Liam’s POV:
I had arrived at the Palace a few days ago and was still getting used to the discipline and schedules that the Palace guards had to keep. I was a recent graduate of the military academy in Tresoria and came from a family that traditionally served in the army. Not necessarily because we had some sense of duty to the country, but unfortunately because military service was mandatory and was perhaps the highest-paying job in the region where I came from.
I must confess that I was new here, but I had already experienced some very curious episodes, like on my first day here, when we were being inspected by the royal family, for example, there was an incident with the princess who fell off her horse and the only reason she did not hit the ground was because I had reflexes fast enough to catch her before she was hurt. She appreciated my gesture, but not even looked me in my eyes to thank me. I also won a per
Caroline’s POV:The impromptu employee party took place on Saturday night, and since Sunday everything seemed in perfect order. Not all employees were working, and as Lucille said around, Sunday was Olivia's day off, so I enjoyed the quiet day in my room.I knew that the palace servants believed the princess was a recluse, and some of them even felt sorry for the princess and thought that perhaps she was ill. I did not pay attention to these conversations because it was all people's speculation. But the fact is that I often felt so comfortable around them as Olivia that I dreaded the day when I would have to reveal to everyone that I was Caroline. Surely, they would treat me differently, and I could not blame them. So, I decided that I would take this farce as far as I could so that I would have more friends, When I could no longer support this story, I would apologize to them all, but make it clear that I was s
Caroline’s POV:It was a real fright to see my mother in that state. She was hooked up to a variety of tubes and monitors, and her expression was kind of troubled. My legs went limp again when I saw her like that, so weak. It was sad to see my mother on that hospital bed.One of the nurses muttered softly to me, "No, Your Highness, you can't give up. If she wakes up and sees you like this, it won't do her any good." I nodded at her words and tried to keep abettercomposure. There was not much we could do as she was still asleep. Still, my dad and I sat in the two chairs beside her bed.I reached out with my shaking hands to take hers in mine. And when I held her fragile hand in mine, thank heavens her hands felt warm. My imagination had already gotten the better of me and I had already imagined her frozen as a dead person, but that was not the case. So the sense of rel
Caroline’s POV:A few days after theattempt onmy mother's life, I was a little more relieved that she was recovering at a good pace, according to Dr. Caldwell. She had physical therapy every day and was doing well. The doctor had already authorized her to try to speak and her lungs were evolving well, thank heavens. But there was one thing that worried me: She was constantly asking about the details of the shooting: whether we had discovered the perpetrators, whether we were searching the region for the culprits, or any other details we had. She wanted to be on top of everything that was going on in the case.My dad and I did not talk when she asked us these questions, and there were days when she was more distracted, so it was easier to sidetrack her. Other days were more difficult, and we had to urge her to focus on her healing, and then on finding and apprehending the culprits. We had agreed that it would not be good to wo
Liam’s POV:Finding taverns in this part of the country was pretty easy. There were many workers around the palace, either those who worked directly for the royalty or those who had indirect jobs as suppliers of the palace's goods. I had already visited a few places, but as I was new to the region, these places were never the same and I was always looking for people who would speak the right words or give the clues I needed. But recently, after the attack on the Queen, the mysterious revolutionaries seemed to have hidden under rocks, or inside caves.Since a date with Olivia was not in the agenda anymore, I decided to visit one more tavern tonight. The night was unusually cool for a summer night, which was odd. My mom always told me that cold nights like this were a sign that something bad was going to happen, but I shook my head at her foreboding and went out to eat dinner in town. The
Caroline’s POV:I spent the day after the meeting in my small office, thinking with some of the lords about the names I would list. Lord Hammond was a fair and balanced man, and he could never be replaced by some mat that my father and Lord Deveraux would choose. I really enjoyed the fact that I was given the opportunity to have a voice on the board, but I knew that much more than the names would weigh on this list. They were testing my political skills here, and I definitely could not be considered by them as less than highly capable.There were a few names on the list, and I knew it should not be long, but impactful. There was, first, David Hammond, whom I could make lord in his father's place. He was a good guy, but maybe he was considered too young. I also liked the idea of Lord Clark, a slightly older man who had been a member of the council and had resigned to take care of his wife's health when she became
Caroline’s POV:The shelter we were placed in was as good as the shelter I had been placed in with Stephan. Lucille had told me that employee shelters were as safe as shelters for the royal family, but they were far less comfortable and more crowded. As a princess, I was always guided to the right places, but Lucille was compelled to know all the routes to the closest shelters for my safety, especially, so even if I did not get to a shelter for royalty, it was her priority to guide me to the nearest safe location.The worst part about being in a shelter like this is that since it was practically a vault, even though we were safe where we were, we did not have any news from the outside world. There was only a small wall clock in the corner, some supplies, and blankets. It was comfortable, but we were completely isolated."These attacks are getting more and more frequent," I muttered complaining. I had already faced some sporadic attacks in my childhood, but
Liam’s POV:I can't believe the rebels decided to attempt an invasion of the palace at that time. I was very sympathetic to their cause, but they spoiled the perfect moment. I didn't care that there were others in the kitchen. I just wish I had enjoyed that moment with Olivia. She is so beautiful and so sweet. Sometimes too innocent for her own good, but I wouldn't change a hair of hers. Maybe I was falling for her, and I wondered if this wasn't the best thing that had happened so far in my life.The events that followed can be defined with just one adjective: chaotic. I asked her to be safe, she nodded and I left her there. As I saw that she didn't take long to get up, I concluded that she had sought shelter in time, so I trusted heaven for her safety and headed to the front lines. My instinct would be to protect her, not necessarily the crown, but I had to do my duty. Military disobedience never has good consequences.
