A/N: Spoiler alert for those of you that have not read Jane Eyre.


The brunch was the first time that the Selected truly had the chance to meet with the dignitaries. Much to her dismay, Juliette found herself seated far from anybody that brought her the tiniest tremor of comfort. Adonis sat at the far end of the table, right next to his sister with whom he was chattering brightly to. Maisie sat next to a couple other New Asian women, who seemed surprisingly pleased at whatever she was saying, covering their mouths as they giggled. Lillianna was nodding along to something one of the Germans was telling her, his face void of any sort of emotion.

And then there was Juliette, sitting next to the Queen of all killjoys, Abigail, and all three of the Swendway triplets. They spoke to each other in their native tongue, a language that sounded both harsh and melodic as it sprung from their lips. Abigail bowed her head, her mouth moving to the words of her prayer as the food was brought out.

Juliette couldn't deny the splendor of the food, though. The table was adorned with a long velvet train, and only the best of the palace's china was being used. Every napkin was folded into intricate roses, the golden satin shimmering in the supple kiss of light from the chandeliers above. The meal itself smelled wonderful, with the dinner being a homage to the ancient traditional Thanksgiving meals. A giant turkey sat in the middle of the long table, browned to perfection and surrounded by piles of dishes including mashed potatoes, green bean casseroles, a cheesy broccoli soup, and, of course, a steaming tray of stuffing. Juliette was expecting more typical brunch like food, but she wouldn't argue with the delicacies lining the table.

She tried to listen to the small speech that the king and queen gave, thanking everyone for coming and offering their most hospitable welcomes, but her watering mouth got the better of her. As soon as they were done, she dolloped a large portion of the mashed potatoes onto her plate, ready to dribble some gravy on when she heard chuckling from her side.

"You must be hungry?" The boy smiled at her, his eyes glinting with his tease. Juliette felt heat rush to her cheeks. Perhaps she should've started with a smaller portion. The blond prince of Swendway scooped a bit of potatoes onto his own plate. His sapphire eyes twinkled and Juliette couldn't help but smile along with him, "I am a little bit peckish myself. Care to share a bit of that gravy?"

Juliette bowed her head, keeping her eyes averted as she drizzled the gravy over his plate. He clapped his hands together, startling Juliette. She tried to steady the saucer of gravy as she set it back on the table. "Ihana! Marvelous. You have the hands of an artist. Tell me, do you paint?"

"I'm afraid art is not my strong suit." Juliette replied. She eyed the prince, trying to be polite, but felt confused. How would pouring gravy on potatoes be artful? What was he trying to say? She wished more than anything that she had Lillianna beside her, since the pale skinned girl always knew who was who. "I'm more of a speaker than an artist."

"A speaker?" A server started to cut the turkey into pieces, placing a bit on everyone's plate. The Swendway prince brought his to his mouth, closing his eyes momentarily to savor the flavor before nodding to himself. "Speaking can be an art, I believe."

Juliette laughed. "I suppose you could say that, but it's a bit of a stretch."

"When it comes from your lips, it would be."

She dropped her spoon into her potatoes. Her green eyes widened, the crimson of her cheeks trailing down her neck. He winked at her, earning a slap from his brother on the other side.

"Albin, you dirty dog." Juliette assumed this voice belonged to another one of the Swendway twins, which wasn't exactly rocket science with the thick accent that dripped from his voice. The brother she had been talking to, Albin, turned to his brother.

"Excuse you, I was simply making conversation with one of our beautiful hostesses!" He said. Juliette couldn't see his face but could only imagine the cheeky grin stretching his lips.

"My apologies for my brother." He leaned behind the chair with an apologetic smile. "Unfortunately, he can't keep his attention from a lovely lady long enough to have a full thought."

"Felix! Blasphemy." Albin turned his face back to Juliette, a hand rushing to his chest to feign a stab to the heart. "He thinks just because he's the oldest that he's smarter than me."

"At least he thinks on occasion, you could try it sometime." The third triplet butted in, his voice light and teasing. Juliette covered her mouth with her hand to hide the smile. Sibling rivalry. There was a slight pang in her chest as she thought of her own sister. As much as she'd never admit it out loud, she missed the little stank.

"I have a younger sister myself." Juliette voiced the thought, a nostalgic smile on her lips. "I know how they can be."

Felix chortled joyfully, Albin shook his head, the same cheeky grin worn like a mask, "You wound me, m'lady."

"Juliette. You can call me Juliette."

"Of course, Lady Juliette."

