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."

weight of the ring in my pocket near doubled, and I

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

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

a little

your door might open the way. My presence was

"True."

parents knew who I was..." I

about

How grateful I was to be in her life! Though how much it hurt to hear she had such a

pocket. "Mark told me to give you this." I held my

looked at it and

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

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

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

she said. "And even if they did. Or even if that didn't matter to me, Mark would be

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

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

see

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

the way, Susie slid the ring onto her finger. I couldn't help my smile. When she

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

*Susie..." her mom said.

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

said, the word overflowing

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

deep bow. "Please allow me to marry your

both

love with your daughter," Mark said.

don't know of her condition!" Susie's father

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

would

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