Breakfast was filled with excited chatter, all of the Selected discussing the interviews and gowns and all of that other stuff. Aquia and I rolled our eyes and sipped our coffee, not speaking because it was too goddamn early in the morning. Neither of us could feel giddy when we knew that eight girls would be kicked out soon, and anyway, we were both too busy trying to force food and caffeine into us. Aquia picked at two strawberry tarts before pushing half of her second onto my empty plate. I picked at it as well, more concerned with trying to keep the coffee down. That in itself was a feat, even if it was loaded with flavored cream and sugar, because I could still vaguely taste the coffee. My tongue was still too accustomed to the lukewarm sludge that I often downed black in Kent to hold myself over for whatever I could pick out of dumpsters for dinner. I knew that it was all in my head, but that didn't make it easier.
I noticed Alexander, Mason, and Clara whispering back and forth a few times. When the chatter had died down and the sound of utensils scraping against plates had faded, Alexander shot a look at his brother before standing, a piece of paper in his hand. Although all of the attention was on him the second he had begun to stand, he cleared his throat as if trying to gain the attention of everyone in the room. He folded his hands in front of him, looking more like a king than he ever had, and said, "I hope that you all have eaten well and had a good night's sleep. After all of last night's excitement, I'm loathe to be the bearer of the bad news, yet it's a necessary evil." Curiosity thrummed through the girls like electric through a wire, rippling over them as he finished speaking. Twenty-six pairs of wide eyes were fixated on him; mine and Aquia's were as well, but we weren't nearly as curious as the others. "Today, eight of you will be returning home."
Another ripple passed through the girls, murmured whispers running up and down the table. They were all quiet, vaguely-panicked questions, though most seemed to think that they'd be staying.
Alexander waited patiently for them to pass. "If I call your name, please stand." He cleared his throat once more and unfolded the paper in his hand. "East Memoli."
A pretty girl with long, dark hair in small, tight braids stood with a smile on her face. Her teeth were very straight and very white.
"Camille Dilworth. Emmica Ballantyne." Two pretty blondes stood, smiles tugging at their lips as well.
"Sky Palepa. Keller Scinto." The first girl that stood, Sky, was a pretty girl with a round face and high cheekbones, her hair long, pin-straight, and dark. She'd been nice enough to me, though we didn't talk much. She was from Fenneley, and I thought she was from an old tribe out there. The other girl was brunette, a little plain looking, and very rude.
"Finn Bracken, Marcy Royce, and Olive Yourdon." He folded the paper as these girls stood, and the smug smiles that had been on a few of their faces slipped off and almost audibly hit the floor. There were eight girls standing, and Alexander was finished. They knew what was coming.
There was more chatter, and Alexander waited for it to pass once again. He had the patience of a saint...or a schoolteacher. Once it died down and the eyes fixated on him once more, he said, "Thank you ladies for taking time away from your families and your homes to meet us. It has been an honor and a pleasure to be your hosts. There are maids outside waiting to lead you to your rooms and help you to pack, and they will take you to where you need to be once you are finished. My family and I wish you safe travels, and we hope that your lives are filled with happiness." He sat back down.
The girls filed out of the room, a few of them crying as they did. They were alligator tears, cried only in hope of being pitied enough to be asked to stay, but neither prince moved to comfort them or ask them to stay on bended knee, so they continued to shuffle out.
Once they had gone, Mason stood. "Those of you that remain, we will only occupy your time for a moment before you may say your farewells and then make your way to the Women's Room. From this point forward, the competition will be more rigorous as my brother and I decide who shall be chosen as the Elite. There will be ten Elite, and two have already been chosen. There are eight spots left and eighteen of you, not counting the two that have already been chosen. This coming week, there will be tabloid interviews and photoshoots, and Friday night you will be interviewed once more on the Illéa Capitol Report. The interviews will be conducted Monday. On Wednesday, we will have a small celebration that the press will be attending. Should you have any questions or concerns, or if at any point you wish to go home, feel free to approach my siblings and myself." He glanced at Alexander and Clara, who said and did nothing, so he added. "You are all free to go now."
Most of the girls stood quickly to their feet and hurried from the room at some too-fast pace. Aquia and I waited, finishing our coffee in silence to allow the crowd to pass. Clara approached us quickly as we stood. Her brothers were speaking to their parents and paying us no mind. She glanced at them and satisfied that they weren't looking, whispered to us, "You are both to come to my room tonight and tomorrow night. We have much to discuss, not all of it relating to my brothers." She glanced over her shoulder once more. "I'll get you both through this damned competition if it kills me, understood? At this point, eliminations will be on abilities as well as whether or not they like you, so I'm going to do what I can to help you both."
Aquia glanced around as well. "That's cheating," she whispered back.
Clara put a hand on her hip and cocked an eyebrow at her. "Do you like my brother or not?"
Aquia grumbled out something that sounded like fair point. She didn't seem very happy about it.
Clara glanced at a pretty watch on her wrist and said, "I'll see you both in the Women's Room in an hour. Sit with me? I'll have letters for you both from my brothers." We both nodded, and her expression brightened. "Excellent. See you then!" She turned and hurried off to her family.
