#Chapter 196: Liars Wear the Crown – For Now

I relaxed as best I could, letting the kiss happen for the cameras. Julian’s lips were soft on my own, gentle and non-demanding. It was a kind sort of kiss, and for that I was grateful. Though I would still have to remember to tell Nicholas not to watch the broadcast tonight. He’d made clear that while he was dealing with the thought of me and Julian’s pretend relationship, having to see it would be too much. I could relate. The thought of Nicholas kissing someone else made my stomach twist, even though I knew it was an inevitability. Julian broke the kiss first. He pulled back, a small smile in the corners of his mouth. He looked… happy. Satisfied, maybe. And not just in his usual smug, self-satisfied kind of way. “Are the cameras gone?” I asked. Julian’s smile slipped away. “What?” “The cameras?” I glanced around. “You saw them, right? That’s why you kissed me?” He swallows hard. That’s odd. “Yes,” he says. The words sound almost… hollow. “Yes, they’re gone now.” He cleared h