All of the Selected sat in the women's room. Unlike the usual tone that accompanied the room, everyone was completely silent. Allegra sat in a chair, her leg folded over the other. She had a clipboard in her hand, as well as a pen that she swirled around her fingers. It was odd to see Allegra so unsure of herself.

The group of them had been confined to the Women's Room while everything settled down. The fire had been put out in the garden, and everyone was safe, for the most part. There were bruises and scratches, but, thankfully, nobody was hurt.

Juliette would have much rather been with Adonis. She understood that he had a lot to do, with the terrorist attack, but sitting in the Women's Room and being watched like they were lab rats in a terrarium was awful. There were guards posted at the door - at least five of them. Juliette wondered what damage a couple of women in their early twenties could really do, but Helena had done a lot of damage.

Helena. Icy dread pricked at her skin. The rebels had made their attack. But, even from the perspective of a rebel herself, Juliette had more questions than she had answers. Why had nobody alerted her? Was her rebellion even aware of Helena's actions, or was she working as a lone wolf? It seemed like the latter, but if Helena had done the attack out of her own accord, then why was she so cheeky with it? She had practically told Juliette, but every time it was just vague enough that she hadn't caught on.

There was a knock on the door, interrupting her thoughts. Allegra stood to open the door, inviting in the Prime Minister. He stood tall, a stony sternness etched into his usually jovial features.

"Ladies." He greeted with a curt nod, "As you are all well aware, we had a rebel in our midst. Helena James is sitting in a jail cell, where she will await trial and execution."

A shocked murmur ran through the Selected. Shivers ran down Juliette's spine. They were going to kill Helena. There's no way she would make it out of a trial. Her guilt was obvious. Honestly, she'd be a martyr for her cause. She was arguably more dangerous dead than alive.

"We will not tolerate traitors in our palace." Allegra said. Her lips were in a tight line. "Anyone who was collaborating with Helena James will be found and will join her in her fate."

Juliette's face went white. Henry Jacobson continued, "Each of you will be confined to your rooms until we are sure of the safety of everyone here. Nobody is to leave their room without their assigned guard. We will have any extra interrogations as necessary."

"Any questions, ladies?"

"Will we still be having the public eliminations?" Elise asked. Her hair was still curled into an intricate updo, only a few hairs out of place.

"Yes, on Wednesday." The buzz rose once more from the girls, but Allegra silenced it with a sharp tap of her pen on the clipboard. "Ladies, enough with the chatter. Any more questions?" Nobody spoke up, and Allegra took a deep breath, closing her eyes and releasing it slowly. "You are all safe here. I want you all to know that."

"If any of you know anything about this attack - this abomination," The word was venom as he spat, "I expect to know immediately. Good night ladies. Dinner will be sent to your rooms."

With that said, the prime minister left the ladies room. Allegra snapped her fingers impatiently, "Line up, girls. I'm assigning you all a personal guard until this blows over."

The Selected women all stood in a single file line. Maisie took a spot in front of Juliette. She was visibly limping. "Maisie, are you okay?

"Yeah… Just got knocked down." The farmhand sent a smile over her shoulder, "Just gotta rub a little dirt on it. I'll be fine."

Juliette bit her lip. The fireworks plan could've had so many casualties… Her rebellion would never be so reckless. The goal was to end the monarchy, with the least collateral damage. But everything still seemed so out of place. Why would Helena do something so public? Something so clear to be drawn back to her? Helena wasn't stupid.

The line moved quickly, and when Juliette made it to Allegra, the older woman set a hand on her shoulder. Her face was worn. She seemed to have aged since the last time Juliette saw her. "You did a good job, Juliette. Your observations may well have saved lives tonight." The blonde didn't respond, instead just giving a short nod. "This is your guard - Officer Horatio."

He offered his arm to Juliette, which she took. "Thank you."

Horatio took her back to her room, opening the door for her when she reached it. Much to her surprise, he followed her into the bedroom. Set up where there had previously been a dresser, was a small cot. "You're staying in my room..?"

