Selected: Part 1 - Rags to Gowns

12. THE DATE

THE NEXT MORNING, A MAID knocked on my door. "A letter from Prince Ethan." I heard her say to Piper. She handed the letter over to her and left promptly. I froze, not knowing what to think. Piper, smiling ear to ear, put the letter in my shaking hands. "What do you think it is?" I asked my maids. "Let's find out." Grace said, calmly. A pile of nerves, I slowly opened and unfolded the letter.

Lady Luna,

I would like to invite you to dinner tonight,

I will be at your door at 6 pm to escort you to our private diner location.

I look forwards to getting to know you,

Ethan

I reread the letter over and over again, finding it just too good to be true. I was about to ask my maids what dress I should wear tonight when Grace suddenly said: "I'm sorry, Lady Luna; we have a staff seminar to attend this morning. We will be back at 3 to get you ready for your date." I might have imagined it, but the other girls seemed confused by this, though they followed her all the same.

I debated between going to see Gwen, who would help me calm down, or going to see Hazel, who would stop me from overthinking. I settled on checking the Women's room for them, and was surprised to find almost every girl there, all looking through magazines. I spotted Gwen first and headed towards her. "What is everyone reading?" I asked, confused. Gwen looked at me, a small smile on her face. "After the Report yesterday, Illéa's Capital Magazine posted a ranking for the public's top ten picks. In this article, there's the ten favorite girls of the public, with some commentary." She handed it over to me. Surprisingly, even though she was a celebrity, Taylor Fox had come in second place. I glanced at her and she seemed a little on edge. In first place was a girl with a dark complexion, light brown hair and hazel eyes. It read:

Alice Keen from Paloma, Four, stole the public's heart with her bright smile, cheerful demeanor and Ladylike charm. Her answers gave away her innate kindness, intelligence and poise. People everywhere are copying her wavy locks in an attempt to look as radiant as her. Alice is definitely the public's sweetheart.

I glanced over at Alice, who was beaming with pride, oblivious of the jealous glares she was getting. In third place was Mai Jang, who had wooed the public with her intelligence and grace. In fourth place, there was Naomi Barron, who the public felt was one of the most beautiful and charismatic girls. In fifth place was... me.

Luna Atwood from Angeles, 6, was looking absolutely beautiful on the Report yesterday. Her supporters are dyeing their hair black, and wearing soft pastel shades in homage to that stunning dress she wore. An anonymous source tells me that her dress was one she designed herself. Also impressive were her answers last night, who radiated kindness, intelligence, and bounds of respect for our prince, for the other girls and for the people of Illéa.

I stood there, shocked. Gwen gave me a little hug, but I couldn't move. "Congratulations! You really were great last night." I searched the rest of the list for Gwen, but I didn't find her. Hazel was in sixth place, though. In seventh was Scarlett Hamel, who I remembered from seeing her hanging out with Naomi. Agatha Rainor was in eight, Ruby Allen in ninth and Paisley Briar in tenth. "I'm sorry." I told Gwen, who seemed sad not to be on the list. "I'm fine, it's stupid." She said, shrugging it off. "Do you want to go to my room?"

Her maids were just as sweet as mine. Oddly though, they didn't know about the seminar mine had to attend. We sat on the balcony and they brought us tea. It was such a beautiful day today. "I have a date with Prince Ethan tonight and I'm really nervous." I confessed, hoping she could give me advice as she had already been on a date. "Just be yourself, Luna, as always." She squeezed my hand reassuringly. "You're right, I need to calm down." The tea helped for that, but I couldn't help overthinking. I ended up just sitting in my room, alone, waiting for my maids to come back.