Chapter 7 - BEN

"Are you f***king kidding me, Lou?" I said, bursting in her room the next morning. The Princess of Illéa was doing her nail polish, a smug on her face.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Benny."

I huffed and threw a newspaper and two magazines on her desk, knocking over her nail polish all over her desk and dress – oops.

"Ah, come on, Ben," she said, jumping backwards. "On my white carpet, too? Seriously? Nail polish does not go away. Damn it, Ben."

"You're fussing over nail polish when pictures of you and that guys tongue down your throat are all over Illéa? What game are you playing at?"

"It's not a game, Ben, I'm just properly starting my Selection." She flashed me a smile.

"Well it's not a competition, either."

"Oh, really?" she chuckled. "Don't you think it'll spice up things?"

"No, Lou. Love doesn't work like that. It takes times. And you can't just test them all before you chose."

"I would say taste, actually."

I sighed and walked away. She had just ruined the first day of my Selection. And the Report that night. I needed a date, too, before this evening. But who? I didn't have a lot of time before the Report since it was at five o'clock, and the girls – all the Selected actually – had a morning full of lessons. Ugh, poor them. Actually, I didn't know what was worst: a morning of etiquette and protocol, or a morning of budget calls with the Queen and her advisors? I seriously couldn't tell.

I went back to my room and chose a tie to wear and a suit coat to match my pants.

"What did she say?" Hyoek asked me when he knotted my tie.

"She's so full of herself right now, I don't how if I'm gonna stand her this morning."

"But did you know she would do something like that?"

"No." I thought for a second. "But it doesn't surprise me, to be honest."

"Yeah. Okay, here you go."

"Thanks." I chuckled. "You've showed me so many times how to tie a tie, but I still can't do it. I'm hopeless."

"No you're not, Your Royal Highness. If you did, I wouldn't have a job anymore."

"Yeah right. As if it was the only thing you did."

"Are you gonna fight back?"

"I don't know. I fear it might only stir Lou more. And she can be vicious."

"Oh yeah," he said rolling his eyes away.

I laughed. "You're afraid of her?"

"What? No." He quickly looked at me, and I saw in his eyes that he was lying.

"Yeah, she does."

"No she does not."

"Whatever." I chuckled and walked away to breakfast. On my way down, I almost bumped into a blond girl who was coming out of her room. It took me a second to find her name in my memory.

"Good morning, Lady Chantell,"

"Good morning, Your Highness."

I chuckled. "We talked about this. My name is Ben."

She giggled, too. "Let me make a deal with you, then."

"Sure."

"You call me Chantell, I call you Ben. You call me Lady Chantell, and I'll call you Your Royal Highness."

"Deal." I chuckled. "Tell me, Chantell, are you doing anything this afternoon?"

She blushed pink, and it was really cute. I liked being the reason behind a blush like this. "Yeah, I mean no, I'm not doing anything. I am now, I guess?"

I chuckled. "Excellent answer. I'll come and get you in your room after lunch then."

She smiled – with the cutest dimples – and I offered her my arm. She took it and I escorted her down to breakfast. Her bright above-the-knee magenta dress danced around her bare legs as we walked down the stairs. I grinned to myself. Yes, Chantell would be a perfect first date. I still had no idea what I was going to do, but I would find something.

She let go of my arm to go to her seat, and I went to our table – the Royal Table, on the small stage – and joined mom, dad, and Tony.

"Where's your sister?"

"I don't know, dad. Probably preparing a memorable entrance?"

Dad chuckled. "After her stunt in the papers this morning, she doesn't need an entrance."

"Tell me about it." The Selected walked in by small groups of one, twos and threes and found their places around the table – girls on one side, boys on the other.

"Mom, what kind of dates did you do during your Selection?"

She shifted on her chair. "Um, walking around the gardens, bowling, swimming, um, what else… dinner, lunch, I don't know."

"Coffee?" dad prompted.

She chuckled. "Yeah, coffee, too."

"You never went outside the Palace walls?"

"No. My father was paranoid, with the Rebels really active at the time. But feel free to go in town or whatever, Ben."

