Juliette set her papers on the table, letting each one sit so the most important parts showed. The planning for their party was finally finished. It had taken a bit of prodding and carefully picked wording to convince Elsa to work with the group, but the general idea was completed. Willow had sketched out specific centerpieces for tables, Juliette had done the layout, Elsa would be hosting the party games, Kiara had chosen the snacks, and Abigail had booked the musician. Everybody had a part to play, and honestly it looked like it was going to be a good one.

Allegra and Eadlyn sat at the front of the class, speaking to each other in hushed voices that Juliette couldn't manage to make out over the small roar of the Selected girls bustling about and putting finishing touches on things. There were only two class times dedicated to planning left - and their group would be actively setting things up next time. It was nerve wracking. Perhaps the most anxiety inducing, however, was the note that Adonis had left her in the locket.

A voice in the back of her head told Juliette that she should just give up now - If Eadlyn was going to narrow it down to the Elite, then she was almost certainly on the chopping block. But, was it too late to get back on her good side? Maybe not.

"Are there any other changes that need to be made?" Abigail's question disrupted her train of thought, and Juliette snapped her attention back to the group.

"I think everything is ready." Willow said, clapping her hands together gleefully, much like an excitable toddler. "It's going to be so fun!"

"It'll probably be the best of any group's project." Elsa agreed, smiling as she folded her leg over the other. The chatter continued similar to that, a round of everyone patting themselves on the back, and Juliette tuned it back out. She fingered the locket around her neck, her fingertips pressing against the engravings. It eased her mind. Almost as if he was there with her.

"Everything is going well over here?" Juliette jumped out of her skin at the Queen's voice. She needed to stop daydreaming so much, before it got her in trouble.

"We've finished our planning." Abigail replied.
The Queen seemed pleased, "It looks like it. That's good, because we are on a deadline. May I see?"

Elsa took over, explaining parts of their design and plans, Eadlyn nodding along through the explanation. "How beautiful. I know Kerttu will love this. I'm so excited for her."

"We hope she has a good time." Juliette said, cautious to even say anything in fear that bringing attention to herself would go wrong. Eadlyn's gaze turned to Juliette, but her eyes quickly went to the locket between Juliette's fingers.

"Where did you get that?"

The queen's voice was sudden ice, and Juliette felt herself stiffen. "Get what..?"

"That locket. Where did you get it?"

Juliette's eyes darted to the other girls in her group, but none of them made eye contact. Even Willow wouldn't meet her gaze, staring down into her lap and chewing on her lip.

"It was a gift." Juliette managed to get the words out, but her nerves were getting the better of her. "Prince Adonis gave it to me."

Eadlyn was silent for a moment before she gave a curt nod. "I see."

"Is something wrong..? I can give it back." Juliette reached back to unclasp the necklace, but Eadlyn stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. Her face was serene and she smiled.

"No, no, dear. It's… Not a problem. I was just surprised." Eadlyn's words stuck in Juliette's mind for an extra moment longer. She hadn't realized that it was something important - just something beautiful. "Carry on, ladies. I have a few things to attend to."

Juliette's green eyes followed her as she left the room.

"For fuck's sake, can you make this any harder? I'd love to spend a day without the Queen hating us more." Kiara blew air out through her nose, huffing angrily.

"How was I supposed to know it would make her lose her head?" Juliette asked, shaking her head in frustration. "I'm not the only one who has received a gift in the first place."

"Let's not argue - we have work to do." WIllow said, trying to sound assertive but clearly failing at the prospective. The girl was as intimidating as a golden retriever, so it was hard to take her seriously.

Juliette looked down at the locket once more. She'd ask Adonis about it. There had to be a reason that it ruffled his mother's feathers so much. Why wouldn't he have warned her? Was it a punishment for avoiding him? She didn't know, but she sure as hell was going to find out.


That evening, Juliette found herself wandering the palace. She roamed through the halls aimlessly, admiring the decor and the large paintings on the walls. The blonde found herself stopping in front of a large family portrait, the eyes of the patriarch drawing her in. They were a foggy blue - eerily similar to Adonis, but as if they were clouded with age. Or something more sinister. It was like he was staring right into her. Something about his presence was a deep coldness that snaked its way right into her chest, making it feel tight.

"You enjoy the history of Illea's monarchy?"

Juliette whisked around, placing a hand on her chest to calm the frantic flutter of her heart. Henry Jacobson's lips widened into a smile, and he bellowed out with a laugh that rang through the empty hall. "Sorry, Lady Juliette! Didn't mean to scare you."

Juliette tried to smile, too, but it was weak and forced. "You're like a cat, sneaking up on me. I didn't even hear you coming."

"I will take that as a compliment!" He said. He had deep smile lines in the creases of his face, worn in like the walls of a canyon after years of a river's folly. Juliette tried not to look too suspicious. She felt like she was always on her toes around the powerhouses of the government, despite her career of being around politicians her whole life. Being around someone who could have her executed without a second thought was frightening - especially in her position. He spoke again, possibly to cover her awkward silence, "Who's catching your eye in this one?"

