The Luna Choosing Game

Chapter 0622

The butler showed me to Susie's room, and then quickly excused himself outside of her door. When he was gone, I knocked.

"Go away!" Susie called in a watery voice. She was crying.

I knocked more insistently as I pushed open the door.

*I said -* she started, cutting herself off she say me. "Piper?"

"Hi, Susie," I said.

"Oh, Piper!" She was sitting at her desk, the tears running down her cheeks. As I entered the room, closing the door behind me, she jumped from the chair and ran to me.

We shared a hug. Relief flooded through me.

I stepped back after a moment, to look her over. She didn't seem too worse for wear. Other than the crying, she didn't show any signs of abuse or neglect.

"What are you doing here?" Susie sniffed. "I'm sure word has gotten around by now."

*Rumors don't matter. Come back to palace."

*If you've heard the rumors, you know why I can't."

"Everyone will forget, the moment you appear. They'll all just think it's gossip and it won't matter," I say. "Since Jessica is the only other contender for Joyce, you wouldn't even have to face elimination."

*Piper," she sounded so sad. "I can't come. It's just not rumors. My parents... They know the truth about me."

*How could they?" I asked. She wasn't showing yet. Sure they might suspect, but to have real proof?

"I told them," Susie said.

I startled, speechless.

"I didn't want to lie anymore about any of it," Susie said. "I don't want to have to pretend to have feelings for Joyce, when the only one I really want is Mark."

doubled, and I regretted holding it back even

down in the sitting room with your parents," I said. Susie's

think anything would have kept him away. If your parents wouldn't have let him inside, he would have scaled the walls and climbed through your

a

plan, as he always does, that his arrival at your door might open

"True."

knew who

"I talk about you often.

another hug. How grateful I was to be in her life! Though how much it hurt to hear she had such a hard time getting friends. She was so sweet and kind,

from my pocket. "Mark told me to give you this." I held my palm out

looked at

her. "He wants to ask you

up closer to her, to inspect it. She touched it with only her fingertips, treating it as a precious,

covered her face, softening all of her features. Then, in

if they did. Or even if that didn't matter to me, Mark would be throwing his whole life away with this. He can't be

get it to work. If this is what you want, Susie, you can't let it

away the tears. She continued looking at the ring for another minute or two, before

see

we didn't need the butler to guide us back downstairs to the

the ring onto her finger. I couldn't help my smile. When she saw it, she smiled too, though hers was

really is a personal matter, Prince Nicholas, as I've consistently said "Susie's father was saying. He cut himself off when

*Susie..." her mom said.

were on Mark, and his on her. Then his gaze

word overflowing

stepped forward, moving closer to Susie's parents, closer than even

into a deep bow. "Please allow

parents both

in love with your daughter,"

don't know of her condition!"

touched her husband's

I would raise it as my child, with Susie as

vouch for this man," Nicholas said. "He is my Beta