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."

doubled, and I regretted

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

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

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, after all, more likely they'd let me in to see

"True."

parents knew who I was..."

little. "I talk about

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

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

at it and

I told her. "He wants to

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

in the next, she began to cry again. "What's the matter?" I

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

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.

continued looking at the ring for another minute

to see him," she

nodded and we both headed for the doorway. With Susie leading, we didn't need the butler to guide us back downstairs to

way, Susie slid the ring onto her finger. I couldn't help my smile. When she saw it, she smiled too, though

really 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

*Susie..." her mom said.

and his on her. Then his

the word overflowing with obvious

closer to Susie's parents, closer than even Nicholas

bow.

parents both went wide-eyed.

with your daughter," Mark said. "I cannot

know of her condition!" Susie's

touched her

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

my Beta and a loyal man besides. He will treat your