"Those are my orders. I apologize for any discomfort this causes you."

"No, don't apologize. I understand." Juliette ran a hand through her hair, which was a mess of brambles and leaves. "I need to clean myself up."

"Juliette? Is that you?" Lexie peeped her head out from the bathroom. Juliette smiled at the maid, who burst from the room to pull Juliette into a hug. "I was so worried! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just a mess."

"I'll run you a bath!"

"Thank you." Juliette grabbed her wrist before she turned to go back, "Do you know where Phoenix is?"

Lexie frowned. "She's with Prime Minister Jacobson, why?"

"I just needed to speak with her."

Lexie's eyes barely moved to look at Horatio. The movement was so miniscule that it was almost undetectable. Almost. Juliette tightened her grip around Lexie's wrist. "If you'll find her while I take my bath, I would appreciate it."

She swallowed and nodded her head. "Of course, Lady Juliette."

As she headed back to the bathroom, Juliette let the air slowly deflate from her lungs in a long sigh. Anxiety rummaged through her chest. Helena had been arrested. How long until she came clean and ratted Juliette out with her? Would she do that? Or would Juliette continue on as they publically took Helena's last breath? Part of Juliette desperately wanted to talk to the now imprisoned rebel - just to ask her what the absolute hell she thought she was achieving. If their rebellion were to succeed, what pillars would it stand on? Surely none of their alliances would want to stay after Illea put their dignitaries in such danger.

"Lady Juliette, your bath is drawn."


"Where have you been?"

Phoenix froze in the doorway. Juliette watched the panic start to set in, sitting with her arms folded in her armchair. Where she had sat for a couple hours at this point. The door slammed shut behind her. Her eyes were wide with fear, "Where's Horatio..?"

"He had to take a short break. Lost his gun." Juliette replied. And by lost, she meant that it was hidden under the bed. She needed him gone. She needed to talk to Phoenix alone. "Now, I believe you have some serious explaining to do."

Phoenix opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Juliette frowned. "I-I don't know what you mean."

Juliette stood, stepping right up to the young maid, who shriveled back in fear, "You knew that there was going to be an attack during the fireworks."

"That's not true."

"Bullshit!" Juliette snapped, "Why are you lying to me? You know that I know. You told me to come back to the room after the ball because you knew. You told me to stay away from the prince, who was the target of the attack."

"I-I didn't know, I-"

"Don't lie to me! What do you know? Who told you?"

"Juliette, I can't…" Her eyes welled up with tears.

"Why not?"

"I just can't… He'll kill her," Voice barely a whisper, a single tear ran down her cheek.

Juliette withdrew, a look of bewilderment drawn over her features. "Who?"

"I wish I could tell you more, Juliette. But I just can't." She shook her head, which only caused the tears to fall more freely, "I'm sorry."

"Who will kill who?" Juliette said, trying to wrap her head around the whole thing. Phoenix looked up at the ceiling, trying to blink away the tears. "How could… Is it Helena? They're going to kill Helena?"

"No."

"How did you know that Helena was a rebel?"

"Juliette, there are no secrets in this castle."

The blonde stared at her maid. Things weren't adding up. That didn't make any sense. Nobody knew that she was a rebel. Helena hadn't been any more obvious than her, "Phoenix, you aren't helping at all-"

"I know that you're a rebel too."

The door opened once more, almost hitting Phoenix as she scrambled out of the way. Horatio slipped into the room, mumbling his apologies. Juliette forced a smile to her lips, her heart a steady drum in her chest. "Did you find your gun?"

"Yes." His voice was gruff. Impossible. It was still sitting where she had hidden it. Juliette tried not to show her thoughts on her face.

"That's good. I'm glad." She murmured, heading back to her vanity. Her legs felt weak. "Phoenix and I were wondering about lunch. Do you know if it's still being sent to our rooms? Or if they've decided to have it back in the dining room again?"

"I believe it's being sent up around lunchtime. I'm not sure. My apologies."

