THE FORGOTTEN LUNA

LADESSA.

"There she is." I heard a voice, and my head snapped to look where the sound came from. I found myself face-to-face with four men around a conference table. Even though they were sitting, they all looked tall. They must be taller than Esriel, who was already six feet and "One would have thought she was tall. Did we have a sister for a midget?"noveldrama

two inches in height.

My eyes widened. Midget? I was around five feet and four inches. I wasn't short. They were just giants. I thought they were seriously judging me when I realized they were all smiling.

"I would rather have a midget than a giant for a sister," Esriel said as he stood beside me.

They all chuckled, and if these four men, who must be aging from their late twenties to late thirties, were the princes, they didn't look like one except for the formal vests they were wearing. The way they were snickering reminded me of the boys of the little rascals. "Hi..." That was all I could say as my eyes shifted between them.

They immediately stopped making those snickering noises as they stood up and introduced themselves one by one.

Prince Esmaeel was the eldest.

Prince Eston was the second.

Esriel, who was with me, was the third one, followed by Prince Esegar. And then Prince Esaias was the youngest.

Esaias was twenty-eight. He was eight years older than me. While the oldest, Esmael, was thirty-eight. They had two to three years in between them.

I was expecting animosity from them, so I was surprised to see how attentive and curious they were about me.

Esriel pulled a chair and guided me to sit down.

"Where is Father?" I asked.

Esmael pointed somewhere behind me, and when I looked back, I saw a door in one of the walls. "He's probably changing his clothes to a more comfortable one." "Oh..."

"So... Tell us, where have you been all these years? While we were under strict training, you must have been running around and dancing under the rain." Eston asked, and all eyes were on me.

"I danced under the rain whenever I could, as long as I already did all my chores," I mumbled as I dropped my gaze to my hands clasped together and resting on the table. I felt like I was a child under scrutiny. "Chores? Like what, fixing your bed, washing dishes?"

"Yes. Also, washing clothes and hanging them out to dry." I tilted my face up and looked at the youngest, who asked that question. "Then I scrubbed the toilet floors. The orphanage had many big bathrooms, so cleaning them would take my whole day. If I still had energy, I would go out and play." "Orphanage?" Esriel asked.

I looked at him and nodded. "I grew up in an orphanage. I was adopted twice, but they returned me. Because they said, I didn't fit into their families. After the second time, I asked the headmistress if I could just stay and not be adopted. I didn't want to get my hopes high that I would have a family just to be let down each time."

"How old were you when they made you scrub the toilet floor?" Esegar asked.

"Eight, nine. Until I left the orphanage. I can't remember when I started." I smiled bitterly. "I honestly can't remember my age when I was younger, as I never dared ask when my birthday was."

"I thought you grew up with your mother," Esmaeel said, creasing his forehead.

"I never met her." I smiled, but I was sure the pain was in my eyes. "But I have many siblings, maybe 40 or 50. I've lost track of the number because it changes when a new one comes in or another is adopted."

"You only have five siblings unless your mother has another family," Esmaeel said in a grumpy tone, and this was maybe what Danielle was talking about-that he could be terrifying at times.

"I don't know anything about her." I

looked at each of them. If I

calculated correctly, Esmaeel was almost eighteen years old when was born, so half of them were

already adolescents when I was born. "Have you met my mother?"

I regretted asking the question. I was an illegitimate child. The King must have cheated on his Queen, and reminding them about it was a big mistake.

But before I could take it back or

they could react, the sound of a door opening reached my ears. All heads turned and looked at my father, who had changed his clothes to just regular black slacks and a formal black shirt.

"When the King enters the room, you must stand up from your seat." My eyes widened, and I immediately stood up, but he gestured for me to sit down, which I did right away.

I watched him grab a portfolio from

his desk before walking toward where we were. "Your brothers do

not practice that when it's just us et

which don't mind. I'm only reminding you in case we are in a room with someone outside.our family, even if they were only servants and guards."

"I understand, Father."

"If it's just us, you can lie on the floor and sleep, and Father won't mind."

"Enough, Esaiah." Father glared at him, and it made me swallow.

My brother was making it look like it was easy to get along and joked with Father around, but the King was still so stern and strict-looking-but maybe only with me.

"I assumed they already introduced themselves." He spoke again.

"Yes, Father," I replied as I watched him sit directly facing me on the other side of the table.

"Good. So let's talk about Alpha Kael Daeyra of the Ironcrest Pack."

"Father, should it be better if it's just the two of us?" If worse comes to worst, I was planning to tell him about Kael's memory loss, but with all of them here, it would be a big risk. "No. I want them here. Your brothers will be the ones screening all the applicants for the Royal Games. They should know who your ex-husband is."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

THE PRINCES from Eldest to Youngest.

Esmaeel

Eston

Esriel

Esegar

Esaias