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, and I

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

kept him away. If your parents wouldn't have let him inside, he would have scaled

a

able to 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 presence was required for this. It is,

"True."

parents knew who

about you

in her life! Though how much it hurt to hear she had such a hard time

to give you this." I

at it and

overdue," I told her.

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

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

did. Or even if that didn't matter to me, Mark would

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

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

to see him," she

the doorway. With Susie leading, we didn't need the butler to guide us back downstairs

help my smile. When she saw it,

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

*Susie..." her mom said.

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

he said, the word overflowing with

closer to Susie's parents, closer than

into a deep bow. "Please allow me to marry

parents both went

am in love with your daughter," Mark said.

know of her condition!"

She touched her husband's arm. "He

mine. And I would raise it as my child,

Nicholas said. "He is my Beta and a