I thought for a moment and nodded slowly, a grin on my lips. "Yeah, I will."

That's when Lou came in, ten minutes after everyone, in a magnificent pink Mak Tumag dress. I rolled my eyes and ignored her, while all the Selected's jaws dropped.

"That's an entrance," Tony signed to me, rolling his eyes as well.

I nodded and started eating. Mom shot me a glare, and I quickly put my fork down. Ugh. Damn protocol. This day was starting greatly. I loved it.

When Lou was finally seated, and the footmen brought the dishes in, I could finally start eating. Lou ate with a smug attitude, proud of her little Press stunt and entrance. A wild, evil thought came in my mind, and I didn't think it through before actually taking it to action.

"Oops!" I said, knocking down Tony's hot chocolate on Lou's dress – on purpose.

"Ben! You son of a-"

"Language, Lou!" dad said through gritted teeth.

"I'm really sorry," I said. "I should be more careful with my clumsy arms." I finished eating, ignoring the two maids fussing over Lou's dress. I peeked at the Selected, and most of them were trying not to laugh at Lou's scene. I caught Chantell's gaze and she hid a chuckle behind her fingers. I winked at her and she blushed bright pink. A few girls saw that and turned to see who I was winking at, and hushed conversations started around Chantell.

"Seriously, Ben? First nail polish and now Hot Chocolate? What else do you have in store?"

"Hmm, let's see… Wine is good, tomato sauce, oh, and chocolate cake, of course." I flashed her a grin, and she sent me a death glare, the one I knew all too well.

"You're such a baby, Ben."

I grinned mischievously as mom and dad glared at us.

After that, the morning went by really slowly – boy I hated budget calls, it was the worst part of the job of being future King – and I couldn't help trying to find something to do in the afternoon with Chantell. But for a first date, maybe I was just going to get to know her better, and when I knew her better, I could find something more exciting that she would like to do, as a second date – who knew when that would be…

After a very nice date in the gardens – under the scrutiny of the Press, of course – we had to go back inside to get ready for the Report.

"Well, Chantell, thank you for this pleasant time."

"Thanks to you, Ben. Walks with Princes sometimes get me flustered."

"Oh, because you're used to taking walks with Princes?" I asked, a grin on my face.

"You'd be surprised," she said winking. "I might have more of those in the future, though." We both laughed.

"I do hope so. I'll see you later." I kissed her hand and continued on to the third floor to change my suit. This time I was not going to dress in the same color as Lou. Every man for himself, now. She had made that very clear.

Thirty minutes later, after a quick shower and a fresh change of clothes, I headed to the studio.

On the stairs to the first floor, I caught up with one of the most breathtaking girls of my Selection.

"Lady Khalila, I-"

"Lil, Your Highness. I already told you so," she giggled.

"Oh, did you?" I chuckled nervously. "I have to admit I don't remember every single things you ladies told me during the meet'n'greet afternoon."

"Easily understandable." Her smile sent a group of butterflies in my stomach to twirl uncontrollably, and my knees felt a little weak. She was wearing a lavender knee-length dress with white lace covering the top, and her shoes- Oh, my God.

"Lil, do you always wear shoes like this?"

She looked at her shoes and grinned. "Yep. You like them?"

I lifted an eyebrow and chuckled. "They are extremely high, and shiny."

"It's to catch the light in the studio, of course."

"Of course." We entered the studio and I noticed most of the Selected were already there. "I'll see you later, Lil." She nodded and we both went to our separate seats. I sat next to my favorite sister, and took in the scene. The girls were all seated in their chairs – there were only eighteen of them left, already – and the boys were standing around them – only seventeen of them left – and Belarus was talking to them, probably giving them instructions on what was going to happen, were they needing to stand and other things like that.

"What do you think Bell is going to do tonight?" Lou asked, pulling me out of my reverie – the girls were all really elegant and beautiful tonight.

"I don't know. But don't think you can go all nice on me right now."

"Why not? We're gonna be on camera. We better-"

"No. After your stunt you pulled yesterday – or this morning, should I say – it's still sticking in my throat."

