At the banquet that night, I sat beside Julian same as always, but other than the most basic of greetings, we had not spoken to each other.
“Hello, Piper.”
“Hello, Prince Julian.”
Fortunately, Veronica and Tiffany seemed fine with talking with Julian in my stead, and Julian himself made no attempts to talk to me either.
Instead of speaking with him and risking an undoubtedly awkward conversation, I let my attention wander down the table some, where Nicholas was speaking with Lilliana and Olivia.
With only 8 candidates left, the servants had shortened the table, removing many of the empty chairs. This brought us all closer together and made the space feel much more intimate.
Nicholas was giving both of the girls his undivided attention, looking at them as they spoke and responding whe
