Chapter twenty-seven

  Harmony's social skills ached as she was dragged from social gathering to social gathering. [Poise and Bearing], [Style and Grace], and evei] throbbed inside her soul. Felt more like cramps than overworked muscles. She leaned on other skills, [Small Armor] and [High Kick], for bance, footing, and timing. [Renew Spirit] to appear refreshed and rexed, even [Cold Touch] to ward off a and keep unsightly sweat away, careful to keep that skill external and not leak into any social or mental es.

  Worse was mostly inane versations about past parties, future parties, theater shows, births, deaths, and levelings. Even if Harmony cared about these people, the versation rarely dipped deeper than shallow pleasantries. If not for the fact that a rge k was about the visiting royals and the masquerade pns, Harmony knew she would be bored to the point of willingly jumping bato the dungeon. The relevance was the only thing that kept her stable.

  They were to host a princess, two dies, and an authority-less duke, they'd have a wagon train of staff, but as usual, they barely got a mention. Harmony didn't doubt that some of the queen's Helping Hands would be hiding among those. The duke was in charge of the outing. This was supposedly his st ce to stand out and earn royal power. Having the system add on a lord or some other title that granted him the use of authority. You were only so valuable without it. The old biddies chuckled at Duke Darreing stripped of his title and the position going to someone who already had authority. The Madam even suggested Tyler could be up for the job if it opened. Both banal and vicious in the women's versations oopic, like the duke had no friends. At least they loved their makeovers, thanking Madam Coodly fing over such talent.

  The princess happeo be in the area training. The young thing apparently disliked politics. The nattering about that caused the neao feel great sympathy for the girl while she felt sorry for herself. Yet even as the group was tied to the mission to take away her pet, Harmony struggled to stay ied enough to follow along.

  After hours of this, the maid found herself walking like one of the dungeon's shamblers, onward until she colpsed face first into her only moderately padded bunk, where she weled not moving and not using skills.

  "So, how's the new job?" Ambrosia asked from her er of the room.

  "Hurmthavul," Harmony replied, her voice muffled by the pillow she shoved her fato.

  Hyath hopped onto the bed and nuzzled his partner while taking up nearly as much space as she did.

  "While you were running around, Bates decided to light a fire under everyone about the uping party. Both around the ce of increased guests and how this will affect the spring pns. He's choosing to try to open the parlor early rather tha. But don't worry, I saved you there too."

  Harmony searched inwardly for her pet bond with Adric. While it would alert her if he was injured or dead, it took effort and fog on her e stat to pull any current information from the mostly one-way link. He's happy, like giddy happy.

  "What. Did. You. Do?"

  "If you actually listeo me talk about pets, you would know. They are not meant to be caged. They o fly free. They'll always e when you call or are in trouble, so we don't o make their lives miserable. Your idea of a disguise was great, but we all know how perfeist you get. Some new clothes, some make-up, and a mask. Prince Adric masks from the funeral are pain sihe audacious theft of his body."

  Harmony sat up. Prince Adric, her pet, possibly the stupidest man alive, or not because he chose to pick a profession that killed himself, was on the loose, and she had almost no trol over the situation. She knew she could call her pet, but not at the manor now that it was getting busy.

  A quick s of the room revealed they were alone for now. "The royals will be hunting him down, Ambrosia."

  "All the more reason to not have him here. We're already pig up guests who will stay through the masquerade. That is actually why I am here. One of our new guests says they know you and wants to meet you socially in the parlor."

  Harmony's mind drew a bnk for a sed until she remembered. "Who?" Tyler's now-defunct team. One favor and what little anonymity she had was now gone.

  "Dugan didn't say. All guests are the same to him. I think it irked him that you were asked for by name."

  Even if this was off work hours, she knew Bates wouldn't look too kindly on ign a manuest request. Having every right to say no, didn't mean there were no sequences if she did. "I kind of destroyed my social dress while out. I borrow one of yours?"

  "I don't think it'll…."

  "The short one will look long on me. I'll duet with you at your cert. I'll owe you another favor, Amb. Free makeovers for a month. My life is yours, but I should not see a guest in my uniform or boy's clothes."

  "o be so melodramatic, Harm. I'll think of some delicious way you pay me back. But of all the things you let Jessica leak as gossip, you ed to mention a destroyed dress. You tell me while we get you dressed.

  Harmony did her best to give the abbreviated run-down on her mistake-fueled creation of Night and its subsequent absorption into her armor.

  "This is going into one of my future songs." The beast trainer chuckled.

  At that, Harmony thought about objeg, but she kept her mouth shut between all her friend had done for her and the impossibility of ging the other maid's mind.

  "Show me."

  Ambrosia squealed with suthusiasm that the neancer agreed, sing into her armor while between outfits to make sure no clothes were damaged.

  "Oooooh… sparkly. I definitely see Tyler's taste in there. You almost look more han in the uniforms."

  "What!" The armor before was on par with the manors' maid outfits. "Almost all my skin is covered with the dress melded in."

