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

people, being one myself. But people like Lena and Joseph existed in

that even with my slight advantage, I would make it far

didn’t mean

and I had split the design for my dress into three

we were ready to combine the

finished Elva’s

maid insisted on doing the final work, as she had the most experience

dress was not to be included in

herself was looking at something outside the window, likely the horses again, with the stables so

I

felt restless, though I wasn’t sure why, I kept thinking about Nicholas’s solo date,

I were

room, nervousness and trepidation

Elva called to

for the distraction, I joined her at the

pointed down toward

of the

hands.

a regal black stallion that

Lilliana was a brown and white mare that seemed

trying to sidestep whenever Lilliana

horse to approach Lilliana. He

her head, refusing to offer the

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

ing dirty.

getting dirty.

how she would hold the

I

the sugar cube to the horse himself. In his presence, the

then, and with Nicholas’s help, lifted herself up into

near her waist,

had gone horseback riding together. He had helped me

same way.

I let myself remember, I could still feel

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

smile. “What if I want to stay like

I

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

properly

saying much the same

Nicholas moved his hands

from a distance, these two did not seem to like each

I couldn’t imagine why Nicholas had chosen her, out

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 them closer to

at the window.

realized,

before I could figure out what she was going to

She waved both arms.

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

lifted a hand