Aleah was honestly more nervous about breakfast the next morning than she was meeting the prince, especially since she would be with all of the Selected. Since they took them in as groups before, it would be the first time that she would be around all of them, which was absolutely terrible. She hated being around large groups of people, especially since the royal family was in this group, so there was even more pressure.
Aleah wanted to blend in as much as she could, knowing that she would already be a point of interest, but she wouldn't let her appearance help with that. That morning, she straightened her hair and curled it like many of the girls did. She wore a purple dress that looked similar to two other selected, and she did her makeup just a little heavier. She didn't know how much Elliot would like this, but she just didn't want to stick out like a sore thumb.
When Aleah saw the prince walk into breakfast with his sisters, she smiled and gave him a small wave before waiting for breakfast to be served. She was absolutely starving and the food looked so good. So much better than it did at home, whenever they could get something like this, which was very rare.
When they were finally allowed to eat, Aleah got a little too excited to taste, well, everything if she was allowed to. The Five sitting next to her understood her joy, the two bonding slightly as she reached for a croissant with one of the tongs provided.
But she had been distracted.
When coming back with the tongs, Aleah hit her teacup, spilling hot tea all over the table and herself
Now, any other selected might have laughed it off while cleaning it up with their napkin, but not Aleah. She was traumatized, feeling incredibly embarrassed even if was something so small and insignificant.
Before anyone could say anything, she quickly excused herself from the table, running off to the garden.
Not realizing what had happened until gasps filled the somewhat quiet room, Elliot watched as a girl ran out of the room, taking a few more moments to realize that it was Aleah. He didn't know what exactly had happened but quickly excused himself so that he could go figure it out. He was worried, knowing that she was sensitive and still somewhat uncomfortable when it came to all of this.
As he neared the gardens, he watched as Aleah flung herself onto a bench. He rushed over to her side and took one of her hands in his.
"Aleah! What happened?" He whispered anxiously. "Did one of the girls say something?" He understood that many of the girls could be hard on her and the other lower castes because of their status. He hadn't heard of any incidents yet, but he was sure that they would happen soon.
And then he noticed her dripping gown and the puddle next to her.
"Oh, Aleah! Did you spill something? Your dress is all wet." He said gently, concerned.
Her entire body trembling as he grew close. For some reason, she was frightened by his presence, shying away. Aleah felt so embarrassed, knowing she had just made a fool of herself for running off, and spilling her tea. She just didn't want to be the center of attention and yet here she was, bringing the spotlight to herself.
Maybe this was too much? Maybe she should just bow out before she was sent home?
When he asked her questions, her whole body shook as she sobbed. "I-I'm sorry... I-I didn't mean to spill. I-I was just so excited... W-We don't get food like this at home... I-I promise I'll clean everything up.... s-since I know that was really expensive fabric... J-Just please don't fire-... Please don't send me home..."
Her words had slipped, not meaning to say fire. She was incredibly clumsy and many times she had spilled something on projects she was working on. Most of the women who had hired her would be gracious and forgive her, but there were always the few who would scold her, hit her even and make her feel so guilty about what she had don't that it would make Aleah physical sick and terrified.
Even today, in the most beautiful place in all Illéa where one would hardly have worries, these memories still haunted her.
Elliot was surprised at her reaction. Was she afraid of him? But why? He was only trying to help her, but when he heard her next words, his worry for her completely overtook him, and he reached his arm around her to pull her close.
"Shh," he whispered comfortingly. "I'm not going to send you home. I would never do that, especially for something as silly as a spilled drink!"
Her tears still hadn't subsided as he squeezed her shoulder gently. "Look at me, Aleah. Please."
She didn't want to, having been crying into his chest just to let everything out. When she finally did, her makeup was all messed up, her mascara running down her face and some had gotten onto his shirt. She silenced her tears for a moment, trying to stop before this turning into a huge mess.
"I-I'm sorry." She said after taking a deep but shaky breath. "I-I didn't mean to take you away from breakfast... a-and make this into such a huge mess... I-I feel terrible..."
Elliot ran his free hand through his hair, wondering how in the world he was going to comfort this crying, beautiful girl.
"Aleah," he started, but then trailed off, not sure what to say. "None of this is your fault. I'm sure if any of the other girls had spilled their drink, they would have done the same exact thing. Trust me, this entire process is horribly nerve-racking, for all of us. No one will blame you for simply being the first to snap under the pressure."
He tilted her chin up so he could look her in the eyes, smiling kindly. "Everything will be okay."
She nodded, taking a deep breath as she tried to calm herself down. He was right, she was just the first to crack under all this pressure, and she wasn't the blame for this meltdown, well not fully. Aleah just felt bad now, having taken him away from the other girls as well as making such a huge scene. She could only imagine what the other girls were saying about her right now.
