Juliette pushed open the hatch with a small grunt. She was immediately greeted by the cool night air, taking a deep breath through her nose before pulling herself on to the ledge. Adonis sat in his usual spot, and Juliette couldn't keep the smile from her face as soon as she saw him. When she had found the note earlier that day to meet him, it wasn't even a question of whether or not she could go, just of whether she'd be able to get any sleep while she waited.

"Hello Adonis." She sat herself next to him. He smiled at her, making her heart beat faster in her chest.

"Hello Juliette."

The sky was cloudy that night. Her mind echoed the sentiment. Despite her skepticism about the supernatural, she still couldn't keep the tarot reading out of her head. Especially when she was sitting right next to the prince that was supposedly going to break her heart. She couldn't deny that he had her heart at this point, but it seemed like it would be so unlike him to break it. On the other hand, she knew that this was still a competition. There were still so many girls that hadn't been sent home.

"We started preparations for your sister's ball today."

Adonis' eyes flashed for a moment. "Yeah? What task are you working on?"

"The bachelorette party." Juliette watched him, slightly puzzled. "Are you not looking forward to the ball?"

He laughed. "Not particularly."

"Why not?"

The prince took a deep breath. "I guess there's just been a lot going on already."

"It will be nice to forget everything for a few nights and just celebrate, though." Juliette traced her fingers on his hands.

"Perhaps." He answered, his eyes turning to watch the movement of her hand on his own. "It feels wrong to enjoy a party when my country is in turmoil."

"You can fix that overnight." She leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Plus, the country is okay. There's no immediate danger."

"I never know for sure… Maybe I don't quite understand. There's always been a Prime Minister for me, but I still feel like something isn't quite right about it. The country looks to my family and we don't have the same power anymore. It's difficult for me to really know what's going on."

"Maybe the monarchy doesn't need to be making the decisions anymore. That's why we have the Prime Minister, isn't it? So that the people can choose who makes the decisions?"

Adonis tore his hand away. Juliette pulled her head away and blinked momentarily at the space where it was, her hand still hovering over the spot. His voice was harsher than before, "I don't want that."

"Why?"

"Because it's my country. It's my responsibility."

Juliette's brows furrowed. "You still can have a voice. As much of a voice as any of the rest of us."

"But I'm not like the rest of you. I'm the Prince."

She shook her head incredulously. "You are the prince, but that doesn't matter as much anymore. The country is changing."

"I don't want it to change… I don't want to be just some rich family that's plastered on the covers of gossip magazines. I want to have a say."

"We all want to have a say, Adonis. It wouldn't work for everyone to be that powerful."

"You don't understand. I thought you would, but you don't."

Adonis pulled his legs into a criss cross, shaking his head. His words stung. What was his deal? Why was he acting like this? "Then talk to me. I want to understand."

"My whole life is just some reality TV. I don't have any of the power to make changes any more, but any time anything is wrong it's always our fault. My family gets all of the criticism despite the fact that we don't make most of the decisions anyway."

Juliette watched his face. His blue eyes sparked with frustration. She felt guilt rising through her chest. He was right. Thinking back to the rebellion movement that she was a part of, the whole point was to remove the monarchy and put into place a government that was more representative of their people. She had assumed that they were still high in the power dynamic. Even now, thinking about becoming Queen and helping fix the issues from the inside, a core piece of the plan hinged on the royal family being able to make those changes.

"You don't?"

"We sit in on the meetings. But I don't remember the last time my mother or father were the ones leading or talking. My grandfather tells me all the time about the things he needed to do. He seems to disagree with the way that things are now too."

"Why don't you try and speak up then?"

"It's not that easy… You know how I told you that we were eliminating the virginity law? I almost wasn't even allowed to add it to the overview to bring it up. I had to bother Henry practically every single day."

"Henry Jacobson?"

"Yes. He kept telling me that it wasn't important. He wants me to focus on my Selection and public image."

She stayed quiet for a moment. Juliette hadn't met the Prime Minister herself - he had almost a kinglike status himself when he was voted in. Nobody really got to see him. It was always the hardest meetings to plan, since mayors had to drop everything if Jacobson had a spare minute to spend with them. It was a surprise to her that he didn't make time for the royal family.

"But you made it happen still, didn't you?"

