The Lost Princess - A 'Selection' spinoff

CHAPTER 4

"She's being abused, Edward," Elora continued, talking passionately. "Her entire body seems bruised and hurt. It pains for her to even move. No one noticed, but I did. And I don't know why it affects me so much".

"You didn't ask her name, you said?" Edward asked. 

Elora shook her head. Her husband clapped thrice, and a holographic screen opened in front of them. He swiped a few times, and the screen enlarged, showing thirty five pictures of girls arranged in a row.

Elora looked at all of them and stopped as she saw the twentieth picture.

"This is the girl," she said.

"Aurora Clarkson," the King read. "Age 18, loves to paint and play the violin".

"She looks happy in this picture, though," Elora said, frowning. "She seemed to me as a very sad person".

"People aren't always those who they seem to be, Elora," Edward said sadly.

But his wife shook her head stubbornly, much to the chagrin of her hair dresser. "I know her, Edward. And you know me. I'm never wrong about people".

Edward sighed, as he peered into the screen, and looked at the girl's photo again.

"The one next to her - Adelaide Summers. She's a bad one, Ed. The sooner she's eliminated, the better," Elora said, the anger in her voice evident.

"Can't do that. She's the most famous amongst the thirty five Selected. The people's favorite. She's the TV star, Elora," he said, and suddenly frowned. "She's the one who called you a Nine, right?".

Elora nodded.

"The only two decent girls in the crowd seems like Aurora, and the other girl, No. 19. Katherine Harris. She wasn't there when I fell, but I did see her defend Aurora from the other girls," she said.

"They're allies?" Edward asked in disbelief, as he squinted at the screen to see their mentors' names. "Oh, Andrea and Julia. No wonder".

"We know them, Ed. They were Elanor and Elodie's governess' for a few years. They're good people. And we can assume the same of their wards," Elora said.

"So you think only Katherine and Aurora are fit for Eric?" he asked.

"Katherine, yes. But Aurora... For some reason I can't see her as a couple with Eric," she said.

"Your Majesties," a Guard said, popping his head in. "We're going live in ten minutes. You're needed downstairs".

Edward nodded at him, and looked at his wife. "Shall we?"

Elora smiled at him, and accepted his stretched hand as they walked out of the room to endure ten hours of talking to frivolous girls.

                                                                                ***

"Welcome to your home for the next six months," Julia announced, pushing open an ornate wooden door.

Aurora gasped.

Her room was larger than her house, and from the peek she took at the bathroom, well, let's just say that it was easily the most luxurious thing she had ever seen in her life.

A small door connected her room to the next.

"Cool. Is that my room?" Kate asked excitedly, running to her bed and jumping on it.

"Yes," Julia said, smiling at her ward.

"Since you have connecting rooms, we decided it would be better if you had two maids each. Ladies, meet Beth, Grace, Eliza and Estelle," Andrea said, as four women entered the room.