Phoenix's eyes were still wide. Juliette felt bad. She didn't like having to be abrasive with her maid… But this wasn't something petty like forgetting to wash the sheets or running the bath too cold. This was serious. Juliette could've died. Adonis could've died.

Juliette examined her own face in the mirror, sitting on the bench slowly. Her eyes, usually a vibrant jungle of green life, were worn and tired. She took a deep breath, setting her elbows on the desk and pushing her hands into her hair. How could Phoenix know..? She had been so careful. What had she done to give her alliance away? More importantly, who else knew?

There was no line of reason. Phoenix had no reason to know. Even if somebody else in the castle had found her out, why would a random little maid have any idea? Unless… Juliette sat up straight in her chair.

Unless Phoenix was also a rebel.

Juliette turned to speak with the maid, only to see her slipping out of the door. It shut with a loud thud. The blonde shook her head. The truth can only hide for so long.


"Lady Juliette, please sit down."

The voice of the prime minister echoed off of the walls of the small room they were in. Juliette stepped into the room, a cold shiver running up her back. The walls were stone. The floors were stone. Everything was cold. She didn't know the palace had a basement dungeon - she had assumed that any criminals would simply be taken to the Angeles jail. Was Helena down here somewhere, she wondered to herself as she sat in the chair.

The man sitting across from her was one she recognized, but didn't have a name for. He was the head guard. Perhaps he was the one playing detective to grill any answers out of the other girls.

Henry Jacobson stood in the corner of the room, his arms folded across his chest. His cheeks lacked the usual pink flush that accompanied his jolly personality. His face was solemn. "How have you been? It's been a while since we talked."

"Tired." She replied curtly. This was a dangerous game. Anything she said could be used to prove her guilt. She hadn't done anything, but just the mere fact of aligning with the rebels was enough to have her head in a basket. She knew that.

"Understandable. We just have a few questions for you and then you can head back to your room." The man sitting at the other end of the table said.

"Okay."

"How close were you with Lady Helena?"

Juliette licked her lips, which were dry from her anxious chewing the past couple of days. "We were fairly close. We talked a few times."

"What did you talk about?"

"Books, our jobs. Nothing really too exciting."

"Did she ever mention to you about being a part of a rebellion?"

"Not that I remember."

The man scribbled a few things down on his notepad. Juliette could feel her heart threatening to climb up her throat. Calm down, Juliette. She told herself They don't have any reason to suspect you.

"What made you run for the Royal family at the fireworks?"

"I-I just saw Helena kick over the thing shooting the fireworks. It was facing them, so I wanted to let them know."
"How very observant of you." He mused, raising his brows.

Juliette narrowed her eyes, "I always keep my eyes open, sir."

"I just find it odd that you weren't watching the display, that's all."

"Are you implying that I had something to do with this?" Juliette snapped. "I had no idea. I would never put Adonis in harm's way."

"I'm not implying anything."

Her blood boiled. "Helena was a psychopath that tried to kill our king and queen. Maybe you should be more worried about how the castle managed to let a rebel girl stay in the competition this far."

"Lady Juliette, can you explain this to me?"

The officer placed a book on the table. It plopped on the table with a loud 'thwop'. Juliette's mouth went dry. She didn't have to look to know what it was.

"It's a copy of Jane Eyre."

"Have you read some of the notes in this book, Lady Juliette? The ones scribbled in the sides?"

"They're just annotations."

"Adonis too will go up in flames? Quite an odd annotation, don't you think?"

Juliette had to think fast. "What? When did it say that?"

"I could show you."

"I didn't finish the book." She lied. "I only made it about halfway through. It was too dull for my liking, and with so much going on around the palace… I didn't have time to finish it."

"And if I don't believe you?"

She crossed her arms with a huff, "Believe what you want. I never read that note. If I had, then why the hell would I not have done something sooner? Why would I have risked my own life to help the prince if I wanted him dead too?"

He paused. Out of the corner of her eye, Juliette could see Jacobson nodding to himself. "Very well then. That's all. You may go back to your room."

