Chapter 0068

I awoke the next morning to the sound of thunder outside my window and pounding on my bedroom door. I’d barely gotten out of bed when the door burst open and a slew of Joseph’s guards flooded in.

“Mommy!” Elva shouted as she hid under the covers.

“At least let me get dressed,” I said, holding up my hands.

The guard closest to me shook his head. “Orders are orders.” He grabbed me roughly by the arm and

dragged me toward the door.

met

In the hallway, Joseph’s guards were arguing with Nicholas’s. Mark was running toward me.

“Mark!” I called to him. “Elva’s in there!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll watch her!” he called back. He tried to come closer to me, but one of the guards roughly

shoved him. “Hey!”

“Mark, please.” I was worried he might start something. “Elva!”

Mark grit his teeth, but stepped backwards, letting the guards and me pass.

“Keep her away from this! Please!”

“I will,” he promised.

hallways. It was early, just before dawn, but many of

heads out of their doors to

Likely this was not something

to see.

the ground floor, near the back door, Lena

change,” I said, hoping to appeal to her sense of decency.

nightgown, it would

should have thought of that

Somewhere between being startled awake and dragged into

back to her would get me nowhere. I had no power

forward, out into the gardens. They forced me down to my knees

of them warned. Then they

from the palace. I

reasoned, looking out at the flowers

rain pelted down on me like tiny, frozen daggers. After only a few minutes,

I wrapped my

hadn’t said I couldn’t do that. It was

growing chill.

long I kneeled there. The cold had

struck a nearby tree and I

tears flowed freely, with the rain to hide them. I was cold and tired and miserable, but I couldn’t

  1. up.

what they wanted me to do. They

I couldn’t. Elva needed her medicine. Julian and I were

trade. And Nicholas…

The way he smiled. His kindness when

could never be together again like we had been in the past, but I’d enjoyed being around him. Compared

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