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."

near doubled,

are down in the sitting room with your parents," I said. Susie's eyes went wide as

If your parents wouldn't have

a

stop him before he did anything drastic. Nicholas had a plan, as he always does, that his arrival at your door might open the way. My

"True."

knew who I

blushed a little. "I talk about

into another hug. How grateful I was to be in her life! Though how much it hurt to hear she had

give you this." I held my palm out with the ring

at

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

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

all of her features. Then, in the next, she

if that didn't matter to me,

about that," I told her. "Nicholas will find a way to get it to work. If

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

to see him,"

Susie leading, we didn't need the butler to guide us

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

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

*Susie..." her mom said.

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

said, the word overflowing with

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

into a deep bow.

both went

your daughter," Mark said. "I cannot

her condition!"

was quicker. She touched her husband's

And I would raise it as

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