Juliette stood, the chair scraping against the floor as she did. "You have a good evening." She said bitterly.

"I'll be watching you, Lady Juliette."

She let the metal door slam behind her.


"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome! We are live with Crown Prince Adonis Koskinen and his lovely Selected! But only ten will make it through to be our Prince's Elite!" Gavril said, beaming excitedly at the camera. Adonis stood beside him, looking significantly less excited, a somber look on his face. "Adonis, do you want to tell Illea how this will be working?"

All of the Selected stood, each on a small pedestal that resembled the top of an ancient greek pillar. Each one dressed in their dresses from the ball - although, some were recreations of the dresses that didn't make it entirely through. The spot for Helena was left empty. They must've created the set up before her betrayal. Juliette figured they would've at least removed the spot, but it sat beside her as if it thought she would appear any moment.

"Of course." Adonis took a deep breath, "I have many beautiful, interesting, intelligent, and amazing women before me tonight. Unfortunately, only one of them will be my bride and I have decided to narrow it down to my favorite ten. The ten that will go on to be contenders to be the Queen of our strong nation."

Goosebumps rose along Juliette's arms. She pulled them closer to her body. This was it. This was the moment she would know if she was going home. Adonis continued. "In this box, I have ten invitations. Ten of these women are being invited to stay. And six will be going home. After receiving your invitation, you may continue in for your photoshoot and interview."

Gavril stood by the door back into the palace. Juliette could feel her heart pounding in her throat. The breeze was cool, wistfully draping her hair around her head and chilling the sweat from the back of her neck.

"The first lady that will be staying with us… Lady Elsa McNally of Bankston."

Elsa smiled, arrogance radiating from her perfect white teeth as she stepped off of the platform. Adonis handed her the letter and she followed Gavril into the palace. Juliette wanted to roll her eyes, but fought the impulse. Not on live television. Not when she was already on such thin ice.

"Lady Hallee Fulgham of Tammins." Hallee's metallic silver dress gleamed as she scrambled to accept her letter. Juliette could hear her soft 'thank you's bubbling from Hallee's lips as she clutched the piece of paper close to her chest. Juliette was glad. Hallee was a sweet girl - it was no surprise that Adonis wanted to keep her and her baked goods around.

"Lady Serenity Locke of Dominica." Serenity, swathed in so much thick red fabric that Juliette was impressed by the gracefulness of her stride, took her invitation with a small nod. Having a firefighter as a Queen would be interesting - Illea needed something to quench the fires of rebellion in her lands. But Serenity didn't strike Juliette as Queen material. Her inability to stand up for people who needed it rubbed Juliette the wrong way, and her compulsive hatred of things being messy would be a distraction.

"Lady Elise Coppenhagen of Bonita." Elise's face brightened from her usual indifferent expression. She held her head high, the pearls that adorned her long neck clinking together softly. Elise, too, was vain and selfish. Traits that would not mesh well with a gracious and kind Queen.

"Lady Eden Farley of Yukon." Eden was a dream, dripping in gold from every angle. She graciously accepted her letter, her smile soft and genuine. So far, a lot of the choices Eadlyn had made weren't much of a surprise. All of these girls would've been twos or threes, save for Hallee. But her sugary sweet personality made her a fan favorite of the country. The numbers dwindling caused Juliette's heart to hammer a little harder in her chest.

"Lady Maisie Mullins of Sota." Maisie let out a small whoop of excitement, only to cover her mouth as her freckled cheeks darkened into a soft rosy color. She picked up her pastel yellow dress to step off of her platform, revealing ornate white cowgirl boots hiding underneath. A smile tugged at Juliette's lips. Never change, Maisie.

"Lady Courage Smith of Sumner." Courage covered her mouth with her hands, her perfectly manicured red nails matching the red feathers on her dress. It was a bit much, in Juliette's opinion, but Courage seemed unruffled as she rushed to accept her invitation. Courage wanted the crown as an accessory. As a trophy to adorn her shelf, full of beauty pageant tiaras that would mean just as much to her as the one symbolizing the monarch of the country.

