Lady Alondra

The longer I stayed in the Palace, the more annoying these girls became. Not only had the Prince chosen me for a group date, not even an individual date, but the center of his attention was currently focused on some lower caste girls. How could he not see the greatness right in front of him that was me?

And then there was Yasmin, the overly bubbly Princess. She drove me crazy, with her constant sunshine attitude, but she and Killian were obviously very close, and even though I wished she would just go away, I had to keep her close. Lucky for me, Yasmin was a fan of my music, which gave us an instant connection. And thankfully, after her kidnapping, she had been visiting the Women's Room a lot less frequently.

I looked up from my magazine to survey the other Selected who were with me in the Women's Room. Aurelia and Rowan were beside me, like they always were, theorizing about the other girls and when they would get an invite to a date. I guess it could have been worse, I could have been in their shoes.

I did my best to hold in my scoff as I eyed the ensembles the other girls were wearing. None of them came close to me, and the bold choices I made in my fashion. It was meant to catch the attention of the so called ''party prince'', and while I had seen his eyes linger on me during breakfast, it hadn't earned me anything. I looked down at my dress as I wondered if I should take it a step further. The dress I was wearing was skin tight, black, with a plunging V-neckline and cap sleeves. It had a fitting bodice that hugged my curves and was sprinkled with beads all over. What more could he want?

No, it wasn't the way I dressed. I needed to capture his attention in some other way, and I was determined to find out how.

Lady Jia

I hadn't seen Oskar anymore after our nighttime ride in the Palace forest. And then, after finding out what his German words to me actually meant, I couldn't keep my mind off him. My dreams were filled with flashes of his pale, bleached hair and icy blue eyes, but it was so wrong. Not only was he a Crown Prince, and was I currently in the Selection competing for the heart of another Crown Prince, he was also already engaged. He could never be mine.

And yet I found myself wandering to the stables, fiddling with the hem of my mint green, high collar chiffon dress.

I smiled to myself as I saw the tall, lanky Prince standing by his horse, my hope of finding him satisfied. ''I knew I would find you here.'' I fiddled with the side braid that was flung over my shoulder as his head turned to look at me.

''Were you looking for me, then?''

I averted my eyes, feeling caught. ''Maybe.''

His grin grew wider on his face, and my eyes darted back to him. ''I found out what your German words to me meant.'' You have beautiful eyes.

His shoulders tensed, and he cleared his throat. ''Oh. I didn't expect you to actually translate them. Did I offend you?''

I shook my head as I inched forward. ''How could I be offended by someone complimenting my eyes? And not just anyone, but the Crown Prince of the German Federation himself.''

The corners of his mouth quirked up, but then his mouth set in a hard line, as if he was reminded of something. He grabbed the reigns of his horse and guided him out of his stall. ''That's right. I'm the Crown Prince, engaged to Princess Yasmin, and you're just a Selected. It was merely a friendly compliment, and I don't want you to think more of it than it was meant to be.''

I felt my happiness deflate, and the warm feeling I just had at seeing him changed into a heart wrenching one. Nonetheless, I forced a smile on my face. ''Of course, I didn't think anything of it. Don't worry.''

He nodded curtly, his whole pleasant demeanor from before I mentioned his position as Royalty changing into a cold, distant one. Oskar walked right past me, pulling his horse along and leaving me by myself in the stables.

Officer Bates

''Are you sure about this?''

Yasmin and I were in the Palace forest, standing on the grass of an open field, both clad in sportswear. She was wearing fitted black sports legging, and a loose pink t-shirt with a sports bra peeking out from underneath. It was difficult to focus with the way she looked.

Yasmin nodded, collecting her brown tresses in a ponytail. ''I'm not going through that again. I want to be able to defend myself.''

I smiled, feeling even more proud than ever to call her my girlfriend. ''Do you want to learn how to fire a gun?''

She shook her head. ''No guns. I don't want to kill anyone. Just hurt them enough to give myself time to flee.''

I pulled her into my arms. ''How did I get so lucky to love a girl with a golden heart like yours?''

Yasmin giggled before swatting me on the arms. ''Don't distract me. We're here to train. You're here as a guard, not my boyfriend, so don't go easy on me, okay?''

''Yes, ma'am.''