"Barely." He answered, folding his arms across his chest. "And my mother is not pleased with me either. I didn't narrow you girls down enough, and she threatened to make the elimination herself if I didn't get it down to 15 after the ball."
"Can she do that?" Juliette asked, dumbfounded. That would be ridiculous. What if the Queen sent home the girl that Adonis would've been happiest with?

"She's my mother." He replied simply. "She's very ready to meet everyone. I don't think she remembers how it feels to be the one having a Selection."

"I mean, she didn't even pick one of her Selected." Juliette said, the bitterness creeping into her voice. It had been an outrage to a lot of the country. Juliette was torn on the issue. Everyone deserved to marry for love in a perfect world. But this wasn't a perfect world. The monarchy had spent far too long making decisions that didn't help their country. Doing things that divided their people further. They hadn't cared about their people's well being. They cared about themselves. Being a leader meant that you made decisions sometimes that hurt, if they were the best for your cause.

Her mind stopped dead in its tracks. Sometimes it would hurt to make the decision that was best for your cause. The thought made her sick to her stomach. She suddenly understood her tarot reading. Her heart was going to be broken not because Adonis would break it, but because she would break her own heart for the greater good.

"Maybe not, but I feel like I need to give Illea a Queen that can quell the fires burning in her people. When I am King, I'm taking things back into my own hands. I won't sit aside and watch someone else run my country any more."

His voice interrupted her thoughts, and Juliette brought her hand to caress his cheek, rolling to her knees to crawl closer to him. He seemed surprised, but his features softened as she leaned over to press her lips against his. Adonis melted under her touch, and she was tempted to linger in the kiss longer, to let her stresses fade into the background. She pulled away to smile at him, pushing away her thoughts.

"You worry too much."

He laughed. The sound made her heart feel tight in her chest. She wanted to just enjoy her feelings. Enjoy him. But things seemed to be falling in line. Juliette knew what she had to do, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy him while she had him.

"Part of being in charge, I guess." His eyes stayed on her lips, lolling dazed and content. She inched forward and pressed him back to the ground slowly, taking his lips with her own once more. He smiled into her lips, and when she pulled away he laughed, "I don't know what's come over you all of a sudden."

"I just think you're cute when you're all riled up." She murmured, her hand wandering through his darkly colored curls.

"Is that so?" His smile was enchanting.

"Mhmm." Juliette kissed his cheek softly, letting herself fall back beside him. The two lied there on their backs for a moment.

"It's just hard. I don't know what to do, Juliette." He said softly.

She turned her head to look at him, her voice playful. "You could kiss me some more."

He used his hands to push himself up slightly, rolling his eyes jokingly at her. "You know that's not what I mean."

She didn't say anything, just watched his expression. He truly looked like these thoughts were getting the best of him. The tiredness hid in the bags under his eyes. Maybe he was right. Maybe she didn't understand. He was the scapegoat of their country. The Prime Minister was becoming more powerful than his family. His blood right to rule was slowly being washed away by the tides of revolution. His future was foggy and uncertain. The rebels were growing in strength and influence. If things didn't change, and change quickly, the country was bound to implode in on itself in an all out civil war.

As much as she wanted him to be happy, it seemed almost inevitable that he wouldn't be. Either her rebellion would win and he'd be dead, or the Prime Minister would slowly eliminate the monarchy's ruling entirely. Either option would satisfy her rebellion, yet both made her hearty feel heavy.

She pressed herself closer to him, nuzzling under his arm. "I just want to have a moment to ourselves."

He squeezed the arm he had around her, pressing his lips to the top of her head. "Well, I can help with that."

Juliette let her eyes scan the empty hallways as she sat in the plush armchair, her legs neatly folded one over the other. Her hands were clasped in her lap, slightly dampened by a nervous sweat.

She had received word from her father via a personal assistant of the prime minister himself. Juliette was to wait in the corridor outside of the wing meant for politics. It was a relatively new part of the castle, a small wing that looked out over the city being repurposed for Jacobson. His office and room were nestled behind the large wooden doors, as well as many large rooms for meetings and spare staying rooms for dignitaries or politicians. Her father never really stayed in the palace on his own trips, since they lived maybe an hour's drive from the castle, and as such, she had not stepped foot into the new wing.

Right on time, the clock started to chime, the sound faint from behind the large set of doors before one swung open. Henry Jacobson and Franklin Wright walked out of the room, side by side. Jacobson let out a chuckle, patting Juliette's father's arm good naturedly. His smile only grew when he saw the young blonde rise to meet them.

