When we were dismissed for the day, I hurried back to my room. I didn’t feel whole again until I pulled Elva into my arms for a hug. “What’s wrong, Mommy?” Elva asked. She had a way of making me feel like the most important person in the entire world. I was so grateful for that. It gave me the str

The next afternoon, Elva and I watched from the window as the second garden party was held down below. Because of the delay, the girls had been given another chance to remake their food items that morning. This seemed a bit unfair, since their appetizers would be much fresher than those from the d

He motioned for the Queen, who stepped forward. “Maintaining diplomatic relations is one of the most essential rules for a Luna. Finding common ground with those often considered to be your enemies is a vital piece of this diplomacy.” “Thank you, Your Majesty,” Nathan said. The girls and I clapp

Nicholas I was trying my absolute best to feel good about this hug I was currently having with Lilliana, but I couldn’t keep my full body from cringing away from it. As hard as I tried, I just couldn’t get my chest and my legs to cooperate. Inside, I wanted to be as far from Lilliana as possible

Elva wiped her nose with her sleeve. Her eyes fixed on me, she asked, “But what about Mommy?” “Oh, sweetie,” Piper said. “We’ve talked about this.” “You like her more than Mommy?” “I’m sorry,” Piper said to me. I shook my head. “No. I don’t like her more than your mom.” I looked at Piper a

Terry had said that he had heard a lot about me. I was hoping it was mostly good things, but knowing he was the Luna’s brother, I had some doubts. The Luna herself did not seem overly fond of me. When Nicholas stepped between us, I began to wonder if there was more going on than I was aware. Ter

“Don’t be coy, now, Your Majesty,” Terry said with an easy smile. “You should tell the girls that I will be helping to judge the Second Ball.” The King nodded. “It is as he says.” The candidates began to chatter. If Terry was to be a judge, then it would be beneficial to earn his good favor. Y

The servants brought out soup bowls for each of us seated. Terry and Julian both received theirs before me. To do something with my hands, I was eager to lift my soup spoon and stir, even though it was yet too hot to eat. I couldn’t look at Terry anymore. I didn’t want to see the way he was lookin

Charlotte and I scoured through some magazines, looking at design ideas for new gowns for the Second Ball. Since us candidates needed to conceal our true identities as part of the challenge, Elva and I couldn’t match this time. Therefore, every time we saw a cute kids’ costume, I showed Elva to se

Five minutes after that, I excused myself from the party when Mark called for me. As I headed to the door, I nearly tripped over my feet, spotting Nicholas waiting there. “Prince Nicholas,” I said. “What a surprise.” “You wanted to go to the store?” he asked me. I glanced at Mark, but he jus