"I'm sorry."

"No you're not. You made it perfectly clear how you wanted to play this. Well, the game is on."

"Ben, it's not a competition."

I chuckled humorlessly and looked at her. "When have our lives never been a competition, Lou?"

She looked at her perfectly polished nails. "Never, I guess. But maybe we can make this not a competition? We're trying to find true love, aren't we?"

"True love, huh? Since when are you looking for true love?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine. I was just trying to be nice. I hate when we argue."

"Well, I'm not ready to make my peace with you just yet."

"All right, thirty seconds," Mr. Liner called out. The Selected all fidgeted on their seats, with grins on their faces. I sighed and put a smile on my face. Belarus smoothed her fancy knee-length beige, lace-covered dress, and pushed her hair away from her face. Mr. Liner nodded to the musicians on the side and the cameras rolled with the Anthem.

"Hello, hello, Illéa," Bell said, jumping on the stage. "How are you tonight?"

The live crowd cheered.

"Tonight is the start of a great time in the life of our favorite Royals. Tonight you guys all meet the Selected for real, and we will get to hear some of them. But before that, our beloved Queen has a few words for us." She turned around. "Your Majesty?"

Mom nodded and walked regally to the center of the stage. I couldn't help myself from smiling. Mom was the essence of elegance and beauty. No wonder dad had fallen for her early in her Selection.

"Good evening, dearest Illéa." She smiled and paused a couple seconds. "Tonight, the Selection officially starts for you." She turned to the Ladies. "Welcome to the Palace, Ladies," and then to the boys, "Gentlemen, welcome to Angeles. I hope you all have a great stay, here, no matter how long you stay. This is a competition after all, only two of you will be staying here forever. It can be anyone. So be ready for that life." She smiled and nodded, giving the floor back to Belarus, while the crowd cheered and clapped. Mom was loved by her country. The day something happened to her, Illéa would be in total chaos. Same with dad.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Belarus smiled and turned around to face the Selected. "Alright, are you all ready to start?"

"Yeah!" a giant chorus of young people answered.

"But before I get to you, I'm going to ask a few questions to our Prince." I was about to stand, when Bell finished her sentence. "Prince Antoine, can you join me here?"

Tony frowned, confusion well written all over his face, but he smiled and walked to join Bell in the center of the stage. Alvin, the ISL translator, stood next to her to translate, even though Bell could also sign – although not that well.

"Prince Antoine," she said, trying to sign at the same time. "What do you think of your siblings' Selection?"

He lifted an eyebrow and started to sign frantically, Alvin translating in proper English. "The Selected are off-limits for me, so you know," he shrugged.

"But can't you make some friends?" Bell asked, letting Alvin translate for her.

"Why not," he signed. "But I don't want to take the girls from Ben, even though I know I am to die for, aren't' I?" He winked at the cameras.

Bell and Alvin chuckled.

"Of course you are, Your Highness," Bell said. "Isn't he?" she asked, turning to the live crowd and cameras. The crowd stood and cheered. Tony, too, was loved by the people. Not for the same reasons Lou and I were – you know, sexiest people in Illéa – but I was concerned they pitied him for his handicap. It was quite the irony, to be honest, when the King of Illéa who had installed the ISL for everyone was to have a deaf son. The Press said that he had somehow asked for it. And the people loved Tony from the start. We were kind of out shadowed when he was born and declared deaf. Yep, even though Lou and I were the cutest toddlers the Palace had ever seen.

"-and so," Bell was saying, Tony already back in his seat, "let's see. We know who the Princess had a date with. But did the Prince have his first date?" She looked at the girls, and Chantell became quite pink, making her unmistakably the date girl. "Ooh," Bell said. "Is that you?"

Chantell nodded.

"Can you join me here?" Bell asked her, and Chantell walked out of the rows of chairs and joined Belarus in the center of the stage. She was really beautiful in her turquoise, asymmetric, floor-length gown with a diamond belt. She had a couple fresh flowers in her hair – the ones she had chosen from the gardens earlier during our date.

"So, Lady…?"

"Chantell."

