Chapter 341

My mind reeled. I couldn’t imagine what another event might be. To me, personally, I was still trying to recover from the previous events, including the treasure hunt on the island where I had fallen into that pit as well as the social event with the merfolk that nearly ended in an international incident.

However, this was the nature of the competition. Events were commonplace. It wasn’t as if I could back out simply because I was tired.

Nicholas and I acknowledged that we understood Nathan’s direction. As Nathan walked away, Nicholas walked with me to the stairs.

There, holding his shirt for me to see, he said, “I’m going to change. I’ll meet you out there.”

I smiled at him and nodded. It was very difficult not to kiss him again. I so very dearly wanted to. But with cameras, other candidates, and servants around every turn, we couldn’t dare to follow that impulse.

Nicholas dashed up the stairs two at a time. When he was gone from sight, I continued walking down the hallway toward the deck.

Outside, the other candidates and Julian were sitting down on a group of chairs circled around each other.

Veronica had her nose in the book she had borrowed from the merfolk. Julian sat beside her, his seat pulled close, and was looking over her shoulder.

Jessica and Bridget sat side by side, chatting.

“It won’t be another volleyball event, will it?” Jessica asked nervously. She hadn’t had the best showing during our last volleyball game.

Bridget hummed thoughtfully. “It could be,” she said, “But I don’t think Nathan and the others would plan two of the same kind of event so closely together.”

There were two open seats left in the bunch. One between Julian and Jessica, or one between Veronica and Bridget. Wherever I sat, Nicholas would have to sit in the opposite. With that in mind, I took the open seat beside Bridget.

She gave me a big smile as I sat down, though her eyes were so cold that I shivered.

As we continued to sit, waiting for Nicholas and Nathan, I glanced out at the ocean. Down on the beach, Elva was building sandcastles with her nanny.

Elva carried a red pail and a matching plastic shovel. Under the nanny’s direction, she made sure the bucket was wet, then scooped up a bunch of sand. The nanny then helped Elva to flip it upside down. When they lifted the pail, most of the sand mound stuck together. Though some did tumble down.

Elva seemed so happy anyway, laughing and clapping. I was thrilled she was enjoying her time at the beach. We’d never been before. She’d never made anything like sandcastles in her life.

I really wanted to go out there and join her.

First, though, I had to sit through this meeting.

Soon, Nicholas came out in a fresh t-shirt and shorts. No one outwardly commented on his change of clothes. Likely no one noticed, although Bridget did give me a quick, sharp look that I saw from the corner of my eye. However, when I turned to see, she looked away from me.

“Jessica,” Bridget said. “Why don’t you move over to make room for Nicholas?”

Jessica’s brow drew together in confusion, but she began to stand anyway.

“Stay where you are, Jessica,” Julian said. “Nicholas is perfectly capable of sitting in this chair.”

Jessica sat back down, apparently ranking the command of a prince over the suggestion of a celebrity. Her face twisted with distress. It likely wasn’t an easy choice for her.

Nicholas came closer and immediately took the empty seat. If he heard the exchange with Jessica, he didn’t make any indication that he did.

Julian smirked non-too-kindly at Bridget, who pouted ever so slightly. That dissatisfied look immediately vanished, though, when Nathan and the camera crew stepped out onto the deck. Bridget was all smiles then.

The camera crew set up around the small circle of chairs while Nathan stepped inside of it.

Everyone waited until the crew indicated that they were ready. Nathan gave them a signal, and little red lights turned on, on the cameras.

Nathan clicked on his own false persona then, smiling for the camera and talking way too loud and fast. “We are here on the royal getaway island about to reveal the next event.”

“What could it be?” Bridget gasped dramatically. A camera closed in on her, which put the camera man right in front of me. I guessed I wasn’t going to make the cut for the broadcast today.

Nathan continued, “A race.”

Bridget started to clap.

Julian rolled his eyes. Beside him, Veronica was still reading. Nicholas’s frown deepened slightly. Jessica looked pale.

I didn’t know how to feel.

“The race will be a combination of both swimming and running along a preassigned course starting on the beach,” Nathan said. “This will test your athletic prowess. A Luna must always be in peak physical condition to overcome all the hurdles she must face in her day to day.”

I caught my frown at the last second and schooled my face into something more neutral. The current Luna wasn’t someone I would call in peak physical condition. I didn’t mean that as an insult. I just wasn’t sure I’d want to be her running mate in a triathlon or anything.

But to say so would be treason, so I held my tongue.

“I’m so excited,” Bridget said, looking at the camera. “Like the Luna, as an actor, I also need to keep my physique in peak form. Some of the roles can certainly be challenging. I truly feel as if I will excel in this event.”

Nathan nodded at Bridget. Then he, and the cameras, turned to Jessica.

Jessica stared back for a minute, until Nathan made a gesture to indicate she should be talking.

“I, uh… I’m not particularly athletic… I have other qualities…” She lowered her head. “But I’ll do my best.”

Nathan and the cameras went around the circle. They skipped over Nicholas and Julian and landed on Veronica.

Veronica still hadn’t looked up from her book. I wasn’t sure she had listened to Nathan at all. Did she even know what the event was?

Nathan cleared his throat, but Veronica didn’t lift her gaze. After another couple of disinterested minutes, Nathan forced the cameras away, turning them instead to me.

If this had happened before I had been reconnected with Miracle, my wolf, I might have had some concern about what was about to happen. As a human, I never would have been able to compete in a race with those who had wolves.

But now that Miracle was restored to me, I knew I had a shot.

I wasn’t sure I was as athletic as Bridget, but I was dead set on not letting her win easily.

“I think I have a real chance at winning,” I said to the cameras. Nathan’s expression relaxed slightly. He was probably relieved that I said anything, unlike Veronica.

The cameras came back to Nathan, and he ended the broadcast by telling the audience when and where to watch repeats of previous events, as well as when to watch this new one.

The race, it seemed, was to happen tomorrow.

That gave hardly any time to prepare.

As soon as the cameras were off, Nicholas hopped to his feet and approached me. “I need to speak with you.”

I stood and walked with him down to the far end of the deck where we couldn’t be overheard. Bridget glared at me when no one else was looking, but I pretended not to notice.

“What’s wrong?” I asked Nicholas.

Nicholas wore a heavy-set frown.

“Piper,” he said. “You have to forfeit this event.”