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

that even with my slight advantage, I would make it

didn’t mean

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

ready to combine

finished Elva’s

insisted on doing the final work, as she

mannequin for the dresses photo shoot. Elva’s dress was not to be included in the shot, since that would ruin the anonymity of

window, likely the horses again, with the stables so

I

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

I were over

nervousness and

to me.

for the distraction, I joined

Elva pointed down toward the stables. “It’s

near the entrance of the stables as horses

hands.

was a regal black stallion that greedily accepted

was a brown and white mare that seemed nervous

trying to sidestep whenever Lilliana came

approach Lilliana. He offered her

horse. Lilliana shook her

mumbled voices, but with the way Lilliana held up her pure white gloves, I assumed she refused to treat the horse to spare

ing dirty.

getting dirty.

wondered how she would

I

cube to the horse himself. In his presence, the mare seemed to

help, lifted herself

her waist, keeping her

we had gone horseback riding together. He had helped me then, much in

same way.

remember, I could still feel the phantom touch of his strong hands on my

then. “Tell me when you are

“What

I

fond, green sparkling brightly under the sun. “Then we should give up on horseback riding for today and return to one of

properly

much the same thing to Lilliana, But, no.

his hands away from her

did not seem

had chosen her, out of all the candidates,

left her then and mounted his stallion. He waited for Lilliana to bring her mare alongside his horse, and then together they started to ride forwards at a slow pace – which brought

at the window.

she realized,

what she was going to

She waved both arms.

immediately looked up. Lilliana glowered, but Nicholas’s stern

hand and waved