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."

in my pocket near doubled, and

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

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

laughed a little

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

"True."

who I was..." I

little. "I talk about you

pulled 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 getting friends. She was so sweet and kind, she deserved so many more

pocket. "Mark told me to give you

looked at it and

her. "He wants

up closer to her, to inspect

pure awe covered her face, softening all of her features. Then, in the next, she

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

I told her. "Nicholas will find a way to get it to work. If

continued looking at the ring for another minute or two, before she

want to see him," she

Susie leading, we

I couldn't help my smile.

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.

his gaze dropped to her hand, where she'd

said, the word overflowing with

closer to Susie's parents, closer than even

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

both

your daughter," Mark

of her

She touched her husband's arm.

I would raise it as my child, with

my Beta and a