Chatper 356


    Chapter 0356


    “It’s just strange,” Julian said, as he escorted me from our room for one of our dates. “I guess since


    pretty much the time the King saw you and Nichs, he’s been locked up with his advisors. I’ve seen


    him many once in passing, but he didn’t stop to talk to me.”


    To me, that didn’t seem all that strange. Up until the event began, the royal family were reclusive. Even


    the King himself was not typically seen. However, for Julian to be so worried about it that he would


    bring it up with me, indicated a deeper problem than I would have otherwise assumed.


    “Is that so unusual for him?” I asked. “He doesn’t seem like a big family man.”


    “Maybe,” Julian said. “But usually he keeps us three princes in on the ns. Whatever ideas he and his


    advisors areing up with now, I don’t think he’s even talking to Nichs about


    Watching his puzzled expression, I frowned in solidarity with him.


    “My parents think I’m a wildcard, they might not tell me everything,” Julian said. “But to keep Nichs


    out of the loop, too? It’s troubling. God knows what kind of ns they are concocting without our input.”


    “Surely the advisors would know what they are doing?” I asked.


    Julian sighed. “I wouldn’t trust those guys with my lunch order, let alone the sake of the whole nation. I


    guess the fact that nothing has happened yet is a measure offort. Some of those advisors, I’m


    sure, want to chase away the protestors with violence.”


    My nerves prickled. “Wouldn’t that just make the protests worse?”


    “Protests?” Julian huffed a sharpugh. It had no humor in it and died quickly. “That kind of act might


    trigger a civil war.”


    My heart jumped once with sharp worry.


    Julian noticed, maybe from the look of increasing worry on my face, andmented. “I’m sorry, Piper. I


    shouldn’t talk to you about these things.”


    “You can talk to me about whatever you like,” I said.


    He shrugged. “Yeah, but it’s cruel of me to put all of this on you. Besides, maybe you are right. Maybe


    the advisors are actuallying up with good ideas this time. Or my father is. Anything is possible.”


    I let the words settle in around me. Perhaps Julian was needlessly worrying, but… he was always so


    observant. I had trouble believing he could be wrong about anything he’d witnessed.


    1/2


    “We haven’t seen much of Prince Joyce either,” I said, just to make conversation, and hopefully, to pull


    the conversation away from more ominous worries.


    “He does stay cooped up in his room most days. He loves to read,” Julian said. Though, as my words


    lingered, he said, “When was thest time you saw him?”


    I tried to think back. We’d had no formal dinners in a while, nor events.


    “Thest time I saw him was that night on the balcony,” I said. “When he’d given me that letter.”


    “And locked you out there,” Julian added. He sounded suddenly pensive.


    I didn’t really want to think about that part, but, “Yes.”


    He’d never apologized for that, though perhaps he never realized that he’d done it. If he’s been locked


    up in his room, then who would have told him? The only other people who knew about it were Julian


    and Nichs. 1


    “You haven’t spoken with him, either?” I asked Julian.


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    “No. I haven’t even seen him myself.” Julian sighed. “But that’s not so unusual either. As I said, he


    oftentimes stays in his room. And if father hasn’t summoned us…”


    I nodded.


    “Sometimes I think about that night,” Julian said.


    “Me, too,” I said. What almost happened to Nichs stayed with me all the time. I clutched it


    my close. That memory was what would help me, when the time came, to deal with sister.


    “I don’t just mean what happened after we went after Nichs…” Julian added. He seemed far away


    for a moment. I wondered where he went.