The Luna Choosing Game

Chapter 43

At first glance, she appeared friendly enough, smiling peacefully. She curtsied to me and introduced herself.

Tm looking forward to serving you,” she said.

But I found it strange. Surely she had passed my other maid being taken away down the hall. What kind of person would be smiling so calmly after having witnessed such a thing?

icholas.

I

I

Today was the day for Nicholas’s solo date, and I was trying my very best not to think about it.

Ever since receiving Joseph’s threatening letter, I’d been hiding out in my room as much as I could to

avoid him and the mean–looking guards.

With the First Ball fast approaching, I used the extra time in my room to help my maids work on me and

Elva’s gowns.

The dress had to be perfect. The order of introductions for the girls at the ball was to be determined by

the princes‘ preferences of the dresses.

Once the gowns were finished, pictures were to be taken of them and given to the princes, who would

then select their favorites. Those favorites would be the first ones introduced at the ball, and therefore

given the most time with the princes.

And with the cameras.

A major component of the Luna Choosing Game, was earning the public’s favor. I had a small advantage

with the common people, being one myself. But people like Lena and Joseph existed in every class.

reason to believe that even with my slight

mean I wouldn’t

I had split the design for my dress into three separate parts that we

were ready to combine

Elva’s

final work, as she had the most experience

the dresses photo shoot. Elva’s dress was not to be included in the shot, since that would ruin the anonymity of the

looking at something outside the window, likely the horses again,

I

Nicholas’s solo date, but it shouldn’t be enough to bother

I were over

paced the length of the room, nervousness and trepidation waging war within my chest. My

to me.

the distraction, I joined her at

down toward the

stood near the entrance of the stables as

hands.

horse was a regal black stallion that greedily accepted a

brown and white mare that seemed nervous

whenever Lilliana came too

his own horse to approach Lilliana.

Lilliana shook her head,

voices, but with the way Lilliana held up her pure white gloves, I

ing dirty.

getting dirty.

wondered how she would hold

I

gave the sugar cube to the horse himself. In his presence,

with Nicholas’s help, lifted

her

we had gone horseback riding together. He had helped me then, much in

same way.

myself remember, I could still feel the phantom touch

“Tell me

him a playful smile. “What if I want to stay

I

had been fond, green sparkling brightly under the sun. “Then we should give up on horseback riding for today and return to one

properly

I wondered if he was saying much the same thing to Lilliana, But, no. They didn’t

much at all. Nicholas moved his hands

a distance, these two did

Nicholas had chosen her, out of all the candidates,

Lilliana to bring her mare alongside his horse, and then together they started to ride forwards at a slow pace – which brought them closer to

at the window.

she realized, “He’s

was going to do, she shouted from the window,

She waved both arms.

Lilliana glowered, but Nicholas’s stern expression seemed

lifted a hand and