The Luna Choosing Game

Nicholas held Elva safe and secure in his arms as he stood to his full height. Elva buried her face into the corner of his neck and shoulder. He gently patted her back.

He glanced down at Elva, his gaze so tender that it made my heart clench.

“There, there,” he whispered. “You are safe now.”

“Oh my God,” said one of the other girls in the room, fanning herself. “Of course he’s good with children.”

“Someone pinch me,” said another. “I think I’m dreaming.”

Nicholas’s soft expression hardened as he glared out at the rest of the room. “Whose child is this? Why is she here?”

I started forward, but the girl in the pink dress spoke before I could reach him.

“An outsider sneaked in, unless she’s a maid.”

Some of the other girls snickered at my expense.

“She can’t be a participant,” another girl fake-whispered, loud enough for half-the room to hear. “I thought we had to be virgins, and she’s got a kid.”

I wanted to disappear into a corner. Whether virgin or not, I was nothing compared to the rest of these girls.

My clothes weren’t as nice as theirs, and my figure wasn’t like what it had been at the Academy. I’d lost much of my musculature. I was skinny from too many nights of skipped dinners.

Elva’s wellbeing had always come before my own.

Her sake was the only reason I continued forward rather than hide in embarrassment. I stopped only when I reached Nicholas.

He looked at me, and I looked at him.

I’d forgotten how gorgeous his eyes were, golden brown with flakes of green. When we’d dated, I had spent hours looking at them, trying to memorize that color, but it had seemed different each time.

Before, when I’d stared long enough, I could earn a bashful smile from him. Now, his face was totally devoid of emotion. He looked at me like I was a stranger.

Did he… not recognize me?

I had changed, sure, but not enough to become unrecognizable. Unless he truly had sealed me away in his past and moved on, never once looking back.

a great embarrassment to him, showing up here, years after leaving

Maybe he hated me.

the outsider.” The girl in pink motioned to

look into this,” Nicholas said, and even his voice was monotone. Another moment of staring at me blankly, then he turned and walked

him. He led me to an adjoining room, separated

official-looking man in a suit hurried toward him. “Your Royal Highness, please remember that per

to look at the man, who nervously

is an exception,”

Of course, sir.” The man

inside after them. A servant stepped forward and closed the door behind us, leaving Nicholas, Elva,

had

even to say. What would he think of me, to see me as I was? To

have cried herself to sleep, eyes closed

toward Nicholas, and at once, his perfect façade cracked. He frowned. His golden eyes filled

stayed gentle on Elva, his arm

hide my child from

my thoughts skidded to a stop. I blinked once, twice, but, no, I couldn’t make sense of

Eloquently, I said, “Huh?”

glanced at Elva, softly sleeping in his arms. She was three years old. That lined up with our

to recall the memory. We’d been so young then, too eager

finished in clumsy haste. I couldn’t remember where he was when he’d climaxed.

the certainty that fueled it seemed to slide into bewilderment.

I said, hoping to give

television. For me to hide a child from him would have been a cruelty. He would likely have struggled forever over the guilt

name. But she’s

widened a moment, before

to say, he seemed to struggle to get it

between me and Elva. “She looks like

tell that to Nicholas. Elva was mine in every

answer some unspoken question for

straightened, startled. What

immediately cut off the deep rumbling

down onto one of the plush couches

Mommy,” came