I followed Lilliana further into the gardens to a small rod-iron table with two chairs. Lilliana motioned for me to sit and then sat in the opposite chair. “I’m glad we could finally have a chance to talk like this,” Lilliana said. She rested both hands on top of the table. I mirrored her for a
I found Elva, Susie, and Mark at the edge of the gardens, where the fields of short grass began. Elva was playing with Silver and Night. She crawled over Night, while Silver nosed at her stomach or licked her face. Elva’s laughs were loud and happy, and easily pushed away any lingering sadness I
People didn’t just vanish. Bookcase after bookcase lined the walls. I gently dragged my fingers over the spines. Some of the books seemed ancient, others newer. They sat side by side on the shelfs, a balance of new and old. When I reached the wall behind the couch, I noticed, there on the gr
During the banquet, Julian leaned over to me and said, “I have a lead. Be ready tomorrow morning.” I tried to pry for more information for the rest of the night, but he just smiled vaguely at me or said, “You will have to wait patiently.” By the end of the evening, I was ready to shake him u
After the confrontation with Mark, I expected to be approached by Nicholas, so I wasn’t shocked when he called me away from the dining room at lunchtime to speak with me privately. He started walking away from the dining room and I fell in step beside him. Eventually, in an empty hallway, he tur
Just then, I noticed some guards patrolling the hallway they were in. They glanced at me and at Nicholas. “That is a command as your prince,” Nicholas said again, when they were closer in earshot. He had me backed into a corner now. I couldn’t disobey a direct royal order, especially in fron
It wasn’t that I didn’t believe Mark when he had told me that Julian had left the palace and hadn’t been seen since the morning, but I still had to snoop around some to be sure. I needed to talk to him so badly, I couldn’t just sit around and wait for him to return. I asked some of the servants
I didn’t want to think about Nicholas anymore, so I made my way over to Joyce instead. I knew his two brothers well, but not him, and that seemed a shame. When I drew near, Susie glanced up to smile at me. “Oh, Piper. Have you met Prince Joyce? Should I introduce you?” How could I say that i