Jaya spent countless moments wishing the Emersons had found something horrible to say about her instead. She hadn’t had as far to fall as Isha did. Everyone—the media, friends, royal families in other parts of India—was always paying attention to the vivacious, beautiful, talented Isha. When she fell, she fell in full view of her audience, making the humiliation so much worse. Evidently, it was exactly what Grey Emerson had been counting on. God, the vitriol he must’ve imbibed from his family over the years to execute something this ruthless!

Jaya put her arm around Isha as they turned onto a small road. No cars were visible at all, a far cry from their bustling hometown. Aspen trees towered on either side, their leaves whispering in the slight breeze. Jaya took a breath, preparing herself to say what needed to be said. “Ish, I know things haven’t been easy for you these past few months. But we came here for a clean start. So this is just a gentle reminder, before our first day at this school…”

Isha sighed. “I know, Jaya. Keep my head down. Do what’s expected of me. Appa already gave me the lecture.”

Jaya tried not to let her temper rise. “It’s not a lecture, Isha. Our father was only doing what he thought best. The whole reason we’re here is because—”

“Because of who I am.” Isha tried to say it defiantly, like she didn’t care, but the catch in her voice gave her away. “I know you want to go home. You had to leave everything behind because of me. The Hegde family probably heard what happened, and propriety is so important to Kiran and his parents…” She stopped talking for a second before continuing. “I’m sorry, Jaya.”

Jaya stopped in her tracks and turned Isha toward her. “No.” She ducked a little to look right into Isha’s eyes as she spoke. Isha had gained a lot of height quickly over the past two years, but was still three inches shorter than Jaya’s 5'4". She tried to look away, but Jaya cupped her chin. “All this isn’t because of who you are. It’s because of who we are. We’re royals, and the rules are different for us. That’s why Gr—those Emersons”—Jaya spat out their name like it was a curse—“came after you. And why it’s so important that we keep a low profile now, that we do what’s expected of us. One of them goes to our school. We can’t afford to let our guard down again.” She took a breath. “As for the Hegde family, don’t worry, Isha. It’ll all work out, somehow or another.”