Fudge Esq

V2 Chapter 52: Queen

Training began very early the next morning.

The sun had barely coasted over the horizon, showering the city with the first rays of morning and melting the previous night’s frosted dew.

When I’d awoken, most of the training fields within the spires were reserved, according to the posted soldier. Fortunately, I found a field of mostly dirt with occasional patches of dead grass near the far reaches of the training grounds. Since none of the other fields were in use, I figured we ...

V2 Chapter 51: Awakened Steel

Had some time to finish this week's first chapter a bit early XD

“Just over here,” Hannah said, pointing to a small black stoned structure ahead. True to her word, the forge was in sight even though we’d barely been walking for fifteen minutes. Nasq was still muttering some song under his breath, the effects of the wine still obvious.

The path to the blacksmith’s forge twisted through the heart of Elyndor, the cobblestones under our feet as we walke...

V2 Chapter 50: News, Information, and Food

The restaurant Hannah led us to was not the type of establishment I would have expected the noble daughter of a duchy to frequent, but Hannah stated quite firmly that it was her all-time favorite.

Then again, I had no idea what restaurants were like in Graedon, much less in Elyndor. For all I knew, this could be considered high-end.

As we entered, a matronly woman greeted us with a polite smile, a small bell ringing as the door shut gently behind us. She motioned us toward an open...

V2 Chapter 49: Lucius and the Eldritch Labyrinth

The matriarch excused herself without another word. One of her guards moved to pull back her chair so her legs wouldn’t even brush the wooden surface. Her guards—or servants, or whatever they were—filed out behind their lady with an equal measure of silence. Everyone watched as they departed, right up until the room’s single door slammed shut.

No sooner had the door closed than Darrow shot to his feet, hatred burning in his golden-brown eyes. He raised a finger at me, his lips c...

V2 Chapter 48: Succession Challenge

Matriarch Eliza Alistar looked none too pleased with my nonreaction. She didn’t bother praising the sycophants bowing and scraping before her; instead, she leveled a steady glare my way. It wasn’t exactly hateful, but I couldn’t imagine anyone mistaking it for kind. The look that Darrow shot in my direction, however, was filled with outright malice.

He snarled, his mouth opening as if to speak, when the golden House Coin appeared again, twirling between my fingers with an easy gra...

V2 Chapter 47: Demonstration of Power

[Author's Note: Sorry, this one is a bit late. Yesterday was a tough day and couldn't finish it. Fun chapter though!]

“Is there a point to this?” Nida hissed the following evening, standing just behind me as I sat on a cold, stone chair. We'd been largely left alone during the day but had been called to this specific room in the Duke's Spire for dinner. Brianna and Victor had worked with me most of the morning and afternoon to catch me up on all the little de...

V2 Chapter 46: Nostalgia

By the time we reached the silver spires, enough time had passed for me to push the awe from my face. I stared at the others until they put on stoic expressions as well. We needed to appear dignified, not like lost bumpkins.

The keep consisted of about half a dozen smaller spires, with the Duke's Spire towering above the others at nearly twice their height. Viewed in isolation, the spires were magnificent. But compared to the way the Duke's Spire absorbed the sun’s rays and reflected ...

V2 Chapter 45: The Silver Keep

The low growl rumbling from behind me caused the towering knight to take a step back, jerking his gaze toward the dragon. Verspera, however, remained still. It was Nida who took a step forward, her eyes narrowed and her feline fur bristling, starting at the tips of her ears and rippling down to the end of her tail like a wave of static. Each step she took toward the overbearing knight was palpable with rage.

The guards and knights around us raised their swords and spears, pointing them ...

V2 Chapter 44: Elyndor

By the time my core had replenished enough for me to regain consciousness, the sun had already begun its descent toward the far horizon.

I blinked hard against the rushing wind, wanting to shield my eyes but finding that arm gone. Phantom pain lanced through my shoulder, and I winced. The sensation was like freezing water had been poured over me, shocking me from the fog clouding my senses. 

I jolted awake with such force I nearly fell from my wyvern, halting my fall by clutc...

V2 Chapter 43: Hidden Darkness

Not only did I fail to spot the carriage as we crested the sand dune where I was certain it should be, but the loud buzzing in my ears hadn’t stopped—it was only getting louder.

I turned to Nida when I felt her hand tapping my shoulder frantically, her mouth moving in words I couldn’t hear.

“What?” I shouted, my voice more scream than question. Nida pointed to me, then her ears, shaking her head.

She can’t hear either, I realized, nodding to show I under...

V2 Chapter 42: Do you need a hand?

