Page 71 of The Prince of Broken Crowns

She’s been bullied in the past, and we’re all worried it’ll carry on into this school, even though we’re adults now. But people can be ruthless, and Lily became an easy target after that incident in high school, one that I only have the vague details of since she refuses to tell anyone all the specifics.

I’ve tried, many times.

“It’s more than just hazing, brother.” He flicks an invisible piece of lint off his shirt. “You know Eli’s one of the leaders this year, right?” he asks, and I nod. “Well, he’s shown an extra amount of interest in her. In fact, he’s been relentlessly asking me questions about her because, apparently, word got out that we know each other. Although, I feel like that’s a stretch. Still, he’s been asking a lot about her, and it’s just odd. I know Maddy is different from us in many ways, which could be behind his interest, but it doesn’t feel that way … Something is off. I just don’t know what.”

“Wait … was he the one who grabbed her at the party?” Anger bites at my veins at the idea.

“I’m not sure, honestly. No one’s mentioned it, but they also don’t tell me everything, either.”

“Maybe you should just leave the society. That way, they can’t ask you questions. I don’t know why you accepted the invitation when we both vowed never to join it.” Bitterness lingers in my veins even now as I think about how Finn betrayed me and joined behind my back. He never explained why, either. Just said he had to.

While Finn and I usually have twin telepathy, it’s been broken for the last couple of years, ever since our father had the affair, resulting in the divorce, a new stepmother, and the dissolving of our friendship with Noah.

“I can’t.” Finn sweeps a strand of his hair out of his eyes and sits back without elaborating, avoiding just like he always does. “What I can do is try to figure out what the society’s interest in Maddy is. I just have to be careful.”

“You sure you want to do that? You know there are a ton of risks if you get caught.”

“You want me to just leave it and let the girl you’ve been obsessing about since we were in jail deal with it on her own?” he challenges, his brow curving upward. “Because she may be street smart, and even book smart, but Royal Society smart is something I don’t believe she’s ever had to deal with. They’ll eat her alive—you know they will.”

He’s right, and while I wish I didn’t care, I do.

“Fine, but be careful,” I tell Finn. “And I don’t think we should tell her anything until we know what’s going on.”

“We can try,” Finn stresses, “but she’s already been asking me a ton of questions about the society. I guess she’s been researching online for some reason. Plus, she almost saw the secret entrance to the tunnel in the library.”

That baffles the hell out of me. “What?”

“She saw me and Eli talking, and Lily told her that Eli bullied her, so Maddy thought it was weird that I was talking to him, and so Lily and her decided to follow me. They didn’t see exactly where the entrance is, but Maddy saw me go into the library and that I didn’t come out, so she’s suspicious.” He scratches his head. “Hopefully, she’ll let it go, because if they find out she’s looking into them, they might target her even harder.”

“I still want to know why they’re targeting her.” I rub my hand across my forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

“We’ll look into it,” he assures me. “Until then, we’ll keep an eye on her.”

I nod in agreement.

We need to get answers before something worse than a message on the door happens to Maddy.

Maddison

The shower is bigger than my bedroom at my house and has more showerheads than I’d ever think one person could need. The water is so warm too and remains that way the entire time. It’s something I’m unused to so I end up staying in there for longer than I probably should.

By the time I climb out, my fingers are prune-y.

Once I dry off, I endeavor into Lily’s closet to find something to wear. I feel so uncomfortable sifting through her clothes, so I make it quick, settling on the least expensive-looking outfit I can find—a loose pair of pants made with the softest material I’ve ever felt and a long-sleeve shirt that matches. As I’m pulling them on, I glance around her room, trying to imagine what it was like growing up in a place like this.

But as I’m taking everything in, my gaze zeroes in on a specific item.

On top of a vanity is a massive gold-trimmed jewelry box with hooks on the top where necklaces are dangling. I move over to it and examine what’s captured my attention—a necklace shaped like a crown that almost resembles the one my aunt Ellie gave me. The only difference is that Lily’s is less scratched up and has a red diamond in it.

I turn it over and Lily’s name has been engraved into the metal. Mine might have had an engraving on it one point, but it’s too banged up now for it to be legible.

I’m so confused. How did my aunt get a necklace that resembles one that a royal owns?

Maybe she got it from a pawnshop? Still, it’d be expensive.

Perhaps it’s some sort of counterfeit?

I decide to ask River about it, but as I’m exiting the bedroom, I smack into Finn with so much force that I hit my head on his chin and his teeth clank together.

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