Juliette turned her eyes back up to the portrait, the monarch's giant visage looming over her like a mountain. Her voice was breathy and soft as she lifted her arm to point at the centerpiece of the artwork, "Him."

"King Clarkson? Yes, he was quite the King. He ruled with an iron fist." The prime minister said, nodding to himself. Juliette recognized the name immediately, a pit in her gut. King Clarkson was a tyrant. Anybody who read between the lines of their history books could tell you that. She didn't voice these thoughts, however, for her own safety.

"His eyes drew me in." Juliette admitted. "They remind me of the Prince. But they're different."

"Yes, our crown prince does have a lot of his great granddad in him…"

Juliette felt sick to her stomach, trying to hold back a cringe. She wanted so desperately to disagree; Adonis, outwardly, was nothing like Clarkson. Clarkson was cold, unsympathetic, and cruel. He was known for his deception among the rebels. Known for the way he would kill, without a second thought, anyone in his way. Known for the way that he manipulated things in his favor. She shifted her feet in discomfort, turning her eyes away from the painting to watch the thick rug beneath her, "You think so?"

"I see him frequently, at our board meetings. He's got that same rigor that I remember King Clarkson having. Although, admittedly, I only really saw him on television as a teenager. So take that with a grain of salt. Prince Adonis has a fire in him. He wants to lead."

Juliette remembered her conversation with him from nights previous, how he wanted to lead. It was true. Adonis didn't like the idea of the government being fully in the hands of the people. Maybe his political preference there aligned with the King… Could there be more that lined up between the two?

"Doesn't every Prince want to lead?" Juliette said half-jokingly, trying to shrug off her thoughts before they made her any sicker to her stomach.

"Well, not necessarily. King Maxon had less of a drive. Queen Eadlyn? She practically couldn't wait to change the system to give away her family's power, which is interesting considering how headstrong she is." He patted Juliette's shoulder reassuringly, "Not that there's a problem with that. She wanted the people to have more power to choose their leaders. Illea would crumble under the wrong people, so it's probably a good idea to test the waters of having someone else share that power."

"Like a prime minister." Juliette said.

"Exactly."

"But what about the royal family? If we have a prime minister, do you think we even need them?" As soon as it escaped her lips, Juliette wanted to take it back. The things he was saying made total sense. It was what the rebels had been arguing for years, minus the fact that he hadn't been the one to mention getting rid of the monarchy in its entirety. She tensed up, green eyes darting down the halls to make sure nobody had overheard her.

Jacobson's smile softened, and he pulled her into a side hug. "That's a good question. I suppose it's a balancing act. Until we get it just right, there will be a riff in our people. We must always keep our eyes and ears open, Lady Juliette."

He reminded Juliette of her father. A resemblance that both comforted and terrified her. She repeated one of her father's mantras almost subconsciously, "Always stay vigilant and observant."

Henry released her from the hug, straightening his collar, "Well! It was good speaking with you. Please don't be a stranger! I love a little company."

"Of course."

The man sauntered back down the hall, and Juliette didn't move a muscle as she watched him. All the way until she couldn't make out his figure in the distance.


Perhaps in response to her fear of repercussions after her talk with the prime minister, Juliette chose to lay low the next two days. The conversation with the Prime Minister had worried her, but it also shined a light on something she hadn't even considered; Was the monarchy already handing its power away? How long would it be before they were simply an incredibly rich family with a democratically led government?

Class had been uneventful the day after, the group simply choosing decor out from the options that the palace staff had managed to scrounge up based on Willow's sketches. A lot of the things were surprisingly close. The fast approaching deadline worried Juliette far less than she had thought it would, though, and she found herself in a decently pleasant mood as she headed back to the reprieve of her room. When she opened the door, she saw Phoenix seated at the desk in the corner. The little maid turned to greet Juliette with a smile.

"How was class? Is the party shaping up well?"
Juliette shut the door behind her gently, her stomach still stormy as it tossed and turned. "I think that the Queen hates me, but she wasn't there today, so it went well."

"I'm sure she doesn't hate you." Phoenix said with a laugh, "Will you come sign off on this for me? It's the final design on your dress for the ball, but don't look at it! I want it to be a surprise."

Juliette walked over to the desk, where the paper was folded over itself, with a sliver at the bottom waiting for a signature. She signed it quickly, "You guys know I hate surprises."

"Shhhhhh, you'll love it." Phoenix snatched the letter from her, stuffing it into an envelope that she shoved into her skirt pocket. "What makes you think the Queen hates you?"

"Just a gut feeling… But she seemed surprised that Adonis gave me this." Juliette lifted the locket from around her neck, watching it as it dangled from the silver chain.

"It's pretty." Phoenix pursed her lips, "I'm not sure why she would be surprised at him giving gifts. Maybe it was expensive?"

"I don't know. Maybe." Juliette put it back around her neck, "He sent me a secret message in it. He said that Eadlyn would be making eliminations because he wasn't making them fast enough."