The energy radiating off the Hydra in menacing waves placed it firmly in the realm of a mid-to-high platinum core from my home world.

I balked, the adrenaline that had surged through me moments before draining in a woosh as the Hydra roared again, this time lacing its war cry with necromantic energy fueled by an aura of pure terror. My muscles froze under the weight of its cry. I wanted to run. To scream. To collapse.

But I couldn’t move. Every monster in sight stood still, para...

V2 Chapter 41: The First Eldritch

I reached them just in time to see a small, dark orange creature dash atop Nida from behind. She had been protecting Nasq’s flank from incoming creatures creeping in from other parts of the village. Her spear whistled through the air, skewering the orange creature as she twisted around at the last second, only to have three more leap in her direction.

The creatures were no more than knee-high, with oval torsos and tiny clawed feet that belied their raw speed. Instead of arms, they had...

V2 Chapter 40: Skinwalker

For the first time since the Demon Progenitor’s defeat, I faced a genuine threat to my life. I had no doubt that this was orchestrated by the Human Progenitor or whoever was behind the monster horde, but the timing was so precise that I almost found myself grateful to the unknown mastermind.

One Harrowing Brute would have been a piece of cake for our trio of fighters. But there wasn’t just one. Instead, dozens—no, hundreds—of them poured out of the nearby desert.

The sheer...

V2 Chapter 39: The Horde

[Author's Note: Sorry this chapter is a bit late! I was wavering between two opposing plot points and decided to sleep on it before writing it up this morning.]

“Gift of monsters?” I asked, but the voice within the woman didn’t respond. The brilliance of her possession faded, leaving only the dull brown of her eyes.

She smiled and cocked her head, though the smile didn’t reach beyond her lips. “What’s the matter, child? You stare at me as if you...

V2 Chapter 38: Beast Islands and Monster Meat

I didn't sleep more than a handful of hours that night, the ominous energy permeating the entire village keeping my senses on full alert. Fortunately, my cultivation trance was deep enough that by the time the first morning rays peeked over the horizon, I felt somewhat refreshed. A cultivation trance was no substitute for sleep, but it could temporarily replace it for a few days. I figured I would catch up on some sleep inside the wyvern carriage—assuming the driver hadn’t taken off in th...

V2 Chapter 37: Wind Walker

It wasn’t until later that day, after the sun had dipped below the horizon for a few hours, that the driver announced it was time to land the flying carriage—and that Brianna finally went silent. The woman had been astounded by my growth and changes, but she seemed to be coming around. I had suggested we fly through the night, but the driver informed me that the wyverns were tiring and needed to rest or they'd be no use the following day.

When the decision to land had been made, bot...

V2 Chapter 36: Goodbye, Sealrite

Early the next morning I'd woken and immediately went about making sure the rest of the group was similarly awake. Nida complained the entire way out of Sealrite under Dralos' constant beckoning and promises of a gorgeous, easy ride to the Alistar duchy.

We'd walked for nearly an hour before Dralos stopped us, and I took a large bit of the apple I'd snagged from the breakfast servings. The green delicacy gushed juice as my teeth sank into and I enjoyed the tinge of sourness on my tongue...

V2 Chapter 35: I am, forever, Queen of Aedronir

“I come from a different world, a world called Ordite. I, along with a hundred other girls around the age of four, was taken in by the King of Aedronir to be raised and trained as prospective Queens of Conquest. The last one standing would become his heir.” My jaw clenched, and I took another breath to stop my teeth from grinding. “Only I remained by the tenth year. Soon after, my territory was attacked by the Valuriyan Empire, which forced me to the frontlines, where I stayed for aroun...

V2 Chapter 34: Memories and the Truth

Two full days passed before La’Resha burst into my office, a smile brightening her soft features. The early afternoon sun had just begun to peek around my window, adding some warmth to the otherwise cool room.

“My lady, I’ve received a message from Nasq,” she exclaimed, barely getting the door halfway open before delivering the news. “They’re inbound right now with Lady Ballenci in tow.”

I glanced up from the documents strewn across my desk and gave her a tired nod, ...

V2 Chapter 33: Core Oath

The Marquess’ face scrunched in contemptuous disgust. “I do not know what you’ve been told about me young lady, but I have no interest in children.”

I blinked at his words, comprehension slow to come. “What are you talking about?”

“You asked him to become your Marquess,” Juniper said, looking equally disgusted. I rolled my eyes as understanding dawned, and La’Resha barked a laugh.

“The Lady would like you to willingly take up your role as Marques...