"This is yours, Franklin? She's got your eyes, doesn't she?"

Her father laughed. "And my brain - don't you forget."

The Prime Minister held out a hand to Juliette, which she took tentatively. "Wonderful to meet you, Lady Juliette. I'm sure you know of me, but let me introduce myself. Prime Minister Henry Jacobson the third. Although, that's quite a mouthful so you can call me Henry." His dark eyes glittered with an almost childlike mischief.

She took her hand back, not sure how to act. He was much less… Less frightening, perhaps? He had so much power, yet he was all smiles. "The pleasure is all mine, Henry."

Henry flashed his teeth in a smile, "Well, Franklin, I'll leave you to catch up with your daughter. I have some business to attend to. Good to see you!"

"I'll see you again tonight, I'm sure." The father and daughter watched for a moment as he left. Juliette let the breath deflate from her chest. She hadn't realized how tense she was. Her father wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "How're you feeling, Juliette?"

"Let's talk in the gardens." She wriggled out from under his arm, not waiting for his response before starting to walk towards the main hall. Her pace was brisk and her heart clambered in her chest. She still hadn't decided how she wanted to word any of her concerns to her father.

The walk didn't take too long, and Juliette headed straight to the willow tree. She swept her hand over some leaves and twigs to reveal her maps, folded into small squares. Juliette handed the papers to her father hastily, keeping her gaze level with his.

"Thank you… What have you managed to learn? Anything useful?" He slipped the papers into the pocket of his suit jacket, seemingly unbothered by the dirt that would surely stain the expensive fabric.

"Perhaps more than I was meant to." She responded curtly. He raised a brow at her, and she was surprised by her own immaturity. "There are a few things that I feel like need to be clarified with me."

"I'd be happy to clarify."

"What do you know about Tatum?"

Her father seemed confused. "Tatum..?"

"The assistant killed at the Spring Seminar."

His features darkened, a look that Juliette almost didn't recognize in her father. "I know a little bit."

"You said nobody was going to be hurt."

"Juliette, this is a rebellion. People are going to get hurt."

"You lied to me."

"I didn't lie to you. I had nothing to do with that death - we had an outlier. The rebel that killed was found and taken care of. It wasn't necessary to inform you."

Juliette felt heat flare on the back of her neck. "How do you think somebody dying wasn't necessary to let me know?"

"Because I didn't need you to let your emotions get in the way of our goal." Her father stayed cool and collected, which only infuriated Juliette even more. "You care too much about the little things. You get that from your mother - your passion for people. I should've told you, but I was worried that you'd overreact. I can promise you, however, that it was not the plan."

"Who did it, then?"

Franklin shook his head, "Unimportant. He's been jailed. It was someone that had recently joined in on our efforts, though we couldn't manage to find out who had invited him to join. It was a fluke."

His words did nothing to ease her anger. She felt her eyes burning, but fought to keep the tears from washing over. "I'm risking my life being here. You should've told me."

"I apologize. You're right. I thought it would be easier to sweep it under the rug, but it was wrong of me to keep it from you."

"What else are you keeping from me? Spit it all out, or I'll turn myself in right now."

She could immediately tell that her threat struck a chord. His eyes flashed, "Juliette, you're being ridiculous. That's a death wish."

"I thought that I knew what our rebellion wanted, but everything is muddy now. I don't understand anymore, so if this arrangement is to continue then you need to come clean with me."

"What do you mean? Do you not remember what this is for? We want the power in the hands of the people. That's always been our goal, nothing has changed. Nothing changed when the assistant died. The goal is the same."

"I don't think we need to overthrow the monarchy to achieve our goal." Juliette said with a small shrug. Just saying it out loud caused her father to flinch. "I think we can fix this as a country if we can manage the balance between the monarchy and the new republic."

He was silent for a moment. "You have feelings for him."

Juliette was unflinching. "That doesn't have anything to do with this."

"What the hell is going on with you?" Her father's voice was booming, he quickly brushed his hands off on his jacket to keep himself together. For once, Juliette found herself not feeling afraid of him. She had the high ground. He needed her, and he was going to listen.

