The Luna Choosing Game

My whole heart shattered. “No, no, that’s not true. Prince Nicholas likes you a lot.”

Elva pulled away to look up at me with large, watery eyes. “But she said Nick–lass is mad at me. She said

I was naughty.”

“We can’t listen to her, okay?”

Her cupped her face with my hands and wiped away her tears. New ones just kept falling. My anger for Lena renewed, and I half wanted to chase her down the hall to give her a piece of my mind.

No one makes my little girl cry like this!

“She’s just a mean lady who doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Nicholas likes you. He’s not mad. He waved at you, didn’t he?”

The words seemed to placate Elva somewhat. Her tears lessened, though her sniffling remained. Her brows furrowed like she was thinking it through.

“He did wave…

“Because he likes you.”

“…Okay.” Her voice was small. It didn’t seem like I had fully convinced her, but I doubted I could say anything that would.

She would have to hear it from Nicholas himself.

Maybe if I could talk to him alone, I could convince him to spend some time with Elva.

Lena would hate it, and so would the other girls. I’d have to make sure it happened at a time that didn’t conflict with any of his other obligations.

Surely he would meet with her though? If I told him she thought he didn’t like her?

Surely he hadn’t become totally heartless in the past three years?

No, I knew he hadn’t. I had seen the soft–hearted way he’d interacted with Elva before

He might hate me, but he liked her. He would be willing to do this, I was sure.

I just had to get him alone to ask.

The next morning at breakfast, Lilliana was the most popular girl in the room. Every other girl wanted to know every detail of her solo–date with Nicholas.

attention seemed to go straight to her head, and she calmly and smugly answered every question she

was asked, albeit with a haughty attitude.

I

“Prince Nicholas lifted me into the saddle like the princess I am soon to be,” she said. “The horse

have been tamer, however. Something I will rectify when I

that poor horse had reason to be afraid of Lillianna when it had first met

had a sixth

the edge of the property,” Lilliana said. “I felt as

soon belong

the property and the palace and what she would fix

himself,

in

money. The power. The house

fury collected inside of me. Nicholas deserved someone who would notice things

him as a person.

wrong for him. Hopefully he would realize that sooner rather

looks toward each other,

the room thickened as she

First Ball was

it seemed as if Lilliana was

harm her, but I too wanted to see

wasn’t jealous. It was just pure

wasn’t worthy

Chapter 0046

recognizing myself. It was the night of the First Ball, and I was dressed in my beautiful, shimmering yellow gown

of my maids had tied my brown hair into a tight up

me, though her dress came up to

and she couldn’t stop giggling as she spun in

and laughing, she looked like the

her into a quick hug.

to the door, the strange maid stopped me.

me

1

you” I was relieved I knew there were traditions about gloves and their length. It would have been a

quiet maid as well, but she was further back in the room and not

to thank

at Elva, I took her hand. “Let’s go to

gave a toothy grin. “The princess

in the parlor room, where we waited for the results for the dress contest. The princes‘ preferences for our dresses would soon

beautiful in its own way. They were a rainbow of colors and materials, but each more spectacular than the

intended to dance. Though she moved with such ease, she must have been used

get seemed confident the own gown and I genely wasn’t sure who

waited with

First, he said. “Divis