver-haired beauty on his arm.

We passed a ring toss, a strongman contest, and a stall selling candied apples that Trish eyed for a moment before catching herself and looking away.

"We can get one later."

"I wasn’t—"

"I saw it."

She glanced up at me, then smiled.

"Fine. Later, then."

The fortune teller’s tent appeared at the edge of the fairgrounds, just as I remembered. The canvas was sun-bleached and worn, the wooden sign out front so faded the lettering was barely legible.

Madame Zephra’s Fortunes & Fates.

Trish slowed as we approached, her brow furrowing.

"I didn’t know you were into fortune telling, Reyn."

"I wasn’t. But something tells me this one’s worth a try."

The two of us entered the tent to find a dark elf waiting inside. Black hair, deep blue eyes that gleamed against her dark skin. And she looked bored. Very bored.

If the novel was accurate, Lucius was supposed to be her first customer, which meant she’d probably been sitting here doing absolutely nothing.

"Here I am, offering an incredible service, and yet humans just won’t accept it! I didn’t spend a quarter of my immortal lifespan learning fey magic just to—"

"We’d like a reading."

The dark elf jumped at the sound of my voice, clearly not expecting anyone to arrive so suddenly. She’d been so busy wallowing in boredom that even with the power of fortune and fate at her disposal, she hadn’t sensed us coming.

"Oh hey, this place looks interesting."

Another pair of voices drifted in from outside the tent. Lucius and Celeste.

When Lucius stepped inside first, he immediately spotted me. I raised a hand before he could speak.

"We’re first. Wait in line."

"Lord Brimstone? And... Lady Trish?"

Lucius glanced between us, his confusion barely hidden. As far as he knew, I was already close to Anna. So what was I doing here with another woman?

He looked like he was about to say something before Trish stepped forward smoothly.

"Don’t get the wrong idea, Lord Lucius. I’m simply Reyn’s maid."

"M-Maid?"

"Lucius, what’s the hold up?"

Celeste’s voice came from just outside the tent. And not soon after, she pushed through the tent flap, her expression shifting the moment she registered who was standing inside.

"Reyn."

She said my name like it tasted sour. Not quite hostile, but close enough. Her eyes flicked to Trish, then back to me.

"Lucius, we should go. We can come back later."

"There’s no need for that."

The dark elf’s voice cut through before Lucius could respond. She had straightened in her seat, her earlier boredom replaced by the eager opportunity to make money. Her blue eyes gleamed with sudden interest.

"Customers are customers. I can handle more than one."

The dark elf’s gaze settled on me, then slid to Lucius and Celeste, then back to me again. The corner of her mouth twitched.

She saw something she liked.

"Never mind, you two can wait outside."

The words came out flat, directed at Lucius and Celeste.

Lucius stiffened.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard her."

I said, not bothering to hide my amusement.

"Find your own fortune teller. This one’s busy."

Lucius’s jaw tightened. For a moment, I thought he might actually push back, but Celeste’s hand on his arm stopped him.

"Let’s just go. Let’s go taste some of the food here while we wait for them to finish."

She shot one last look at Trish, then at me, before pulling Lucius toward the exit. The tent flap swung shut behind them.

The dark elf watched them go, then let out a low, appreciative whistle.

"Rich nobles and the scent of the Fey Queen. You two are my new VIP customers!"