The Luna Choosing Game

Chapter 0412

“Maid! Oh, where is my maid!” Bridget called from the center of the ballroom that was once again our makeshift stage. The real stage was currently being worked on at the far end of the room. Occasionally the sound of hammers or saws would cut through our rehearsal.

Bridget said my cue, so I’m forced now to move to the center of the stage.

“My true lover will be here in a moment. Maid, please! You must help me. Keep watch at the door, and if anyone comes, you must let us know!”

Here came my one line of the entire show. “At once, Mistress.”

We were playing the parts we were born to play, Bridget had said. Thanks a lot.

The script dictated that I moved toward the door but stay on screen, so I moved toward the edge of where our fake-stage was.

At this point, Nicholas’s character was supposed to climb through a window to see Bridget’s character. Since the set was still being worked on, Nicholas just walked up instead.

“Oh! There he is! My love!” Bridget held open her arms. Her eyes were full of longing, like they had been separated forever and not just had a lengthy conversation about something from their childhood not twenty minutes ago during a break.

I guessed this was why Bridget was out there making millions and winning awards.

Nicholas, meanwhile, was no trained actor. He stepped to where Bridget had marked his spot with tape the last time he had messed this up. Then, he awkwardly shifted to face Bridget.

“Hello, uh… my love,” he said like he was greeting the refrigerator.

Bridget’s smile tightened ever-so-much. It must have been painful, going from working with professional actors to us amateurs. Though… truly she brought this on herself. Julian was the second-best actor in the room, but she didn’t want him as the second-biggest part.

She wanted Nicholas, Honest, steadfast Nicholas, who was so straightforward, he didn’t know how to lie well enough to act his way out of a wet paper bag.

“My eyes don’t deceive me,” Bridget said, coming closer to him. She was a true professional. If she was in a scene with a bad actor, she just needed to act well

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• 18 BÓNUS

enough for the both of them. “Oh, my love, I am so glad you are here. Tell me. Do you bring good news of our engagement?”

for

you bring good news of our

Oh. No. Uh, no, my father… that is… he refused to give

Nicholas was such a bad actor that I was wondering if he was putting it on, on purpose to get out of doing this. But that couldn’t be. He was too honest

on like that for a while. Until it came to the part that I absolutely dreaded the most: the scene where Nicholas and Bridget were supposed to kiss

Nicholas’s upper arms, closed her eyes and pressed her

her with a frown. “We don’t have to practice

that it

fine,” Nicholas

with her high standing, she couldn’t directly argue with a prince, at least not when he wasn’t indulging her. Bridget cleared her throat, and then her bright

glance at me. When our eyes met, I saw the whispered promise

heart soared. He didn’t want to kiss her unless he absolutely had to. The one he wanted

was so lost in Nicholas’s golden eyes, that I nearly missed a second

away the moment I met her gaze. She turned so quickly, I wondered

scene ended and I

was nervously reading through hers for the hundredth time the past

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•IS BONUS

of her scenes is next,” Veronica

“Why would Bridget think I could

“She sees the potential in

a maid so I doubted it was as deep as all that. And I didn’t know

talk to Bridget,” I said. “We

in her eyes. “Do you really think so?”

“Let’s see.”

as together we approached Bridget. She was mostly alone, thank goodness, having a drink of water from a drink table set up

us. “Susie? What are you doing

made a

think it would be a good idea if we switched roles. See, Susie has

said quickly. “I assigned each

through me, remembering once more that Bridget had thought my perfect role was a maid. But that wasn’t my purpose here, so I pushed down the anger. I wanted to help Susie,