AN: Let's thank Milly for writing most of the last scene because I had difficulty starting it and wanted a prompt so she decided to write like 500 words over discord.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Sunday, November Tenth

Louis checks the files sitting on his desk. Five folders, five elite, one future Queen. All of the information Jonothan has gathered and deemed significant is in this stack.

He pulls out his laptop. The other files have all been sent back. They aren't important to him. His father can deal with them; Louis' only job right now is his selected.

He finds Mare's file on top, the smallest of the five. A posted note with messy handwriting puts a pros and cons list on her. Pros: She's well educated and has gained favor internationally for foreign audiences as well as put herself towards charity work inside of Illéa; Cons: Her winning will cost us our alliance with Spain, she is diagnosed with OCD, and she could be used as a rallying point inside of terrorist circles due to her casteless upbringing.

He doesn't disagree with his father's pros; all of them are valid facts about Mare. Though, he doesn't mention how she already looks regal with how diplomatic she is. Though, he's over exaggerating her cons. One person couldn't bring down a decades old alliance, especially not someone who isn't in a position of power.

Louis opens the file. Transcripts and copies of her citizenship papers are stapled together. The specific medication she takes as well as other medical information sits in front of him. A part of Louis feels disgusted for going through her personal history like this, but in this file there's nothing about her time in France. Louis makes the note to ask her about it.

The next file is Marie's. He can't imagine anything wrong with the sweet girl. He reads her pros and cons list. Pros: She's not extremely flashy, older generations approve her demureness, and she wouldn't try to go against you in any decision you made; Cons: She hasn't been formally educated since middle school, she might attempt Illéa into a national religion, the lower castes are appreciative of her in the selection as a seven, she has a history of infertility in her family and might not produce an heir, as well as terrorists might use her as a rallying point due to her low caste.

Louis makes notes of everything he agrees with. His father is overreacting with some things, such as the terrorists making her a rallying point, but he is right on a few things. He'll have to get her at least a highschool education and see how Gwen's been helping her.

Louis opens the file, her mother's medical history sits atop, not her own. There isn't anything wrong with Marie, only just papers upon papers of normal Illéan forms: birth certificate, tax records, and work records. He sees nothing that really warrants half of the cons put against her. He notes to get her to a fertility doctor and get her GED.

Louis grabs Briar's file. He honestly can't see what Jonothan would see wrong with her. Though, even still she has herself a pros and cons list. Pros: Well educated, politician father, has been in the inner workings of the political sphere, and is one of the country's top choices for Queen. Cons: Has stated she doesn't want to be Queen and she could possibly be pro-rebel.

Louis pauses. This is the first person he's agreed on his father with. If the cons are to be true, Briar could be a real threat to the palace. She wouldn't be someone he wants in the palace.

He peers through her file. Images of her at both her father's campaign rallies and at rebel funded protests are shown. His brows furrows as he flips through the photos. He's never imagined her as a rebel, but he starts to internally ask questions about these girls. What does he truly know about them? Who are they? Why are they here? What is their life back home?

Louis takes a deep breath, closing the file. There are several notes about Briar. So far, she's the most concerning, but if he doesn't calm down he can't figure anything out.

He heads towards Madi's file. She's a lower caste for certain, but that doesn't mean she's automatically guilty of being a rebel. It's more likely for sure, but Louis doesn't get rebel vibes from her. He reads the pros and cons list, trying to get all of the doubts out of his head. Pros: She's healthy and has never been connected to rebels. Cons: She's never had a formal education and could be used as a symbol of the rebellion.

Louis sighs一she has no rebel leanings. Though, she needs to get her GED and that isn't a big problem. Louis writes that down and then peers inside of the file. It's just her standard Illéan forms alongside the history of the circus she works for. Nothing bad is in there.

The last file is Anna's. A sense of relief and dread fills him. Anna is the girl he's spent the least amount of time with, but she seems like a good, wise person一Louis doesn't see why she has the biggest file.

He goes through the Pros and Cons list, an uneasy sense of curiosity accompanying it. Pros: She's a mid-caste choice which'll upset nobody and is a top pick for Queen throughout several generations of Illéan generations. Cons: She has had a very serious relationship with a three by the name of Kile Beckham.

He frowns, tilting his head. Her file is massive for only one con. He opens it, the curiosity taking over. Pictures after pictures of a blond man with Anna are shown. A paper is inside of the file. It talks about serious relationship things一things Louis never did with Athena nor any of the selected. He doesn't fault her for this relationship, but it's the only thing he writes down. Louis needs to know more.

He stands, breakfast is fixing to come to an end and he needs to get to a meeting with his father.

Louis enters in the conference room with the files and his notes in a satchel. Though, when he enters, Louis sees his father's advisors with his father, instead of the two of them alone like he'd planned for.

He takes his seat to his father's left and holds the bag as the meeting starts.

"We have located a potential rebel HQ."

That, per se, is not the problem for Louis. What really is is what follows. Or the fact that he only learns about this in a meeting dedicated to dealing with the rebel threat. His father, at the head of the table with his council of advisors circling it (and Louis, too), hasn't spoken a word, in the meeting or to him. Not a word on his elite, which he has heard the advisors have their opinion on. He knows his father's opinions on all of them.

That's not what Louis should be worried about. The elite's here, yes, but his sister is in that HQ.

"Storm it," a general says. "Storm it, take everyone out inside. Send them a warning, and the rest of the country too. We don't negotiate with terrorists."

"Princess Charlene is in there," someone replies.

"Obviously, we don't shoot the princess." He thinks that too, but only afterwards and damn-shouldn't he have known? That his sister-the one occupying all Louis' thoughts now-is in this rebel HQ? If it's the one, that is. There are countless of rebel HQs and how can they know that it's the one housing his sister.

"If you go in shooting everyone, they will use her as shield."

"Then she dies a martyr."

Silence. It takes Louis a moment to understand. "WHAT?" he calls out, rising and slamming his fists on the table. "You're not killing Charlie to make a point!" This is the first time he's spoken in this meeting一all day in fact.

"Your Highness, by all respect, you don't have the experience to judge this. If we go in and Princess Charlene dies a martyr, then the rebels can't accuse the crown of anything without speaking ill of the dead and-"

"Experience my ass, you are not killing Charlie!"

His father crosses his arms. "Nobody is talking about an assassination, Louis, but... We need them gone."

"Are you kidding me? Dad?"

The general huffs. "Do you have a better idea? Apologise my frankness, but it's a fact that Princess Charlene has always been a little bit... against the norm. What if she, in the attack, does not follow her hostage training? Or what if that video was faked? She has been caught on multiple occasions sneaking out of the palace.

"No. Period." Louis can't believe their audacity to kill his sister. She's not the greatest of people, but she's his sister, one he cares about very much.

"We have their HQ."

"You believe to have it."

"They will terrorise your nation, your highness. If you suddenly intend to play adult, then think about the millions of people who live in fear of their actions," another one speaks up. "Is one life not worth their all's safety?"

Jonathan is terribly silent, eerily staring at the table. Louis almost forgets him, until he speaks up. "We will resume this meeting in twenty-four hours. General, I expect more intel and proof that this is their HQ."

He rises, to leave, but his father stops him. Everyone in the room leaves first. Only afterwards, Louis receives a note from his father: Find a better way out of this. You have 24h, son. I do not see another way out. They need to be gone.

Louis wants to scream, to cry, to fix this, but he stays silent. If he has twenty-four hours he needs to find a way out of this. He can't have Charlie die. He couldn't live if Charlie died because of him.