Chapter 0402
Muchter, after Nichs and I had gone our separate ways for the day, I received notice from a
servant that the candidates were required to go to the foyer for announcements from Nathan. I was
already a bitte, having been so thoroughly lost all morning, so I hurried to join the others.
I was thest one to arrive in the foyer. Though from what I could tell as the stage was still empty,
Nathan had yet to arrive. He came in only a handful of seconds after I joined Veronica, Tiffany, and
Susie at the base of the stage. Beside us Lilliana and Olivia were speaking quietly. The others were
scattered around.
All except Bridget were ounted for. I discovered why when
Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.
e walked in with Nathan. She had her armced through his like he was escorting her. Heughed at
something she said, and she grinned, pleased.
So much for no favoritism. Although, I guessed that was never a hard rule.
Nathan leads Bridget to the base center of the stage, then dipped his head as he backed away. He
rounded toward the stairs then stood in front of all of us. He picked up the microphone and clicked it on.
“Hi, everyone,” Bridget said, looking around. She was met with mostly frowns or mere grunts of
acknowledgement.
“Hello,” Susie said, because she was nice.
“Hi,” I said, because I was trying to be kind like Susie. Inside, I was viciously wondering if she had run
into Nichs and found my scent on him instead of hers. I hoped she did.
“Wee everyone. Thank you for joining us here.” He smiled down at Bridget. “And wee once
more to Bridget. It’s great to see you here. I’m sure we can all agree.”
No one agreed.
Still Bridget kept her bright smile. “Thank you, Nathan.” She ced a hand to her heart. “Truly.”
“It does seem strange,” Olivia said loudly, iming everyone’s attention, even Nathan’s. “Bridget’s
sudden appearance, I mean. Weren’t all the candidates supposed to be pulled from the choosing
ceremony?”
Bridget continued to smile. “What a darling question, Olivia. I’m sure you have an answer that would
satisfy her, don’t you, Nathan?”
+15 B?NUS
“I do,” Nathan said. “A private choosing ceremony was held with only the King, Queen, and myself
present. After the… results of thest elimination, our numbers were left off–bnce. The King and
Queen thought it best to even the numbers again. And the choosing ceremony provided the result.”
Olivia’s face was politely neutral, but I doubted she believed such an obvious lie.
For the choosing ceremony to select Bridget, Nichs’s previous entanglement, from a list of every
single woman in the kingdom felt like a longshot at best, pure deception at worst.
But to say so out loud would be to go against the word of the King’s Beta, and likely the King and
Queen themselves. That was t out treason.
“I do so hope we can all get along,” Bridget said.
“Are there any more questions?” Nathan asked, looking squarely at Olivia.
She, however, was as diplomatic and high–bred as they came. She knew better than anyone when to
back down. “No, sir. I thank you for your exnation.”
“You are very wee,” Nathan said. “Now. I would like to announce the next event. All candidates will
work together to put on a performance of a famous local stage y for the enjoyment of the royal
family. This will showcase your acting abilities. The Luna is a very talented individual herself.”
“Oh, how lucky!” Bridget gasped in delight. She pped her hands together. Looking around, she said,
“I promise to give you all pointers.”
“Forget packing my bags,” Tiffany muttered under her breath. “I should just start walking home.”
“It will be fine,” Veronica whispered back. “She may win the most points but she can’t win them all.”
Looking at Bridget, at her movie star good looks and trained smile,plete with dimples, I wasn’t so
sure. If anyone could sweep an entire event, it would be superstar Bridget in an event undoubtedly built
just to showcase her.
“I can’t be on stage,” Susie whispered. She worried her hands together. There was fear in her eyes.
With her social anxiety, she was likely to lock up or have a panic attack or both. A terrible thing that I
didn’t want to see happen to her.
“Maybe they need stage hands,” I suggested. A stage hand could be talented too. Or perhaps she
could help design the sets. “We’ll figure something out.”
She nodded but it was nervous still. “Thank you.”
+15 BONUS
I looked across the room to see how the others were reacting. Only Bridget seemed happy. Lilliana
wore a small smile though. She’d be a yer in this event, that was for sure.
Olivia wore an expression that gave me pause: With her upbringing, she always seemed to have a cool
expression that would weather any drama. But this was something else. When she looked over at
Bridget, she looked downright vicious.
Maybe she never considered herself to have a rival before, and now there was one here, right in front
of her. One even her haughty ego couldn’t deny was a threat.
Yet, while Olivia was ring at Bridget, Bridget was smiling back at me. I swallowed nervously.
“That is all,” Nathan said. “Thank you for your time.”
The girls slowly began to file out. Tiffany was grumbling to Veronica. Susie had her arms wrapped
around herself. Olivia walked with her head held high. Lilliana seemed smugger than usual.
As I was about to follow them, Bridget approached me. Her smile and manner were friendly, but my
wolf whispered a warning.
“She is plotting something.”
“Piper, hello, so great to see you,” she said.
“Yes,” I said. If friendliness was the game she wanted to y now, I could match it. “How are you
adjusting to the pce? I can only imagine what your home look like. This might be quaint.”
Sheughed. “Oh, you are kind. It’s true my efforts and talents have gifted me much good fortune in
life. My mansion is spacious. Well, many of them are, I should say.”
She’s rich, got it. Nice of her to want to rub that in my face.
“But the pce is something else,” she said. “It always has been. A true gem of our kingdom. A ce
full of so much rich history, including some of my own. Do
that I spent much time here in my youth and my teen years.”
you
1
“I heard a thing or two,” I said.
“From Nichs, I presume?” Her smile grew wider.
“No. From the staff,” I said. “Nichs hasn’t said much, other than you are an old friend.”
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+15 BONUS
“Ah.” She lowered her head. Maybe hiding her disappointment? I couldn’t tell, and it was gone by the
time she looked back up. “Well, no matter. You know I am an old friend, and that is enough of a
backdrop for what I need to tell you now.”
I didn’t understand. Because I wasn’t a great actress, my confusion showed on my face.
“I care about Nichs, you see. And I’ve heard plenty of rumors of my own. About you. About him.
About the two of you together. So I am asking you straight out, Piper. What exactly was your past
rtionship with Nichs?”