Celeste, Elise and I sit with the Royal Family at dinner.
I can't take Celeste's threat out of my mind. And I still feel bad about Kriss being gone. She's still my friend, after all. I look around the table.
To my right is Elise who couldn't be more silent and Celeste who is the complete opposite of Elise and can't stop talking. To my left is Queen Amberly who seems to be enjoying the conversation and King Clarkson who looks so drawn into Celeste's story.
And finally, across me is Maxon who I can't stop staring at. I have tugged my ear and he has done the same.
I contribute a little to the conversation but all in all, I focused mostly on the glorious meal in front of us. I had spinach seafood soup, roasted duck breasts marinated in honey and some steamed vegetables. I eat my chocolate sundae quietly, enjoying every spoonful.
Maxon seems to notice my enjoyment with dessert. He smiles at me fondly.
"How are you catching up with the studying Lady America?" The King asks, making me snap out of my ice cream sundae bliss.
"Very well, Your Highness. I have taken quite an interest in Illea Economics. I'm fascinated about the data curves of demand of food compared to electricity from the different castes. They change in such a fast rate." I say, wide-eyed and enthusiastic.
Maxon looks proud and Celeste looks fuming.
I stare at King Clarkson and am surprised to see a smile. "I see you've been doing your homework, Lady America. Young Maxon used to yawn at the mention of the word 'economics'."
We all laugh except for Maxon who looks embarrassed being the character of the joke. "You seem to have taught him well, Your Majesty. It was he who explained to me the budget breakdowns when I couldn't understand a single thing in it." I say with a smile. Not to mention the money that's gone and unaccounted for…
I just had to defend Maxon against his dad, who, relatively, is being surprisingly nice. King Clarkson then glances around the table.
"I have an announcement to the three of you, Elite. Your families are to be invited once more to live inside the palace. We shall have a ball next week in honor of them. It is the Royal Family's tradition to open its doors to the family of the final three. I am sure you are very excited about this. That's why my Queen and I have decided to let you be the ones to invite them here and organize the ball for their arrival. They will arrive the day after tomorrow and will be staying for more or less ten days."
I beam at Maxon and he reciprocates with a wide grin.
Maxon knocks on my room an hour after dinner.
I have already dismissed my maids for the night, but not before updating them with the happenings of the Selection. I do miss our card games and occasional girl talks though.
"Maxon! My family's coming back!" I tell Maxon, rushing to hug him.
He envelopes me in his arms and laughs with me. "I knew you'd be happy about this. And that display at dinner, America, I didn't know you studied so hard. I don't know what else can stop you from being my queen now, you know."
I smile at him proudly and he answers me with a swift kiss on my lips.
"It's for you, you know. I just figured that if I wanted to be yours, then I'd have to be queen. And to be your queen, I'd have to be the best queen to catch up with the best king Illea will ever see."
I wrap my hand around my father's arm as we walk around the garden. He, my mom, May and Gerad arrived just this morning. Preparations for the ball are going very smoothly that Silvia gave us this afternoon to be with our family instead. We stop in front of Maxon's and my bench and sit.
Dad urgently turns to me and starts talking fast. "How are things here, America? Are you alright? Have you found anything interesting like that diary of Gregory Illea? How are things between you and Maxon?"
"I'm fine, dad. They've been taking good care of me. Maxon and I are getting better since my outrageous actions on the Report, though interviews of the Elite have been postponed for a few weeks now. I actually found something bizarre when I was studying the budget reports of Illea a few days back."
Dad's eyes light up at this. "Really? And what did you find, my dear?"
I flinch slightly upon hearing the term, remembering my first few days with Maxon.
"Wait, before anything else, what happened when we last talked Dad? Where were we then? Who were you with?"
My dad sighs upon my insistence for some answers. I half expect him not to answer my bugging questions but thankfully, he starts talking.
"I'm sorry about that America. I just needed to make sure you're okay, after what you've proposed on the Report. The people love you for it though. We were at one of the tunnels that used to be escape routes for the palace people."
"Oh. Used to? And why were you there and how did you know about it? Who were you with Dad?"
"I was hoping you wouldn't ask that. I'm with the rebels, America." He says it a little too proudly for my liking.
I gape at him in astonishment. "I can't believe you work with people who try to kill us in every chance they get.", the shame evident in my tone.
"America, listen to me. You don't understand. I'm their leader and we do have a reason for attacking. I'm the rightful king, America." He explains.
I stare at him hopelessly, not comprehending much of what my dad is telling me. I am filled with different ways of asking my how's and why's and end up saying nothing.
"I don't know if they told you the story of Queen Abby Illea and Porter Schreave." I try to rack my brains for anything that might be a story of them but find nothing. I shake my head.
So, my dad continues. "Queen Abby Illea was King Justin Illea's wife from the Selection. But she allegedly poisons him and marries his cousin, Porter Schreave instead."
I remember this. It was in one of Celeste's magazines. I frown at the thought. "What does this have to do with them?" I ask, a little too harshly.
My dad answers patiently. "I, my dear America, am the grandson of Queen Abby and King Justin. My father, your grandfather, was their son. They had him adopted so that it was Porter Schreave that gets to be King and not my Father, Louie."
"When he got older and had an idea that he could be from the palace, he worked here and started looking for some proof of his connection to the royal family. It was nearly impossible to do so. Until one day, he found his birth certificate kept hidden in the pages of one of Gregory Illea's diary."
"After that, he formed the Southern and Northern Rebels to help him take back the kingdom, the Northerners to find the diary with the evidence of his noble blood and the Southerners to seek revenge on what they did to his father, King Justin."
" King Charles found out about him and his plans and killed him in our house one night. But I was there. I saw what he did and what they did and I wanted to continue what he lost his life for. We're the true Royal Family, America. Don't you want to fight for the crown you deserve to have?"
I am too shocked to talk. All these years, all this time… My tears start falling and I don't know why. I think about dad and all the times he needed to "go out of town". How could he have kept all of this from me? I am just too shocked by all this seemingly impossible information that I cry.
My dad touches my shoulder, attempting to comfort his little princess. "America, I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I know this is a shock for you. I'm sorry. I love you, America. You know that right? You're my daughter."
This makes me cry even more. I turn to my dad.
"I need some time alone. Excuse me." I run to my room, nearly slamming the door behind me and jump on my bed. I cover myself with the sheets and cry all my confusion out.
