The King and Queen watched from atop their thrones as the princes danced with and among the candidates and guests, while the cameras swooped in and out to capture all. We kept our smiles bright, eager to show how much fun we were having – all to maintain our standing in the competition, of course.
That was Jane. I had zero doubts. What I needed to do now was keep my promise and alert Nicholas. Yet when I turned to find him, I saw him stepping onto the stage where the thrones were, with Olivia on his arm. The King and Queen were greeting them warmly. I couldn’t exactly interrupt that witho
“Piper and I have been having an affair,” Joyce said into the microphone. The King stepped forward and attempted to rip the microphone from his hands, but Joyce, younger and stronger, shook him off with relative ease. “Let me speak my truth, father!” “You are out of your mind!” the King snappe
As Jane lunged toward me, I made my own move, reaching into my bodice. Jane grabbed my left arm, but I used my right hand to wrap the cuff on Jane’s wrist. I expected her to wince, or gasp, or have some kind of reaction at all. Instead, she just seemed amused. She stopped short, but she also smi
I complied, unwilling to be skewered. She hid the knife against my side as she ushered me toward the door. I looked back but none of the royal family was to be seen. Neither was Veronica. I maybe could have caught Susie’s attention, if I called out or flagged her down. She was valiantly trying to
Nicholas I pushed my errant brother through the door of the first nearby empty room. It was a library with floor to ceiling bookcases. I shoved Joyce into the center of the room and he fell to his knees. The King and Queen came in behind me, with Julian sauntering in last. Nathan closed the door
Something was different. Maybe he was manipulated. But I was suddenly starting to realize that that manipulation might not have all that recent. Locking eyes with Julian, he nodded at me. “You get it. Remember how, on the night you were almost taken, Nicholas, Joyce lured Piper to the balcony an
I stared down Jane. That knife of hers was precariously close to me, and with us handcuffed together, I couldn’t exactly make a break for it. At this point, the only thing I could do to defend myself was keep Jane talking. And in the moment, I could only think of one thing to talk about. The photo