The intensity of his gaze caused the heat to flare down her neck once more, and Juliette turned her attention to her food. Luckily for her, the conversation turned from the blonde as Harper started to talk to one of the princes. Juliette was glad to have the attention off of her. She lifted a spoonful of a casserole on her plate, trying to gather her thoughts. If she didn't know any better, she would think the prince was flirting with her. Maybe that was something that was more normal in their country? Or maybe…

Her eyes flicked to Adonis. He was listening intently to his sister, who was cutting her turkey with a fork and knife as she spoke. He didn't look her way.

"Don't you think so, Juliette?" Harper's voice caused Juliette to snap her attention back to her side of the table.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention… What'd you say?"

"I was just saying that I'd love to visit Swendway someday. I've seen pictures in travel magazines… It's so beautiful there." Harper said, closing her eyes and swinging her head dreamily.

"Yes, it does seem like a pretty place." Juliette said, and swallowed down some of the water from her glass.

"You are invited any time!" One of the triplets - the one she hadn't caught the name of yet - lifted his fork as he spoke. "Your country is so vast. Such a variety in flora, in fauna…"

Juliette looked over to Albin, who sat beside her, only to be caught by surprise that his eyes were still on her. "A beauty, indeed."

She blinked. There was no denying it. He was definitely hitting on her. Harper continued to chatter as if nothing was happening, but Juliette was drawn into his gaze, unable to look away. His blue orbs had their own gravity, pulling her in so naturally. Her mouth parted slightly, drying her lips.

"I've been studying botany for a few years now. What are your studies?"

Juliette yanked her eyes to look at Harper, who paled at the question. She kept the smile on her face, but had no answer. She was a maid, after all. Harper would've been a very low caste, had the castes still been a thing. Her family probably didn't have the money to send her to any higher education.

"I have a degree in political science." Juliette said. Harper seemed incredibly grateful for someone else to have chimed in, and Juliette sent a wordless you're welcome with her eyes.

"I studied English Literature." Tahlia, who was seated next to Harper, added. "It must be difficult to find time to study, with all of your duties."

"That's the joy of being triplets. The crown isn't forced upon any of us. I decided fairly young that it was not for me to lead."

This was a surprise to Juliette. She would've figured that the three would be constantly fighting over having that kind of power. The Swendish princes seemed so nonchalant. But, was it for the best? If there were three, choosing the oldest would be how Illea crowned a king or queen, but what if they chose the best fit instead?

Or what if there wasn't a royal family to begin with?

"Yes, Hampus prefers the isolation of his greenhouse." Felix said before taking another mouthful of food.

"You've got to visit the gardens then!" Harper jumped back into the conversation. "It's got some of the most beautiful flowers I've ever seen."

The conversation droned on with similar small talk, and Juliette let her mind drift away from the noise. She noticed the Swendish prince glancing at her every so often, but tried to ignore it. It felt wrong, yet she also couldn't deny that she enjoyed the attention in a way. It almost felt like cheating, which was ridiculous. If the Selection in itself wasn't cheating, then her having a few flirtatious words with their guests wasn't either. Right?

Right?


"Surprise!"

Kerttu covered her mouth in shock. Queen Eadlyn smiled as she held onto the arm of her daughter, the whiteness of her teeth flashing with all of the cameras trying to get their shot of the big event.

From her spot with Hallee, Maisie, and Lillianna, Juliette craned her neck to see Kerttu. Even though it was a horror to plan, the bachelorette party turned out a million times better than Juliette could've ever dreamed. The walls were covered in fairy lights and strings of moss, the whole room a cacophony of nature and champagne balloons.

The music began, a pianist and violinist in the corner of the room starting. The way they played was upbeat and fun, the classical music ebbing to every inch of the room like a tide washing over the beach.

"Well, ain't this just a hoot?" Maisie held her glass of wine in her hand, swirling the scarlet liquid in the glass as she spoke, "My friend Elli back home had me throw her a bachelorette party before she got hitched. I love parties."

"I've never been to a bachelorette party before." Hallee watched the excitement in the room with bright eyes. She looked like a child in a candy shop.

"Me neither." Juliette said. She was slightly disappointed that Eadlyn had insisted that it was a women's only event. She'd much rather some male company as well; after brunch with the triplets, she wanted to spend time with Adonis. Her skin itched with unease.

"Come with me to get some snacks?" Hallee tapped Maisie on the shoulder.

"Sure! I'm starvin'!' The two headed over to the large snack table, leaving Lillianna and Juliette.

"You guys did a good job." Lillianna said softly. "On the party."

