Page 49 of Alien on the Moon

“Fine, fine. I’ll tell you. You’ve impressed people with your work here.”

“That’s the news?” Elena laughed. “That’s not news. I know that.”

“No, you don’t understand. You’ve impressed the right people. Back home, word of your work here has reached the royal scientists. And you’ve gotten their attention.”

Elena could barely hear the words as he spoke. Her mind just kept racing with the possibilities. The royal scientists were no joke. They were doing some of the most important work in the kingdom. To have their attention meant you’d done something right. Or something very wrong.

“The royal scientists?”

“Yes,” Arccoo said with a smile. “The royal scientists.Thoseroyal scientists. And they’re impressed with you. You’ve been invited to join the Royal Institute.”

“Me?”

“How could they not be?”

Elena couldn’t believe it. This was all she’d been dreaming of for so long. She was given a chance to show off her intelligence. And it worked. Now no one could deny how valuable her mind was.

As just a simple human, it had been an uphill battle for her since arriving on Arccoo’s planet. And she was starting to believe the day would never come when she could really make a name for herself. The attention of the top royal scientists was something of a far-off dream she thought she could never achieve.

Their attention was always treated as something to earn. She knew she’d need to prove herself in the field, but she just needed an opportunity that it seemed would never come. Finally, here that moment was, and she couldn’t have been happier to do it by Ryland’s side.

“What does this mean?” Elena asked.

“They want you.”

“They want me?” Elena asked again. “What does thatmean?”

“Elena, have some confidence for a second,” Arccoo said with a laugh. “You just did some incredible work here. The best of the best now want you. What could it possibly mean?”

“They want me to work for them?” Elena could hardly bring herself to say the words. A mix of shock and excitement coursed through her body.

“They’ve been working on a project back home for a while. It’s stalled for a bit, and they think a fresh pair of eyes could be a game-changer. You are the fresh set of eyes they’ve been looking for.”

Elena’s mind was still racing, reflecting on all her hard work: every late night spent studying, every moment fighting for her place at the table. It was all worth it, every single second of it. Her life’s effort was not about to be a waste.

She’d never felt so happy in her entire life. The excitement was starting to overtake the shock in her body. Her hands were starting to tremble. Happy tears started to well up in her eyes.

It was all she’d ever wanted. All she’d ever dreamed of. As far back as she could remember, she was working toward this moment. Though she never, even in her wildest dreams, expected to hear the news from the prince himself.

She could see her future before her very eyes. She could picture working alongside the royal scientists and someday becoming one herself. She imagined developing project after project and winning award after award. Not only that, she could someday be responsible for giving opportunities to other young women in the position she was once in.

As all of this hit her, Elena felt the urge to run to someone and share the incredible news. She wanted to celebrate with someone who would feel nothing but pride for her.

But the urge wasn’t bringing her to her sisters. To her family. That’s not who she immediately wanted to share it with. Not the people who helped and supported her along the way for so long and were ultimately always there for her.

The urge was pushing her toward Rylan—toward the one she’d only met not too long ago but the one she’d grown so close to, so quickly. He’d begun occupying almost every thought in her head.

She wanted to share it with Rylan, wanted to see his reaction. She wanted to feel his pride and be wrapped in his congratulatory hug.

And then, a less exciting thought entered her head. Rylan was here. And the royal scientists were very far from here.

She never realized it until that very moment, but her desire to prove herself to the royal scientists had gained a new rival. Her desire was to be around Rylan and to spend time with him.

Could Elena accept the opportunity knowing it would pull her away from him? What if that meant they would never see each other again? That thought alone almost drained all the excitement out of her.

In such a short span of time, Rylan had become such an important figure in Elena’s life that she couldn’t imagine losing him forever. But she also couldn’t pass up the chance to work with the royal scientists.

“Well?” Arccoo said. His words dragged Elena out of her head and back to reality. “What do you think?”

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