So here's the first date! Sorry it took so long, my grade does a musical this year and so this was pre-musical week so I had like a quiz, a checkup, a test, a quiz, and another test in four days, but tomorrow is free for me so I'm choosing to write because I love y'all already xD

Chapter Ten

❂Of Truest Heart❂

Prince Logan

-x-

Jack be nimble

Jack better be quick

Or Jack will fall

On the candlestick.

Jack will burn

And the flames will rise

Up from the ashes

And claim his demise.

Jack best be nimble

Jack best be quick

For Jack must jump

Over the candlestick.

-x-

Staring at the playing card, a jack, jammed under a small crack in my windowsill, the rhyme scribbled onto the back, I felt my breath hitch as the door swung open.

"Your highness," Xavier Chase, one of the guards, addressed, "It's ready."

Even with it cut short, Officer Xavier's hair was obviously curly and brown, he had grey-green eyes that I found myself comparing with Nala-Rose's. He stands at a good 6'3, and looks like he weighs a little over 200lbs of muscle. At age thirty-three, it was shocking to most of his friends that Chase only recently started dating again.

I glanced up quickly, and placed the note on the other stack of cards similar to that one. "Thank you, Officer Chase, if you would get a maid to send for the Lady that would be very much appreciated."

Xavier Chase nodded his head, and exited the room without another comment.

Time for my first date.

❂Of Truest Heart❂

Despite my mother's efforts, there were no cameras filming this. It was solely me and her.

The kitchen doors opened and a girl with long dark hair and green eyes entered.

"Lady Sara, thank you for joining me." I smiled, relief washing over me that I wasn't ditched on my first date. Sure I had a lot of "outings" and maybe hung out with girls at parties and sometimes afterward, but never really a true date.

"It's my pleasure, Your Highness." Sara smiled coyly, and walked around the island.

"Please, just Logan for now."

"Then, Logan, what is all of this?" she gestured to the pots and pans.

"I thought we'd cook something."

"As a date?"

I crossed my arms and furrowed my eyebrows, "Why not?"

"I'm not complaining, but I'm not just going to bake brownies with pre-make mix." She smirked, and began digging through the ingredients.

"What are you doing?" I questioned, honestly, I was utterly confused.

"I'm making you dinner." She stated calmly.

"Shouldn't I be the one making you dinner?" I frowned.

"Just because you have a pretty face doesn't mean you'd be a pretty cook."

I couldn't help but chuckle, "Well, I knew I had a pretty face, but I am very talented in the process of stirring things."

Sara laughed, it was a sweet, higher pitched kind of laugh. Elegant. "Well, then if I need something stirred, I'll let you know."

She got to work, pulling out various kinds of meats, tomatoes, rice, parsley, bread, and may different spices and sauces.

Smelling the food as she cooked it in the pans I asked, "That smells amazing, where did you learn how to cook?"

She blushed, "I guess I kind of taught myself. When I moved to Illea from Persia, I desperately missed the food, so I decided to cook their foods in every spare moment I had."

After the beef was cooked, Sara skewered it with a stick, then placed it on a plate in front of me, sprinkling rice and parsley and a loaf of bread on with it. She made herself another plate and sat down across from me.

"I figured I should give you something to eat before we got into dessert."

Taking a mini-bow I jested, "Lady Sara, I am ever in your debt." I stared at the food in front of me, confused. We never had Kabobs in the Castle, well, I'd never had them ever.

Sara, sensing my confusion, giggled, "Never had a kabob before?"

I shook my head, "Not exactly the most common food in the Castle."

"And what kind of food takes that honor?" She asked, apparently genuinely curious.

I rolled my eyes, "Scotch Fillet Steak, fancy fish, lamb, pretty much expensive foods."

She smiled and picked the stick up, sliding the food off the stick.

"If your plan all along was to take it off the skewer, why put it on in the first place?" I gaped as she cut into the meats, plopping one into her mouth.

"It's for presentation." The Persian girl explained after she swallowed, "Now eat, before your food gets cold."

Using my fork, I slid the various vegetables and meats off the stick and took a bite out of one that stuck to my utensil.

"My god, this is delicious." I was stunned, that was probably the best word for it. Sara laughed as she watched me inhale her cooking.

Once the food vanished from the plate, my eyes locked on a three of spades playing slipped in the hinges of the pantry. Abruptly, I stood, hitting my leg on the table in the process.

Sara gazed at me, baffled, "What?"

I kept silent and slowly creeped towards the card, as if in any moment it could attack. I snatched it, in the process ripping it from the middle. Still, it remained in tack. I flipped it over.

I stared at it a moment too long, and Sara immediately got suspicious, "What does it say?"

Picking up my coat, I stuffed the card into my pocket with the one from this morning. "I hate to do this, Lady Sara, as I've had such a wonderful time, but I have to go."

She frowned, but didn't say anything else, after all. I was the Prince, and she was in my Selection.

