Chapter 73

“Sabotage?” The girls around us burst into loud chatter.

“Could it be possible? How would she do it?”

“Anything’s possible. She could have done it.”

“Someone get the guards! If it’s true, that’s an attempt on the Queen’s life!”

At the sound of that accusation, the guards closed in around my table. One of them scurried off, only to return quickly with Joseph himself in tow.

“This is getting out of hand,” I said. “Linda, tell them this wasn’t sabotage.”

“Why would I?” Linda said. “How else would my appetizer make the Queen sick? You didn’t… poison it, did you, Piper?”

At the mention of poison, the crowd gasped.

“What? No!” I held my hands up, but the guards had taken renewed interest in me.

“What’s this about poison?” Joseph said, bullying his way to my side.

“Nothing,” I said quickly.

“She poisoned the Queen!” Linda said, pointing. In the past five seconds, she had taken that wild idea and latched onto it, doubling down. Could she not simply see that her eggs had spoiled?

“She didn’t keep her eggs on ice and they went bad,” I said. “That’s all that happened.”

Joseph crossed his arms. Lifting his chin, he peered down the length of his nose at me.

“An accusation of poisoning is a serious matter,” he said.

“Tell that to Linda. I didn’t have anything to do with –”

Joseph ignored me. “We will investigate. But in the meantime, the accused should be placed into the dungeons for the sake of the Queen.”

My stomach dropped. “What?”

I looked around, searching for Elva in the crowd. Fortunately Mark had pulled her away. They watched from very far back, near the edge of the gardens. Hopefully, she was too far away to hear.

A guard grabbed me roughly by the arm.

“Hey!” I struggled, but they were trained soldiers, paid for their strength. Without my wolf, I was an absolute weakling in comparison.

“Now, wait one minute,” Nicholas said. He politely weaved his way through the crowd, approaching me. When he was close enough, he glared at the guard’s hold on my arm until the guard released me.

“Your Royal Highness,” Joseph said, dipping his head. “This is a serious matter. Please allow me permission to handle it as I see fit.”

Nicholas stared at him flatly. “Denied.”

Joseph blinked, apparently not expecting that reaction. Just how much free reign did this Captain of the Guard usually have?

“In fact, rather than your typical investigation, I have a suggestion of my own,” Nicholas said.

He looked first to me, offering me a reassuring nod, then looked to Linda.

“Perhaps Linda would like to remake her food, with all of us watching. If she is actually as good a cook as she indicates, she should be able to prove it in front of all of us. Then we will take this accusation of poisoning under advisement. But not before.”

Linda paled as he spoke, but eventually agreed. “Of course, I would be happy to complete any challenge Your Royal Highness deems necessary.”

Prince Nicholas nodded, as if that decided everything. Maybe it did. This must have been one of the benefits of being a royal. I wasn’t about to speak out against it, especially since it was directly helping me.

“Sir,” Joseph said, voice terse. “Until such an event can be planned, surely we should lock away the accused – if only on the off chance she has committed the crime. Don’t we owe it to our Queen to take every precaution?”

Nicholas looked to Nathan. “An event like this shouldn’t take all that long to prepare for, should it, Nathan?”

“I will see to it at once, Your Royal Highness. The kitchen is likely being used to prepare lunch, but afterwards, I don’t see any reason why we could not utilize the space.”

“Very good, Nathan. Thank you.”

Nathan bowed, then turned and hurried to see to the duty.

“But in the meantime –” Joseph tried again.

Nicholas interrupted him. “I will accept personal responsibility for her. I will keep her by my side and make certain that she does not find herself in any more trouble.”

Relief flooded me so quickly, I felt dizzy. I rested one hand on the table in case I lost balance.

Joseph grunted like he wanted to argue. Of course, he couldn’t – not against a prince. Eventually, he relented, “Yes, sir.”

“But what about us, Your Royal Highness?” Olivia said, cutting in. “Why does Linda receive a second chance while we do not?”

Nicholas shook his head. “The Queen’s sudden illness took precedence, but I would not be overly upset. The royal family will not consider an event that has been judged unfairly. Either you will yet still have your chance, or this event will be entirely scrapped.”

Olivia exhaled and smiled a little. “Thank you, sir. That is a relief to know.”

“I request patience while the rules are altered to accommodate today’s events,” Nicholas said.

He was so cool and confident, able to take charge of the situation without revealing a shred of weakness. No wonder he was most likely to be next in line for the throne.

I couldn’t help but feel pride, knowing I had dated him once, and that we were something like friends now.

“Piper, if you will join me for a walk in the gardens.” Nicholas offered me his arm, and I accepted it, thankful for his steadying presence. I still felt a bit dizzy.

He led me away from the crowd and further into the bushes and flower beds.

Nearby, Susie had joined Mark and Elva. Elva was chasing butterflies through the grass.

Nicholas and I stopped to watch her near a park bench. He released my arm and we both sat.

“Forgive my presence,” Nicholas said. “I must stay by your side until this whole thing is resolved.”

“I don’t mind. In fact, I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done.”

Nicholas gently shook his head. “Linda was out of line. The only point I disagree with you on, of all that you said to her, was that ice alone would have saved her eggs.”

I lifted a brow. “You don’t think so?”

“Certainly, that was a part of the problem. But I’m willing to believe the eggs would have been inedible, even cold.” He ran a hand up his thigh, stopping at his knee. “Perhaps it was wrong of me to gamble on it.”

“No. I am grateful. And I imagine you’re right.”

A moment of peaceful quiet surrounded us. For a time, we were content watching Elva and looking out over the flowers.

Near the tree line, I spotted Night and Silver watching silently from the shadows. They seemed to be taking their promise to protect Elva and me seriously.

Then, I could no longer avoid the topic that had been pressing against the back of my mind, even though I knew I should have left it alone.

“I saw Lilliana feeding you,” I said.

He winced. Perhaps I could have worded it more gracefully. Too late now.

“Her pastries were overcooked,” Nicholas said.

“Nicholas…” That wasn’t what I meant to discuss, and he knew it.

“What do you want me to tell you, Piper? Lilliana is my chosen favorite and I must show her the proper favor.”

He leaned back on the bench, shedding some of his perfect princely façade.

“I have to marry someone eventually. It might as well be her.”

His words struck me like a hot iron, searing a cruel brand on my heart. “What a terrible thing to say!”

He eyed me. “Is it not the truth?”

“You should marry for love, Nicholas!”

He sat up straight again, his façade returning in an instant. “That’s not possible.”

I didn’t understand. “Why not?”

His golden eyes pinned me to the spot.

“I’m not capable of love anymore.”