The Luna Choosing Game by Jane Above Story

Chapter 0078

Nicholas

As I watched, Piper seemed to crumble in on herself. The guilt and the worry pushed down on her

shoulders and made her small. It didn’t suit her. She was strong, a fighter, yet fear for Elva tore straight

through her.

I I had known the child a few short weeks, and already I was in agony, watching her cry and shake with

fever. I could only imagine how Piper felt. To watch her daughter be sick now, and so often, must have

been a special kind of torture.

Holding Piper’s arm, I turned her into me to offer her the physical support of my body. She clung to me, likely about to fall if I did not hold her upright.

I may have been angry at Piper for all that had occurred between us. She had betrayed me once, for reasons I still didn’t fully understand, when all I had ever done was love her.

Yet seeing her like this, so scared for her daughter, I could not help but soften to her.

“It’s not your fault,” I told her. “It could have been any illness. Even someone with a cough could have sent the germs her way.”

“But I was sick.” Tears clung to her eyelashes. They made my chest ache. “I should have waited to see

was just

and down her

fault,” I said

head, unable or unwilling to

again. For now, I understood Piper’s worry made reason difficult to

things scarier.

doctor,” I told the

on her several times throughout the night,” the physician said. “When her fever breaks, send for me, and I will be

you,” I said

said Piper, voice muffled against my

nearby. I nodded to Mark and he moved a

led Piper there and helped her

and cradled Elva’s

retrieve a second chair. Mark was at my side at

“Prince Nicholas?”

I told him. “Go and alert my family’s servants of where I’ll be if

saluted. “At once,

the room, I motioned toward the maid. “You may

said. Bold of her to attempt to

cared about Piper

can handle it from here,” I said, softer. “They will need you

After one last glance over Piper and Elva, she turned and left the

dealt with, I returned to Piper’s side, carrying a second chair. I placed

sat down