Princess Yasmin

I knocked on the heavy doors to my father's office, having just finished my training session with Tristan. While it was tiring, it was also extremely satisfying, and I already felt a lot stronger, even though it was only our first session together.

''Come in.''

I entered the vast office, closing the door behind me and smiling widely as I saw my dear father sitting behind his desk. No matter whom my biological father was, no matter whose DNA I carried, King Edward was and would always be my one and only father, and there was nothing, or no one, that could change that.

''My angel,'' he stood up and stretched his arm, motioning for me to come closer. The nickname he used for me gave me a sense of familiarity, as it had never changed. I was his angel when I was a child and I still was.

I strolled over to him, melting into his warm, fatherly embrace. I closed my eyes and inhaled his scent, memorizing it and locking it in my brain so I would never forget.

He pulled back, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. ''Why are you dressed like that?''

''Believe it or not, I was working out.''

He burst out laughing, his surprise at me being active etched on his face. ''The world is still full of surprises.''

I gently pushed him back in his chair, grabbing another chair and dragging it next to his. ''How are you doing, Dad?''

His green eyes softened those eyes that were so similar to Killian's. He reached out and grabbed my hand. ''I'm fine, angel. Don't worry about me, please. The medicine is working for now, and I have felt better since the moment we got you back. But don't scare your poor father like that again, I might have heart attack next time it happens.''

''Dad! Don't joke about something like that.''

He chuckled as he gently squeezed my hand, ''sorry, sorry. But I mean it. I'm holding up.''

I smiled, ''Good.'' I glanced around the office, my gaze stopping at his large bookshelves. I stood up and walked over, my fingers caressing the spines of the old books. My father was a lover of literature, especially the old ones, from before Illéa became Illéa. Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, Virginia Woolf and many, many more. As a little girl, I always wondered about the fascinating worlds in these books that always managed to capture my father's attention, and I began reading them at a young age. My romantic heart loved Romeo & Juliet the most, which was cliché, but I couldn't help it, even though it didn't have a happy end for the two lovers. The story captivated me.

I looked back at my father, who continued working on his reports, and I wondered for how long I would be able to enjoy the simple sight of him doing the thing he was best at, being Illéa's King.

Lady Evelaine

I was on my way back to my room, getting ready to prepare for myself for dinner, when I heard him call my name.

''Elaine!''

I whirled around, my heart beating faster at Killian calling me by my nickname. The hem of my navy blue, halter dress swirled around my knees, and my mouth curved into a smile as I watched him jogging towards me with a twinkle in his eyes.

Looking handsome as ever, he was wearing grey jeans, a plaid shirt and a dark blue green pullover, bringing out the green of his eyes.

He came to a stop in front of me, and without hesitating, took my hands in his. ''I know this is quite late, but I wanted to apologize for the way our date ended, with Yasmin coming back. That was not the way I intended our date to end.''

I shrugged, ''don't apologize, you have my complete understanding. Although, I do wonder, how did you intend it to end?''

He grinned, letting go of my hands and cupping my cheeks as he pulled me closer. ''Like this.'' His lips met mine, and the warmth of his mouth sent a current running through my body. I lost myself in the kiss, his lips, his smell, but before I could truly comprehend what was happening, it was over. He pulled back, a smirk on his face, as he toyed with a lock of hair, before completely letting me go and taking a step back. ''I will see you at dinner.''

He turned on his heels, and just like that, he was gone. And for the first time since forever, I was left speechless.

I had another xray this Monday, and apparantly my collar bone has still not grown together, but it's slowly starting to. I can type with two hands again but lifting heavy things still hurts, and it's actually a pretty constant, nagging pain. But oh well, that was my health update for those who cared.

As I haven't updated a lot since my accident, I've been kind of out of it, which I think you guys will have noticed by now, as the previous chapter was pretty short and this one is as well. I'm just slowly getting back into the groove of writing and this story, so please bear with me! I did my best to make this chapter interesting and give you some of your favorite characters. I was really happy to see that my own characters, like Yasmin, Killian, Tristan and Oskar are amongst your favorites! That means I'm doing something right, I think.

No questions for this chapter, just let me know what you thought! Hopefully, and probably, the next chapter will be the usual length and off better quality. My apologies! Oh and as always, the outfits can be found on the pinterest board.

Love,
Wolf(ie)