  "Melded is the right word. The bck looks painted onto your skin which almost makes it worse."

  Harmony promptly retur to the spaside her skill, which left her naked and gring at her friend. "Better?"

  "Yes!"

  Ambrosia pounced and started tig Harmony until she raised a hand i.

  The neancer hoped her friend's pyfulness meant she'd been kidding about how the armor looked. She dohe borrowed dress ao make her way to the parlor. Hyath ambled along with, having spent the day catg up on sleep.

  The beast tamer's short red dress ended up settling below Harmony's knees. If the red dress had sleeves, she knew she'd have o roll them up. She knew all she could do was take a dress that looked sdalous on her friend and make it tame. But sidering she didn't knoould be waiting for her, it was for the best. Len, Rose, and Max were all options. She knew who this would most likely be.

  She stepped inside, her familiar at her side, and watched Max inhale a deep breath at the sight of her. The cousin, she couldn't imagine lord Tyler was happy about him staying here. His bright pink hair was starting to show at the roots.

  "Sir Maxwell." She said frostily. Her social skills still felt strained from the day, and after the farewell party, she didn't feel like filtering herself.

  The knight stood up from his seat at the bar, leaving the gss of liquor where it y, and bowed low with the perfe of a skill-influenced absp;

  "Harmony, I didn't know the guild master would use his skill. We were all overe by it. All except you. He'd promised no harm would e to you, that he only wao reward you for your experien the dungeon. Not all of us are well off or have the authority from nobility or ighe potential favranted by a man like Hemlock."

  The guild master's name did n a smile to the maid's faor did Max's role in their introdu. Deals and arras shouldn't involve uninformed parties.

  "I don't know why you requested to meet."

  "Wait. Hear me out." The knight stroked his beard in frustration.

  Harmony's skin tingled as she felt targeted. The man had the temerity to use a skill on her. As if she hadn't had enough of that happen in her life. "Hey!"

  "I swear on my honor as a knight to speak with you holy and work towards your best i."

  The perception of time slowed as ostasis kicked in. She'd expected a persuasion-type skill. Oaths were rare, the kind desperate people picked up to offer for a ployment ain. Through her e stat, she watched as the skill tried to it to her. It would be easy to break or weaken such a thread. No. If sir Maxwell was going to do such a thing, he'd better mean it.

  Harmony not so delicately accepted the e, grasping it and strengthening the one-sided bond. She pumped her will into the act, catg the link, then twisted it into her with a rush of [Mana Rotation].

  Time snapped back to normal speed.

  The knight grunted. "That kicked." He muttered.

  "Holy, tell me why you wao meet me here?" The maid demanded.

  "To ingratiate myself with someone who is asdent," Max answered. His hao his mouth, c it.

  Now a smile crept up the ers of the neancer's lips. Max gave away his power here, and she was going to squeeze.

  "Who is the asdent person you are trying to please?"

  She pictured him groveling at Hemlock's feet.

  "Why, you. I've always been jealous of Tyler. But he doesn't have you, does he? The mohe gifts, the employment, but if I'm reading this right, he doesn't have you. You're talented enough to earn a lifetime guild membership status from someone who never gives out his allotment. Those who are rising always carry up those beside them."

  Harmony stopped herself from asking him if he was an idiot. With him oathed to speak the truth, he'd probably blurt out yes, and she doubted the man's fidence could take that untrolled admission.

  "While it is fttering that you think that. I'm afraid you'll be severely disappointed."

  "Grrupt. Grrupt. Grrupt." Hyath interrupted with his version of giggles.

  Harmony shot a gre at her familiar.

  The shadow toad tinued. "Grrupt. Grrupt. Grrupt." it wiggled onto his side and started to roll onto his babsp;

  "Stop it."

  "Grrupt. Grrupt." Hyath tinued, and Harmony could feel the waves of amusement through their bond.

  "Is there something wrong with your pet?" Max asked.

  "Familiar. And Hyath here is finding my life way too amusing. I should introduce him to some female shadow toads and give him a taste of his own drama.”

  The knight paused and pohis. "Are you pario a toad?"

  "Yes. Yes, I am." It wasn't accurate, but it felt good of her to tell him.

  The man's spiraightened. "I see my dy is tired and taken to flights of fancy. Allow me to bid you farewell as we shall meet again at a better time." Max responded in an almost practiced manner.

  To Harmony, it stank of his use of the knight's social skill [Chivalry]. This meant that the man wasn't too stupid, as he used the skill to override aspects of his oath to leave. And leave he did, letting his loake full strides as he swept past and out of the parlor.

  He did leave his drink, so the maid slinked over to the bar, lifted the half-full gss, and dow herself while her Toad's rolling croaks eased into tired wheezes on the floor.

  "Are you going to expin that behavior?" She asked.

  No. Hyath projected through their bond.

  The neancer decided she was too tired to decide if she would five the familiar et reveer.

  "Fiake me bay room. I'm not going to walk all the way back."

  Together they ehe shadows.