Chapter l150

Chapter 0150

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 just stared back brightly, like nothing was

“I surely can’t ask a prince to run errands with me,” I said.

wrong.

Nicholas shrugged like it was no big deal. “It would be good to get away for a while.” He turned away

before I could think to argue. I hurried to sl*p on my shoes, grab a light jacket, and chase after him into the

hallway.

He drove us away from the palace in one of the less flashy sedans. It was black with tinted windows.

“If Julian had any sense, he would use one of these to sneak out properly,” Nicholas said.

I sighed, remembering our great escape of a first date. “Most of the time, he wants to be seen. He lives

for that bad boy persona, I think.”

“A pity that he drags you into it,” Nicholas said.

I supposed that was true, Julian had a way of bringing me straight into trouble, but I was also indebted

to him. Because of him and our outings, I was able to feel my wolf again, even if only briefly.

“He might not be all bad,” I said.

Nicholas’s face hardened. He said nothing more, just glared out the front windshield as we drove closer

to town.

To get to the fabric store, we had to pass through a portion of the town with shuttered up buildings and

run–down cars,

The car doors had locked automatically when Nicholas had started driving, but he clicked lock button

again now, making sure.

“I apologize,” Nicholas said. “A lady shouldn’t have to witness such an unseemly part of town.”

“It doesn’t look all that different from what I’m used to,” I said.

Nicholas turned to glance at me. Then a second time. “You’re serious.

Why would I joke about that? Or had that just been wishful thinking on his part?

“Honestly, Nicholas, much of your kingdom looks like this. Over the past few years, there’s been such an

economic downturn that many people are homeless. I’ve had to work two or three jobs sometimes to

keep a roof over Elva’s head.”

“Two or three jobs?” Nicholas repeated like he didn’t quite believe it.

I

“Yes, and we’d be much worse off if I didn’t find such a good person to room with. Anna has helped me

with Elva more than I could ever thank her for. I’ll be indebted to her the rest of my life already, for these

past couple of years.”

Nicholas’s knuckles turned white on the steering wheel. “Things have been that dire.” It wasn’t a

question, not the way he said it, but I still treated it like one.

“Some points have definitely been better than others. Though the jobs that usually paid well didn’t last

long before they went out of business. It’s tough all over. During some of the low points, I’d have to skip

meals to make sure Elva always got hers.”

I looked out the window, at the burned out streetlights and the tired people trekking down the sidewalks.

Not many had their own cars anymore. Walking and buses were the only way to get anywhere.

That was if the buses ran on time, or showed up at all.

“Living at the palace has felt like a dream. I’ve never eaten so well.”

“You were too skinny when you arrived,” Nicholas said. He sounded distant, like he was talking to me

from somewhere else, and not from the seat beside mine.

I turned my attention to him. “Nicholas?”

His mouth was a hard line.

He said, “I have let my people suffer for too long.”