Chapter 502

Chapter 0502 The moment the boat returned to the royal private island, I rushed off of it in search of Elva. I found her on the beach, building sandcastles with Veronica.

Elva looked up at me and scrunched her nose. “Why are you so dirty, Mommy?” I rushed to her side. I so desperately wanted to hug her, but, looking down, I was still covered in a thick layer of grime.

She didn’t seem overly concerned with seeing me again, aside from my unclean appearance.

I glanced at Veronica in confusion.

Veronica dipped her head back,

indicating she wanted to speak privately.

Elva continued to stare at me in question.

«1... uh... fell in a puddle,” I said.

Elva nodded, like that was a perfectly reasonable way to be this dirty. “You should change.” «1 will, sweetheart.” I still leaned in and kissed the top of her head, even though she squirmed away and said, “Ewww!” She giggled as she did it. It was good to see her laughing. I felt like some tangled up mess inside of me was starting to unravel.

I sidestepped away from Elva then, letting her return to her sandcastle as joined Veronica waiting nearby. We

were close enough to keep an eye on Elva without her easily overhearing us.

“you didn’t tell her,” I said to Veronica.

“She doesn’t know what was going on, no.” Veronica dipped her head a little, perhaps in apology. “I thought it better not to worry her. Especially after I told Prince Nicholas and he rushed to rescue you. I knew he would find you and bring you back.” I could see it then, with the subtle lilt in Veronica's voice and the bags hanging heavy under her eyes, that she had agonized over this choice. Likely, she had worried for me as well.

[ reached out and placed my hand on her forearm. I didn’t press to heavily, aware of my own dirt. But I wanted to

convey my appreciation in a way beyond words.

She was a good friend to me. I wanted her to know that I knew that.

“I’m okay, Veronica,” I said. “You made the right choice.” She shook her head lightly. “I should have been stronger.” I blinked, confused. “Stronger how?” She glared down at her own hands as if they had personally offended her. “IFT had more power... If I could control the teleportation, you never would have been stuck down there. I could have saved you instantly, all on my own.” That was what she was worried about?

“you still saved me,” I reminded her.

“you told Nicholas where I was.” “But what if he hadn’t been on that boat? No one else wanted to risk it, knowing they’d be stuck on the island in the storm. If Nicholas hadn’t been there, no one else would have listened to me.” She sighed. “Twill get stronger. I will master this power. And I will be able to save us both if there is a next time.” There was no arguing with Veronica when she was like this, I had learned.

She was a very independent person.

She spoke only when she had something important to say. For her to make this vow aloud meant that she had already made it within herself.

She was just telling me. This was how

it was going to be. There was no room for arguments.

All I could do was support her however I could. I patted her arm gently, mindful of my dirt and grim, and then pulled my hand away.

I went to my room to shower and change. My bed looked so very tempting. I was absolutely exhausted.

But I was too worried about Nicholas, and what his parents were saying to him, that I didn’t want to go to sleep until I knew everything was okay.

I changed into soft linen clothes and returned downstairs. There was still no sign of Nicholas.

[ walked over to Julian, who was drinking a lemonade — possibly filled with alcohol — over by the edge of the deck. After accepting a glass of ice

water from a servant, I made my way over to him.

Julian looked me over as I approached him.

I held out my arms. “Better?” He laughed. “Significantly less dirty and smelly, yes.” “Thanks,” I grumbled as I rested my elbows on the railing of the deck.

He turned, mimicking me, and together we looked out over the water.

«] never want to see a jungle as long as live,” I said. I sipped my water.

«I don’t blame you.” He paused a moment, as if considering his words.

«We need to figure out who dug that pit.”

[ looked at him sideways, surprised. I had thought that pit had been placed there a long time ago and just forgotten about, but Julian was making the face he always made when he was deeply considering something. This left me unsure.

[ was afraid to ask too much. I didn’t even want to consider that I might have been set up. That seemed too horrible for words.

What if I had broken a leg? What if I had broken my neck? It seemed too terrible to consider. I didn’t want to think anyone here capable of such a thing.

So I switched my train of thought and our conversation back to something still terrible, but significantly less so.

«1 wonder what is taking Nicholas so long,” 1 said.

“you probably won't see him for the rest of the day,” Julian said. “Our parents are very pissed. I didn’t even talk to them, and I know that.” I eyed him again. “Pissed about what?” Julian laughed. “What aren’t they pissed about? That their oldest son rushed into danger to rescue someone they don’t like? Or everything that happened after.” That stumped me even Worse that what he’d said before.

Julian glanced at my confused face and sighed. “There were cameras set up all over that island, Piper. My parents and the producers didn’t want to miss a

moment of the drama.” Cameras... on the island...? { The blood drained from my face.

«There weren’t cameras in the cave?” «Not inside the cave, no,” Julian said.

Yet before I could relax, he added, “But one did face the cave entrance.” No. That couldn’t be possible. Did that mean that footage existed of Nicholas and I... and what we did in that cave...

«The cameras showed Nicholas taking his clothes off,” Julian said. “I saw the footage myself.” A pit opened up in my stomach. I wanted to fall into the ground and hide forever.

«gut then he rolled away, and the rest was too grainy to see,” Julian continued.

[ exhaled in relief. Oh. Okay. So the worst of what we’d done remained hidden. And this wasn’t the worst news, I supposed. “The producers edited all of that out, right?” I couldn’t imagine anyone in production wanted Nicholas’s royal backside aired across all televisions.

The royal family would be furious.

But then I realized, the royal family was furious.

Julian’s gaze dipped away, and that pit in my stomach became a black hole.

«Unfortunately, the footage was broadcast live.”