The maid's eyebrow perked, "It hasn't been a very long time at all. But her Selection was known for being one of the shortest."

"It's not reasonable for someone to find a spouse in three months." Juliette said, seating herself at the desk. "But what do I know? I've never really dated."

"Me neither… I've only really had one boyfriend, but we got moved to different orphanages." Phoenix pulled a brush from a drawer across the room, starting to brush out the perfect curls that Lexie had prepared Juliette with that morning. "His name was Levi. We were, like, sixteen though, so it seems silly to look back on. It was fun while it lasted."

"That's cute. Maybe someday you'll see him again." Juliette mused.

"Gosh, I hope not." Phoenix said with a laugh, "I don't even know what I'd say to him after... " Her voice caught in her throat for a moment. "Sorry. It was, um, hard for me. When we got separated. I don't really like to talk about it."

Juliette shrugged, taken aback by how abruptly that conversation had been slammed shut, "That's fine. We can talk about something else."

"Are you excited for the ball?"

Juliette sighed, pushing her lips to the corner in thought. "I think so. I'm looking forward to the bachelorette party more though."

"Why? Will there be strippers?"

Juliette snorted, swatting at Phoenix's hand who giggled. "No, Phoenix. There won't be strippers. But we worked really hard on the party, so I want to see her reaction."

"I bet she'll be very grateful for the effort."

"Do you think she'll like it?"

"Well, honestly, parties have never really been her thing."

Juliette's shoulders sank. "I heard."

"Princess Kerttu is not exactly the easiest person to excite. She might not show it, but I think she'll enjoy it."

Juliette made a hopeful sound of agreement. Phoenix set the hair brush on the desk in front of her, next to the pen she had used to sign off on her dress design. "Well, I hate to leave so soon, but I really need to get this to the seamstresses." She patted her pocket, where she had put the envelope with the paper Juliette had signed.

"Don't let me keep you." Juliette replied, standing and heading over to the bed. "Besides, I'll probably call it a night soon anyway."

"Of course. Goodnight, if I don't see you again tonight." Phoenix left the room quietly, leaving Juliette to shimmy out of her dress and slip into bed. It wasn't that late into the evening, but she knew that the next day would be dedicated to taping the Report that afternoon and she wanted to be rested up and ready. The Report never failed to make life a little more … well, exciting.

"Hello to our beautiful people of Illea!"

The way that Gavril spoke always kept the attention of the audience - but today, Juliette couldn't manage to keep herself engrossed in the words he was saying. A lot of it was pretty typical news; updates on squashing rebel forces, a small PSA on local law enforcement, a story of some politician's charity event to feed the hungry. Nothing too interesting.

Instead, Juliette was completely focused on the prince. He sat on a small red couch with his mother and father, and Juliette could see his fear as if it called to her. His eyes shot from his mother to Gavril to the Selected, which only made Juliette more uneasy. Would his mother be enacting her eliminations during the Report? Juliette had assumed she'd be safe until after the ball - the events hadn't even happened yet to tell if they were successful or not. She didn't know what the issue was, but something was clearly wrong.

"Now, some news on the Selection from our adored Crown Prince Adonis!"

As if on cue, Adonis' face cleared of any doubt and he pushed himself up with a smile. It looked incredibly rehearsed, and as soon as he spoke it practically confirmed that he had been practicing his speech.

"Thank you, Gavril! As you all know, I've been getting the chance to know the lovely ladies of Illea through my Selection little by little. Although it is paramount that I give you the best possible Queen, I have decided that I will be cutting down to my final ten after the engagement ball to celebrate my sister's union. In less than a week, you will have my Elite."

A murmur brewed amongst some of the Selected and the crowd. Juliette didn't say a word. The news wasn't a surprise to her - but the reality of it was hitting hard.

Adonis raised his hands to quiet the crowd, laughing nervously. His confidence was waning. "Not only that, but it has been decided that we will air the elimination to the entire country - so you all can see the nail biting event."

Juliette bit the inside of her cheek. A live elimination was ridiculous. As if the Selection wasn't enough of a crappy reality TV gameshow to the public already. The crowd started to cheer excitedly. Apparently they didn't agree with her about the idea.

"It will be truly riveting! I know that I for one, cannot wait!" Gavril beamed at the camera. "Well, Illea, be sure to see with your local representatives where the closest airing will be for your province! Which girls will go home? Which will stay in the running to win the heart of our Prince? Find out next Saturday along with all of our coverage of Princess Kerttu and her husband to be! Thank you Illea, and we'll see you next week."


A/N: A bit of a short chapter this time, but I felt like this was a good place to leave it! Plus starting out with Adonis and Juliette fluff is always a good way to start the next chapter, haha. Soon we will have it knocked down to ten girls - which seems like a lot for the Elite after Kiera Cass' teeny tiny Elites. Nonetheless, I hope you are all excited to see who gets cut and who makes it! Next chapter is the last bit before the Engagement Ball Festivities, so y'all have that to look forward to as well. Don't forget to leave a review and let me know which of the Selected is your favorite so far! Until next time~