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

both. They are down in the sitting room with your

parents wouldn't have let him inside, he would have scaled the

laughed a little

before he did anything drastic. Nicholas had a plan, as he always does, that his arrival at your door might open the way. My presence was required for this. It is, after all, more likely they'd let me in to see you than some

"True."

knew who I

little. "I talk about you often. You were my first

much it hurt to hear she had such a hard time getting friends. She was so sweet and kind, she deserved so many more than

the ring from my pocket. "Mark told me to give you this." I held

looked at

says it's overdue," I told her. "He wants

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

all of her features. Then, in the next, she began to cry again. "What's the matter?" I asked her,

it," she said. "And even if they did. Or even if that didn't matter to me, Mark would be throwing his whole life away

work. If

the ring for another minute or two, before

want to see him," she

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

Susie slid the ring onto her finger. I couldn't help my smile.

father was saying. He cut himself off when Susie and I

*Susie..." her mom said.

on Mark, and his on her. Then his gaze

the word overflowing with

moving closer to Susie's parents, closer than even Nicholas was

said, dropping into a deep bow. "Please

both went wide-eyed.

with your daughter," Mark

of her condition!"

She touched her

I would raise it as my child, with Susie

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