Chapter 69

Whispers sounded around me, speculation on who was copying who. Lilliana had arrived to the banquet first, but not everyone was convinced that meant she had picked the outfit originally. Absolutely no one entertained the idea that it could have been a coincidence.

When I suggested such a thing to the girl beside me at the table, she rolled her eyes. “Nothing is a coincidence at the palace.”

“She’s not wrong,” Julian said. “It’s obvious to me that Lilliana is copying you.”

“Well, I didn’t copy her,” I said firmly.

Julian waved around his soup spoon. “Think about it. By your own admission, you have now dated two of the three princes. Is it any big surprise that some of the girls are going to end up imitating you?”

That seemed like such a ridiculous notion. Lilliana especially wouldn’t have a need to copy me. She had already gone on dates with Nicholas, and she had been seated beside him for some time now.

Even if she wasn’t already favored by Nicholas, she was so regal all on her own. What use would copying me have for her, other than to bring her down?

“Lilliana has her own grace,” I said. “She doesn’t need anything from me.”

“Cute, but incorrect.” Finished with his soup, he pushed the bowl away. A servant immediately came to retrieve it. “Thanks.” Julian patted his napkin to his lip. “Lilliana is a fraud.”

The girl opposite him gasped. He shrugged.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Everything about her has been pre-planned, from the way she parts her hair, to the way she sits or stands, to the way she speaks. Have you talked to her? It’s spooky.”

I couldn’t remember saying more than a few quick words to her.

“She’s acting,” Julian said. “She’ll do whatever she has to, be whoever she has to be, to win the crown. She’s been pretending so long, I’m not sure she even knows who she really is underneath it all.”

As he spoke, I couldn’t help but feel an odd sort of sympathy for Lilliana. To care so much for power, that she was willing to erase her entire true personality? How could anything be worth so much?

Had she spent her entire life living behind a shell? Did she truly not remember who she was anymore?

Julian nudged me. He must have been able to see the pity on my face. I, unlike Lilliana, was not talented at hiding my inner thoughts and emotions.

“She gave herself up willingly, Piper. Girls like her do it all the time. Anything to chase that crown.”

I kept my voice soft, not wanting the others to hear. “It’s just so sad. What will happen to her if Nicholas doesn’t choose her?”

Julian shrugged. “She’ll probably have to find herself again.”

For her sake, I hoped that would come to pass. I understood she was desperate to be Luna, but to give up so much? Surely if she could remember herself, she would realize the folly.

Or maybe that was a foolish thought. Wishful thinking from a girl who didn’t really belong here among these sharks. I had no desire for power or glory. I just wanted Elva to be okay.

Julian’s voice lowered to match mine. “Do you know why you would make a good Luna, Piper? Because you see people, even when they can’t see themselves.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to be Luna.”

Julian smiled. “Another good quality of yours.”

With so many girls missing since the last elimination, there were a lot of empty chairs at the table. Most of the girls had been split into sections. Julian, me, and the Luna were seated at one end. The King and Joyce were on the other end. Nicholas, Lilliana, and the majority of the girls sat in the center.

A slew of empty chairs now separated those three groups.

Glancing over at Nicholas, he seemed like a whole world apart.

Suddenly a camera closed in on my face. I sat back in my chair.

“Hey,” Julian said, shoving the camera away. “Personal space is a thing that exists, you know.”

“Apologies, Your Royal Highness,” the cameraman said.

“It was my fault, sir,” said the producer behind him. “The kingdom wants to know about the two candidates wearing the same dress. Piper, do you have any comment?”

In my ear, Julian quickly whispered, “Pretend you don’t care.”

It seemed like sound advice this time, so I tried to take it. I wasn’t a great liar, but then, this lie wasn’t too far from the truth. Other than being a minor annoyance, this really wasn’t that big of a deal.

“It’s a beautiful dress,” I said. “I wish even more people could be given the chance to wear it.”

“Charming,” the producer said with a smile. “A woman of the people.” He nudged the cameraman. “Close in on Lilliana now. Let’s see if she has a response.”

Rolling my eyes, I returned my attention to Julian.

“Very good,” he said. “One way to win against the drama-seekers is to always feign indifference. With no drama, they get bored and move on. Wearing the same dress to this banquet could be a front page story, or something limited to a footnote.”

“It doesn’t even deserve to be a footnote,” I said.

Julian laughed. “True.”

At the end of the meal, as the royal family and the girls were standing from their chairs, Nicholas cleared his throat to claim the attention of the room.

He took one of Lilliana’s hands in his.

My stomach dropped. This wasn’t anything unexpected. Despite our near-kiss, nothing had changed between Nicholas and I. He was a prince in search of a mate, and Lilliana was his favored.

Even if she was wearing a mask so thick no one could see through it, not even herself.

“Lilliana, would you do me the honor of joining me for a second date?” Nicholas asked.

Her smile did not reach her eyes. “Yes. Of course.”

Everyone politely clapped. I did, too, not wanting to draw attention to myself.

Nicholas deserved better than someone who was so fake, but it wasn’t my place to say so. After all, wasn’t Nicholas also wearing a mask? He had claimed that he was searching for the perfect Luna, not the perfect mate.

Perhaps Lilliana would be the perfect Luna.

But he would be so miserable if he could not be himself.

I was so caught up in my own downtrodden feelings, that I didn’t immediately notice the many eyes that had shifted to me and my dress.

One girl even slinked up beside me. “What are you wearing to the garden party, Piper?”

More girls joined in, eager to hear my response.

“Uh…” I was pretty sure we weren’t supposed to share that information.

“A trend-setter,” Julian said from behind me. “If you will excuse us, ladies, Piper and I need to say a few quick words to my brother.”

Any brief hope that Julian might have been about to save me smashed to pieces. “We do?”

Julian wrapped his arm around my waist and led me through the crowd. “Don’t you remember? You are my favorite, Piper, so of course I need to show you off to the cameras. Cameras which are currently zoomed in on my stuffy elder brother.”

I had a very bad feeling about this.

“Ah, Nicholas!” Julian called as we approached.

Nicholas’s face had been impassive, but now it seemed aggressively so, like he was fighting a battle to stay calm. A muscle ticked in his jaw.

“Allow us to congratulate you on your second date,” Julian said, slippery smooth. “With… um… what was your name again?”

He knew Lilliana’s name, of that I had no doubt. He’d likely just been trying to get under her skin, like he did with everyone else.

But Lilliana had no reaction what-so-ever. She just smoothly filled in her name. “Lilliana.”

“Right.” Julian frowned at her before turning his smile up to full-blast for his brother. He hugged me closer to him. “Such a pity that you have to settle for an imitation of the real thing, brother. Good for me, though, since I get to have the best.”

My face burned in embarrassment. I wanted to struggle away from Julian and deny what he was saying, but with my eyes on Nicholas’s face, I caught his sudden reaction. And it made me pause.

Fire burned in his eyes.

Nicholas was furious.