Adrianna returns to Ursula's room where she finds the teen laying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, clearly bored out of her mind. She knocks on the door to get the her attention.
"What is it?" Ursula asks, not bothering to check who the visitor was.
"It's almost time for dinner, wash up and come downstairs please." Adrianna instructs.
"I'm not hungry," Ursula says, rolling onto her side so her back was to her stepmother.
"Would you like to be grounded too?" Adrianna asks, raising her voice slightly.
Ursula sits up and looks over her shoulder at Adrianna, "No."
"Then wash your hands and come downstairs for dinner. Afterwards it's straight back to your room." Adrianna says sternly. "I've had enough of your disrespectful behaviour, your father will be hearing about this."
"You're telling my dad?" Ursula asks as she climbs off of her bed and stands. "Why?"
"Because I'm tired of constantly fighting with you, Ursula. You need to accept that I'm an authority figure in your life, whether you like it or not."
"I haven't disobeyed you, I didn't even do anything wrong." Ursula argues crossing her arms.
"You're disrespecting me constantly and I'm tired of it. Maybe if you won't listen to me, you'll listen to your father. We don't have to bring it up at dinner, but he'll know about this soon enough." Adrianna says. "Now get ready."
Ursula sighs, "Okay." She knew better than to argue further, she was already pushing her luck. She dreaded what her father would do once he found out.
Adrianna left the room and Ursula went to her adjoined bathroom to wash her hands and freshen up for dinner. When did my life become such a mess? Ursula thinks. And now I have to have a Selection on top of this, I have no clue what I'm doing. This is going to be a disaster.
On her way into the dining hall, Ursula's thoughts are so filled with Selection that she hardly notices her younger sister, Cordelia, approaching her. For an eleven year old Cordelia was rather tall, at five feet she's only five inches shorter than her sister and still had time to grow. She shared Ursula's light brown hair, though her's is lightly curled and stops at her shoulders. Her eyes are bright green, just like her father's with tiny flecks of gold.
"Hi! Ursula! Did you hear? Daddy has some news tonight that he's sharing with us all tonight. Do you know what it is?" She asks her tone cheerful and peppy.
Ursula resists the urge to roll her eyes, Cordelia was always trying to stick her nose into everyone else's business and was obsessed with knowing the latest gossip.
"No, I don't know," Ursula half lies, she had an idea but she wasn't entirely sure that it would be her Seleccion that would be announced. "Just wait until dad announces it at dinner."
"Come on, I know you know something. He tells you more, he always has." Cordelia pleads. "Please?"
"You'll find out at dinner, so let's go in and get it over with." Ursula says.
"You never tell me anything!" Cordelia whines as she follows her sister into the dining hall.
Yes because you'd tell everyone about it and I don't need my personal life broadcasted to the world, Ursula thinks.
Edwin and Adrianna are already seated at the heads of the table, when Ursula and Cordelia take their seats in the middle across from their step brother, Alaric. Alaric's tall and muscular with a medium tan. His hair is dark with light brown eyes and light stubble with thick eyebrows.
"Thank you for joining us, girls." He says with a smirk.
"Ursula, Cora next time please be on time." Edwin says before he says grace.
"Before we eat, I have a quick announcement to make," Edwin says. "Ursula will be holding a Selection in a few months to find her husband and Illéa's future king."
All eyes turned to Ursula who half smiles, not trying particularly hard to feign happiness at her situation.
Cordelia's eyebrows shoot up and she fake coughs to cover up her laughter, "Ursula having a Selection? For love?" She asks, then laughs.
Ursula shoots a glare at her younger sister, "It's not funny."
"Now now girls, not only will she be finding a husband but she'll also be finding the future King of Illéa. It is vital that she makes the right choice." Edwin says.
"Isn't she a little young to be making such a decision on her own?" Alaric asks."With all due respect Father, she's only sixteen, I hardly think she's capable for choosing a husband, let alone a king."
"That's why your step-mother and I will be guiding her through the process, but we must secure the line of succession now and settle the matter of her marriage in case anything should happen to me. The rebel attacks grow bolder and bolder each day, holding a Selection is one easy way to appease the public." Edwin explains.
Ursula scoffs, "A Selection won't change anything that they're protesting against, it will only distract them for so long."
"Ursula I did not raise you to have opinions, nor did I raise you to express them. You know what your place is, don't make me remind you." Edwin scolds.
Ursula opens her mouth to protest, but shuts it when she gets a warning look from her father. Alaric grins, amused .
"Sorry." Ursula apologizes quietly, staring at the table.
"I think it's a good idea, it gives the lower castes the illusion that they can better themselves." Alaric says.
"The lower castes can better themselves. We were threes before I married your stepfather, remember that." Adrianna says.
"What did you do when you were a three?" Cordelia asks.
"Don't be so nosey." Ursula says, annoyed.
"I was a nurse until I married your father," Adrianna replies with a smile. "And Ursula be nice to your sister."
Dinner continued with Cordelia doing most of the talking, mainly asking details about the Selection and what it would be like.
After dinner Edwin asked to speak with Ursula alone, so she obediently follows him to his study. He sits behind his mahogany desk but doesn't instruct his daughter to sit, so she stands in front of him holding her hands behind her back, her left hand resting on her right forearm.
"Ursula I've heard reports that your behaviour lately has been unacceptable." Edwin says sternly. "Particularly your attitude towards your stepmother."
"I didn't say anything that wasn't true." Ursula says defensively.
"I don't care whether it's true or not," Edwin says angrily.
Ursula bites her lip and lowers her gaze just south of her father's eyes.
"You've been giving her attitude and treating her like an outsider since the day she came here. Enough is enough. You will no longer disrespect her, from now on you will treat her with the respect that she's entitled to expect from even you as Queen. Do I make myself clear?" Edwin says sternly.
"Yes." Ursula answers.
"Your immaturity ends now, you're holding a Selection, it's about time you start acting like an adult. You can start by apologizing to Adrianna and serving out the rest of your punishment. Am I understood?"
Ursula nods miserably, "I'll go apologize now, unless you had something else to discuss?"
"No, that's it for now. We'll discuss your Selection in further detail tomorrow." Edwin says, then turns his attention to a pile of papers on his desk.
Ursula takes it as her cue to leave and goes to find Adrianna.
Ursula walks around the palace looking for Adrianna, and eventually finds the blonde haired Queen in one of the hallways.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Ursula asks.
"Of course you can, what is it?" Adrianna says, turning her attention to the teen.
"I just wanted to apologize for being rude earlier." Ursula says, acting like she meant it.
"Thank you for the apology, I appreciate it. You are, however, still confined to your room until tomorrow. No electronics, no magazines, and so on. It may seem harsh but it's for your own good. Queens must be elegant, graceful and dignified, which means being polite no matter how much they dislike someone." Adrianna says. "Your earlier behaviour was unbecoming of you, you need to become more disciplined."
"I know what it means to be Queen. I've been preparing for it my entire life, you lucked out and had it handed to you." Ursula says defensively.
"I worked hard in my Selection to fit the mold, we all did, even your mother. Just like your suitors will work hard to become King." Adrianna lectures. "Now go back to your room, you're allowed out tomorrow morning."