Chapter l155

Chapter 0155

I sat in a sitting room at a table for two, having tea and pastries with Julian, I wasn’t surprised when

Julian asked me on another date. We had plenty left to investigate, after all. But I was confused when he

led me here, to what seemed like a legitimate date.

I was startled that Nicholas and Lilliana were also here, having the same assortment of tea and snacks

at an identical table on the other side of the medium–sized room, In the corner, one of the servants

masterfully played the pianoforte.

Cameras covered almost every angle of the room, coming in closer to our faces every now and then.

I leaned closer to Julian so the cameras wouldn’t overhear.

“So what’s the plan?” I asked him.

He looked at me with a lifted brow. “Enjoy our tea and pastries?”

I frowned at him. “Are we not… Investigating?”

“Here?” He glanced around. “Heavens, no.”

“But… you asked me on a date.”

“Maybe I just wanted to enjoy the pleasure of your company.”

I gave him a flat look.

He relented with a sigh. “Fine. My dear uncle Terry clearly has some suspicions about us. It makes sense

to prove them untrue by going on an actual date. Think of it as a cover for our cover.”

That didn’t feel like the full truth. “There’s more, isn’t there?”

He smiled at me for a moment, then gestured to my teacup. “Would you like more tea?”

He wouldn’t tell me, then. Julian was always so secretive, sometimes it was downright frustrating.

As Julian poured more tea into my teacup, I glanced over to the other table, where Nicholas was sitting across from Lilliana. They hadn’t talked much, just quietly enjoyed their tea. Nicholas’s back was ramrod

straight. A frown was heavy on his l*ps.

I couldn’t help but worry about him. Was this the future he truly wanted for himself? To sit across from

someone every day who he couldn’t even speak to?

Don’t worry about him,” Jullan said, speaking softly near my ear. “He’s probably still sulking from when

That caught my interest and I swiveled back to Julian. “The King lectured him?”

Julian shrugged. “Good little Nicholas was trying to convince our parents to care about the plight of the common people. Unsuccessfully, I might add, especially with Terry there.”

My heart warmed from the inside out. Nicholas had tried to advocate for the people? Could he have truly

listened to me when I told him about the common people’s hardships?

A smile tugged at my l*ps.

Suddenly, Julian’s hand was cupping my face. Gently, he brushed his thumb against the corner of my

mouth.

He smiled at me. “Crumbs,” he said, like that was a reasonable explanation for why he was touching me

so familiarly, or for so long.

A sharp crack sounded from the other table.

“Prince Nicholas Lilliana gasped.

We all turned to look.

Nicholas had cracked off the handle of his teacup

Julian, chuckling, lowered his hand. I glared at him.

“You did that just to upset Nicholas!” I said, hushed.

The producers, meanwhile, pulled the cameramen closer to Nicholas.

“What happened there?” one of them asked him. “Faulty cup?”

“It’s old,” Nicholas said and pushed it aside. He offered no other explanation. The camera crew waited a

moment more, then pulled away, disappointed by what they perceived as a lack of story.

Julian cleared his throat, and I knew he meant trouble.

“Prince Julian –“I tried to cut him off, but he simply spoke loudly, talking over me.

“Please tell me what you are dressing as at the ball, Piper, so that I can coordinate.”

The producers gasped and redirected the cameras over to us.

Julian had put me on the spot. If we coordinated, this would solidify our status as a couple. I was not

ready for that move.

un

Glancing over, I noticed Nicholas watching me with piercing eyes. His mouth was a hard line, and his

jawline tense. He looked about ready to fl*p both tables.