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

the common people, being one myself. But people like Lena and Joseph

little reason to believe that even with my

didn’t mean I

design for my dress into three separate parts that we had

Now, we were ready to combine the three elements into a complete

already finished Elva’s matching

insisted on doing the final work, as

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

outside the window, likely the horses again, with the

I

thinking about Nicholas’s solo date, but it

and I were over long

nervousness and trepidation waging war within

Elva called to me. “Mommy, come

distraction, I joined her at the

toward

entrance of the stables as horses were brought to them by

hands.

a regal black stallion that greedily accepted a sugar cube from

horse chosen for Lilliana was a brown and

sidestep whenever Lilliana came

approach Lilliana. He offered

horse. Lilliana shook her head, refusing

hear the exact 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

ing dirty.

getting dirty.

wondered how she would hold the

I

cube to the horse himself.

then, and with Nicholas’s help, lifted herself

hands lingered near her waist,

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

same way.

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

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

him a playful smile. “What if I want

I

sun. “Then we should give up on horseback riding for today and return to one of our rooms instead. If you want me to hold you, I’d like to

properly

he was saying much the same thing to Lilliana, But, no. They didn’t seem to

all. Nicholas moved his hands away from her waist quickly

distance, these two did

chosen her, out of all

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 –

at the window.

she realized,

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

She waved both arms.

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

hand and waved