"Thanks. I hope the princess likes it." Juliette replied, watching the said girl as she went around to converse with all of her guests.

"Ladies!" Bambalina approached the two with a bright smile, holding her wine glass high in the air as she glided over. "How are you? Lillianna and Juliette, you both look stunning."

Lillianna gave a gentle smile. Bambalina kissed the cheeks of the two girls. She smelled of roses. "As do you, Princess Bambalina."

"Please, call me Bambi." She took a sip of her drink and Juliette couldn't help but wonder if she had a glass or two already. "It's an honor to speak with some of my favorite girls of the Selection."

"You watch the Selection in Italy?" Lillianna asked.

"Of course!" Bambi said, "And you two are both in my top five."

"Who else do you like?" Juliette asked. It felt nice to be validated by the princess. She had assumed that she was in the bottom of most of the polls - Juliette wasn't the most famous, or the most beautiful by any stretch of the imagination. She wasn't even sure if she could honestly say she was one of the smartest.

"I do enjoy Miss Tahlia as well." Bambi answered, "And Miss Willow is just a breath of fresh air, is she not?"

"Willow is very sweet." Lillianna brushed her bangs out of her face with a flick of her wrist, "It's interesting to hear what people think from outside of the palace."

"My family doesn't enjoy it as much as I do. Perhaps that's the downside of being a hopeless romantic. I love it all." Bambi said, throwing her arms about in a grandiose gesture. "We are looking forward to making connections with the future Queen. It helps to know a little bit about the girls in this competition, you understand?"

Maisie and Hallee joined the two, Hallee's steps cautious and unsure. Bambi smiled welcomingly at them, "Hello ladies! My name is Bambalina."

"The Italian Princess." Lillianna added. Hallee's eyes widened, and Maisie continued to chew the food in her mouth.

"Nice to meet ya," Maisie said with a smile, "I'm Maisie Mullins."

"Yes, I'm familiar with all of the Selected." Bambi said. She threw her head back with a laugh, her beautiful raven hair shining in the lights along the wall as she moved, "When I say it like that I sound like a crazy person."

"I like a lil' bit of crazy." Maisie said with a small shrug. "Keeps life interesting."

"I would agree, Miss Maisie." Bambi's eyelashes fluttered when she spoke. "Have you ladies been enjoying the company of Prince Adonis?"

"He's a dream." Hallee cooed, taking a small bite of the cupcake she had grabbed from the snack table.

"I've known that boy since he was very small… I would consider us friends when we were little, but he's been very busy as of late." Bambi mused, swirling the wine in her cup into a small maroon tornado nonchalantly. "That's the bane of growing up, I suppose."

"I can't imagine how stressful it must be to try and run a country." Lillianna said. She pursed her lips into a small pout, "I don't know if I'd be able to do that."
"I'm sure it helps having a team around you to help out." Maisie wiped some crumbs off of her dress. "That's how it is on the farm."

Bambalina laughed, "I've never been on a farm. How fun. Do you have animals there?"

Maisie nodded. "Of course! We got cows, pigs, horses, a little bit of everything."

"Wonderful!" The Italian princess sucked the last bit of her wine down, "Do you miss it?"

She was quiet for a moment. "A lil bit. But I'm glad to be here."

Not missing a beat, Bambi shook her empty glass, "Excuse me ladies, I must grab myself a refill."

Juliette's gaze lingered on the princess as she left before turning to take in the rest of the party. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, many people dancing to the music, groups chatting and laughing, eating snacks. It was a relief. Everything went well. That surely would give her a better chance of not going home, though the worry lingered over her like a cloud. These could be her last few nights in the palace. The thought hit her hard. Her hand habitually found the locket around her neck - a piece that didn't really fit with the rest of her outfit but she had refused to leave back in the room - and she ran the tips of her fingers over the engravings.

As she did, her eyes found Kerttu, sitting in a large, throne like chair. Her mother wasn't by her side, which was a pleasant surprise. The blonde remembered Adonis had mentioned the locket actually belonged to his sister. Would she be upset that Juliette had it now?

Kerttu met her gaze. Juliette's heartbeat sped in her chest. The dark haired princess wasn't looking at her eyes though. Her azure orbs went straight to Juliette's hand.

"Why is the princess staring at us..?" Hallee's voice was hushed. Juliette gripped the locket tighter in her hand.
"I'll find out."

Lillianna reached for her arm, "Juliette..?"

Juliette didn't say anything. She walked straight through the crowd of party-goers to the princess. Kerttu kept her face blank, a stony wall to keep out any intruders.