Caroline’s POV:"What do you mean, do you have an administrator relative?" I asked him in a joking tone."No, I was on my town council too, until I went to the Independent Revolutionaries," He told me, his chest puffing out with pride.When I heard those words come out of Liam's mouth, I was sure I couldn't hide my disappointment in him. Being involved in politics was one thing. Fighting government actions through local policies was to be part of a fair fight. But linking up with independent revolutionaries? This was bad. Too bad."What did I say?" He asked me still dumbfounded. He still did not know how serious it was that he was one of the revolutionaries.I shook my head in disappointment and muttered to him, "Those words of yours could land you in prison for life or even execution. You need to be careful.""I know," he told me trying to explain himself, and then continued, "That's
Caroline’s POV “So, were you even considering telling me that you are seeing someone?” I asked Lucille the moment Liam left my room. I crossed my arms in my chest because I was angry at her. Well, she was the first person that knew about Liam, and probably the only one that I trust, to be honest, and she was telling me nothing. What kind of friendship was this? “I was going to tell you, Care, at the right moment…” she told me and trailed off. “And the perfect moment would be…?” I shoot at her. “Well, when he asked me out for a second time, which didn’t happen until now,” she told me a little disappointed. Oh, poor Lucille. I was going to demand a proof of her friendship now but I lost my courage. She was really uneasy because of the waiting. I didn’t have a lot of advice to give to her, considering that my experience was an inch bigger than hers, so I put a hand on her shoulder and told her: “he will. Or, at least, you will call him tomorrow to help us and maybe this little reunio
Liam’s POVI knew that I couldn’t demonstrate any kind of possessiveness towards the princess, but I must confess that right in that moment my blood boiled in my veins seeing that Reichart guy try kissing her. I swallowed that pill hard and fought to keep my composure.When he finally left the corridor, I noticed the princess looking at me. She probably knew that I'd seen them, and she looked as pale as a ghost.We weren’t alone in the corridor, though. I had a couple of other guards watching the princess’ quarters. She saw that we couldn’t speak freely. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times like a fish trying to breathe on the surface, and then she opened her bedroom’s door and closed it after herself.I was boiling in anger, and I couldn’t do a thing. Maybe she had a plan and was making me jealous so she could contrive on whatever plan she had to get rid of him. I had to keep it cool and preclude her from doing so, because we never knew what kind of future effects these i
The next day dawned too soon, and the hours seemed to pass by until the afternoon when my suitor and soon-to-be fiancé knocked on my door. Lucille opened the door for him, but I wasn’t far, and I could see behind Stephan that Liam made a face. He didn’t like my idea to get rid of Stephan, but at the same time, he wasn’t enjoying this story at all. Well, good for him. It was silly of me, but I believe that causing Liam some jealousy could help me to get him on board with my idea or give him any other one that we could use in our favor.Too soon, though, Lucille closed the door and excused herself to my dressing room, murmuring something that I could not understand. Stephan avoided the awkward silence and started talking:“Good afternoon, Caroline. I hope you are doing fine.”He seemed so formal towards me, that a little laugh escaped from my lips.“What are you laughing about?” He asked me promptly.“I’m sorry, Stephan. Good afternoon. I’m fine, and you?” I told him, but before he coul
“Well, I don’t know what you are talking about,” I told Stephan with a smile plastered on my face. I wouldn’t admit anything that easily.“Maybe you do, maybe you don’t. The fact is: do you remember the last time that I walked you to your room and we talked about respect? Well, this would be a flagrant disrespect. Something that I can’t accept in our relationship,” he told me. He wasn’t actually threatening me, but there was a small discomfort on his tone. Something more than his words were saying. Was he trying to tell me that he would harm me or Liam?“Do you remember, Caroline?” he insisted.“Yes, Stephan,” I told him upset. So, he finally decided to show a little bit of his true colors. My tipsy me wanted to fight with him and throw in his face the fact that Liam really existed, and that even though he didn't have a royal title, Liam was worth a thousand Stephans to me.“Well, I might not have known your favorite color until this morning, but I do have my pride, and I will defend
