"Again," ordered Anne, her tone commanding.
Anne would have made an excellent queen. Ever since she, Lucy and Mary had hatched their plan to help me win the Selection two days ago, her entire attitude had changed. She was still my maid, but she stopped being sweet and following around orders. Instead, she ordered me around, drilling me on palace protocol, treaties and foreign affairs until my head hurt.
I think that if I had been anybody else I would have been upset with her behavior; but honestly I was so grateful for the help. Anne had taken it upon herself to read any papers Sylvia brought over for me. Her understanding of all of the political terms surpassed mine. I don't know how she knew it all. I suspected she had vast resources with the other cooks and guards- she probably had her own spies everywhere. I made a mental note to put her in charge if I became queen.
'The treaty with New Asia was created with the intent of…strengthening the bond between the countries…but also to prevent…" I frowned, struggling to recall the correct political terms. Anne threw down the stack of papers she was holding in a huff.
"Lady America, you're doing it all wrong!" I could hear she was trying to still be gentle with me, but I was too frustrated to care. I fell backwards onto my bed with a groan.
"You make it seem so easy, Anne," I moaned. "I'll never get the hang of this."
"Lady America." Her tone was a little gentler. "It's difficult, but that's not what I'm referring to." I opened one eye to peer at her. "The one thing you must remember is that even if you don't quite understand what you are saying, you must say it with confidence!"
Her enthusiasm reminded me so much of Sylvia, I couldn't help buy laugh. In the corner, Mary and Lucy giggled over their sewing, no doubt having the same thought I was. Anne frowned and shushed them.
"Your goal right now should be playing the part of a princess. Just work on your appearance. We need the people to see you as queen material. "
"I don't know if they'll ever think that," I mumbled. Not after the Report incident, that was for sure.
"You just need to make it seem like you're someone that the people can put their faith in. You did something foolish-" From the corner, Mary made a sound of disapproval- "Alright, fine, disagreeable. You did something not everyone agrees on, but you need to show that it won't change you. It sends a message that you don't back down from a fight."
"But the king-" I interrupted.
"Never mind the king," overlapped Anne. "You're not on his good side, yes, but you're not going to cause any problems. It's all about how you carry yourself. Look at Queen Amberly. Even if she's not at work, she is regal and confident. She always has the air of being a queen." Anne jabbed a finger in my face. "That's what we're doing. You had an idea Illéa could possibly stand behind. Carry it."
From the corner, Mary and Lucy nodded along. I pushed myself up on my elbow. Anne looked positively ferocious. She probably could have gone head-on with Celeste and come out on top. It cast a warm glow over me- she really wanted me to win the Selection.
"You know what?" My maids all looked over at me. "I'm glad that out of everyone in the palace, you three are my maids. You've been so wonderful." I don't think I had ever expressed that to them before. They all beamed at me, and I smiled back.
The moment didn't last long. Anne came over and pulled me to my feet. She readjusted my posture, and gave me a once-over. "Now, Lady America, once more. Tell me about the first treaty with New Asia."
Over and over again I recited answers, trying to act as though I understood the political purposes of every treaty and statistic. Eventually it seemed to satisfy Anne, and she allowed me to sit down and read through new military reports. She seated herself with Mary and Lucy, and they began discussing dress styles for me in hushed tones. I seated myself at my desk and began pouring over new pages of statistics. I took notes in the margins, marking what I didn't understand so I could ask Anne or maybe Maxon later.
A knock came at the door. My maids leapt to their feet, and Lucy scurried over to answer it. She immediately swept into a deep curtsey. I smiled to myself and turned back to my paperwork, pretending I hadn't seen Maxon standing in my doorway. I bent over the papers, trying to keep from giggling. I could hear three pairs of feet head out the door, leaving me alone with Maxon.
He didn't speak at first. I could hear him cross the room, his footsteps light. He stopped right behind my chair. I turned the page of the report I was pouring over.
A sudden kiss on my jaw caused me to stop my pretending. I spun around to face Maxon. His hair was a mess, and his tie had come untucked from his jacket, tickling my arm.
"Hi," I squeaked.
He smiled at me. "Hi," he said quietly. "How are you?"
"Terrible, now that you've prevented me from having to read this fascinating report."
He beamed down at me. "I'm glad to see you're still trying to learn how everything works here."
"Don't be fooled," I teased. "This information is so I can learn how to your job better than you do. We won't have a need for a prince when I get through."
Maxon chuckled, his chest rumbling with the sound. He leaned in to peer at the pages I was looking at. For one brief moment I thought he might kiss me- but we were interrupted by a sharp rap on the door.
We quickly leapt apart as Sylvia bustled into the room, carrying a stack of books. "Lady America, I brought the reading you requested!" she sang. She stopped short when she saw Maxon standing so close to me. Her arms wavered dangerously, almost dropping the books. I blushed. No doubt she was making assumptions about Maxon and I alone in my room together.
Maxon however was as cool as ever. "Sylvia, we were just talking about you!" He strode across the room and took the books from her arms. "Lady America was just saying what a great help you've been to her education here, and I must wholeheartedly agree with her."
The compliment distracted Sylvia. She blushed and smoothed her skirt. "I don't know if I've ever had such an eager pupil," she started. "That helps a great deal."
"You make it sound so interesting, Sylvia," I added. "I can't wait for our next lesson."
"As long as it isn't tomorrow night." Maxon turned back to me. "Lady America, I came here to see if you would like to accompany me for a walk on the grounds at that time."
"I don't know if I could possibly tear myself away from Sylvia's lessons, Maxon." He raised an eyebrow at me. I had taken that one too far. Sylvia didn't seem to notice, though. "I'll be there," I added hastily.
A pair of heels on the marble floors of the hall met my ears. "Maxon, darling!" someone called from down the hall. "Where have you gone?"
Celeste. Suddenly the state of his hair and tie made sense to me. I tried my best to keep my face calm (like Anne had been telling me to), but my insides twisted a little bit. Maxon had been seeing Celeste right before seeing me. I wasn't sure what to make of that.
"Tomorrow evening, Lady America." Maxon gave a nod to Sylvia and hurried out of the room. Sylvia smiled at me for a final time, before turning to follow Maxon out of the room. From the hall I could here Celeste's obnoxious voice asking Maxon where he had been. I didn't hear his response.
My maids hurried in moments later, shutting the door behind them and blocking out the sounds of Maxon and Celeste. I turned back to the papers I had been reading, but ended up staring at the pages, unable to concentrate. I couldn't stop thinking about Maxon with Celeste. I tried to comfort myself with the thought that it hadn't been Kriss, but that only made me feel worse.
Maxon had told me that I needed to trust him if I wanted to stay. It had already been two days, and I was already having doubts.
How long could I keep this up for?