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."

ring in my pocket near doubled, and I regretted

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

don't think anything would have kept him away. If your parents wouldn't have let him

a little at

does, that his arrival at your door might open the way. My presence was required for this. It

"True."

who

"I talk about

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,

from my pocket. "Mark told me to give you

at it and

overdue," I told her. "He wants

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

features. Then, in the next, she

if that didn't matter to me, Mark would be throwing his whole life

get it to work. If this is what you

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

want to see him," she

leading, we didn't need

her finger. I couldn't help

Prince Nicholas, as I've consistently said "Susie's father was saying.

*Susie..." her mom said.

eyes were on Mark, and his on her. Then his gaze

said, the word overflowing with

Susie's parents, closer than even Nicholas was

dropping into a deep bow. "Please allow me

parents both went wide-eyed.

love with your daughter," Mark said. "I cannot live

of her condition!" Susie's father

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

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

"He is my Beta and a loyal man