The Princess and the Guard (Book 1)

Twenty-Two

Juliette took a deep breath in, stretching her lungs, then letting the air out with a sigh. Clenching her hands into fists, she dug her fingernails into her palms. Her foot started tapping the side of her vanity. Within minutes, she'd get to go outside. It felt like it had been ages since she'd been in the gardens. She tried to picture the air cold against her cheeks, and the smell of roses surrounding her.

Peace. Comfort. Happiness.

Noah.

Juliette licked her lips, studying herself in the mirror. She willed the dark circles under her eyes to fade away, willed some color to rise to her cheeks. She reached her arms back, tugging and twisting her mane of dark curls into a simple half-updo.

Satisfied, and hoping Odette wouldn't scrutinize her too much, Juliette stood up and crossed her room where a small silver chest was settled on a simple shelf. Opening the lid, she pulled out a handful of the butterfly clips she'd been collecting over the years, arranging them in her hair in a way that mimicked a tiara. She used to have a tiara of her own, one her mother gave to her when she turned thirteen, but Odette took it away when their mother died. She said Juliette didn't need a crown and that she should be grateful Odette let her stay at the palace instead of turning her out onto the streets where a worthless piece of trash like her belonged.

Juliette tried to smile at her reflection, turning so she could see the back of her hair that hung just below her shoulder blades. It actually didn't look that bad. Her dress—floor length, white chiffon, with silver snowflakes along the hem that faded up toward her waist—swished around her ankles as she turned. She loved the dress. It made her feel like an actual princess, even though it made her look like a ghost. Her blue eyes and dark hair made her look like a painting come to life.

She sank down at the window's ledge, drawing her knees to her chest and smiling out at the forest beyond the palace. She hadn't seen Odette in almost a month, and if it wouldn't have been for Dr. Violet, that month would have been a much sweeter time.

Chewing her lip, she turned her head toward the door. She wasn't sure when exactly Noah was getting home. She shouldn't have been hoping he would be on duty this morning, but she was. He might have smiled, if they were alone. He might have told her she looked nice, or even hugged her.

She hoped he would be getting home soon so she could feel a sense of normalcy. She wouldn't be feeling like her own mind was turning against her, not if he were here. She would have had the promise of running away to hold onto, the warmth of a boy she was very much in love with.

Her eyes welled up and she tried to blink them clear. She missed him so much it physically hurt, and she hadn't realized until now just how much she missed him.

When there was a knock at her door, a stranger walked in. He must have been one of Odette's because Juliette didn't recognize him at all.

"Are you ready, Your Highness?" he asked, hands clasped behind his back. There was no expression on his face. He may as well have been made of stone. She wondered what his reaction would have been if she were to hug him.

Juliette stood up, smiling. "Yeah. Thank you." She smoothed the front of her dress, walking out into the corridor behind the guard.

As she neared Odette's wing, which she had to pass through in order to get to the gardens, Juliette cast a glance around. The corridors had been newly redecorated, boasting of swirled marble walls and thick red carpets, elegant paintings of the royal family's ancestors, and crystal chandeliers that sparkled in the light. A guard was stationed every twenty paces, each one standing straight and tall with no signs of life. They all could have been statues.