"The monarchy is messy, but it's been getting better. If we can just get someone on the throne willing to listen to the people, willing to share the power, then we have a voice. Adonis loves his people, I think that if I can just manage to win-"

"Juliette, you've gone completely mad. Do you think that the prince is going to listen to a word that you say? His family has proven again and again that they choose their own wishes over their people."

"Adonis isn't like that, he-"

"I didn't think that some boy would manage to turn you against me so easily."

Juliette balled her hands into tight fists, her nails digging into the skin of her palms. It took everything she had to keep her voice down. "I'm not against you. I just think that we can work this out without having to have him killed."

"Do you honestly believe that he would give up his power if he was alive?"

"You talk about him like he's some sort of tyrant. He's so much different than you led me to believe. He's kind, and thoughtful, and compassionate. He just doesn't know about the way normal people live. I can help him."

"You can't guarantee that he will pick you. Even if you could convince him to release his grip on the government, you can't guarantee that he will pick you."

Juliette was stunned into silence. She couldn't argue with that. As much as her gut told her that he felt strongly about her, she didn't know. He could feel that way about any of the girls. There were still so many of them… Realizing that he hit a soft spot, her father continued.

"Juliette… You can't honestly believe that he is in love with you."

Her gaze lowered to the ground. "He could be."

"The Queen is the one orchestrating this whole charade. She's going to help him pick the wife that best calms the anger that she knows has been brewing among the people of Illea." Juliette couldn't keep Adonis' words from the night before out of her head. He had mentioned that his mother would be making eliminations. Could that be true? Was she taking matters into her own hands. "Jacobson and I were talking about it today. He's worried that people are going to see how the Selection is just a way to keep negative press away from their political decisions. You're a top contender because of how popular our family is. The Selection doesn't have anything to do with the prince falling in love. He's just supposed to win all of your hearts and let his mother do the picking."

"You… You're lying."

"Juliette, I'm done keeping things from you. I'm being honest."

"Adonis wouldn't do that."

"It's all an act, Juliette. This whole competition. How do you think I got you in so easily? They hand pick the applicants. Half of the lower caste girls are just fodder for time to decide which girl will make the country happy again. "

Juliette felt her lip tremble. "Adonis wants to find love. He doesn't care about any of that."

"Or did he think that you would want to hear that? A little bird told him that your name carried great prestige and he just played you like a fiddle." The tears slid down her cheeks, and her father pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean to upset you. I didn't think you would develop feelings for him or I would've warned you sooner. That's why he needs to go. His family is full of masters of manipulation."

She buried her face into his jacket, wrapping her arms around him. The tarot reading rang in her mind. Her biggest fear… Manipulation. And her path had very quickly led to her heart breaking. Maybe the cards had more validity than she gave them credit for. "Dad, I love him."

"Don't let him use you, Juliette. We still have the ball in our court. You're very clearly the closest girl to him so far. All we need to do is make it to his Elite - he will surely invite everyone's family and from there we will strike. Since I'll be present, I'll make the signal for the attack."

Juliette pulled herself away, wiping her tears from her face. "It won't be long… He's supposed to propose by the end of the year."

"So soon? Then I will speed up our preparations."

Juliette nodded, keeping her face void of any emotions. Her tears had run her dry, and she felt empty and hollow. Everything that Adonis had told her… Everything was just a game. He must've been one hell of an actor. She had fallen for every trick. Every smile was just a ploy for her heart. She had taken it hook, line, and sinker.

"Is there anything else that you wanted to ask about? Can I trust you to fulfill your promise and eliminate the prince?"

Suddenly, a new determination swelled in her chest. "I won't let you down."

Juliette spent the rest of that afternoon curled into a ball on her bed, crying her eyes out. Her life was a mess. She coudn't control her tears. Every time she thought about Adonis, the time the two had spent, the kiss they shared… It hurt. It hurt worse than anything she could imagine.

Her maids hadn't asked any questions. Phoenix had offered to run her a bath, but Juliette declined. She sent them away to wallow in her own melancholy. She hated anyone seeing her in this state.

After an hour or two, the tears stopped coming, She felt tired and heavy. She needed to do something. Anything. Sitting around and being miserable was only making her feel worse. Cleaning herself up, Juliette made her way out into the winding halls of the palace.

It didn't take long for her to reach a room the library, although she had barely realized that she was headed there in the first place. Her weary feet simply took her somewhere and she followed blindly, her head a thick haze of heartbreak.

