Chapter 76

As Linda dived at me, knife first, both Julian and Nicholas moved at once.

Nicholas ran at me. He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me toward him, shielding me behind his body.

Julian, meanwhile, went straight for Linda. He grabbed Linda’s wrist and twisted. The knife clattered down onto the floor.

“Someone get Joseph the hell back in here!” Julian shouted at one of the guards. They ran out of the room, doing as commanded. The others closed in around Linda.

Disarmed, she shrank in on herself, seemingly realizing what she had done. Her eyes were wide and vacant. Tears streamed down her face.

Nicholas eased me back, though he kept his hands on my shoulders.

“Are you okay?” he asked me.

“Yes.” That knife never had a chance to reach me with both brothers moving as if in tandem.

Still, Nicholas checked me over, dropping his gaze down the length of my body.

“No one likes Piper, but to actually try to kill her?” whispered one girl to another.

“It’s too far,” said another.

When the danger had passed, and Nicholas released me, Susie rushed to my side.

“Piper!”

“I’m okay,” I promised her. I waved out my arms so she could see for herself.

“What happened?” Susie looked at Nicholas. “Why would Linda do that?”

Nicholas set his jaw. “Some nobles don’t know how to lose.”

“Linda,” Julian said, loud and authoritative. It was unusual to see Julian take anything seriously, but right now, he looked absolutely furious, glaring down at where Linda whimpered. “For attempting to murder a fellow candidate, you are disqualified from the competition.”

“But…” She spoke weakly. Even she must have known that she had no defense. Everyone in the room had seen her in the act.

When Joseph finally returned to the room, his eyes sunken in rage, Julian directed him to escort Linda from the premises.

“This is, of course, assuming Piper does not wish to press charges,” Julian said, looking at me. “What she has done is worthy of jail time, Piper.”

I considered it. Linda had certainly treated me terribly, and now this final act of terror. But, even so, if I wished to press charges, it would extend into a court hearing. Even though I would likely win, I really just wanted this entire situation to go away.

Holding Julian’s gaze, I shook my head a little. He seemed to understand.

“Take her away,” Julian said to the guards.

“You continue to be a weak-willed little mouse. You can dress yourself up in silks and satins, but you will always be common underneath,” Linda said, finally finding her voice. “How dare you act like you are so far above me?! Piper, you absolutely coward!”

I stepped into the way of the guards, forcing them to stop, and for Linda to face me.

“Do not confuse kindness for cowardice,” I told her.

She glared at me. “Kindness will never earn you Luna.”

“So be it,” I said, then stepped out of the way again.

The guards pushed Linda forward. “Go on.”

When she was cleared from the room, I waited for a bit, not wanting to feel like I was following her out into the hallway. Susie and Nicholas kept me company. Julian, too, when he was done being authoritative.

He came to my side with his usual smile and swagger. “Did you see the show I put on?” he asked with a wink.

I rolled my eyes, playing along.

Truthfully though, inside I was shaken. Even if she had been flimsy with that knife, unlikely to cause major damage, she had still attempted it. She had meant to kill me.

I’d had people hate me before. I’d also weathered my fair share of threats in the service industry. But it was one thing for people to talk, and quite another for them to pick up a knife and charge at me with it.

When we were dismissed for the day, I hurried back to my room. I didn’t feel whole again until I pulled Elva into my arms for a hug.

“What’s wrong, Mommy?” Elva asked. She had a way of making me feel like the most important person in the entire world. I was so grateful for that. It gave me the strength I needed to pull myself back together.

To be her mother, I needed to be whole.

“Nothing now, honey,” I said. “Mommy’s feeling all better.”

Later that evening, Nathan recalled the girls back to the parlor for announcements.

“Attention, please,” Nathan said, claiming the attention of the room. “The Queen is resting now but I’m sure you will all be relieved to know that she has mostly recovered from her bout of food poisoning.”

A polite round of applause sounded in the room. No one would dare speak up over news of the Queen, though the anxiety was clear among many of the girls regarding the competition, specifically those who had not yet been judged.

“Now, as for the garden party event,” Nathan continued. “The royal family has decided, for the sake of fairness, that a second event will be held tomorrow. This even will only be attended by those that had yet to be judged today.”

I wondered what that meant for me. My treats were tasted, so I probably wouldn’t get a chance to redo them. Plus, now I didn’t have a partner.

Since there were an odd number of us, prior to Linda being eliminated, one table had been forced to include three people. But they had already planned their display. It would be grossly unfair to disrupt that now.

I resolved myself to having my score marred by Linda’s behavior. It hurt, though. I wanted to get into the next round, at least, so that Elva would continue to receive care for as long as possible.

“This is not the only news that I have to share,” Nathan said, hushing the chatter in the room.

More? What else could he possibly have to say? Stress rankled my nerves. It had been such a full day, I was ready to call the whole thing a wash and get some sleep.

“Regarding the next elimination,” Nathan said.

“Already?” Susie whispered. I felt her worry deep down in the pit of my soul. Looking around, many others did too. Everyone seemed a bit on edge tonight.

“The next elimination will bring the count down from 14 to 9. But unlike the previous elimination ceremony where performance in events was the key indicator of success, this time there is a secondary factor to consider.”

So I needed to do well in events, as well as something else? It was quickly becoming more than I could handle. I had no idea what to expect.

“This secondary factor is the princes themselves. Each of the princes will be selecting three candidates to survive beyond the elimination. They will consider your score in the events, but they have their own personal reasons that require consideration.”

A rumbled began among the girls. So many had chosen to chase after Nicholas. There was no way he could select them all, even if he wanted too. Not enough girls had tried for Joyce, and the rest would suffer now.

My own stomach twisted uncomfortably.

Julian had publically claimed I was his favorite, sure, but that didn’t mean when push came to shove that he would actually select me to stay. I was only his favorite for show, and to annoy Nicholas.

Maybe I could talk to him. I had to convince him to select me. Surely he would listen to reason. Or, at least, we could compromise somehow.

I must have had something he wanted. He still needed my ability to feel my wolf, right?

I wasn’t sure. Nothing felt certain anymore.

But I wasn’t ready to go home yet.