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 it

the sitting room with your parents,"

don't think anything would have kept him away. If your parents wouldn't have let him

laughed a

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,

"True."

parents knew who I was..." I

about you often. You

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

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

looked at it

overdue," I told her. "He wants

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

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

parents 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 life away with this. He can't be

to work. If this is what

She continued looking at the ring for another minute

want to see him," she

Susie leading, we didn't need the butler to

help my smile. When she

as I've consistently said "Susie's father

*Susie..." her mom said.

her. Then his gaze dropped

said, the word overflowing

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

said, dropping into a deep bow. "Please allow me to marry

parents both went wide-eyed.

your daughter," Mark said.

know of her condition!"

mother was quicker. She touched her husband's arm.

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

this man," Nicholas said. "He is my