But Julian would know, because he was there.
In another life, being near Nicholas would have given me enough reason to want to stay.
But he’d made his feelings about me clear. And I had other priorities.
My gaze slid to Elva, playing with her dolls at the foot of the bed.
“I don’t want to play house,” I said. “Nor do I want to partake in this game of undercutting nobles and
chasing princes.”
I had been away from nobility for a long time, but I hadn’t forgotten their cutthroat politics, where an action as small as selecting the wrong utensil at dinner could start a blood feud. Backstabbing, betrayals, pretending to be nice just to make someone vulnerable…
The memories made my already tired body even more exhausted.
and immediately reclaimed my attention. She recovered quickly this time, thank God, and returned to
said to Julian, “My daughter is frail and sick often. I have to work hard to care for her. I can’t
a finger to his chin. “Piper, you realize this
“Yes, but-
wouldn’t you have access to all the royal resources? Including our medical staff
I froze.
royal family truly be willing to use their resources to help
are under the care of my family. We wouldn’t simply stand by and
him. Turning away a sick child would surely be bad for
would be horrible, be
was be being so
know the real
roguish light danced in his eyes.
more brown than gold,
than I was in the
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
The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!