That Sunday was the fourth of July. Arthur remembered vaguely that it was supposed to be an important day, at least, from what Ed had mentioned once or twice. Well, he supposed it was, being Lady Jade's birthday. Thus, that morning, he figured he'd visit the kitchen to see how the rumored cake was going.

"Wait, ham doesn't come from hamsters? Since when?!"

Arthur sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stave off the oncoming migraine before putting on a genial expression and entering the large, yet crowded room. Cooks and their assistants and the occasional maid hurried back and forth. A few noticed him as they passed, bowing quickly in respect before continuing on their way.

Serenity was in the midst of it all, speaking rather loudly to Lady McKenna, with Kira watching in amusement nearby, her sentences occasionally interjected by shouts to another member of the kitchen. She seemed rather busy, what with the staff and the other Selected currently making a mess of the order of her kitchen. (Arthur referred to it as her kitchen due to a bit of a situation several years ago involving a cooking battle of sorts. He's held a level of respect for the kitchen staff since.)

He grabbed the arm of one of the passing chefs, a tall guy with brown hair and green eyes. The guy seemed a bit shocked at the sudden action, but stopped nonetheless.

Arthur pointed at the scene before him. "Do you know what's going on here?"

The guy looked at the direction he was gesturing towards. "Lady McKenna came in and started messing with stuff." He explained, shrugging, and Arthur figured that was all he knew. He didn't seem like much of a talker.

"Mills! A little help over here!" Someone shouted from above the din, and the brown-haired guy disappeared farther into the kitchen, towards the voice.

Serenity's voice rose above the noise once more, prompting Arthur to perhaps intervene. "You know, in the snap of my fingers I can make the whole kitchen staff serve you, and only you, raw broccoli and brussel sprouts for the rest of your time here. So don't annoy me, you stinking rat."

He winced; that one had to hurt. And he knew when she threatened to ruin your appetite, she meant it. He remembered more than enough times when a guest would insult the cooking, and the unfortunate results. The kitchen staff was probably one of the people in the palace that he feared most. With a word, he could easily be poisoned or starved or given bad food for the rest of his life.

"Ladies, is there something wrong here?" The two jerked as he walked up, but Serenity merely out of surprise before smiling at him. McKenna seemed to be stiff for a moment longer before letting her shoulders relax and giving him a sugar-sweet smile.

"No, of course not, Your Highness!" The blonde girl replied, and Serenity didn't even to try to hide her eyes rolling. Arthur raised an eyebrow at her, silently asking the head chef for her side of the story.

"She tried to take control of my kitchen." The turquoise-haired girl replied, navy blue eyes defiant and hand resting on her hip. She was wearing her uniform, the sleeves rolled up and her hands covered in flour and frosting.

McKenna looked as if she was about to protest, so Arthur held up a hand to stop her. "I'm afraid I'll have to side with Lady Serenity on this one. It is her kitchen after all, and one has to earn such a position." Serenity beamed at him while McKenna looked rather put out. "On the other hand," he gave Serenity an amused look, "I was under the impression that you aren't supposed to be working here for as long as you are in the Selection."

She flushed, still looking indignant, but having the grace to bow her head in shame, even if only for a brief moment. "I'm sorry, but—"

Kira laughed, finally deciding to enter into the situation. It was one of the few times the princess wasn't wearing some sort of dress or skirt, her jeans and white shirt as dirty and stained as Serenity's outfit was, though the latter's was much more worn.

"Don't worry about it, Harry~!" She replied, Arthur narrowly dodging her attempt to wrap her arms around him. He loved his sister, but there were times when she should keep her distance. One of those times being now. She pouted when she missed, but recovered quickly enough, smile returning to her face. "I was the one who asked her to help out in the kitchen! Michael—her co-chef—was sick and he's the only one who had any idea on what to do for the cake."

Arthur smirked, shaking his head. "Right, right. I suppose I can't argue with you then." He turned to McKenna, holding out his arm. "Why don't you come with me, Lady McKenna?" She beamed, immediately latching herself rather daintily to his arm.

As they exited, he didn't miss the way she made a face over her shoulder.

Now, Arthur wasn't always updated with what went on amongst the other residents of the palace, and he tried not to interfere with the relationships the Selected develop with one another. He'd learned from his mother that over time, it was lifelong friends that were most often found in the Selection, and he didn't want to mess with that. However, even he had his limits.

Particularly when it came to ridiculing someone for things they can't help.

He knew Jade wasn't too bothered by it; even if it was her birthday, she was a strong person and could recover quickly. If he was being entirely honest, it hit a little close to home.

"A lady shouldn't work, and shouldn't have to. It's simply improper." Jade hadn't responded, shooting Lady Hanna a slightly irritated smile. The Jeweler continued speaking nonetheless. "Really," she scoffed, examining her nails, "It's absolutely disgusting to think that you'd do something so…" At this point Arthur had already blocked her out.

After the main party, he pulled Jade aside. "Are you alright? I know that what was said earlier can really affect a person if they don't talk about it with someone."

Jade gave him a confident smile that already had him reassured. "Just because I'm a lady doesn't mean I can't have a mind of my own. If she can't respect that, it's not my problem." Arthur gave her a small smile, nodding.

"I figured, but I thought I'd make sure just in case. Don't hesitate to say so if something's on your mind." She nodded, heading on her way as he turned his attention to Lady Hanna, who stood waiting in his office.

When he entered the room, she stiffened, already seeming to have an idea of what was about to happen. He stood before her, crossing his arms. She was wearing high heels and a short, sleeveless pink dress with a series of purple sequins on the tight skirt. He was sure it was intended to be seductive, as she wasn't the only girl to wear rather… revealing clothing, but he was never much for seduction. Being demisexual, as Ed called it.

The silence was apparently too tense for Hanna, as she started speaking, trying to give him her sweetest expression. The innocent act didn't work with the rest of her appearance. "I know I went too far, Your Highness, but you have to believe me when I—"

Arthur shook his head, and she fell silent. It wasn't a shocked or accepting kind, but rather a seething one. She openly glared at him, dropping the act. "You'll regret this." She hissed, stalking out of the room. He didn't stop her, and he was sure no one else would miss her.

Demisexual - A person who does not experience sexual attraction unless they form a strong emotional connection with someone.

...

So this chapter is also later than I wanted it to be, mostly because the world sucks.

Also, this has not been my day today. xD I broke my glasses this morning, watched a guy miss his bus because his dog bolted out of the house, had my computer freeze earlier today, and I was playing Animal Crossing: Wild World on my DS and that froze too. Life lesson guys, when playing Animal Crossing, don't spin your character around. It causes the game to freeze, making you shut it down, and then you gotta deal with Resetti. And I met Pascal and he is so weeeiiiird. But he's a cool dude.

Aaanyways, things. To be fair, I actually wrote various other parts that may or may not be used in the future, particularly an important plot point and the first kiss~! :3 Also, I stayed up late last night because I was writing a really depressing short story about some original characters of mine. Long story short, time travel sucks.