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?

had changed, sure, but not enough to become unrecognizable. Unless he truly had sealed me away

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

Maybe he hated me.

The girl in pink motioned to

his voice was monotone. Another moment of staring at me blankly,

held Elva, so I followed him. He led me to an adjoining

Highness, please remember that per the selection rules, you aren’t

stopped to look at the man, who nervously backed up a

an

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

inside after them. A servant stepped forward and closed the

churned. I thought I might be sick. I had never imagined I’d meet Nicholas again, and especially not

what even to say. What would he think of me, to see me as I was? To see me here,

have cried herself to sleep, eyes closed and drooling. She

and at once, his perfect façade cracked. He frowned.

gentle on Elva, his arm looped more protectively

you hide my child from

to a stop. I blinked once, twice, but, no, I

Eloquently, I said, “Huh?”

his arms. She was three years old. That lined up with our breakup three

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

in clumsy haste. I couldn’t remember where he was when he’d

seemed to slide into

I said, hoping to give him

a child from him would have been a cruelty. He would likely have struggled forever over the guilt for

That’s her name. But she’s not

before

he seemed to struggle to get it out. He swallowed

me and Elva. “She

Nicholas.

unspoken question

startled. What could cause that

immediately cut off the deep rumbling

onto one of the

mad at Mommy,” came