"Hello." She offered her hand immediately, tilting her head with what she hoped was a hospitable smile. "My name is Juliette Wright. We haven't officially met yet."

Kerttu ignored the handshake, instead wrapping her arms around the blonde with a smile. Juliette was taken aback. The princess was known for her demure demeanour, so a hug was at the bottom of the list of things she was expecting. "How phenomenal to finally meet you. I've been looking forward to it for weeks now!"

"Oh?" Juliette mumbled into the princess's shoulder, heat rushing to her cheeks.

Kerttu released her from the hug. "I've heard so much about you. Adonis has been telling me about all of you girls. You helped plan this right?" She gestured to the room they were in.

"The party? Yes. We wanted it to be like a fairy tale," Juliette barely managed words, still trying to regain her composure.

"I love it. Very thoughtful." Kerttu smiled. She looked just like her mother, the only difference being the bright blue eyes. Adonis and Kerttu both had their father's eyes. Kerttu pressed her fingers against the locket, sighing gently to herself. "I see you won the first battle."

"The first battle..?" Juliette let the sentence hang, puzzled.

"My brother, he told us before he announced his Selection that he'd give us hints on who his favorites were. I think he wanted to make sure Mama didn't scare away anyone that he liked." Kerttu giggled, "She can be a little much sometimes."

"I can't argue with that one." Juliette mumbled. Heat rose up her neck almost immediately. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to trash talk to Queen to her daughter? That sounds like an easy way to get sent home.

Kerttu made a small sound of understanding, dismissing the statement with a flick of her wrist, "She just wants the best. Don't worry about her. Adonis told me to keep an eye out for my locket. He must've wanted me to notice you."

Juliette looked down at the locket once more. She couldn't help but smile. It was kind of cheesy, but it fit Adonis to a T. When she didn't respond, Kerttu spoke again, "I'm glad I got to meet you all face to face."

"I'm glad too." Juliette said with a smile.

"It's so odd to think that one of you girls is going to be my sister."

Juliette's smile faded. One of the girls. It stung. She knew that she shouldn't take things like this so seriously, but she couldn't help it. She could be home by this time next week.

Kerttu noticed her wording, speaking quickly, "I didn't mean for it to sound like that, I-"

"No, no, no. Don't sweat it." Juliette took a deep breath through her nose, bringing the smile back to her face, "I understand."

Her face flushed with relief. "I have faith that my brother will choose wisely."

"Everyone! It's time for some party games!" Elsa's voice bounced against the walls, interrupting the moment the two were having. She smiled, her teeth glittering along with the large diamonds that adorned her ears and neck. "Let's get our guest of honor up here!"

Kerttu covered her nose with her hand modestly, giving Juliette's arm a squeeze, "It was good to meet you, Juliette."

There was a roar of applause and excitement from the guests as the princess joined Elsa in the center of the room. Elsa gave her a hug - which Juliette swore seemed less warm than the hug she had just shared with Kerttu - before presenting her to the crowd, "Let's get this party started! I need a couple volunteers for the first game."

Many hands shot up excitedly, and Elsa tapped her chin with a grin, pretending to think really hard about who she chose. "Princess Bambalina, Lady Elise, and Lady Amy! Come on over."

Juliette couldn't help but roll her eyes. The princess and her two best friends. It must've been a difficult choice.
"Princess Bambalina, can you tell me what these are?" Elsa pulled up the peony pink tablecloth to reveal a pile of toilet paper. There was a murmur among the party guests.

Bambalina laughed, "It is toiletries, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yes, correct! But today, it's going to be transformed into something different. Today we are going to make it a dress. You just take the roll, and start wrapping around," Elsa took a roll and demonstrated as she spoke, "And by the end, we will have a dress ready for the runway! Grab your rolls, get set, aaaaaaand - GO!"

The three women all scrambled to grab a roll and started wrapping. There were laughs from the crowd, some of the Selected cheering on the girls as they spun around.

"So, have you finished the book?"

Juliette spun to face the voice, hand flying to her chest to calm her beating heart. She breathed out a tense laugh, "You've gotta stop sneaking up on me like that."

Helena ran a hand through her dark hair, which was curled into loose ringlets that framed her face. "My bad."

Juliette turned her attention to her fellow Selected, "And yes, I did finish."

"Did you like my joke?"

Her mind travelled back to finishing the novel. It was an interesting ending to say the least. The conclusion isn't where Helena's note was, though, it was where Juliette would've thought was the climax of the story. Rochester's house being set to flame. But the bigger question was the annotations that Helena had left. She remembered the note very clearly.

Adonis too will go up in flames.

