Chapter 9

You and Nicholas have a special bond, and I can’t wait to see how far I can bend it.

I didn’t understand Julian at first. Nicholas and I hadn’t been a couple in three years. Whatever bond we had was assuredly broken by now. The plans Julian had for us would make no difference anymore.

But then I realized, this wasn’t about me, or me and Nicholas as a couple.

Julian’s hostility was aimed fully at Nicholas himself.

They had always seemed like fierce enemies at the Academy. Perhaps the addition of them being brothers didn’t make that perception untrue. Maybe it only intensified their rivalry.

“If you are planning on using me against Nicholas, you are making a big mistake,” I said. “Nicholas no longer cares for me. In fact, he likely hates me. You’d be wasting your time.”

Julian’s smile neither grew nor wavered. He merely watched me a moment, then dipped his head. “Good luck in the selection, Piper.”

Without another word, he turned and exited the room.

I had no idea what he was thinking.

I stayed in the room for a while, after that. The maids that were assigned to me had yet to appear. That was fine. I didn’t need anyone to look after my daughter and me.

I began unpacking our suitcases, placing our clothes into the empty drawers of a nearby dresser. Elva was diligently following me from the bed to dresser and back again. She pointed at everything she could see.

“What’s that, Mommy?” A painted vase atop a cabinet held a bushel of lavender.

“Who’s that?” On the wall, a portrait of a couple hung in an elaborate golden frame.

“Look at that!” Out the window, a pair of horses grazed in a fenced-in field behind a stable.

I humored her, answering her questions as best I could, until she grew disinterested and returned to her toys. I’d pulled the comforter off the bed and draped it across the back of a tall chair, giving her a makeshift fort to hide under and play.

Then I returned to unpacking.

I was almost done, when a knock sounded on the door. I had only closed the door partway, so it opened with the force of the knock.

As the door swung open, Nicholas stood there with a few of his guard.

Despite my best efforts at holding back my feelings, my heart leapt into my throat at the sight of him. It must have been a reflex. So many times he’d sneaked into my room at the Academy. Seeing him now, in my doorway, sent me straight back in time.

For a moment, his gaze held mine. I wondered if he was there in the past with me.

But then he looked away.

“May I come in?” he asked.

“Of course,” I said. Then, remembering myself, I added, “Your Royal Highness.”

His brow furrowed at the use of his title, but he didn’t say anything against it.

Maybe the reminder was good for us both.

“We’re making the rounds, taking note of each candidate’s needs.” He waved forward one of the guards, who stepped diligently to his side. “This is Mark, my Beta.”

I bowed a little. “Nice to meet you, Mark.”

Mark’s eyes went wide, like he was surprised by my greeting. Surely the other girls would have been as polite.

Although thinking of that girl in the pink dress, and how she had roughly shoved Elva… Perhaps not.

I didn’t want to call out Mark’s reaction and potentially embarrass him, so I motioned toward my mostly-empty suitcase on the bed.

“I think we have it covered here,” I said.

Nicholas and Mark both frowned.

“You unpacked your own bags?” Nicholas asked, his voice lower than before. “Where are the maids assigned to you?”

“Oh.” I immediately felt guilty. I didn’t want to get anyone in trouble. “Lena said they had other duties to attend to first, before they came to me.”

“Did she,” Nicholas said. It didn’t sound like a question so I didn’t answer. He shifted his eyes to Mark, who nodded.

“I’ll investigate at once, sir.”

“Thank you, Mark.”

“It’s really not a big deal,” I said, taking a step forward. “I don’t mind.”

“You are a guest here, miss,” Mark said. “It’s inappropriate for you to not be treated as such.”

I took another step. “I don’t want anyone to get in trouble.”

Mark’s eyes went wide again. He looked to Nicholas.

Nicholas’s jaw was clenched, a hard line. He stared at me like he wanted me to take back my words. When I didn’t, he said, “No one will get in trouble.”

“Thank you,” I said.

He seemed even more annoyed by my thanks, eyes hard.

Mark quickly excused himself.

Nicholas also backed to the door. “If there is anything else you need…”

“Wait,” I said. I glanced over my shoulder, at Elva’s legs kicking out from the comforter.

Nicholas followed the length of my gaze but didn’t otherwise move an inch.

I approached him. Voice soft, I said, “Elva has a few health issues. Lately, she’s been suffering from recurrent pneumonia…”

Julian had made it seem like acquiring a doctor for Elva would be a simple task, but now, facing Nicholas and his dour expression, I felt nervousness bubble within me.

“She needs a doctor –”

“She’ll have one.” His reply came with no hesitation.

Despite our differences, he was still a good man.

Not everything changed over the past three years, then. The thought gave me comfort.

“Thank you,” I said.

He nodded, then left me.

When Nicholas and the soldiers had gone, I returned to Elva and found her fast asleep in her blanket fort. It had been a long, tiring day, and she was still recovering. She needed all the sleep she could get.

Carefully, I lifted her from under the chair and carried her toward the king-sized bed. She stirred some while I lowered her down, but the minute her little body touched the plush mattress, she sighed and fell right back asleep.

I sat on the edge of the bed and watched her for a while.

I still wasn’t set on staying here, but… if she could get a regular doctor to check her over, and without the burden of medical bills… how could I deny her that?

Julian had been right. I didn’t have a chance at actually winning the selection. If the royal family only wanted me here for good publicity, was there really any harm in me staying and benefiting from their generosity?

It seemed a fair trade.

Brushing a few stray hairs away from Elva’s face, I remembered that I hadn’t told Nicholas or Mark about Elva’s many allergies. I needed to let them know, so they could make the arrangements.

With Elva safe and sleeping soundly, I crossed the room and stuck my head out the door. I heard the echo of some voices. One sounded like Nicholas, though I couldn’t tell what he was saying.

I followed the sound of his voice to a servant’s room at the end of the hallway. The door was half-open.

“This is outrageous! You can’t ask me to cater to the whims of a woman with such loose morals!”

I recognized that voice as Lena, the head maid.

She continued, voice sharp with anger, “Now we are allowing illegitimate children, born in sin, to gallivant around the palace?”

“Lena…” Nicholas sounded tired.

“Thirty years I’ve served this royal household. Thirty years I’ve been a faithful servant to a family that upheld the purest of virtues. That reputation cannot now be stained. You must expel that woman from this palace.”

My heart pounding in my chest. I inched closer, desperate to hear his response.

What would he say? Surely he wouldn’t defend me, but…

The way she was talking about me was too cruel. I wasn’t a stain, and neither was Elva.

“The King has made his decision,” Nicholas said, and a part of my heart broke. That was no answer. It was a deflection.

Did Nicholas truly believe what Lena was saying? Was he only holding back because the King had made his choice?

“Regardless, the child is innocent and will be cared for,” Nicholas continued. “Ensure this runs smoothly, Lena. Bring the doctor here and direct him to Elva.”

My breath caught. Nicholas remembered her name.

“This is absurd,” Lena grumbled.

“Your opinion is noted,” Nicholas said. “Now do it.”

Too late, I realized he was coming toward the door. I scrambled away, but I wasn’t quite able to escape when he saw me.

“Piper?”