The Luna Choosing Game

Nicholas did glare harder then, for a moment. When nothing happened, he turned away and made his

way to his own seat.

Liiliana was still seated beside him, though she didn’t say a word as he sat down. If they didn’t like each

other, why hadn’t Nicholas asked someone else to sit there?

“Shall we, Piper?” Julian asked, a smug grin on his face.

We walked the two feet to our chairs. Julian held mine out for me, then helped push me in after I sat. He

took the chair beside mine.

Sitting like this, I couldn’t even see the Queen unless I leaned forward, Relief washed over me.

I still wasn’t feeling all the way better. I wasn’t sure I would have had the energy to wade through royal

politics tonight.

At least, not the Queen’s kind.

Julian was his own mess of royal riddles.

“I did try to talk her out of it,” Julian whispered to me. “Your punishment, I mean. I went to take responsibility for the morning I stole you away, but she wouldn’t hear of it.”

I softly shook my head. “That was only one of the things I was punished for.”

“A girl after my

rolled my eyes. “Be

look now, but Nicholas is glaring at me

with Nicholas, who was

at us.

not to look,” Julian

moment longer, despite having been caught. Then his

close to the Queen, had

to sit

Julian beat

had made clear that he had many girls he admired here at

sat back in his chair, and I did

Julian said with

the King touched his knife to his

drew everyone’s attention.

the King said, speaking mainly to the cameras. “As

the first

time to improve your

around the room but never focused on any one girl for long. He did, however, frown

for

at our next royal event. Tomorrow we will begin a three–day

table, some girls excited to show

nervous, glancing around the

skills that would have beneficial during a hunting trip, but I hadn’t practiced them