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."

pocket near doubled, and I

Nicholas both. They are down in the sitting room with your

would have kept him away. If your parents wouldn't have

a little at

he always does, that his arrival at your door might open the way. My presence was

"True."

who

about you often. You were

much it hurt to hear she had such a hard time getting friends. She was

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

looked at

it's overdue," I told her.

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

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

will never 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

"Nicholas will find a way to get it to work. If this is

looking at the ring for another minute or two,

want to see

we didn't need the

finger. I couldn't help my smile. When she saw

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

*Susie..." her mom said.

Then his gaze dropped

the word overflowing

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

dropping into a deep bow. "Please allow me to

both went wide-eyed.

your daughter," Mark said. "I cannot

her condition!" Susie's father

was quicker. She touched her husband's arm. "He

confirmed. "The baby is mine. And I would raise

vouch for this man," Nicholas said. "He is my Beta and a loyal man besides. He will treat