Not long after the incident in the library, I held a sobbing Odessa in her rooms. “It’s fine,” I told her. “He’s gone now. And no one got hurt this time.”

For some reason, everything I said only seemed to make her cry harder. I really couldn’t remember Odessa crying so much in the game. Was this just another thing I’d caused?

I was still reeling over the scene in the library myself. If I was being honest, I felt shaken…because not only had I managed to survive the duke once, but twice now? It seemed like I should have been dead already, and yet…something was different. That had to be the reason I was still alive. Duke Inferno never let the people who crossed him, who questioned him, who got between him and his sister, live.

But then, I was already on borrowed time. If I refused his order to spy, I had no doubts I wouldn’t be spared the chopping block a third time.

“Why must he be so cruel?” Odessa cried. My shoulder was already soaked, but I patted her back, trying to think of what I could say. But what was there to say? Her brother was an absolute villain, a predator, and she was his favorite prey.

“He’s just…” I trailed off. “He likes things a certain way. It’s not your fault.”

“I don’t understand it,” Odessa sniffled, pulling back to meet my eyes. “I had never thought about it before, but ever since you asked me why my brother is so cruel, I’ve begun to wonder what I’ve done to be subjected to his anger so often.”

Her words felt like a double-edged sword. While I was glad that Odessa was beginning to question her brother, I could see this quickly becoming dangerous. A scenario played in my head, of Odessa speaking out against her brother, of her questioning him to his face and then his anger turning on me as he quickly surmised that I was the one who put the thought in her head.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. I really needed to help Odessa to find her true love so I could get away from here.

“I’ve made up my mind,” Odessa said suddenly, sitting up straight and gesturing to a trunk at the foot of the bed I hadn’t noticed before. “I’m going to leave.”

I blinked, not sure what she meant. “You’re going on a trip?” But did Odessa ever go on a trip in the game? Was that some secret level I’d somehow missed?

“No, Felicity. I’m leaving,” Odessa declared. “I’m running away from my brother.”

Oh no. No, that wasn’t going to work. “Running away sounds like a bad idea,” I told her. “Why now? The ball isn’t that far off. What about your true love?” It would be much safer to wait until she picked one of her suitors and went off into the sunset with them. That was the natural progression of the game. Breaking that seemed like asking for more trouble. My luck, what little I have, is definitely not going to last that long.

Odessa sighed. “I’m tired of hiding from my brother, of fearing that I might look at him in a way he doesn’t like, or saying something I shouldn’t have. Only how am I supposed to know I shouldn’t? And you, Felicity, when you showed up, you were so brave to stand up to him. It made me realize that I’m tired of living in fear.”

“Oh no,” I protested. “I was terrified. I acted on instinct.” But really, had I actually been that courageous? In the end, I was only doing all this to save myself.

“I’m happy to make your life easier,” I told her.

“You cannot keep doing that for me, Felicity,” Odessa said, determination making her eyes practically glow as she swiped away her tears. “Which is why I’m going to escape, and you’re going to come with me.”

I wasn’t sure what to say to that. The declaration surprised me, but I was also…moved. Even though Odessa was kind to me, I hadn’t expected something like this.

I sat there as Odessa began throwing various items into the trunk. I wasn’t sure how much thought she was putting into it as she tried to stuff what looked like five gowns in before tossing two aside and pushing the others in. “I’ve thought of everything,” she said as she selected a few necklaces and pairs of earrings, which joined the dresses. “We’ll sneak into the stables in the middle of the night and take a carriage from there. By the time morning comes and anyone notices we’re missing, we’ll be too far away for them to catch us!”

As she struggled with the trunk, I played through the plan in my head. Would it really work? If we could actually get away, make it as far away from the estate and the duke as possible, then we might escape my death sentence.

But would these new rules allow a maid to escape? Maybe…if I was taken away from the estate by the heroine. In a way, it made sense.

Except…it all seemed like a fool’s errand. As wonderful as the prospect of getting away from the duke’s reach sounded, the reality of it seemed impossible.

“Your brother is called Duke Inferno for a number of reasons,” I reminded Odessa. “None of them in our favor. He is a vengeful man. Do you really think he would just accept that his only sister is gone?”

She scoffed. “He hates me.”

There was no arguing with that—especially considering what had happened not even an hour ago. “I know,” I conceded. “But that doesn’t mean he’s just going to let you get away. Your brother is all about control. If you run, I’m sure he’ll pursue you. And he has the resources to do it. Wherever we go, we’ll always be looking over our shoulders. And”—I shuddered—“if he does catch us, he’ll kill me. He’ll regard me as an active accomplice.”

And he’ll kill me for not spying on you for him. So really, I was doomed no matter what.

Odessa didn’t pause once in her packing. “I would rather take my chances out there than suffer anymore at the hands of my brother.”

“Odessa, please,” I pleaded, attempting to take some of the dresses out of the trunk. She only threw them right back in. “This just doesn’t seem like a good idea right now. It would be safer to wait until—”

“No, no, Felicity, my mind is made up,” Odessa declared as she grabbed more clothes. “I’m leaving tonight.”

“Where do you plan to go?” I didn’t see her getting very far before her brother dragged her back.

She seemed utterly perplexed at the question, as if having a destination had never even occurred to her. Yes, this was a doomed plan.

I barely managed to hold back an exasperated sigh. “Have you ever been outside the estate?”

Her blank look answered the question. How did she imagine that she was going to get anywhere if she had never even ventured beyond the gates?

Odessa gave me a searching look. “Have you ever been beyond the estate?”

I wasn’t sure how to answer that. My character in this world technically hadn’t, but how could I possibly begin to describe my life outside this world?

“I…”

“I heard there are ferocious dragons out there,” Odessa said with a rueful smile.

Her words reminded me of something. Avery, one of the potential suitors in the game, had been awarded a knighthood because he’d slain a dragon.

“Are you really willing to chance a meeting with a fire-breathing dragon?” I asked her.

Odessa pursed her lips. “I believe I would much rather take my chances with a dragon than with my brother.”

As terrible as Duke Inferno was, at least he couldn’t breathe fire or snap us up in his jaws.

“But how will we live?” I questioned, growing more exasperated by the minute. “How will we support ourselves? How will we find shelter? At least here you have a roof over your head, and despite your brother’s cruelty, you live a privileged life.”

There were many who would have given so much for even a fraction of what she had. No, her life was far from perfect, but taking off without a plan to face unknown dangers seemed completely foolish.

“I…” Odessa paused, frowning. “I hadn’t thought it all through yet.” She eyed the trunk and then the stack of clothes in her arms, and I began to feel hope stir inside me.

“Maybe the best thing would be to put all the clothes back and we can figure something out?” I suggested.

But Odessa was already tossing the pile of clothes into the trunk. “No, my mind is made up.” She turned to fix me with a serious look. “Are you coming with me or not?”