She knew that they didn't like her already, having Heard talking in the hallways yesterday and this morning even. They hated how she was so simple yet was able to get his attention, some saying she wasn't even trying.
Elliot smiled at her nod. Even if it wasn't a full recovery from what had happened, it was better than what he had even hoped for. Aleah was such a sensitive, caring person. Although it was something he liked about her, it was also something that made her do things like this. He knew how hard the selection was already starting to be, and he wanted to make it as easy as possible for the rest of the competition.
"I know you probably don't want to go in there just yet, so why don't we take a walk around the gardens? I still want to get to know you better." He smiled kindly at her and held out a hand for her to take.
A soft smile appeared on her face as she took his hand meekly, standing with him as they began their walk.
By now, some of the girls had finished up their breakfast and had gone to look for him. The guards, seeing that His Majesty was having a private moment, didn't let them interrupt, but that didn't stop them from watching, many of them filled with jealousy. Of course, this would all come into play sooner or later.
Elliot had imagined this first date so many times, but never like this. He had thought of everything he would say, but now, he seemed to be at an utter loss for words. For what did you say to a girl who you seemed to know so much about but at the same time so little? He kept his hand entwined in hers and stared at their little interlocked fingers. He was so entranced that it took him a moment to realize that the silence was getting awkward. He cleared his throat and looked up at Aleah.
"I've grown up here my whole life, but I've yet to take a walk in the garden with someone. In the palace, there are very few places where I can be alone, but out here, it's just me and the flowers. And a few guards of course," he said, laughing at his own joke.
"Well, we should definitely do this more often.... if you want to, of course. I'm not going to tell you what you should do, I won't be the one to boss you around." She said, recovering.
"I like it out here. It's like a breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively, no one around to watch or judge us, just the blue skies above, beautiful flowers, and us."
Aleah gently let go of his hand to walk over to a bush of peonies, smelling their sweet scent with a smile. "Peonies are my absolute favorite. My grandma used to have a garden full of them in front of her house when she was little, always used to let me cut a few to put in the vase at the dinner table..."
Elliot smiled as he watched her sniff the flowers, liking her a little more just for that one action. "That sounds lovely," he said with a small sigh. "I've always wondered what it would be like to live such a simple life, without any royals duties hanging over my head..." He trailed off, unsure of what he was even talking about. Aleah was bringing out this new side of him. A side that was starting to think about what his life would be like if he wasn't a prince. Of course, he had thought about it before, but she was helping him to think about it from a completely new perspective.
She looked back at him, a smile on her face. "Well, normal life isn't easier. Normal life for a Six I mean, I can't speak for the rest of the castes. It's a lot of work, a lot of sacrifices. It's not as glamorous as it might seem. It has its own pressures to weigh you down... Sorry, I'm bursting your bubble. I'm sure life as a Two or a Three is nice."
Aleah went back to the flowers, wondering if she could take a few for her room. She didn't have a view of the garden outside of her room, so it lacked the beautiful pop of color.
Elliott's smile dipped for a moment, overcome with worry about Aleah. It was easy to forget where she had come from when she was dressed up in a glamorous gown with a face covered in makeup. Elliot hadn't encountered many Sixes before, but he knew for sure that they didn't look like Aleah did.
"I'm sorry," he said, reaching over to take her hand again, "I didn't even think about how hard it is for you and your family. It was stupid of me to say that."
He followed her line of sight and noticed the way she looked at the flowered with longing. "How about a little peace offering?" He bent down to the ground and pulled a few flowers out of the moist soil. Brushing it off, he tucked it behind her ear with a smile. "How's that?"
"No, it's okay, really. You didn't know and I never expected you to know. But these flowers are lovely, thank you. She said with a smile. "If only I could get a few for my room. It's not that I hate my view of the woods, it's just that my room is missing that brightness and freshness that only flowers bring. Plus they remind me of home, except a little more grandeur."
Aleah gave his hand a small squeeze. He was very kind, which was something that she liked about him, always wanting to make the people around him happy and comfortable. She could only wonder if she did the same for him.
Elliot smiled at her simple request. He wanted to do everything for her, everything that she had ever dreamed of. But, for now, he would settle for bringing a smile to her face.
"Consider it done," he said with a smile of his own. "I'll have a maid bring by a few bouquets later and you can have your pick." Elliot squeezed her hand one more time and then let go, offering her his arm instead. "What do you say we continue our walk? Unless you have other plans?" He smiled jokingly.
She grinned, taking his arm. "No, no more plans, unless you have any yourself." She said before continuing to walk.
"Is it always so beautiful here? I mean in Angeles?" Aleah said, referring to the clean blue sky and bright sun. Back home there were a few nice days, but they were outnumbered by the rain and the cold seasons that rotated in and out. She couldn't help but wonder what sunlight was like all year round. It must be wonderful, not having to plan your days around the weather and have to always deal with the cold and snow.
