Chapter 239


    Chapter 0239


    The guard who had opened his mouth immediately did so again. “Many apologies, Your Royal Highness.


    We meant no offense. It was not meant to be a secret from you, though…” His gaze shifted to me.


    Beside me, Nichs straightened, body tense as a bow string. “So you are following us?”


    “Following Miss Piper, Sir.” The guard started to sweat. “There have been reports of suspicious behavior.


    For the safety of all, the captain‘ thought we should keep an eye on her.”


    I remembered Lilliana speaking with Joseph in the hallway, as they both red at me. Shortly after,


    Lilliana had made usations at me that I hadn’t understood at the time.


    “And you suspect she will perform this suspicious behavior even when she is in mypany?”


    Nichs’s voice was going eerily emotionless. His anger must have been skyr?cketing……


    I touched his arm, hoping to soothe him. “They only mean to protect you, Prince Nichs.” I lowered my


    voice. “Perhaps it is best if they continue to do so.”


    He nced at me sharply. “What?”


    To the guards, I said, “I understand your precautions, gentlemen, and take no offense.”


    The one who had spoken nodded at me, but then looked to Nichs. The other had yet to lift his chin.


    from his chest.


    Nichs searched my face. I didn’t know what he saw there, but he eventually dismissed the guards.”


    Carry on, then.”


    He tugged me forward. When a buffer of space had opened between us and our tail, he said to me,


    What are you thinking, Piper? They don’t need to be following you around. That’s ridiculous.”


    “We both know I wouldn’t do something,” I said. “But isn’t it safer if they keep a lookout for who they


    think is me? They can follow her, too. This way, if she tries to hurt someone, they might be there. They


    can


    step in and stop her.”


    In my heart, I doubted Jane would be so careless as to let herself be trapped by the guard. If even I had


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    noticed them following us, Jane, with her years of on–the–run experience, would never have been


    caught


    unawares.


    Still, even if the guards‘ presence only made her more cautious, that was time she spent hiding rather


    than carrying out whatever n she and Terry had up their sleeves. I only hoped it would give us enough


    of a chance to catch up.


    “If Jane does do something, and the guards see, you will take the me, Piper,” Nichs said. “A


    guard’s word holds weight. You could even be tried.”


    I understood the risk. “I’d never put the weight of my future over the potential life of anyone else.”


    “We don’t know she would kill anyone,” Nichs said.


    I thought of Jane with her knife to my throat. “We don’t know she wouldn’t either.”


    He shook his head. “Maybe it’s time to simply reveal the secret of your sister’s existence. She’s been in


    the shadows too long. If we force her out into the light –”


    “No,” I said, cutting him off. I understood his heart was in the right ce, and was so grateful for it, but


    that was one secret that needed to stay buried as long as possible. “How would I ever exin to Elva?” 1


    “She wouldn’t make the connection.”


    “Not right away, maybe. But she’s bright, Nick. She sees everything. Eventually she will start asking


    questions. And I don’t know that I have the answers to give her.”


    “Maybe she should find out the truth,” Nichs said. “Would that be so bad?”


    “She’s practically still a baby. I can’t shatter her whole world like that.”


    I tried to imagine a universe where Elva stopped calling me Mommy and it took everything in me not to


    cry again.


    “Please, Nichs. Keep this secret. For me.” (1


    His jawline tensed. But, after a moment, he said, “Fine.” A beatter, he added, “For now.”