The Luna Choosing Game by Jane Above Story

Chapter 0353

When I slept that night, it was only because pure exhaustion from staying up the entire night before had finally caught up to me, and sleep pulled me under against my will. Else I would have been shaking with anger and worry.

For a few, brief hours, I had felt peace. But now, I was awake again. Now I remembered everything that had happened, from being caught with Nicholas by the King, to Nichola s’s break up letter, to standing outside of his door as Nicholas refused to answer.

I meant to bottle in my worries as much as I could, but the minute Mark entered the room, I pounced toward him. He sighed, seemingly resigned to his fate.

“Is he alright?” I asked first. One of my lingering fears was that Nicholas had been harmed or was suffering from some terrible infliction – illness or otherwise. It was by far the most pressing question. My own feelings were secondary to Nichola s’s overall wellbeing. “Is he sick, or hurt?”

Mark smiled a little, sadly. “He is healthy.”

I slumped as relief rushed through my body. With the worst out of the way, I could press forward with my questions.

“Is the King responsible for this? Perhaps Nicholas was backed into a corner?”

“I’m sorry, Piper…”

“Please, Mark. He won’t talk to me. If I only understood…” I worried my hands together. I was a nervous wreck. Maybe I shouldn’t want to know the answers. Maybe they would only hurt me worse than I was being hurt right now.

But I was never would who could easily back down from something.

“The King might have suggested it,” Mark said, “But the separation is for the good of the kingdom.”

I blinked, surprised. The good of the kingdom? That felt like a reh ea rsed line. “The kingdom hardly hinges on my secret rendezvous with Nicholas…”

“Maybe. Maybe not. But your very public relationship with Prince Julian is important. If you were to continue to see Prince Nicholas, I fear it would only be a matter of time before the public caught wind. It would undermine your relationship with Prince Julian.”

I frowned. I tried to see it from their perspective. The fate of the kingdom was important but…

“I hate that you have to keep seeing Julian if that’s not what you want to do,” Mark said. ” You shouldn’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. But this is a high risk situation with an angry public. You’ve seen the mobs just outside the gates? It’s growing every day.”

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I had seen them. They had been growing bigger…

“I want to hear all this from Nicholas himself,” I said.

+15 BONUS

his head. “Please, stay away from him Piper.” A line creased the center of his brow, and he suddenly looked troubled. Softly,

Oh. Oh.

because he wanted to. Of course, he wasn’t. But neither was he doing

this was the right thing to do, for the good of the kingdom. And by thinking otherwise, by chasing

too. He still cared

just couldn’t

you understand now?” Mark

I did understand, even if it shattered

had ever expected. I

no matter how much the two involved cared

each other.

I

my gaping wounds before I saw him again. Unfortunately, I was immediately summoned

Jane.

stood in Julian’s private rooms as far as possible as I could from Nicholas. Julian and Veronica both gazed between us, as Nicholas and I did our

even if he spoke. It was

didn’t exist at all.

was easier said than done, of course, and when he cleared his throat, I immediately glanced. He glanced too, and

us.

wanted to hold him and bridge this new distance

that could never

+15 BONUS

I looked away first.

thing is going on. here.” He pointed between Nicholas and me. “But,

capturing Jane. Bringing down the underground organization. These were achievable goals that had

to do with Nicholas.

the plan?” I

looked at

so, though she did pause a

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remember that collar that