“Sabotage?” The girls around us burst into loud chatter. “Could it be possible? How would she do it?” “Anything’s possible. She could have done it.” “Someone get the guards! If it’s true, that’s an attempt on the Queen’s life!” At the sound of that accusation, the guards closed in around my
“But in the meantime –” Joseph tried again. Nicholas interrupted him. “I will accept personal responsibility for her. I will keep her by my side and make certain that she does not find herself in any more trouble.” Relief flooded me so quickly, I felt dizzy. I rested one hand on the table in cas
“Love has no place in royalty.” Nicholas tilted his head down and lowered his gaze. “I will be forced to marry the best Luna candidate in the Choosing Game. I can only hope that, at the very least, perhaps a sense of friendship will blossom later.” “And Lilliana is the best?” I asked. He sighed.
“Right.” Nicholas tightened his jaw. “Well, she certainly did in this case,” I said, inserting myself into their conversation. “I would never hurt anyone.” Lilliana looked at me blankly. “I believe that,” Nicholas said. Then Lilliana added, “Yes, me too. Piper would never hurt anyone.” I f
Joseph’s smile was twisted with cruelty. It deeply unnerved me. This man was not a noble himself, simply employed by them. He must have been like Lena, a traditionalist. Someone who wanted to uphold the way things had always been, rather than accepting necessary changes. I hated that such ideals c
Linda took the eggs off the stove too soon. I wondered if they had fully solidified. When she cracked them on a bowl, however, the whites of the eggs, at least, seemed whole. Yet when she cut them in half, to remove the yokes, the yellow yoke was slimy. She didn’t seem to mind and poured them into
As Linda dived at me, knife first, both Julian and Nicholas moved at once. Nicholas ran at me. He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me toward him, shielding me behind his body. Julian, meanwhile, went straight for Linda. He grabbed Linda’s wrist and twisted. The knife clattered down onto th
When we were dismissed for the day, I hurried back to my room. I didn’t feel whole again until I pulled Elva into my arms for a hug. “What’s wrong, Mommy?” Elva asked. She had a way of making me feel like the most important person in the entire world. I was so grateful for that. It gave me the str