Elliot sighed contently. This was the perfect morning for him, just walking through the gardens. Without a care in the world... Could every day be like this once he was married?
"I suppose," he said admiring the beautiful flowers. "Of course I don't get to enjoy it much, what with being shut up in the palace all day." He paused, remembering all of the times he had been forced into his father's office when he was little, instead of being able to play outside.
"I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to enjoy it though," He said with a little smile.
She nodded. "I hope I will, but you should enjoy it too. Everyone deserved a little time to themselves, especially when under a lot of stress which I can only imagine that you are."
Aleah couldn't picture what it would be like to be constantly working without a break. Even doing big sowing projects, she always made the due date an extra day longer just so that she would have enough time to take a few moments to herself. But she understood that he must be very busy, handling the selection as well as other things such as the well-being of those under him and foreign affairs.
A small laugh slipped out of Elliot's mouth, despite hearing the reminder of how much stress he was under. Just walking in these gardens was a way to forget about all his obligations, to forget about everything.
"Don't remind me," he told her, laughing again. "You and the other selected are going to make this job ten times harder! Not that I mind though." He smiled at her, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "I really do hope we can get to know each other better, though. even if I'll be spending much of my time with the other girls."
She nodded, trying to ignore the warmness of her cheeks as his hand brushed against it.
"I would too, even if we do so not face to face... Don't get me wrong!" Aleah added quickly. "I very much enjoy spending time with you, but I understand that you must also spend time with the other girls. I wouldn't want to keep them from you, nor is it fair. But maybe we could write to each other? That way we are in touch but aren't taking up too much of each other's time?" She offered with a soft and curious smile, looking at him with sparkling eyes.
Elliot smiled, already in love with her idea. Truth be told, he had never really written a letter to anyone before; besides his royal work, and the occasional draft of a law, he had barely written at all. Period.
"I love it," he said enthusiastically. "You'll be my first correspondent. I haven't really written letters before," he admitted hesitantly, ducking his head. "I'm sure you'll give me lots of practice, though." His smile grew bigger, imagining this small secret he could share with Aleah.
"Of course I will. And writing a letter to someone is very simple. Just imagine you're talking to me when you're writing it, it'll help." She said with a bright smile.
Elliot chuckled. "Well, maybe for you." He paused, unsure how much he was willing to share about his personal life. After all, he had just met this girl. "I'm not very good at sharing my feelings if you haven't noticed. Talking like this, with you, well, it's new to me." He offered her a small smile, hoping that the flush rising up towards his cheeks wasn't as noticeable as he thought.
"What about you? Have you written many letters before?" He asked quickly, changing the subject.
"I have, a few times but only to friends. I never really had the time for anything like this back home, so I'm new to it too. You're not alone." She said softly, hoping to calm any worries that he might have about writing to her.
"I'm glad for that," Elliot chuckled, squeezing her hand. "We're in this together, even if's something as simple as letter-writing."
As they continued to walk, Aleah couldn't help but notice the other girls out of the corner of her eyes. She could just sense their jealous, their eyes burning holes into her. She became sheepish, trying not to let them get to her but easily failing. She could only wonder what the girls were thinking, hoping that they didn't see her as a threat, as a target that they needed to take out and quickly.
Although he was enjoying their time together, Elliot couldn't help but follow her gaze as the other selected glared daggers at her. He sighed, frustrated even this early on in the selection. Didn't the other girls understand that he was the one choosing, not them? Now suddenly distracted, Elliot checked his watch quickly and was surprised to see that they had been walking for a little over an hour.
"I'm so sorry Aleah, but I'm late for a meeting at the right now. I'll see you on the report later." He smiled at her, his gaze lingering on her delicate features.
She nodded, letting him go as she understood that even during the Selection he still had his duties to attend to.
"Walk me inside?" She asked quickly before he could go too far and have to let go of her hand. She didn't like how the other girls were looking at her, and if she walked inside alone she was sure that they would do something to her. Aleah needed guards nearby, just so that she wouldn't have to deal with those that were jealous.
"I think I have just enough time for that," he responded, taking her hand again. "If we don't get a chance to talk again after the report, I'll make sure to write you a letter." He winked at her as they passed through the doors and gently let go of her hand.
"Goodbye, Aleah." He said, turning towards her for a second before heading off to his meeting, not wanting to be later than he already was at the moment, knowing how his father hated to wait. Even after he had walked away and she had faded from his view, he could still picture her bright smile in his mind.
Blushing as she too walked away, Aleah forgot about the jealousy that she had seen in the other girls. They didn't matter at that moment to her. All that mattered was Elliot.