“It doesn’t seem like this exhaustion is directly related to her illness,” the doctor told me. We stood a

few feet away from the bed where Elva rested, watching her. “She likely got so excited for tonight that she

simply wore herself out.”

“So she’ll be alright?” I asked.

The doctor nodded. “She just needs a good night’s rest. Let her sleep. In the morning, I’ll return and

check on her.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

The doctor saw herself out. When she’d gone, Mark approached me.

“I can watch her,” he said. “I’ll stay inside the room. No one will get past me.”

I was worried about what Jane might have been getting up to at the gala in my absence.

Mark checked his phone. He frowned.

“Something wrong?” I asked. My heart began to race.

“Still no reply from Prince Nicholas,” Mark said. “I’m wondering if he received my messages.”

“Maybe he hasn’t checked,” I said. “When I last saw him, he was busy talking with the benefactors. It

rude to check his phone at that

seem convinced. “I tried to

think…?” No, surely Nicholas would be able to tell the difference

there,” Mark said,

time, and brushed

rising and falling with

dreams, princess,”

Then I stepped away.

I walked into the ballroom, I felt the weight of many pairs of eyes all

else. “She changed again. Who does she think she is? None of the rest

were talking about. I hadn’t

and Veronica were casting me dark looks. Only Susie waved when our eyes locked, though she looked more worried than pleased

and then for

walking toward me.

asked at once. “What was

dust,” I answered

whole body seemed wired with tension. A muscle ticked

corner of his

looking at me like they want to push me off a

said. “She pretended to be

had taken root in my stomach blossomed

“What did she do?”

purposefully insulted many of the benefactors

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