The Luna Choosing Game by Jane Above Story

Nicholas held Elva safe and secure in his arms as he stood to his full height. Elva buried her face into the corner of his neck and shoulder. He gently patted her back.

He glanced down at Elva, his gaze so tender that it made my heart clench.

“There, there,” he whispered. “You are safe now.”

“Oh my God,” said one of the other girls in the room, fanning herself. “Of course he’s good with children.”

“Someone pinch me,” said another. “I think I’m dreaming.”

Nicholas’s soft expression hardened as he glared out at the rest of the room. “Whose child is this? Why is she here?”

I started forward, but the girl in the pink dress spoke before I could reach him.

“An outsider sneaked in, unless she’s a maid.”

Some of the other girls snickered at my expense.

“She can’t be a participant,” another girl fake-whispered, loud enough for half-the room to hear. “I thought we had to be virgins, and she’s got a kid.”

I wanted to disappear into a corner. Whether virgin or not, I was nothing compared to the rest of these girls.

My clothes weren’t as nice as theirs, and my figure wasn’t like what it had been at the Academy. I’d lost much of my musculature. I was skinny from too many nights of skipped dinners.

Elva’s wellbeing had always come before my own.

Her sake was the only reason I continued forward rather than hide in embarrassment. I stopped only when I reached Nicholas.

He looked at me, and I looked at him.

I’d forgotten how gorgeous his eyes were, golden brown with flakes of green. When we’d dated, I had spent hours looking at them, trying to memorize that color, but it had seemed different each time.

Before, when I’d stared long enough, I could earn a bashful smile from him. Now, his face was totally devoid of emotion. He looked at me like I was a stranger.

Did he… not recognize me?

become unrecognizable. Unless he truly had sealed me away in his past

simply pretending, to save face. I could be a great embarrassment to him, showing up here, years after leaving him, and with a

Maybe he hated me.

girl in pink motioned to

this,” Nicholas said, and even his voice was monotone. Another moment of staring at me blankly, then he turned and

followed him. He led me to

official-looking man in a suit hurried toward him. “Your Royal Highness, please remember that per the

man,

is an exception,”

sir. Of course, sir.” The man bowed twice as he

went inside after them. A servant stepped forward and closed the door behind us, leaving Nicholas, Elva, and I alone in a small

churned. I thought I might be sick. I had never imagined I’d meet Nicholas again,

of me, to see me as I was? To see me here, as part of

who seemed at ease against his chest. She must have cried herself to sleep, eyes closed and drooling. She seemed

once, his perfect façade cracked. He

hands stayed gentle on Elva, his arm looped more protectively around

you hide my child from me?”

my thoughts skidded to a stop. I blinked once, twice, but, no, I couldn’t make sense

Eloquently, I said, “Huh?”

glanced at Elva, softly sleeping in his arms. She was three years old. That

the memory. We’d been so young then, too eager

finished in clumsy haste. I couldn’t remember where he was when he’d climaxed. But, hadn’t he been

fueled it seemed to slide

I said, hoping

even said so on television. For me to hide a child from him would have been a cruelty. He would likely have struggled forever over the guilt for the

her name. But

moment, before the anger returned tenfold.

struggle to

glanced between me and Elva. “She looks

was my identical twin sister. But I wouldn’t tell that to Nicholas. Elva was mine in every way that

seemed to answer some unspoken question

What could

arms, and he immediately cut off the deep

onto one of

at Mommy,” came