Chapter l227

Chapter 0227

I nodded, just as Elva returned with her third doll.

Nicholas stayed to play until late in the morning, when his duties finally pulled him away. He hugged Elva

extra tightly before he left. He squeezed me too, though I pretended not to notice.

After lunch, Tiffany stopped me just outside in the hallway. She pulled me to the side so that we could

speak privately for a minute.

“What did you want to talk about?” I asked when we were far enough away from the door that the other

girls couldn’t overhear.

“Listen, Piper, Veronica and I have been noticing some strange behavior from you lately. It’s kind of

freaking everyone out.”

She seemed earnestly concerned, her brow bunched up.

Lilliana had accused me of things too, but this didn’t feel like that. Lilliana was a master manipulator. I’d

only known Tiffany to speak her mind.

“Tiffany, I really don’t know what you are talking about,” I said. I placed my hand on my heart, hoping she could see the sincerity I was trying to convey.

She must of, because her brow scrunched further. “Veronica and some of the other girls too have noticed you walking around alone in odd places of the palace at strange hours. Jessica said she saw your

going in and out of rooms!”

Now, I could be accused of wandering around in the night, though usually I had Nicholas or Julian on my arm. It could even be said that I had been in odd places, since I’d been down into the cellar. But never, ever, had I gone into anyone’s room but my own.

The person Jessica and the other girls had seen must have been my sister Jane. But I couldn’t just.tell that to Tiffany without exposing that I had a twin.

“I swear that w

that whoever that is, it isn’t me,” I said. “Maybe there’s someone who looks like me and has been doing all that. But it’s not me.”

Tiffany frowned at me some. I could tell that she didn’t fully believe me. I couldn’t exactly blame her since I wasn’t telling the full truth of what I knew.

“But if this isn’t you, and just someone who looks like you, why haven’t we seen her around during the day? Like, surely if you had a twin somewhere around, someone would have noticed her.”

I didn’t flinch, but only because I was holding every muscle in my b*dy extremely tightly.

“Listen, if that’s you, if that isn’t you, you better figure it out.” Tiffany pointed at me. “Because Lilliana has talked to the guards and they’re all starting to keep an eye out for you. You’re going to want to clear this.

up before it’s too late.”

I had every intention of clearing it up, though not necessarily in the way she thought.

No, instead, I was going to track down my sister and find out just what she was up to, and why, and

make her stop before she hurt someone or herself.

That Jane had been able to get so close to Elva still gave me shudders. She could have done anything

while I was fast asleep.

No number of assurances from Nicholas would help me feel safe again. I wasn’t sure I would be able to

sleep even if Nicholas himself camped outside my door to protect me.

No. I’d only rest peacefully once more when Jane was caught, and the underground organization

dismantled.

At the very least, when they no longer had Elva in their sights.

“Thank you, Tiffany,” I said. “I’ll get to the bottom of this.”

Tiffany nodded and left me. As I watched her go, I couldn’t wait for nightfall.

Jane had come to see me.

Soon it would be my turn to return the favor.