Nicholas What I said hadn’t been a lie. I did have other wrist guards, made by artisans and leatherworkers from all across the country. Yet none of them had been quite as meaningful as the one handmade for me by Piper. Hers was more comfortable too. I wasn’t sure how she could remember the siz
Piper couldn’t think I was running away from her, despite that being exactly what I was doing. I’d never let her know she had any power over me still. If she knew, she’d likely use it against me. I continued to suspect that she was only here for nefarious purposes. Her presence couldn’t have b
As Nicholas asked out Lilliana, I stood in the back of the crowd of watching girls, my heart down on the floor. I had no right to be upset. I knew that. I had given up the right to be upset a long time ago. Yet I couldn’t deny the feeling. First, Nicholas had returned the handmade gift I made
“I have no intention of backing away from the choosing game,” I said. He stepped closer. “Do as you wish, but know this. I will uphold my duty to protect the royal family from any and all threats. No matter in what form those threats appear.” His words sent a chill up my spine. I had thought t
Today was the day for Nicholas’s solo date, and I was trying my very best not to think about it. Ever since receiving Joseph’s threatening letter, I’d been hiding out in my room as much as I could to avoid him and the mean-looking guards. With the First Ball fast approaching, I used the extra ti
“I should have the girl forcibly removed for ruining Prince Nicholas’s date,” Lena said, voice sharp. “I’m sure Prince Nicholas himself is furious.” “Nick-lass is mad at me?” Elva sniffed. “No,” I said at once. “He should be, if he isn’t,” Lena snapped. “You are a very nasty little girl, who –
My whole heart shattered. “No, no, that’s not true. Prince Nicholas likes you a lot.” Elva pulled away to look up at me with large, watery eyes. “But she said Nick-lass is mad at me. She said I was naughty.” “We can’t listen to her, okay?” Her cupped her face with my hands and wiped away her t
I looked in the mirror, barely recognizing myself. It was the night of the First Ball, and I was dressed in my beautiful, shimmering yellow gown. It was sleeveless, with a tasteful V-neck bodice. One of my maids had tied my brown hair into a tight up-do, with a few loose tendrils tucked behind my