Juliette swallowed her discomfort. The message shouldn't trouble her. After all, the rebels have wanted the monarchs dead for awhile, so having another rebel joke about the death of the crown prince shouldn't have been extraordinary. But when she said his name… Adonis will die. He will burn. A shiver trickled down her spine. It made her sick to her stomach.

"It was fitting," She answered, averting her eyes. She didn't want to talk about killing the prince. Or the rebellion. Or anything. She just wanted to make it through this next elimination and enjoy the ball. Was that so much to ask?

"I thought so too."

"And look at the lovely bride to be!" Elsa gushed. Kerttu laughed and hobbled to do a spin for the crowd. Juliette joined in the clapping, grateful for the excuse to end the conversation with Helena. Elsa prepped the crowd for the next game, this time grouping everyone into teams, which gave her the chance to get even farther away.
Unease itched underneath her skin. Something felt wrong about Helena's nonchalance. About how she wanted Juliette to read the message so urgently. But she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

The feeling stayed with her the rest of the party.


"Wow."

Juliette turned at the waist, getting a better look at her dress in the full length mirror. The corset was tight and had stretches of fabric that let a bit of her skin almost show through. A crest of glittering jewels outlined her chest, giving her the illusion of a supple cleavage. The color was soft, almost nude, just barely hinting at lilac color. The skirt billowed out in layers of fabric, giving the blonde a majestic A-line shape.

"Do you love it?" Lexie asked nervously, her hands balled up tightly.

"You guys have outdone yourselves." Juliette beamed, twirling to let the skirt pirouette around her legs. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Phoenix watching the dress, her face void of any expression. Juliette raised a brow, "Is everything okay?"

"Hmm? Oh!" Phoenix laughed apprehensively, pushing some hair behind her ear. "I was just lost in thought, that's all."

"It's been a busy week for all of us." Lexie agreed, giving a small nod. "It'll be nice for everything to settle down again."

There was a silence that fell over the room for a moment. Juliette agreed. It would be nice to sit back and relax. The pace of the palace was a lot, even for someone who was used to the rapid fire life of a politician.

Chantel folded one leg over the other from where she was seated beside the vanity. "You really do look beautiful, Juliette."

"Thank you." The blonde breathed. "I don't even know what to say."

"Just have a good time, that's all we can ask." Chantel replied. "We probably won't see you the rest of the night, with the ball and the fireworks."

"Then I'll wish you all goodnight." Juliette started to gather the skirt of her gown before Lexie perked up.

"Oh wait! I have some flowers for your hair." Lexie slapped her hands together, rushing out of the room.

Chantel shook her head, smiling. "She's a bit forgetful. I better help her out. She'll never remember where she put those things." She rose to follow the little maid out the door, leaving Juliette and Phoenix.

When the door closed, Phoenix shot up, grabbing both of Juliette's hands in her own. Her eyes were wide with worry. "I think you should come back after the ball."

"What..?"

"Skip the fireworks. Just come back to the room."

"Why?"

"Just trust me."

"I do trust you. I just..." Juliette pulled her hands away. "I want to spend as much time with Adonis as I can. I don't know if I'll be sent home after this. It could be my last chance."

Phoenix bit her lip, glancing around the room wildly. Her voice was frantic, "Please, Juliette. Just stay away from him."

She furrowed her brow at her maid. "Why would I do that?"

Phoenix's lip trembled. "I-It's just dangerous to be too close to him. I don't want you to get hurt"

"Is that what you were talking about the other night? With Lexie?"

This time it was Phoenix's turn to be dubious. "The other night?"

"Don't worry, Phoenix." Juliette smiled reassuringly, "Adonis would never hurt me. I know it. I've been worried about him not having feelings for me and breaking my heart, but I think I understand now."

Then her face lit up with despair, "No, no, no, you don't understand. There's more going on than you know, tonight-"

The door swung open, and Lexie skipped over to Juliette. Chantel stood with a guard in the door. "Real quick! I just gotta put these in and then you can take her."

Juliette looked over at Phoenix, but she stared at the floor. "Phoenix."

"Have a good time, Juliette." She murmured.

"Phoenix." Juliette repeated, more urgent this time. She said nothing.

"Lady Juliette, we can't be late for the introductions." The guard pressed. Juliette took a few hesitant steps towards the door, glancing back at the maid who looked like she was doing everything in her power to keep her composure. Her lips moved, but the voice was so quiet that it was barely a whisper, "Keep your eyes open."

Before she had a chance to ask any more questions, the guard whisked Juliette out of the room.