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."

in my pocket near doubled, and I regretted holding it back even

in the sitting room with your parents," I said.

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

laughed a

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

blushed a little. "I talk about you

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, she deserved so many more than

"Mark told me to give you this."

looked at it and

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

inspect it. She touched it with only her fingertips, treating it as a

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

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

find a way to get it to work. If this is what you want, Susie, you can't let it get away. You have

blinked away the tears. She continued looking at the ring for another minute

see him,"

nodded and we both headed for the doorway. With Susie leading, we didn't need the butler

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

as I've consistently said "Susie's father was saying. He cut himself

*Susie..." her mom said.

eyes were on Mark, and his on her. Then his gaze dropped to

he said, the word overflowing

closer to Susie's parents, closer than

into a deep bow. "Please allow me to marry your

parents both went wide-eyed.

with your daughter," Mark said. "I cannot

know of her condition!"

She touched her

baby is mine. And I would raise it as my child, with Susie as my

Nicholas said. "He is my Beta and a loyal man besides. He will