Chapter 22

Nicholas waited for Kirsten to answer, even while she hesitated. Slowly, he lowered his hand that had been displaying the wrist guard down to his side.

She shifted nervously from foot to foot. She laced her fingers together.

“Well… you see…”

As she struggled, Elva moved into the space between Nicholas and me. She took both of our hands.

Looking down at her, I could tell that Nicholas had wiped her tears away. She wasn’t crying anymore, though she still seemed uncertain, half-hiding behind my skirt.

Nicholas continued to wait.

Kirsten was visibly sweating. Finally, she said, “I-I did, of course.” He attempted a giggle, but it was forced, painful sounding. “Why would you think otherwise?”

“Because I heard what you just said.”

“You… did…?”

“You lied to me,” he said, his voice perilously monotone. “You made me believe you had done me a kindness, when truly all you had done was attempt to cheat me.”

Kirsten began to tremble. “It’s not like that, Prince Nicholas. I swear to you –”

“There is no excuse for what you’ve done. You are wasting my time.”

“But, Your Royal Highness --!”

Nicholas looked at both of the guards, one and then the other, as if measuring their mettle by sight alone. At once, both guards lowered their heads.

“I imagine you two were only doing what you were told,” he said, flashing a quick glare in Lena’s direction.

She flinched.

Her obvious discomfort gave me more satisfaction than I wanted to admit.

“As such, you may remain on duty for now,” Nicholas said. “You have the following orders.”

The lifted their heads again, coming to attention.

“You are to escort Kirsten to her room to gather her things, then you are to see her off the property. Lena, I trust you can help arrange for a car to take Kirsten back home.”

“Yes, Sir,” the guards said quickly.

“Yes, Sir,” Lena said, much slower.

“H-home…?” A look of confusion twisted Kirsten’s features. “Why would I be going home?”

“Because you are eliminated, Kirsten,” Lena said, stepping closer to her. “Do not disgrace yourself with further questioning of your prince.”

Kirsten did not see Lena’s words for the clear warning it was.

“That can’t be! It’s weeks yet until the first elimination!”

“The royal family has the right to eliminate anyone from the competition at any time,” Lena said. “Please control yourself.”

“No! That’s not fair.” She hurried forward too quickly. Her heels sunk into the grass, and she stumbled down onto her knees. “Piper… Piper, tell him.”

She crawled to me. Reaching out, she tugged at the hem of my dress.

“Piper, you have to tell him. We’re friends, right? Tell him.”

Nicholas looked at me.

I didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t expected Kirsten, who had always been such a bully to turn into a simpering, pathetic mess when threatened in return.

I also hadn’t expected Nicholas to wait for me to say something, like he valued my opinion on the matter. I had done nothing to earn that right, especially in his eyes.

He still thought I had betrayed him all those years ago.

Now he watched me, waiting to see if my judgement matched his.

Kirsten was a sad sight. Exaggerated sobs wracked her body, though her makeup remained pristine.

She had no real tears. She was faking this display.

If she had been genuine, I still would have deferred to Nicholas’s judgement, but I would have felt a twinge of guilt about it for a moment or two.

As it was, I held no sympathy for her.

Her cruel words to Elva were unforgiveable. Especially with no apologies given.

Looking at Nicholas, I gave him a small nod.

His features did not change but an understanding crossed his eyes. He waved at the guards. “Carry out those orders. Now.”

As they had earlier done to me, the guards grabbed Kirsten by her arms and yanked her back onto her feet.

“Wait! No, wait!” Kirsten shrieked. The fake sadness vanished and fury replaced it in an instant. She struggled against the guards. “Let me go! I’ll claw her eyes out! This is your fault, Piper! Your fault!”

Her shouting persisted, even as the guards carried her away. “You can’t do this to me! Don’t you know who I am? I am of high breeding! You can’t treat me like this!”

Lena pressed a hand to her face.

“Lena, we will speak about your part in this later,” Nicholas said, dismissing her.

“Yes, Sir.” Lena, keeping her eyes on the ground, quickly turned and walked back toward the palace.

Elva, who had been hiding behind my skirts, peeked her head out. “Is it over? No more loud yelling?”

“It’s over,” I told her, but then looked up at Nicholas, whose tight expression had not relaxed. “I think.”

“Mark!” Nicholas called out.

Mark emerged from the tree line. He had been close and ready. Likely he had planned to jump out if he had been needed.

Nicholas lowered himself down to one knee to speak to Elva. “Elva, do you mind playing with Mark for a minute while I speak with your mother?”

Elva seemed unsure. She looked up at me.

I smiled and nodded, giving her support.

“Okay…” Slowly, she walked over to Mark, who held out a hand for her. She kept looking back at us though, as if she didn’t trust us alone.

When they were out of earshot, Nicholas’s piercing gaze shifted back to me.

He held up his right wrist, showing me the wrist guard I’d made. The one he now knew I had made.

“Why didn’t you give this to me directly, Piper?”

I worried my bottom lip with my teeth. I thought of lying, or simply avoiding the question. But he already knew the truth.

“I wanted to thank you for helping Elva,” I said. I motioned toward the wrist guard. “This was just a small gesture.”

“Forgive me if I struggle to see the sincerity in that.” He lowered his arm. “It’s much more likely that you are using your previous knowledge of me in an effort to bring yourself into my good graces.”

“That’s not true. If I wanted it that way, I wouldn’t have kept it a secret.”

“You knew I would discover the truth eventually.”

“No, I didn’t. I just wanted to help you.”

Nicholas’s accusations tried at my patience. He thought so little of me now. Whatever moment we had shared earlier seemed tarnished now.

He didn’t take my denial seriously. He merely shook his head.

“I knew you’ve been chasing after me, but I didn’t expect you to now have Julian up your sleeve.”

Julian? What did Julian have to do with anything?

“He’s not up my sleeve,” I said.

“He’s interested in you, though I’m not sure why. I suppose your beauty would be enough to catch his eye, but he usually avoids anyone with too many strings attached.”

My… beauty?

Focus, Piper.

I opened my mouth to deny Julian’s attraction, but Nicholas cut me off before I could begin.

“Keep your distance from him.”

I stared at him in confusion. Was that an order?

Quickly, my frustration returned. How dare he try to dictate who I spent time with?

“Prince Julian can look after his own affairs,” I said. “You don’t have to protect him from me.”

“Julian does not love honestly.” Nicholas’s lips twitched into a frown. “He pulls women in, makes them fall for him, and then goes on to the next. It’s all just a game for him.”

Now, I was even more confused. It almost sounded like Nicholas was trying to protect me from Julian. Not the other way around, as I had originally thought.

I was stunned. But Nicholas hated me, didn’t he? Wouldn’t he want Julian to break my heart? Not that I was giving my heart to Julian to start with, but Nicholas didn’t know that.

I had no idea what to say to that, so I just stared.

He lowered his own gaze away, down to his wrist, where he began to undo the ties of the wrist guard.

“Thank you for this gift.” Once loosened, he slipped the wrist guard from his arm. “But I can no longer accept it.”

What? “Why not?” I thought it helped him.

He held out the wrist guard to me. His eyes found mine again. The flecks of green within his were so dark, they looked almost entirely black.

“I have plenty of these,” he said. “And I refuse to owe you any more favors.”