Lady Eris

There were whispers that the Prince was on his first date. Whispers that I knew were true. Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and my maid, Marlene, entered. "Eris, Prince Logan requests to come in."

I nodded, continuing to look at the most recent file I had my brother, Galaxy, draw up.

"Lady Eris, I apologize for bothering you on your day off, but I have a matter to be discussed." The Prince explained.

"Marlene, could you please leave us?" I asked one of my most trusted servants.

She curtsied, "Of course."

"What is it, Your Highness?"

Logan fished into his pockets and pulled out two playing cards.

"I think you are missing the other fifty cards if you plan to play." I huffed, knowing this had nothing to do with the Selection.

He rolled his eyes and flipped them over, exposing black scripture and the type of card they were. One Three of Spades and the other, Jack of Diamonds.

After reading the writing, I gaped at him, "These are some pretty twisted nursery rhymes, but other than that I don't know what else you want from me."

He ran his fingers through his hair, the motion pulling his white shirt closer to his skin, exposing an outline of a tattoo beneath the fabric. "Could it be some sort of threat?"

I shrugged, "Possibly. Almost anything could be interpreted as a threat, but I guess this does seem a bit more probable."

He nodded, "I found the Jack in my room, then the Three in the kitchen."

Why was the prince in the kitchen?

"If you don't mind, I think I could give you something better to go on if I could hold onto the cards for a little bit." I inquired, but Logan's grip only tightened.

"I don't think that's the best idea." With that, the Prince spun on his heels and left my chambers.

Princess Lucille

With all the girls in the castle close to my age, I felt at ease, but my brother felt quite the opposite.

Logan looked like a mess. His scruff growing more and more noticeable to our already irritated mother. Brooks, however, was content with his new victims, and Juliette was fond of Lady Anna Macabee from Likely.

I couldn't bring myself to choose favorites. I didn't know the girls yet, so judgment would have to wait until the first month at least was over. Yet I still somehow managed to pick my least favorites. Like Alena Woodwork. While she was related to Carter and Marlee Woodwork, she had that "I'm better than you" attitude that was supposed to be reserved to only Princess Jazz of New India.

Then there was Ash Raven. A girl who was very unopen to conversation, which is something I'm not entirely fond of.

The door opened a touch, and my maid, Brielle, entered. "Luce, Queen Mila wishes to speak with you in the gardens."

"Thank you, Bri." I smiled at the girl who, after time, became one of my closest friends.

Walking down the hallway, I heard footsteps tapping on the floor, but before I could figure out what it was, someone ran right into me.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" the person, a girl, stuttered.

I looked to the girl and saw Lady Clare Rifter sprawled out next to me, "Oh it's no trouble, Lady Clare."

She stared at me for a moment, "Princess Lucille, oh dear, are you okay?"

I brushed off my dress, "I'm fine, thank you. Are you alright?"

She nodded and got to her feet. Extending a hand to me. Gladly, I took it. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?" I laughed, remembering the incident.

Clare scoffed, "I needed to get to the Women's Room. Adelaide is waiting for me."

I smiled, "Of course, I wouldn't want to keep you waiting. I must be off anyways. It was nice to meet you."

The girl's eyebrows furrowed, but only for a second, before she bounded off towards the Women's Room.

Lady Gavin

I have to admit, I was pretty shocked and scared when Logan's Grandfather, William, invited me for lunch with him, Lila, and Angelina.

Then I found out that he requested the meeting with pretty much all of the Selected girls, and it made much more sense.

"Lady Gavin! I'm so glad you could join us!" Angelina grinned, her graying-red hair loose at her shoulders.

William smiled slightly, and Lila placed a hand on his knee, but he didn't even notice.

I fumbled for words, trying to figure out what you would call an ex-kings and queens. "I can't say I wasn't a little nervous when I got the invitation."

Lila laughed, "I know, you were worried you were already in trouble." I gawked at the women, she couldn't have read my mind…could she? "I was in the Selection myself a few decades ago. Will, here, just insisted that he wanted to meet his grandson's possible wives. So I guess we should let them talk, what do you think, Angelina?"

The women nodded, and dragged her sister in law outside. Leaving me and William Schreave alone.

I knew it wasn't right, being that I had just met the man but I couldn't help myself from asking a question that was on everyone in Illea's mind. "What really happened to your legs?"

William sighed, "I guess the details didn't travel to St. George."

I shook my head, "No they didn't, sir."

He pursed his lips, "Mila was probably two years older than Logan is now, she had just gotten married to Edmund, when rebels attacked. Much like they did at my father's proposal and at the first annual Masquerade Ball. However this time it was more of guerrilla warfare. They shot. They fled. Simple as that."

"They were aiming for Mila as she was our only daughter after her older sister died before her own first birthday, but I don't know how, it missed and hit me in the spine. The doctors frantically rushed me to the hospital wing, but the damage had already been done."

"I had already lost feeling in my legs."

So I know this chapter is a lot of information to take in…a bundle of jumbled information, but I hope you liked it anyways!