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."

pocket near doubled,

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

have kept him away. If your parents wouldn't have let him inside, he would have

laughed a

anything drastic. Nicholas had a plan, as he always does, that his arrival at your door

"True."

who I was..."

a little. "I talk about

be in her life! Though how much it hurt to hear she had such

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

at it and

overdue," I told her. "He

and held it up closer to her, to inspect it. She touched it with only her

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

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

told 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

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

see

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

I couldn't help my

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.

Mark, and his on her. Then his

he said, the word overflowing with obvious

closer to Susie's parents, closer than

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

parents both went wide-eyed.

in love with your daughter," Mark

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

quicker. She touched her

I would raise it as my

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