#Chapter 266: Nicholas’s Secret

I didn’t see Julian or Bridget again until later in the day when it was time for the final show. By then, the cameras had been set and the guests had arrived to fulfill their role as the audience. The King and Queen took their spots on their raised thrones. Joyce was notably absent. He was likely still down in the dungeons. I briefly wondered if Veronica was having any success with him. The other candidates, Nicholas, Julian, Elva, and I were all in a sitting room that served as backstage. A curtain had been arranged that blocked the pathway from the room to the sides of the stage so that we could come and go freely as needed without the crowd seeing. Nathan fumbled around, trying to direct as best he could. Though it was Bridget mainly giving orders. Yet even she wouldn’t be able to oversee us all the time today. She was in most of the scenes. Four times before the show started, I tried to approach Julian backstage. Each time, he spotted me and made a wide arch around me. I still