just fall | ✓

18.

But this wasn't a shit's about to hit the fan kind of day, or at the very least, I wasn't aware that it was. It was more of a get dressed up and meet some people that have more power and money in their smallest toe than you ever will kind of day. Somehow, I preferred the former. Violence and ass-kicking was something I could handle. Propriety and manners? Not so much.

Glory, Jasmine, and Opal surprised me by accompanying me down to Aquia's room, and (after asking my permission, which was really weird to me), they helped Aquia's maids with her hair and makeup. She was in a pretty white-and-seafoam dress, and one of her maids said "Prince Mason himself requested the color," adding in a little wink that made Aquia flush pink. The maids all laughed and continued to chatter on as they worked.

I sat on Aquia's bed and watched silently, but Aquia wasn't having it. "You look cute, Cassiana. Going to a funeral today?" Her eyes were sparkling.

"Of course," I said brightly. "My own."

She laughed. "Cute, very cute. But really, I love that dress. You ladies did an amazing job." This was directed at my maids. "She actually looks civilized." We held our composure for about thirty seconds before actually laughing, and our maids, more than accustomed to our dry, terrible humor, joined in.

There were three knocks on the door, and Opal stood from where she had been kneeling and hurried to answer the door. She whispered back and forth with the person on the other side before letting her in.

Clara had ditched her usual pale pink gowns for something a bit more mature. Her gown was more modern than her usual gowns, slate gray and fitted. She looked far older than barely-sixteen, and her hair, normally half tied back, was twisted up in a style similar to mine. Both mine and Aquia's maids stood and moved to curtsy, but returned to what they were doing when she gave a tired wave of her hand. "You ladies worry about Aquia, please," she said. "She looks fantastic, by the way. Did my brother suggest that color?"

"Yes, Your Highness," one of Aquia's maids said.

"Hm. Figures. Well, at least he has good taste." Her heels clicked on the tile as she moved towards me. She took a seat on Aquia's bed and we were silent for a moment as we watched Aquia get ready. "You look great," she said quietly. "Your maids should make you more dresses like that."

"Thanks," I said. "You look great too."

More silence. Then, she asked, "Are you nervous?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Don't be. Salvatore and Liev will love you. But a warning: they both have a lot of siblings. Liev has an older brother, Dimitri, and five younger sisters. Two are twins my age, one is your age. They're all nice. They're Russian, so just remember that they love their vodka and they're a little standoffish. The Italians love to party, so don't be surprised if most of them are already three sheets to the wind when we get there. Salvatore has six younger siblings, two sisters and four brothers. The triplets are ten. They're all rambunctious, but they're very outgoing and personable. Italians are very touchy, too, so don't be surprised if they hug you the first time you meet them."

"And the Germans?"

"Just Haydn and his sister, who is older than him and married to one of the French princes. She's not here. They're more strict and reserved, and they interact with people quite a bit but they're very stiff. They'll like you, so they might be less stiff, but just be warned."

I nodded slowly. "Okay. Got it."

"They'll love you. All of them. Except maybe for the Russian twins and their older sister. They've all been pining after Alexander since they were little." She shrugged. "The twins will probably be less forgiving than their older sister."

Great. More girls to hate me. I huffed out a sigh. "Okay. So don't expect many pleasantries from them."

Clara smiled. "Don't sound too exasperated, Cassiana, or I just might think that you're not excited for this."

"At least you'd be getting the right idea." We shared a smile. "Sorry, I'm sure this isn't fun for you, either. Considering you have your three...whatever they are in one room."

She shrugged. "It's not so bad. We've all known each other since we were young, and we all get along well. Liev and Salvatore don't like Haydn because he's young and unsophisticated, which is their way of saying that he's too much of a pompous asshole. He's spoiled and doesn't do too good of a job acting royal, which they're admittedly a little snobbish about."

The maids had finished with Aquia, and they gathered up their things and left chattering. Clara looked at the clock on Aquia's table and stood with a sigh. "Finished just in time?" Aquia was grinning, meeting our eyes in the mirror. "I was worried I wouldn't be."

"Your maids are wonderful," Clara said and stood, waving her hand. "I picked some of the best for you both." She froze, eyes a little wide. It reminded me of how young she was. She quickly schooled her expressions into an impassive look that would've given Alexander's usually-stoic expression a run for its money. She looked so much like her eldest brother in that moment.

"Wait, what?" Aquia looked as confused as I felt. "What do you mean?"

Clara pursed her lips. "Nothing."

"I thought the selection process for the maids was random."

"It is."

"But you just said —"

Clara held up one hand, looking very regal and queenlike, and Aquia immediately clicked her jaw shut. Clara stalked towards the half-open door and shut it, throwing up the deadbolt. "This does not leave this room. Are we clear?" Aquia and I nodded mutely. She continued in that same, all-business tone. "Much of this process is not random. The selecting itself was not, and neither was the process for the maids. Usually, the princes are given a choice, one girl hand-picked by them that they want in the competition, but Alexander forfeited his choice and so we took Mason's for fairness. I was given their choices, and my choices were you both and one other contestant that is no longer here. I was also in charge of organizing this Selection with my mother, and I took on most of the responsibilities associated with it since my mother is very busy. I assigned everyone their maids and intentionally gave you both the best." Her eyes darted towards the clock. "We need to leave or were going to be late. Are there questions?"

I nodded and half-raised my hand. Her eyes fixed on me. I cleared my throat. "Uh...why me?"

The expression broke, giving way to her usual grin. "Because you were the only girl in this entire country that I thought could save my brother."