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.
reclaimed my attention. She recovered quickly this time, thank God, and returned to
she wouldn’t overhear, I said to Julian, “My daughter is frail and sick often.
to his chin. “Piper, you realize this is the royal palace,
“Yes, but-
while you are here, wouldn’t you have access to all the royal
I froze.
the royal family truly be
the care of my family. We wouldn’t simply
eyes at him. Turning away a sick child would surely be
be said,
be being so generous with what
to know the real
asked him, Julian laughed. A roguish light danced in his eyes. They were
more brown than gold, with no flecks of
so different than I was in
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