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."

my pocket near doubled, and I regretted holding

you know. Mark. And Nicholas both. They are down in the sitting room with your parents," I said. Susie's eyes went wide as saucers. "Mark

don't think anything would have kept him away. If your parents wouldn't have let him inside, he would have scaled the walls and climbed through

laughed a little at

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, after all, more likely

"True."

who

"I talk about you often. You were my first

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

you this." I held my palm out with

looked at it

overdue," I told her. "He wants

inspect it. She touched it

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

if that didn't matter to me, Mark would be throwing his whole life away with this. He can't be Nicholas's

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

at the

see him,"

leading, we didn't need the butler

I couldn't help my smile. When she saw it,

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

*Susie..." her mom said.

on her. Then his gaze dropped to her hand, where she'd already put on

he said, the word

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

dropping into a deep bow.

both went wide-eyed.

in love with your daughter," Mark said. "I cannot live

of her condition!"

She touched her husband's arm.

Mark confirmed. "The baby is mine. And I would raise it as

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