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squealed to her brother.
                  He let out a shaky laugh and I could have sworn I saw a hint of blush creep into his tanned cheeks.  “Come on little sister. We should get back to the palace before someone finds out we are missing and comes looking for us.”

Chapter 13
                   T he Queen’s face was as red as molten lava when we returned. She waited for us in the gardens. “I sent guards to summon you to the seamstress to have your measurements taken for the upcoming ball and imagine my surprise when they reported back my children were last seen traipsing into the forests with one of the competitors.” Despite looking as if she might explode at any moment, her words were spoken with an icy calm.
                  “You, Lady Alastair, missed the second trial. Therefore, you have been disqualified. Return to your rooms and collect your things immediately.” If looks could kill, I would have died where I stood.
                  Zander started to speak up, but I cut him off. Kiera was staring between the three of us with wide, misty eyes. “You should see the Princess to her rooms.” He looked as if he wanted to argue, but any rebuttals he may have made died on his lips when he took in his little sister’s expression. 
    “Fine,” he muttered, “but this is far from over. Mother, I would like to speak with you in private. Lady Alastair, you may return to your rooms but you will not be leaving the palace.” He turned to his sister and lovingly placed an arm around her. “Come on Kiera.”
                  A barrage of questions bombarded me the minute I walked into my room. My mind was too preoccupied to come up with a reasonable lie so I told Emily the truth instead.  Well almost the truth. I left out the part about the kiss. Her mouth hung open in astonishment by the time I finished recounting the morning’s events.
                  “Oh my Gods, Skyler, you were alone with the Prince.”
                  “We technically were not alone. The Princess was with us.”
                  “Still this is huge. Prince Edwin never spends time with anyone outside of the royal family.”
                  “And you know that because?”
                  “I’m surprised you don’t. It’s been the gossip among all of the Noble families since I can remember.”
                  I rolled my eyes. Clearly, the nobles had too much money and not enough things to do with it.  “We saw him in sparring in the hall with a palace guard remember? They seemed to be pretty chummy.”
                  “I guess,” she shrugged. “But I still don’t think he has ever been known to court a girl.”
                  “With the lot he has to choose from, I wouldn’t either,” I murmured more to myself than to her.
                  A knock at the door interrupted our conversation. A second later, Abda entered the room. “Excuse me, Lady Alastair. The Queen summons you to her sitting rooms.”
                  “Skyler, I swear you have all the luck,” Emily squealed.
    Ha! She was welcomed to go in my place. A private conversation with the Queen was the last thing I wanted to do. I would rather walk into a pit of vipers than into Her Majesty’s sitting rooms. Though both places were probably equally venomous.

Chapter 14
     
                   “ S it, Lady Alastair,” the Queen commanded. I obliged. She kept standing. Of course, she did. She was the type of woman who needed to lord her superiority over everyone around her. “Where did you come from, Lady Alastair?”
                  The blunt question took me by surprise. It hit way too close to the truth. I carefully schooled my features into a blank mask. “I beg your pardon, Your Majesty, but I am not sure what you mean?”
                  The