The Luna Choosing Game

As Nicholas asked out Lilliana, I stood in the back of the crowd of watching girls, my heart down on the

floor.

I had no right to be upset. I knew that. I had given up the right to be upset a long time ago.

Yet I couldn’t deny the feeling.

First, Nicholas had returned the handmade gift I made him, and now he was asking another girl on a solo

date.

According to the rules of the competition, solo dates were only supposed to be awarded after a girl performed well in one of the events.

Of course, from what I’d heard, the rules also stated that a prince could ask any girl out at any time, sol supposed such a thing wasn’t unheard of.

But for it to be Nicholas who asked for the first solo date felt like the hardest pill to swallow.

I understood that the candidates were invited here to the palace to date the princes. Soon, Nicholas would pick someone to marry.

made it abundantly clear that he would never

I wanted him to be. We’d both moved on since

room, holding Lilliana’s hand with only

more he seemed like a shell of the man I once knew. It hurt me to see. I couldn’t stand to

minute, I turned away from the spectacle

set over the western tree line. The sky

view. I wondered if Elva was looking out the window to see it. We had never gotten much time to appreciate nature back

hoped she was

miss?” a male voice said, suddenly behind

jumped, startled, and turned to

a hair out of place or a speck of dirt on his guard

had more stripes and fringe

he was the head

but I had

pointed him out.

severe expression. I felt much like an ant

more,” he said, voice gruff. “Are you lost? The