“I know, darling! It is a lot to process, but don’t worry, honey. This party is going to be spectacular!” My mother took advantage of my silence and continued to chatter as if the news she had just given me was the best news ever.“But mother, I thought that we were going to take it slow…” I tried to dissuade her from this idea. Of course, we were not taking it slow. They never suggested that, actually. I was the one trying to delay my engagement and eventual marriage as long as I could.“Don’t be silly, darling! You know that our families are longing to be as one!” My mother answered me.I swallowed a couple of times, with no idea what to say to dissuade her, and she continued talking, clueless as if I was quiet because of the excitement.“You know, your birthday parties are always epic, and this one will be the biggest one ever! Stephan&rsquo
Caroline’s POV:“So, are you or are you not going to tell me what is going on? What did you find, Liam?” I asked him at the very moment he passed through my bedroom door the next morning. I purposely decided that I wouldn’t have breakfast that morning with my parents and that I wanted to be alone just because I wouldn’t like to waste one more second without knowing what Liam learned in his last meeting with the revolutionaries.“Well, I’m going to tell you what I can,” he told me carefully.“What do you mean when you say that you’re going to tell me what you can tell me? I thought that you would tell me everything you have heard!” I complained.“Which means almost nothing,” he murmured as an answer.“Then tell me what you heard, and we can decide together if this is almost nothing or not,” I demanded of him.He nodded acknowledging my reques
Vanessa looked at me with a wide smile spread on her face. Steppenwolf noticed immediately that we knew each other, but he didn't look as surprised as the others."Hey, looks like you two know each other!" Jack said pointing at Vanessa and me."Of course, they know each other, Jack. Our boy was shot, and our sweet nurse Vanessa took care of him," Steppenwolf said with a smile on his lips."Wait… was everything planned, including the shooting?" I asked in disbelief.Steppenwolf grimaced and said to me, "Of course not, kid. We didn't want to lose one of our own, but the aftermath of it all resulted in you being close to the princess and that positively surprised us, that's all. The fact that Vanessa took care of you is just a plus."I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. At least they weren't that morbid."He knows me, Dad, but he didn't know I was part of the group," Vanessa said turning to Steppenwolf.Dad? Did I
Liam’s POV:I left the princess’ room thinking about how I would contact Steppenwolf this time. Of course, I had the excuse that we were looking for Guttenberg, but I also had the responsibility to find out more about who was Morgan and what was that "nurse mission" mentioned in Vanessa’s letter. I just had no idea how I would connect both subjects in my next conversation with them, and if I would be allowed to know such a thing.Well, at least I didn’t have to wait a lot for another meeting. In one of my breaks on the next day, I went to my room as I always do, and tucked into my pillowcase there was a small note that simply said:Tonight, 11 o’clock. Same square.Sure, you don’t have to be a genius to understand where this note came from. In the next opportunity I had, I let the princess know that I was going to m
Caroline’s POV:“So…? Did you guys find anything?” I asked Lucille and Liam at the moment they got into my room and closed the doors. Curiosity was eating me alive, and I was extra anxious because my conversation with Vanessa didn’t go the way I planned.Lucille sighed a little frustrated and told me: “Well, not really. She got nothing about you guys, at least, not in her room. Any threats that she could launch couldn’t be sustained by proof.” Damn it. The worst part was to know that all the tension on the tearoom was for nothing.“Well, thank you, guys,” I murmured to them, and then I continued: “I guess that we are back to square one, after all.”“Don’t say that too soon,” Liam told me, and a small light of hope emerged on the horizon. I looke