Aquia and I hurriedly left the room, stopping by our bedrooms to pick up things to keep us occupied. Aquia grabbed some cloth and needles and thread and beads, as well as a book; I grabbed knitting needles and crochet hooks and yarn, and a book as well. We exchanged a look as we passed by the rooms of the eliminated, gold-and-white doors flung wide to put their sobs and tear-filled hugs on full display for all passersby. Neither of us knew whether to pity them or roll our eyes, so we kept our opinions to ourselves, and it seemed to work fine.
☼
True to her word, Clara waltzed into the Women's Room an hour later than the rest of us. She slowly made her way towards us, stopping to speak with the scattered groups of girls as she made her way over to Aquia and I, commenting on their needlework or the book they were reading or the sketch they were drawing. One of the girls was practicing her flute with two girls that played the cello and the violin, and Clara complimented them in passing. When she sat with us, she gave us a smile that said she was tired of going through the motions of being royal.
She slipped Aquia and I two envelopes, one each with our names in her careful calligraphy and the other two sketched out in two similar handwritings that differed only slightly. She glanced around and leaned closer. "The ones from me are just more details about what we discussed earlier, nothing too interesting. The ones from my brothers don't contain any imperative information; they're working this morning and some of this afternoon, so they'd like to see you both at three. They'll meet you by the doors to the garden down the hall."
Aquia and I both nodded and thanked her. Then Aquia leaned forward like she was whispering something scandalous, a elfish grin lighting up her pretty features. "What's the party for on Wednesday?"
Clara twisted in her chair to look around the room, and seemingly satisfied that no one was paying attention, she dropped her voice and leaned in closer. "Alexander's birthday," she whispered. "He's trying to keep it quiet, but I'm sure they'll all find out soon enough. We'll be hosting the royal families from Russia, the German Federation, and Italy because they're competing to be my future family." She made a slightly disgusted face, and then it fell a little. "I'd originally been betrothed to the crown prince of France, but he fell ill and died three years ago. I'm not sure how to feel about it. He'd been older than Alexander. So now we need another family to sell me to." She said the last sentence with a bit of contempt.
"Are they at least your age?" I asked.
She nodded slowly. "Somewhat. The prince of the German Federation, Haydn, is my age. The Italian prince, Salvatore Vincenzo, is roughly the same age as Alexander, and so is the Russian prince. His name is Liev." She pronounced their names beautifully.
"Can you speak their languages?" I asked.
She nodded. "Along with French."
Aquia and I nodded slowly, absorbing all of this new information. After a short pause, I asked, "Are there any you prefer?"
She nodded emphatically. "Not Haydn."
Aquia and I laughed. "Why not him?" Aquia asked. "What's wrong with him?"
Clara leaned a little farther forward. "Between us three? He's a complete asshole. And he's not the brightest of the bunch. Liev and Salvatore are both geniuses, and they're exceptionally kind. I've known them both since I was young, and although I haven't had a chance to spend much time with Liev, he's been wonderful to me. When Victor died, they attended the funeral and told me that he had asked them to propose to me. He'd been friends with them as well, and before his passing, he had written to tell me that one of them would care for me better than he could have."
"And you trust him?" Aquia asked.
Clara nodded firmly, her mouth forming a straight line. "With my life." She glanced between the two of us. "He might have been older than me, but he truly did care for me. I cared for him too, I guess. I'd always had a sort of crush on him and Salvatore and Liev, although that could've been because they were Alexander's best friends." A small giggle bubbled out of her. "They're great men. I'm glad that you'll both get to meet them. You'll love them."
"Is it out of line to imply a threat in order to let them know that if they don't take care of you, I'm coming after them?" I half-joked.
Clara set me with a hard look, eyebrows raised. "Are you going to threaten my potential fiancés with your criminal empire?" She caved and grinned. "Well, their countries do have a history of criminal organizations, so perhaps they'd be amused enough to not have you shot."
We all let out quiet laughs, trying hard not to disturb the others in the room. "Just perhaps?"
She shook her head. "They're going to love you. Especially when they find out that you've cracked Alexander's stone of a heart."
I rolled my eyes. "Oh, please. He can't really be that bad."
"It was so bad that Salvatore was all but begging Alexander to hold a Selection or marry one of his sisters."
"Oh." I didn't know what to say.
Clearly, Aquia did, because she burst into laughter. She clapped a hand over her mouth to quiet it, shoulders shaking. Her cheeks turned pink. "That's great," she whispered, ignoring the dirty looks from the other Selected and dabbing at her eyes. "That's really great. He's not going to live that one down."
"Good," Clara said with a giggle. "Don't let him."
I rolled my eyes. "Poor Alexander. You two and Mason don't let him get away with anything."
Clara grinned at me. "It's no fun if we don't. Besides, jokes at someone else's expense can be humbling when done correctly, and with the egos that my brothers have, they can afford to be knocked down a few pegs."
Aquia snorted. "Can't disagree with that one, princess."