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

I was just so eager. I missed

and down her back

fault,” I said again,

to hear me

Piper’s worry made reason difficult to accept. Even bad things were easier to comprehend when

things scarier.

told the physician, who nodded at

throughout the night,” the physician said. “When

I

voice muffled against

physician left. Mark and the maid stayed nearby. I nodded to Mark and he moved a chair

Elva’s beside. Gently, I led Piper there and helped her

and cradled

table to retrieve a

“Prince Nicholas?”

and alert my family’s servants of where I’ll

“At

toward the maid. “You may leave as

Bold of her to attempt to stand up

cared about Piper

I said, softer. “They

over Piper and Elva, she

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

sat down upon