Chapter 0435


    That night, Nichs and Julian joined the rest of the candidates and me in the dining room for dinner


    together. Elva was tired from the day’s events, so I returned her to our room where the nanny was


    waiting to keep an eye on her. Julian joined me at the door, to walk down to the dining room together.


    When we entered, Bridget had taken her usual spot, with Nichs on her one side. The other side was


    open, presumably for Julian. She spotted us as we came in, and tried to wave us or, well, Julian – over.


    “She wants you to sit next to her,” I whispered to him.


    “I need space from her tonight,” he replied.


    Nodding, I led him away from Bridget and over to where my usual spot was beside Susie, and across


    from Tiffany and Veronica. Since Elva was absent, her seat was empty. Julian sat down in that seat


    now.


    Bridget watched us from her spot at the table. Her ever–present smile seemed slightly dimmer than


    before.


    “You should have been the lead, Prince Julian,” Tiffany said. “No offense to Prince Nichs, but you


    are a true actor. It’s like you were born to be on stage.


    Thepliment seemed to puff Julian back up and he returned to life. His grin slid right back on his


    face very easily.


    “Thank you, my dear,” he said.


    “I like Bridget,” Tiffany continued, “But I’m not so convinced about her giving the perfect. roles to


    everyone. Piper, didn’t she try to make you a maid?”


    I groaned, and everyone around me chuckled a little. Even Julian.


    “God, I forgot about that,” he said.


    Maybe he forgot. Or maybe he’d been so blindsided by love that he hadn’t noticed Bridget’s slights


    against me to start with.


    Bottles of champagne came out then, and sses were filled all around.


    Nichs, holding his ss, stood up. He held it up like he was going to make a toast.


    Yet before he could speak, Bridget bounced to her feet and held up her own ss. “Nichs


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    and I have been speaking tonight about how wonderful this event has been. Granted, I haven’t been


    around for the other events, but this truly seems like the best one yet.


    Veronica gave me a t look that had me hide myugh behind my napkin.


    Bridget narrowed her eyes at me for a fraction of a second before continuing.


    “The beauty of the theater is how every person is an imperative moving part. It is only through


    everyone’s great effort that this event will be a sess. Yes, Nichs and I will draw most of the


    attention, but we will shine because of your hard work.”


    Susie looked at me now, back over her shoulder. “Is this supposed to be motivating?” she whispered.


    I gave her a shrug.


    Bridget didn’t notice this time.


    “So I offer a hardy thank you.” She lifted her ss. “You should all pat yourselves on the back for your


    aplishments here. To us!” She drank. The rest of us followed suit, thought with varying degrees of


    enthusiasm, none as bright as hers.


    Susie pretended to sip at hers, then slipped some of it into my ss under the table when I motioned


    her to. No one was the wiser.


    After drinking, Bridget turned and smiled at Nichs. He gave a small smile in return, then


    cleared his throat.


    “Thank you, Bridget. Though I would also like to thank everyone for their hard work. Though some roles


    are smaller than others, there are no unimportant parts in this show. Your dedication to this event has


    been seen and appreciated. Thank you all very much. To you.” He lifted his ss.


    “To us!” Everyone said, the words absent when Bridget had toasted. Her smile tightened at little, but by


    the time she had finished drinking, it was back to full wattage.


    After the toasts, we continued to drink and have a good time. Though, not too longter, Julian kissed


    me on the cheek.


    “I’ve had a long day,” he said. “I want to turn in early.”


    I smiled at him. “See


    you tomorrow.”


    “Count on it.” He winked at me. Then he stood and left the room.


    “It’s nice to see him having some fun,” Tiffany said. “He hasn’t really been himselftely.”


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    “I agree,” Veronica said. “He has been absent from the library these past few days.”


    I tilted my head a little. “Does he usually visit you there?”


    “Every day,” Veronica said. “At least for a little while.”


    “We used to y cards in the afternoon most days,” Tiffany said. “I hope I didn’t offend him when I


    caught him counting. Though he seemed more humored at the time.”


    I had no idea Julian worked so hard to make time for each of us so often. Though now, his fascination


    with Bridget felt even sadder. Whether he hung out with the three of us for romantic pursuits or for


    friendship, those rtionships began to wilt the moment she returned to the picture.


    “I’ve noticed he doesn’t smile as much,” Susie said, and we all agreed.


    We stay until the champagne ran dry and people began to yawn. We truly had a long day and would


    likely have an even longer one the next day. The real party could happen when the event was finished.


    Susie excused herself first, then Veronica. Tiffany stayed a bit longer, chatting up Jessica beside her.


    Nichs came to my side, then, and offered his arm. “If you are ready to leave,” he said, “I would be


    honored to walk you back to your room.


    ”


    I looked at him strangely, thinking to myself, Bridget would hate that. Yet when I nced to where


    Bridget had been sitting, her seat was empty. Did she slip out? When? I couldn’t remember. After the


    toasts, I’d had such a good time, I stopped paying her any mind.


    “Where’s Bridget?” I asked. I couldn’t help myself.


    He seemed puzzled by my question. “I lost track of her,” he said. “But I think she left sometime after


    Julian.” 1


    Odd, but her loss was my gain. I slid my arm into Nichs’s waiting one and let him escort


    me from the room.


    A quiet sense ofpanionship settled over us again, bridges mended with his apology. We both at


    least understood now why I was upset. And I understood he hadn’t meant it to hurt


    1. me.


    Silence lingered in the hallways, all except the sounds of our footsteps. On the staircase, he stopped


    me, turned to me, and said, “If it were up to me… If I could personally choose who to have a family


    with, I’d want it to be you, Piper.”


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    My eyes went wide. My heart ached.


    “My feelings for you are not what stand in our way,” he said.


    The crown was important, not just to him or to me, but to the entire kingdom. And he would make a


    great king. Who was I, a lonely waitress, to ask him to turn his back on that so that we could live some


    little, beautiful but impossible dream.


    Would we move to the country? Buy a little cottage? Stick our heads in the sand any news or politics


    came into discussion around us?


    time


    No.


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    Nichs was born to be king.


    What could I do but support him? Even if that meant my dream had to die.


    “I understand,” I said.


    Then he leaned down and gently kissed me.


    My heart ached.


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