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

They are down in the sitting room with your parents," I

If your parents wouldn't have let him inside,

laughed a

drastic. Nicholas had a plan, as he always does, that his arrival at your door might open the way. My presence was

"True."

who I was..."

blushed a little. "I talk about

hurt to hear she had such a hard time

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

looked at it

overdue," I told her. "He wants to ask

her, to inspect it. She touched it with only her fingertips, treating it as a precious, rare, fragile

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

"And even if they did. Or even if that didn't matter to me, Mark would be throwing his whole life away

to work. If this is what

looking at the ring for another minute or two,

see

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

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

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.

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

said, the word overflowing with

moving closer to Susie's

said, dropping into a deep bow. "Please allow

parents both went wide-eyed.

daughter," Mark said. "I cannot live without

know of her

was quicker. She touched her

"The baby is mine. And I would raise it as my child,

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