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 slight

didn’t mean I wouldn’t

maids and I had split the design for my dress into three separate parts

were ready to combine the

finished Elva’s matching dress

maid insisted on doing the final work,

newest maid began arranging the mannequin for the dresses photo shoot. Elva’s dress was not to be included in the shot, since that

something outside the window, likely the horses again,

I

kept thinking about Nicholas’s

were

the length of the room, nervousness and trepidation

called to me. “Mommy, come

the distraction, I joined her at the

toward the stables. “It’s

near the entrance of the stables as horses were brought to them by

hands.

horse was a regal black stallion that greedily

horse chosen for Lilliana was a brown and

trying to sidestep whenever

approach Lilliana. He offered her a sugar cube

her horse. Lilliana shook her head,

but with the way Lilliana held up her pure white gloves, I assumed she refused to

ing dirty.

getting dirty.

how she

I

cube to the horse himself. In his presence,

then, and with Nicholas’s help, lifted herself

her waist, keeping

horseback riding together. He had helped me

same way.

myself remember, I could still feel the phantom

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

“What if I

I

fond, green sparkling brightly under the 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

properly

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

much at all. Nicholas moved his hands away from

a distance, these two did not seem to

imagine why Nicholas had chosen her, out of all the candidates, for his

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

at the window.

realized, “He’s coming

what she was going to do, she shouted from the window,

She waved both arms.

glowered, but Nicholas’s stern expression

a hand