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
I quickly excuse myself from Joyce and his group and rush from the room, with Charlotte following me. “The doctor should be in with her now,” Charlotte said. “Mark sent a guard to retrieve her just as I left to find you.” “Good,” I said. We did not speak again as we hurried through the hallw
The rules stated that we were to avoid the personal rooms of the royal family unless explicitly invited. I was taking a great risk by sneaking here now. But for Elva’s sake, this was only the beginning of the level of danger I was willing to take on. I walked to Julian’s door and lightly tapped