Her Selection : A Selection Story

Chapter 3

I walk into the dining hall alone and see that my parents are already in their seats. I would feel sad about sending boys home already, yet the happiness of Spencer Judd being gone overpowers it. Again, twenty- eight bows and "Your Highness" greet me. I smile and kiss my mother on the cheek before sitting beside her and taking a bite of food.

"How many" she asks quietly. As if any of the men at their separate tables would hear.

"Seven," I say simply, hoping I won't be asked why I sent that many on their way. They were gone, and I wasn't going to think about any of them ever again. I would focus on the twenty-eight still here. One of them I would fall in love with soon

The meal passes quietly and I excuse myself after my father. I hurry to talk to him in the hall before he gets back to work.

"What did you feel after your first meeting and cut?" I ask.

"Pissed that I hadn't immediately found my wife. There were some that I really liked at first and some I didn't. I was relieved when the first cut was done. Don't worry darling, " he says kissing the top of my head. "Whatever you are feeling is completely normal."

I watch him walk away towards his office probably, and then I head to my room before the boys leave the dining hall. I had plans to make, and dates to arrange. Starting with tonight.

I send one of my maids off with three identical notes for three different boys. A group date was a good place to start, and after dinner was the right time.

I stand at the bottom of the stairs awaiting the arrival of the three 3s. I laugh to myself when I realize that they were all from the same caste, but it made sense. Great minds would appreciate literacy. Together they come into view and they all look confused. Each probably thought they were the lone lucky guy to have the first date.

"Do not worry,"" I tell them, "I can explain the situation. Usually the first night is for the first date, but I was unable to choose any one who truly stood out. So I decided to have a sort of group date," I explain and they all seem to relax.

"And what is the agenda for this evening, Princess Selene?"  Wade asks.

"Two librarians and a poet are you. We are going to one of my favorite places in the palace; my own library."

They all seem more than pleased with this, and Xander is the one to hold his arm out to me. "Then let us be on our way, Princess," he says and I link my arm through his.

As we walk up the stairs we begin discussing our favorite books and author. It is interesting that they share some, but also disagree on others. Xander critiques an author as we get to the library and I laugh. "Meier is actually one of my favorites," I tell him. He looks like a deer awaiting slaughter, and the other two seem happy that he may have upset me. "I do agree that his story lines are a bit scattered, but I enjoy that. Everyone has a different opinion."

I open the door to the library and they all gasp. "So many books," Brooks whispers and I lead them further inside.

"These books are yours to read if you wish, I've enjoyed most all of them."

"How?" Wade whispers. "There must be thousands."

"Oh, yes, but when you are trapped inside most days it is easy to use the pages to escape to another place."

"This, this is a classic," Xander says in awe, delicately holding an old copy in his hands. "If I ever go missing, look for me here first."

"Go ahead and browse," I say and they all part ways. It felt so intimate to be sharing this with them. I was allowing these boys I hardly knew into my private library. I watch as they explore, like children in a candy store.

From halfway across the room I can see the excitement grow on Brooks' face as he pulls a book from the shelf. I walk over to him and see it's one of my favorite short story collections. "My mother read this to me every night before bed when I was a child," he tells me.

"Take it," I tell him. "So you can have a bit of her during your stay."

"Are you sure?" he asks surprised.

"Positive."

The time gets away from us, and all too soon it is way later than I had planned to be here. With at least one book in each of our hands, we leave. Xander asks if he can walk me back to my room and I say goodnight to the others.

As soon as we part ways Xander speaks "I apologize for bashing on Meier. I didn't know anyone besides myself read his stuff," he's clearly embarrassed so I laugh it off.

"I'm not upset at all. Like I said, everyone has different opinions. I am just glad I now have people to discuss books with. My maids hate reading as it takes away time, and my cousin is just too lazy to read more than our studies require. We may be just a year apart, but we are so different," I tell him.

"Is this cousin close with you though?"

"Very. He may as well be my brother," I say but stop myself. "You said you have two siblings, right?"

"A sister and a brother, both younger."

"I wish I had siblings," I laugh. "Maybe then my parents would be less strict."

"That just means they love you," he says as we reach my door. "Goodnight, Princess. And thank you for tonight." He kisses my hand and I tell him goodnight.

As I try to fall asleep a million thing run through my mind. No way was the next cut going to come easily.

The next day after lunch I send four more notes. The boys would be confused why I had grouped them together, but it would surely make it fun. Not surprisingly, Flynn William is the first to meet me in the garden. Even as he bows to me, he makes me feel so small. He was one of the tallest people I'd ever met, and he had told me that he was in fact six and a half feet tall.

"Good afternoon, Princess," he says and I smile.

"Good afternoon Flynn," I tell him. "Take any seat you want."

He sits in the chair on my right, eyeing the cups on the table. He comments on the beauty of the garden. "The flowers are outstanding for it not being summer yet."

Lukas Bodie and Trenton Scott come just a minute apart. Lukas chooses to sit across from me, and I admire his strategy. Ainsley is the last to arrive and I begin our date.

"Today I want to spend tea time getting to know you all a bit better. And what a lovely day to do so." I look to the maid standing behind me and she hurries to pour tea for each of us. Each boy, except Ainsley, thanks her. I recall that he is a 2, so he may be used to being served.

"You're probably bored with my repetitive questions, but how are you each enjoying yourselves?" I look first to Trenton.

"It's quite a change, such a change," he laughs," I think I'll get used to it soon though. Always being served and watched is not normal for me."

Ainsley says it reminds him of his summer home. Different but comfortable. Lukas is enjoying being around the others. As an only child he never had many people his age around. Flynn is the opposite. He misses his large family, but enjoy having his own room. It's quite comical watching him hold the tiny tea cup in his large hands.

"Speaking of the others, are you all getting along well and behaving yourselves?" I ask.

They share a look, as if waiting for someone else to answer. Surprisingly it is Lukas who does. "We have been getting along well, despite an incident the first day. But nothing since."

I don't want to tell them that I knew what is being referred to, so I smile and nod. We keep talking and laughing, and I feel like I'm falling for one of them fast.