Caroline’s POV:I spent the day after the meeting in my small office, thinking with some of the lords about the names I would list. Lord Hammond was a fair and balanced man, and he could never be replaced by some mat that my father and Lord Deveraux would choose. I really enjoyed the fact that I was given the opportunity to have a voice on the board, but I knew that much more than the names would weigh on this list. They were testing my political skills here, and I definitely could not be considered by them as less than highly capable.There were a few names on the list, and I knew it should not be long, but impactful. There was, first, David Hammond, whom I could make lord in his father's place. He was a good guy, but maybe he was considered too young. I also liked the idea of Lord Clark, a slightly older man who had been a member of the council and had resigned to take care of his wife's health when she became

Liam’s POV:I can't believe the rebels decided to attempt an invasion of the palace at that time. I was very sympathetic to their cause, but they spoiled the perfect moment. I didn't care that there were others in the kitchen. I just wish I had enjoyed that moment with Olivia. She is so beautiful and so sweet. Sometimes too innocent for her own good, but I wouldn't change a hair of hers. Maybe I was falling for her, and I wondered if this wasn't the best thing that had happened so far in my life.The events that followed can be defined with just one adjective: chaotic. I asked her to be safe, she nodded and I left her there. As I saw that she didn't take long to get up, I concluded that she had sought shelter in time, so I trusted heaven for her safety and headed to the front lines. My instinct would be to protect her, not necessarily the crown, but I had to do my duty. Military disobedience never has good consequences.

Liam’s POV:I was discovering a new side of Olivia, but I didn't know if I liked that side of her or not. I've always wished that the woman standing next to me was brave and would fight for the same ideals as me, but apparently, she had taken the opposite side of me completely. What would this mean in terms of the relationship? Is this a deal breaker in our case?However, I thought I could still bring reason to her mind. If I had had the opportunity to explain why I thought that way maybe she could see that I'm right. The problem is, she practically ran away from me without letting me explain anything. She was like that sometimes. A certain time or a certain event and she fled to her place of origin as if she were Cinderella who had to get home at midnight before she fell away from her spell.Either way, my decision to join the Independent Revolutionaries was solid. I was part of the local group at home, and now I would be part of the main and largest of t

Liam’s POV: A few days had passed after my walk with Olivia and our conversation that reconciled us and I felt lighter because now we weren't fighting anymore. Every day we managed to see each other even for a few minutes at a time, and those moments became my favorite moments of the day. I was like a lovesick puppy and even my soldier friends noticed that I was different, and they often even made fun of me because of my change, but I cared very little about all this fuss, if at all. If I could see that beautiful smile of the girl that I loved at the end of my day it would all have been worth it.The atmosphere between us was so good that we didn't fight for practically anything else, and when the little fights happened, they were meaningless and most of the time weren't offensive: they were just teasing the other. We were both in a healthy relationship dynamic where we laughed at each other, but respected and got to know each other. I had recently thought

Caroline's POV:"Here you go," I told Liam half grudgingly and handed over the handkerchief that wrapped the jewelry. I thought if I put it in a handkerchief it would have a touch of mystery, like I was actually handing something stolen. So I looked around and kept whispering, "I just hope this is your first and only attempt to rob the palace. I won't condone this kind of behavior."Liam opened the handkerchief and looked at the brooch. His eyes gleamed at the gem's opulence. He smiled at me and said, "Thank you so much, Olivia. You saved my ass, and I'm sure this brooch will be of great value to the cause."I crossed my arms in a disdainful tone and told him, "Huh, I hope this is worth it, because I don't like the fact that you're joining this cause at all." I said 'cause' with as much contempt and suspicion as I could.After that, I couldn't help but ask, "So what happens now?" I was too curious to pretend to not want to know anything.Liam thoug