Stanley stood at the side of his bed, his face disapproving and impatient. His foot tapped, sending Eli's migraine into an overload. "You can't just lie in bed all day and hope this predicament is going to vanish, you know. There's a million things you have to do. You have to contact France-"

"Ambassador Keeling is doing that," came Eli's reply from beneath his pillow.

"Address the people-"

"Dad."

"Deal with any allegations-"

"Mom."

"Comfort your family, for goodness sakes, Eli! What has gotten into you?" Stanley cried, yanking Eli's sheets off his bed. "You have got to step up. You're going on the Report to start your Selection in three days, 2 of the most important people in the world just got murdered inside your property, and you're wasting your time having a crisis in bed? Don't you think that's what we all want to do?"

This struck Eli's heart. He looked up at his servant, grasping for a response, but found that he had none. Everything Stanley had said was true. There was no denying that Eli was, in informal terms, slacking off.

"Can you get my clothes, please?" he asked simply. Stanley seemed to be about to argue, but held his tongue. He disappeared to the other side of Eli's room.

It was like a group of miners was drilling for gold in his skull. He grimaced as a new wave of pain hit his forehead full on. For the last two hours, he'd been in a state of what one might call "shock". His headache was getting so intense, he'd considered sending for a medic.

It was just his luck. Just his luck that this would happen just before one of the most important moments of his life. It hurt him to think about the poor french royals. Queen Ines, while aggravating, had been like an aunt to him. And he'd practically grown up with Colette. To think of their brutal murder made him recoil.

Stanley returned, holding a pair of casual clothes. Just a tee shirt and some pants. It created an eye of peace in the storm to see such familiar objects. Eli accepted them gratefully.

"So what are you going to do?" Stanley asked.

Eli tapped his chin. "First," he decided, "I'm going to go and comfort Stella. She seemed the most broken up about it. We'll see where things go from there."

His servant nodded. "Wise decision," he said, then hesitated. It seemed like he wanted to say something else. "I…I'm sorry if I sounded harsh earlier. It was just difficult to see you that way. I want what's best for Illea and for you."

"My fault," Eli replied with a wave of his hand. "Thanks for snapping me out of it." And that was that.

After he was dressed, he strode out into the hallway. When not dressed in formal clothes, he almost felt like an imposter in the distinctly tidy and ornate palace. It may have been his home for 21 years, but it was also the third most expensive establishment in the world. Suddenly, he wasn't as excited about his clothes as he had been before.

As he turned a corner, lost in his own little world, he crashed smack into a person going the opposite direction. Both subsequently tumbled to the floor.

"I'm so sorry," Eli said quickly, offering his hand to the girl sprawled on the ground beside him. "I wasn't looking where I was going, I wasn't paying attention. If you dropped anything important, I can help carry it, I'll take you to the Infirmary if you're injur-"

The girl looked up, and he saw that it was none other than Starr. "Oh, it's you," he said, infinitely less panicked than he had been before. He reached out and pulled her to her feet. "Where were you going in such a hurry?"

"Where were you going that caused you to knock a lady off her feet?" Starr asked indignantly, though a glint in her eye told Eli she meant no harm.

"I'm just on my way to see Stella," he explained. "She seemed pretty scarred after what happened. Brinley was crying and but I've never seen Stel so quiet."

"I'll walk you there," Starr said. "I can delay the Report rehearsal."

They set off down the hallway. It occured to Eli that though he'd only known her for about a year, he couldn't imagine life without her. She had her moments, of course. The party last week had been mostly forgotten in the mad chase to sign up for the Selection; however, moments still floated through Eli's head every few days.

"Are you excited for Friday?" she asked.

A shiver raced up and down his body. "More than you could know," he gushed. "I keep imagining scenarios. Some good. Some mediocre. And a few where they find out about my obsession with 'The Cones of Dunshire' on the first day.

Starr elbowed him. "That's the most popular board game in Illea. They'll think you're cool."

"Oh, honey," Eli reminded her. "They'll already think I'm cool."

They laughed loudly, attracting the attention of a nearby scullery maid. She hustled by quickly, muttering about the state of the world these days. Eli and Starr stared after, trying and failing to control more laughter.

"But seriously," she said. "I'm sure they're all going to love you."

"And I'm going to love all of them," he replied earnestly. "Honestly, my biggest problem is going to be eliminating people. How am I going to let people go home?"

Starr smiled fondly. "You're too nice," she complained affectionately. "How are you ever going to make decisions as King?"

Sighing, Eli replied, "You can worry about that along with my father. And mother. And Stanley at this point." He scuffed his foot on the ground as they arrived at Stella's room.

"You want me to come in?" she asked.

After a moment's hesitation, Eli replied, "Thanks, but I think this is something I have to do myself. I'll see you later."

"See you later," Starr replied with her quirky little half smile. Then she was down the hall, her long blonde braid dragging behind her. "Don't say anything dumb," she called back.

Eli shook his head, and knocked gently on the door. "Stel?" he called.

The door popped open quietly, and he saw his little sister. She looked terrible, with her mascara in big clumps under her eyes and her hair pulled up in a scraggly bun. "What is it?" she sniffed miserably.

"I just wanted to see if you were ok," he replied. "Can I come in?"

She nodded, biting her lip and opening the door all the way.

It had been a while since he'd been to her room. Stella was undoubtedly the quietest of his siblings. It wasn't a bad thing, but it also meant that he didn't talk to her as much as he might talk to Brooklyn and Brinley.

Stella sat, despondent, on her bed. Eli couldn't help but notice that there were a few pictures strewn across it, all of them showing Colette. A shot of them at Stella's 12th birthday party, a glimpse of a night out in the southern part of the capital, a glamor shot meant to capture the attention of the Prime Minister of England's son. Everything

"I know Colette was one of your good friends," he said slowly. Stella sniffled in acknowledgement, but didn't say anything.

It took Eli a while to try and find the words. "I am really disturbed by what happened," he said, "but I know that you are much more distraught than I. And I don't know what it feels like to lose somebody that close to me, but I want to try my best to help you. So just let me-"

"Stop," Stella said suddenly.

Eli obliged, too shocked to continue with what he had been saying.

"I know that you have good intentions," she said. "But you aren't doing this because you really care about me and my feelings. You're doing this because it's your job as Crown Prince. And while I appreciate the sentiment, I don't want your condolences unless they are genuine. Now please get out of my room."

It was the angriest Eli had ever seen his middle sister. It shocked him so much, he obeyed her words and left the room without another word.

The hallway was empty. Eli walked silently back to his room. This time, he didn't bump into anybody.

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I thought things were too good between Eli and his family. Nothing like some good old fashioned angst to add to the drama. Next chapter is going to introduce the last two girls, so I promise that those of you that have been waiting to see your OC, they're definitely coming up!