V2 Chapter 32: A Fallen Baron's Murderous Son

[Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry about the delay this week! Super busy work week. But I plan to have two more chapters released this weekend to hit the weekly three chapters :) Stay tuned! I will try my best haha ]

“Isn’t Demetri Ballenci the current successor to House Ballenci?” La’Resha asked from my right, her lilting accent accentuating the word successor. 

Victor grunted and spat red liquid in a brief coughing fit. “Aye, if anyone bet...

V2 Chapter 31: Triple Agent

Considering the informant’s life was forfeit, his offer seemed a bit underwhelming. For a moment, I debated letting him marinate in my Authority a while longer but ultimately decided against it. There was no point in having a fear-consumed puppet—the fear should be more of a motivator, not an all-encompassing characteristic.

Still kneeling beside the cowering man, I withdrew the orange slaver prism from my ring storage and showed it to him. “The thing is, Sir Informant, I don’t ...

V2 Chapter 30: First Interlude of House Goldenhearts' Informant

“He was over there!” a knight in golden armor shouted as Jerald ducked into an alley, his enchanted parchment and quill tucked safely into the folds of his black cloak.

He had always known being an informant could cost him his life, but there had never been such a threat in Sealrite. Duke Alistar had been forgiving, even using informants from other territories to his benefit. The Duke was smart and calculating, but also kind and merciful to those who did him no harm. Simply conveyin...

V2 Chapter 29 First Interlude of Lady Brianna Ballenci, Part 2

Before she knew it, Brie found herself outside the Cerulean city gates, standing in a field of dirt usually occupied by merchants storing their wagons of goods. Now, there wasn't a single wagon in sight. Instead, a lone wyvern ruffled its wings, clearly impatient to return to the air. Beside it stood a Cockatrice, looking just as absurd as the illustrations she'd seen in books. The creature seemed even more ridiculous next to the towering woman, Rosa, who wore a bow strapped to her back that ...

V2 Chapter 28: First Interlude of Lady Brianna Ballenci, Part 1

Lady Brie Ballenci possessed a unique talent for sensing prosperous opportunities. From a young age, she had recognized the Silverwaters as the perfect source of authority to compensate for what her own House lacked. Staying close to Morgana Silverwater had been easy enough, but as the years passed, the girl became increasingly obsessed with power and status. Despite Brie's attempts to gain respect from someone nearly ten years her junior, Morgana had shown her nothing but contempt.

Bri...

V2 Chapter 27: Responsibility of Power

My plans to leave the next morning proved impossible in the face of the city’s devastation, sparing only a handful of fortunate residential areas. As I had anticipated, the combined forces of House Alistar and my Paragons overwhelmed the Marquess’s retreating soldiers. By the time I awoke, the Marquess’s entire army was either dead, in chains, or both.

Unfortunately, my actions following the Duke’s death had cemented a new hierarchy in a way I hadn’t foreseen. The field marsha...

V2 Chapter 26: Speech of the False Saintess

I nodded, slipping the storage ring on as I stood and stretched. I’d been sitting for an hour or so, nearly unmoving, so my body protested slightly as I forced my muscles to respond and elongate. Heart energy could only do so much for the stiffness of dormant muscles.

“Alright,” I said, slowly rotating my neck and rolling my shoulders back. “Let’s begin.” I gave my pants covered in dried blood and dirt a useless pat, and vigorously attempted to straighten the matted hair of ...

V2 Chapter 25: The U’rgesh

I blinked.

Nida blinked.

We just stared at each other, processing my words.

What in all the hells was happening to me?

“Well. Okay,” Nida said slowly, nodding as she flashed a smile, her canines fully visible. “Glad to know you do care, My Queen.”

I frowned slightly, not answering the therianthrope’s probing question. Did I care? We walked up the bell tower in silence. The stairway was narrow, forcing Nida to walk behind me, though she stayed n...

V2 Chapter 24: Bell Tower

Once I’d decided on my next course of action, the rest was easy. There was no one left in Sealrite who could stand up to me, much less denounce my status as saintess. The Duke was dead, many of his guards had been resurrected into my service, the new field marshals were beholden to me for destroying the summoning circle, the Marquess was enslaved, and the Cardinal was lost. If I could spread my saintess title so that it was ingrained in the minds of every last free-willed individual within ...

V2 Chapter 23: Saintess

The rest of my jaunt was mind-numbingly boring. I was forced to slow my pace to accommodate Marissa and Peter, especially Marissa, who lagged behind constantly.

We passed a handful of injured residents who recognized Peter. Despite my grumblings, they ended up trailing me as I led them toward the war front. At a certain point, the number of residents following in my shadow made entering any combat zone a tactical error—not because they might die, which would have lightened my burdens ...