Chapter l286

Chapter 0286

“Thank you, father,” Julian said with a flourishing bow. He smirked at Nathan as he entered

the room.

Nathan glared at him, but said nothing. He stepped outside the room and closed the door behind him.

Julian sauntered over to my side, stepping between the King and me.

“May I present, an item we found inside the desk alongside the letter.” Julian reached into his inside jacket pocket and produced the signet ring. He then held it out for his father.

The King’s eyes went comically wide. He snat ched it out of Julian’s hands, then turned to hold it under the light.

“This is genuine,” he said.

“It is,” Julian replied.

“You found this in Terry’s desk?”

“Yes. In a secret compartment.”

The King’s expression darkened.

Julian glanced at me and spotted the confused expression on my face.

“You see, Piper, the signet on that ring is the King’s official seal,” Julian said. “It had gone missing from his private chambers many months back. I bet if we looked more closely at our records, they should show that Terry had recently visited.”

The King turned the ring round and around in his fingers, like he couldn’t believe he was holding such a thing.

“Leave,” the King said then, frowning deeply. “I have much to think about and need to do so

alone.”

Julian bowed, despite the King no longer looking at him. I did too, for propriety’s sake.

Julian held out his arm for me. When I accepted it, he lead me through the door and out into

the hallway.

“Thank you,” I said to Nathan, though he ignored me to glare openly at Julian.

Julian waved at him. “See you later, Nathan.”

Nathan huffed a sharp breath, then disappeared into the sitting room with the King.

Julian led me down a few other hallways, until we were far from where the King was holed up.

+15 BONUS

I still hadn’t fully understood what the King had hoped to gain from his interrogation of me. He had clearly come into the meeting with his own ideas of what had gone on.

“See? This is exactly why Nicholas should have included me in his earlier confrontation with our parents,” Julian said. “If I had presented that ring sooner, father might have been decent enough to leave you out of it, and not force you to relive your trauma.

I looked down, embarrassed.

“Nicholas never thinks I’m good enough to actually contribute,” Julian said. “He resented that I was assigned with the task of tracking down the underground. He likely thought I’d blow it off.”

He was clearly still angry about the brothers’ earlier fight.

Trying to make peace, I said, “Don’t forget, Julian, that you cultivated that image.

ן

“A brother should know the truth about his own brother. For him to have bought into my façade is an insult to our shared childhood.”

I frowned a little. “Surely there is some reason for this animosity between you?” I didn’t want to pry, but I cared about them both. Caring about them meant that I wanted to help. ” What happened that drove you to such hatred.”

“You should ask him that,” Julian said. “He’s the one who has been unwilling to let go all

these years.

가

I had serious doubts that Nicholas was the only one who was holding onto a grudge. I gave Julian a flat look, letting him know my disbelief.

“I’m serious,” he said, doubling down. “You only see the good parts of him. The sides he wants you to see. What you can’t or won’t see, Piper, is just how selfish my brother is.”

“Nicholas?”

Julian nodded. “Nothing is more important to Nicholas than his own self-image.”

+15 BONUS