The room was seemingly empty, so she plucked a random book from a shelf and made herself comfortable. It was an old looking book, the pages worn from many readings before. Inside the cover was a small handwritten note, in lazy cursive reading 'for my daydreamer boy'. The next page had the book's title in big, illustrative letters: Alice in Wonderland.

Juliette soon found herself lost in the pages, reading and examining the pictures. She was so enraptured by it that she didn't even notice that someone had joined her in the room.

"You look like a fucking mess."

Juliette jumped in fright at the voice, her heart skipping a beat. The apologetic face of Breck peered back at her. "Sorry, man. Didn't mean to scare you."

Juliette closed the book softly, shaking her head, "It's fine. I probably do look like a mess. It's been a rough day."

"Boy troubles?" Breck asked. Her tone was sarcastic, but in a benign way.

"Yes," Juliette answered, chuckling almost bitterly.

"Yeah, boys are pretty mediocre at best. But sometimes there are good ones." Breck threw herself into the chair beside Juliette, stretching to rest her feet on the table.

"I'm starting to doubt that last part."

Breck snorted. "Yeah, but I've found that girls aren't much better."

"I think I might just stay an old bachelorette forever. Love is not the fun that the fairy tales set me up for."

"Nahhh, love is rad." Breck answered, her chair teetering as she leaned it on its back legs. "It just never turns up when you expect it. Or when it's convenient."

"Tell me about it." Juliette murmured.

"I think that it's the most fun when you work a little harder for it, though." Breck said with a sly smile. "I enjoy the chase."

"Is that so?" The wheels started to run in Juliette's head. How could she mention Harmony's feelings without completely outing her? If Breck didn't feel the same way, it should be kept a secret. She tested the water with her next words, "Is your chase going well?"

Breck pulled her feet off the table to rest her elbows on her knees with a laugh. "Usually not, but I'm having a good time."

"That makes one of us. You should tell me more - I'm dying to get my mind off of my own problems for once."

"Well, ol' princey boy and I don't seem to get along too well." She answered. "Shocker, I know. But my favorite words seem to offend his regal vocabulary."

Juliette stifled a laugh. "Perhaps they aren't the most queen-friendly of words."

Breck feigned offense, turning her nose up and speaking in an over the top posh voice. "Well, if he can't handle me then perhaps I should be on my way."

"Out of curiosity, why stay if you don't think it'll work out?"

"Trying to get into the minds of your opponents, huh? Don't worry. I'm enjoying my stay until the little princey-poo kicks me out."

"Fair enough. And what about your love life?"

"What about it?"

"Is there anybody else you've got your eye on?"

"I've got my eyes open. There are some pretty little options here if I wanted to risk my neck messing around."

"But, theoretically, if you could pick someone from the palace to chase..." Juliette probed.

Breck pursed her lips, giving a cautious laugh. "Juliette, truly, I'm flattered, but, I, um…"

Juliette reared back, shaking her head with a laugh. "Breck! No, no, no. I'm… Um…. Asking for a friend."

Breck raised a brow. "For a friend, huh? Is he a cute friend?"

"She's not my type, but I think you'd like her."

Breck slapped her hands on her legs excitedly. "Oh would I? This is getting more fun by the minute."

"This is harder than I thought it would be." Juliette admitted sheepishly. "If you like her back, she's willing to confess… But I guess if I tell you who it is then I've kind of confessed for her."

"Well, there is someone who I was thinking about chasing. You know, after I get eliminated."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but I'm not missing out on this money being here if she wants a prince. I'm not dumb."

Juliette nodded. "I understand… Maybe if there was, like, a codeword you could have to slip into a conversation. Something really obscure. And if I told both of you the word, and one of you brings it up you could know."

Breck raised her brows and nodded slowly, "That just might be ridiculous enough to work. Can I pick the codeword? Let's make it pinatas. You ever had one of those? Fun-ass shit."

Juliette laughed. "Okay. Pinatas then. I'll let her know."

"And if it's the right girl, then maybe I can give her my candy, if you know what I mean."

"Maybe a little bit too much information, Breck."

"My pleasure, Juliette."

A/N: Lots of emotions this chapter, so hopefully it wasn't too all over the place. Just when things start coming together, everything's gotta start falling apart. Sorry that I missed last week's upload - it's been a busy month for me. But I just managed to squeeze writing time in between all the craziness. Thank you for reading, don't forget to leave a review for any feedback :)