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
she wouldn’t overhear, I said to Julian, “My daughter is frail and sick often. I have to work hard to care for
tapped a finger to his chin. “Piper, you realize this is the royal palace,
“Yes, but-
are here, wouldn’t you have access to all the royal resources? Including
I froze.
the royal family truly be willing
my face. “While you are here, you are under the care of my family. We wouldn’t simply stand by and let
a sick child would
would be horrible, be said,
so
know
asked him, Julian laughed. A roguish light danced in his eyes. They were different
brown than gold, with
different than I was in the Academy,”
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