The Luna Choosing Game

Nicholas

I had no idea why I decided to help Piper. She had betrayed me in the past. By all accounts, I should

have been pleased to see her fail.

Yet, when I stood outside the sitting room and heard Lena suggest the traditional punishment for Piper, I

couldn’t stand idly by and do nothing.

The thought of Piper kneeling out in a storm, soaked, chilled, and miserable sent an unfamiliar tremor of

rage through me.

I didn’t feel strong emotions like that anymore, not since I turned off my heart three years ago. But this

hot anger had been enough to melt through my emotional freeze.

I couldn’t be detached, not with this.

Ambassador Zale had taught the royal family the secret Merfolk greeting only a few hours before. The

timing had been peculiar, almost as if he had expected us to utilize this new knowledge to help the girls

with the challenge, if we so wished.

I hadn’t intended to teach the greeting to anyone. But that had been before the Queen threatened Piper

over something as trivial as glove length.

An insult to the royal family, the Queen had said. Unlikely. She had always been fickle with such frivolous

to such an extent that she

purposeful, like

known she’d garnered unwanted attention simply by being here, but to see my own family

made my

of our kingdom’s

of them for not knowing her obscure,

kingdom in mind, I could almost pretend that I was helping

gamer goodwill

knew the truth. I sent Mark

wanted to

with Zale while everyone else in the room stared in either shock

to

+15 BONUS

time to ponder over other concems. Mainly, why didn’t Piper’s

Piper’s duty alone to know, but we had assigned knowledgeable maids to each of the girls precisely to prevent

one to suggest the harsh punishment for

looked for her behind the thrones, but she was gone from

on his face. I nodded approvingly. He did his job

always.

he could tell something was

you looking for someone?” he

“Lena,” I said.

motioned toward a discreet servant’s door in a comer of the ballroom. 1 saw her sneak out

sir.”