The Luna Choosing Game by Jane Above Story

Chapter 43

At first glance, she appeared friendly enough, smiling peacefully. She curtsied to me and introduced herself.

Tm looking forward to serving you,” she said.

But I found it strange. Surely she had passed my other maid being taken away down the hall. What kind of person would be smiling so calmly after having witnessed such a thing?

icholas.

I

I

Today was the day for Nicholas’s solo date, and I was trying my very best not to think about it.

Ever since receiving Joseph’s threatening letter, I’d been hiding out in my room as much as I could to

avoid him and the mean–looking guards.

With the First Ball fast approaching, I used the extra time in my room to help my maids work on me and

Elva’s gowns.

The dress had to be perfect. The order of introductions for the girls at the ball was to be determined by

the princes‘ preferences of the dresses.

Once the gowns were finished, pictures were to be taken of them and given to the princes, who would

then select their favorites. Those favorites would be the first ones introduced at the ball, and therefore

given the most time with the princes.

And with the cameras.

A major component of the Luna Choosing Game, was earning the public’s favor. I had a small advantage

common people, being one myself. But people like Lena

that even with my slight advantage, I would

didn’t mean I

I had split the design for my dress into three separate parts that we had

combine the three elements into a

already finished Elva’s matching dress

insisted on doing the final work, as she

mannequin for the dresses photo shoot. Elva’s dress was not to be included in the

outside the window, likely the horses again, with

I

sure why, I kept thinking about Nicholas’s solo date, but it shouldn’t be enough to bother

and I were over long

length of the room, nervousness and trepidation waging war within my chest.

Elva called to me. “Mommy,

distraction, I joined her at the

down toward the stables.

the entrance of the stables

hands.

a regal black stallion that greedily accepted a sugar cube

Lilliana was a brown and white

trying to sidestep whenever Lilliana

left his own horse to approach Lilliana. He offered her a

her horse. Lilliana shook her head, refusing to offer

hear the exact words spoken beyond some mumbled voices, but with the way Lilliana held up her pure white gloves, I assumed

ing dirty.

getting dirty.

how she would hold

I

horse himself. In his

Nicholas’s help,

hands lingered near her

had gone horseback riding together. He had helped me

same way.

I could still feel the phantom touch of his strong hands

fall,” he’d said then. “Tell me when you are okay,

him a playful smile. “What if

I

under the sun. “Then we should give up on horseback riding for today and return to one of our rooms instead.

properly

he was saying much the same thing to

all. Nicholas moved his hands away from her waist

two did

Nicholas had chosen her, out of all

for Lilliana to bring her mare alongside his horse, and then together they started

at the window.

when she realized, “He’s

figure out what she was going to do, she shouted from the

She waved both arms.

both immediately looked up. Lilliana glowered, but Nicholas’s stern expression seemed to

lifted a hand and