"Lady WIllow Darling of Hudson." Willow squealed, jumping off of the platform excitedly. Layers of daffodil coloured tulle struggled to keep up with her as she skipped into the castle. It was hard to be upset with her excitement. Willow was like a puppy. Although, Julliette wondered if she'd be able to handle the stress of being a Queen.

"Lady Harper Kingman of Sonage." Harper seemed sincerely surprised to hear her name called, bursting into tears. Juliette could second that thought. Harper would probably be one of the lowest caste girls left, since she was a maid in her day to day life. Maybe Eadlyn wanted to keep the poor girl in just for appearances. She held the invitation delicately, as if she were afraid it would shatter in her hands. Adonis wiped the tears from her cheeks, whispering something to her that made her nod fervently.

It was this moment when Juliette realized Adonis was holding the final invitation in his hands. Her face went white. Who was left?

Kiara and India stood, their pillars right next to each other. They were no competition, as much as Juliette hated to admit it to herself. They were both too brash, always a single bad word away from getting into a fight.

Lillianna stood perfectly straight, her clasped hands the only thing betraying her nerves. It made Juliette's chest tighten. Only one of them could stay. Lillianna was perhaps her closest friend in this palace. Someone whose cool head always kept Juliette from doing stupid things.

Tahlia also stood, her regal air billowing in the soft breeze alongside her pale blue dress. Her bald head was wrapped in a beautiful blue scarf of sorts, and her eyes watched the prince like a hawk watching its prey.

Abigail's dress was modest, a simple black and white gown that covered as much skin as it possibly could. Her hair was braided up around her head. Juliette didn't think she would be much trouble - she would be obedient, sure, but Abigail's strong beliefs would always cloud her decisions. She would not be able to put her country or her king before her God.

Amy was perhaps the most surprising one to be left in the group of girls without an invitation. Her family had money, she had a face that belonged on magazine covers, and she probably would've been one of Eadlyn's favorites if Juliette had to guess.

Juliette's mossy eyes turned back to the Prince. His face was devoid of any clear emotions, but she knew what he was thinking. He was scared. His words played in the back of her mind, the soft tendrils of her hair sticking to her skin as she smiled. If she went home today, she could go home happy. He loved her. That's all that mattered. And she could be happy knowing that he still had choices among his Selected that could bring him joy.

That's what she wanted. As long as he was happy. And her country could be led by his kindness. Her words hopefully opened his eyes to the struggles that he could fix. The country could be mended. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and bringing her head back. She wouldn't cry. She would smile.

"Lastly, Lady Juliette Wright of Angeles."

The relief in his voice was immediate. Juliette's eyes shot open, and the world seemed to slow down around her as she stepped down from her pillar. In the background, she could hear the muffled crying of Amy and the profanities coming from India, but the sound was blurred in her mind. She kept her eyes on Adonis as she held out her hand for the invitation. He placed it in her hand, his fingers brushing against her bringing sparks to her skin.

He didn't say a word, but the smile on his face spoke millions. His azure eyes glittered. She smiled at him.

She made it.

She wasn't going home.

As she made her way to the palace, taking a seat amongst the other nine girls - the Elite - the smile faded slowly from her face.

If only that was the biggest of her problems.


A/N : And if you thought the drama was done, you were sorely mistaken! I see some of you scheming in the reviews - Phoenix has a lot more to offer us, don't you wait! The biggest stress for Juliette the past couple of chapters is finally passed; She made it to the Elite I'm sure it's not a surprise, but I hope that the drama was enjoyable nonetheless. We did lose a couple of familiar faces here, though.

I've been seeing a couple authors adding questions at the end of their chapters for a little bit more engagement, and I'm going to shamelessly rip that off from now on!

1) How have you been keeping yourself entertained during the quarantine? Wash your hands and stay safe, as a side note.

2) Who are your favorites of the Elite? Any girls tickle your fancy?

Can't wait to see you all next week! Hope you enjoyed. Much love.