"Chantell. I'm sorry, there are so many of you, but I'll get the hang of it." They both chuckled. "Tell me, what on earth were you two talking about during your date in the gardens, this afternoon? It seemed pretty funny." She turned around and gigantic pictures of us walking through the gardens and laughing hysterically came up on the screen.

Chantell giggled nervously. "Oh, I was just telling him a story of the most ridiculous thing I had heard during my job."

"And what do you do?"

"I'm a flight attendant for the Illéan Airlines."

"Interesting. And can you tell us that story, too? We'd like a good laugh."

"Um," Chantell started, "We were having a very smooth flight, with practically no turbulences, but one of the customers seemed to think otherwise. She said in a slightly stressed voice, 'Why is it so bumpy? It's so very, very bumpy!' and I just said, 'Oh, we just ran over a bird.' She looked out the window to try and spot the poor bird, even though we were at 35'000 feet. I quickly walked away before she worked it out."

I was laughing in my seat long before she had finished her story. Bell joined in with everyone else.

"Oh, my goodness," Bell said. "Do you have any other of those stories?"

"I may have one more," Chantell said, thinking. "Long story short, if there are seats available on a plane, we can go home, not on duty. I was with a friend of mine, and we were blocking the pantry during the meal services, so we started moving back to the back of the plane with all of our belongings. One passenger says to me, 'Hey, what's going on? Are they moving you?' And I say – very seriously – 'Yeah, they just found out they don't have a seat for us after all. So they are now taking us to the back to give us parachutes.' The Passenger was shocked. 'Oh, my God,' she said, 'Are you serious? This is terrible!' We go sit down in the back pantry and have a good laugh with my friend. After landing, we see the concerned passenger at baggage claim. She comes up to me, all cheerful and happy, 'Oh, how wonderful! You made it to Allens! They let you stay on board after all!'"

Everyone was laughing by then. Her stories were hilarious. Bell thanked her and called Leonardo Fitzgerald to the center of the stage. He walked in smugly, his hands in his pockets.

"Sir Leonardo," Bell said. "Everyone saw the pictures." Then she leaned towards the guy, and whispered in her mike. "Is the Princess a good kisser?"

He chuckled. "Of course she is. I wouldn't have kissed her three times, if she hadn't been a good kisser."

"Of course not," Bell said, rolling her eyes at the obviousness. "And that's all you did during this date?"

"Nah, we walked and talked around the gardens, away from the Press. She told me which were her favorite flowers and-"

"Which are?"

"Red roses."

I looked sideways at Lou, who had wide eyes. "Red roses?" I whispered at her.

"We never talked about this," she whispered back through gritted teeth behind a smile.

"Are you sure red roses are her favorite flowers, Sir Leonardo?"

I saw his shoulders slump a tiny bit. "They're every girl's favorite flowers, Belarus."

Bell looked at Lou and smiled slyly. "Only the Princess in not an ordinary girl."

Leonardo turned to look at Lou. "That she isn't," he said, winking at her, and walking back to his seat. Busted.

"All right," Bell said. "That's all the time we have for tonight. Make sure to tune in during the week, there will be special Royal Flashes concerning the Selection, and you won't want to miss it. Makeovers, special interviews, peeks into the Royal Palace, and dates of course! But we'll see you next Friday for the Report! Good night, Illéa!"


Don't forget to share your thoughts with me ;) I like to see the story through other pairs of eyes than my own^^ Thanks for your reviews ;)

Also, don't forget your Pinterest boards, I go there to get inspired on clothes, and quotes and other things (like facial expressions of your face claim^^) when I write the characters, so keep them alive! I have 9 selected boards to take care of, in addition of my own boards (Bast and Dora, Lou, Ben, Tony, and others!) so don't forget them either ;)

I'll really be needing those few forms that are still not complete (Sparrow, Lawrence, Wren, Caoilainn and Marceline). I know you guys have school, me too. But I make the time to write for you guys, so I'd appreciate you do the same^^ Do you think you can send them in this Weekend? thanks!

Anyways! Thanks for your reviews (again) and I'll see you on Tuesday! ;) Bye!