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."

of the ring in my pocket near doubled, and I

in the sitting room with

have let him inside, he would have scaled the walls and climbed through

laughed a little

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 they'd let me in to see you

"True."

knew who

a little. "I talk about you often. You were my first

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

told me to give you

looked at it and

told her. "He wants

my palm and held it up closer to her, to inspect it. She touched

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

for it," she said. "And even if they did. Or even if that didn't matter to me, Mark would be throwing his whole life away with this. He can't be

her. "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

continued looking at the ring for

to see him,"

headed for the doorway. With Susie leading, we didn't

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

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

*Susie..." her mom said.

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

the word overflowing with

to Susie's parents,

deep bow. "Please allow me to marry

both

with your daughter," Mark said. "I cannot live without

of her condition!"

She touched her husband's

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

"He is my Beta and a loyal man besides. He