LOGINI wouldn’t egg him on when he was in a mood like this. On our own, we each showered and changed. We read while in bed, utterly ignoring each other. Grayson went to bed first, his back to me. I turned off the light, set my book aside, and went to bed too, my back to him.The distance between us felt
Lillian’s POVI was grateful for Clara’s warning, because all day long, through the brunch event, the lunch event, tea, and dinner, I heard others talking about the rumors like I wasn’t even present.“They’ll be such a lovely couple.”“And think of the political gains! To have the kingdoms tied toge
Lillian’s POV“Did he send you?” I asked Ivory.“No,” Ivory said. “But I saw what happened, and where he went. I knew you were waiting. When I found out you hadn’t been told, I came here myself.”I lowered my chin. “Thank you for that. Maybe he thought he wouldn’t be so long. Or he lost track of tim
Lillian’s POVI placed my hand in Grayson’s, and his fingers closed around the back of my palm. People were whispering around us. Even Odette lightly gasped. But Grayson paid them little mind, and with his attention all on me like it was, I had a difficult time looking away from him long enough to n
Lillian’s POVSo focused on planning and training, the days ticked by and before I really knew it, the day of Odette’s welcome banquet, my birthday, arrived. I had only seen Grayson in passing, not spending more than a moment’s greeting since he had kissed me in the ballroom during planning.At nigh
Lillian’s POVWhen I wasn’t pushing myself to my limits on the training ground, I dedicated myself to actually planning Odette’s welcoming event. I wasn’t looking forward to the event, and I still had unhappy feelings about it taking place on my birthday, without any acknowledgement of my birthday a
Lillian’s POVEarly the next morning, as I tried to sneak down to the kitchen for breakfast, I barely made it into the main hallway, before Josephine spotted me, rushed toward me, and slapped me across the face.I hadn’t even seen her coming. It wasn’t until I felt the sting on my cheek that I under
Lillian’s POVBefore I could even attempt to defend myself, Piers pointed an accusatory finger at me and declared, “This harlot attempted to seduce me.”“I did not,” I snapped.“I was simply heading toward the bathroom. You saw it, Josie. You saw how she came onto me, didn’t you? Look at her dress!
Or I had thought he was teasing. In hindsight, he was likely mocking me openly.Piers seemed different. He was listening attentively, like my opinion mattered.“If you like paintings, then you must see the galleries here,” Piers said. “What do you say? How about you and I sneak out of this stuffy pl
Lillian’s POVJosephine proved true to her word, and I was provided a gown shortly after. The corset was snug against my ribs, digging uncomfortably into my wounds. But the dull throb was nothing to pains I’d suffered in the past. If anything, it only made me feel more alert, which I needed to be af







