Page 102 of This Prince Is Not Charming

“If this is a trial, why don’t Meera or Marsten have the crowns over their head?” I reached out to Cillian and brushed a strand of hair from his forehead. “Why don’t you?”

His hands went to his head, his face paling and panic flashing in his ice blue eyes. “I don’t know.”

“This is confusing.” Marsten was now sitting on the couch with Lila’s feet resting on his legs while he munched on a grape. “Mmm, those are good. So sweet and bursting with flavor.”

“I know,” Lila said. “They’re divine.”

I stared at Cillian’s head, ruminating over the absence of the crown. It didn’t make sense. Unless this wasn’t actually about what we’d all believed it to be about.

“This isn’t about finding a wife for you, Cillian,” I said. “Castle wants something else.”

His gaze softened, and he stepped forward, leaning his head down. “I could’ve told you that. Castle knows I’ve already found my wife. There is no one else. There could never be anyone else. Not for me.”

“That was what I was up against?” Siobhan asked, finally glancing up from her book. “No wonder I got eliminated.”

“I never had that with Grayson.” Lila’s voice quivered. “Ugh, give me another grape.”

I huffed a quiet laugh, and Cillian rubbed his thumb over my cheek before turning and staring at Lila. “Wait a minute. Did she just speak? And she’s not crying. What did I miss?”

“It’s a long story,” I whispered as he pressed his forehead against mine.

“Don’t ever leave me again,” he said, voice low.

“Never.”

“So if this competition isn’t about finding Cillian’s queen, then what is it about?” Meera asked, tail flicking behind her.

“I don’t know,” I said, feeling helpless. “But we’re here for something bigger than all of us. I can feel it.”

The brotherhood members continued to struggle against their bindings, and Liadan pushed the axe blade farther into Ronan’s neck, blood welling in the spot where the tip pressed. He stopped, swallowing while his Adam’s apple bobbed.

Leena tried to speak, but her gag muffled her words.

“Ah, ah, ah,” Liadan said, taking another sip of tea. “What was our rule?”

“It’s that silence is golden,” Lila said. “This is our retreat and they’re not to ruin it.”

I looked at Cillian to see if he was as amused by this ridiculous situation as I was, but he was staring at my chest.

“Those are new,” he said, and I looked down to see a key and a heart pendant hanging over my breastbone.

My hand went to them. “Those are from the challenges I won.” After I’d won them, I’d put the items in a safe place, not really knowing what else to do with them. I assumed they were just part of my prize, along with my dates.

Marsten pointed at the cat. “And Meera’s lantern came along.”

The one with everlasting light. She’d won it during our very first challenge. It was hard to believe that had only been a few weeks ago. It felt like lifetimes had passed since then.

I swiveled toward Marsten, noting the book in his lap. “Did you bring that with you?”

He shook his head. “It just appeared along with me.”

Clio looked up from her foot bath and pointed at Siobhan. “What did she win again?”

“A game,” Siobhan said. “Whatever that one was that we played. But it’s not here . . .” She trailed off, staring at the table by her side, where the Birendelle board game lay.

I bit the inside of my cheek. “What if this final trial involves all of us?” I asked. “What if it’s about these items? About figuring out what Castle is trying to tell us?”

Lila groaned. “I don’t want to be involved.”