.:*:.

NICHOLE

For the past few days, I've been reading books at the library all day long.

Prince Logan - well, he seems pretty nice. He is pretty nice. Apparently, he's staying in the north building for a while, which allows him frequent visits to the library; so he greets me everyday when I come in and helps me find my way to the section of books I need. He's incredibly smart as well, and it's surprising how he's aware of so many problems in Illéa. He cares about problems in our country that normal people don't even know of. I really don't open up to people that easily, but it's just so easy to talk to the prince. Even though he's a year younger, I can find an intellectual match with him - and I love it.

He also happens to be very, very handsome. I can already see myself falling for him.

It's crazy.

"Done already?" Prince Logan asks now, when I come out of the long maze of bookcases.

I nod and wave the book I'm holding at him. "This. This is the book I need."

He comes over and reads the title. "Nice choice."

"You've read it?"

"Yeah, it's pretty interesting. Although, the same author wrote another book that might be better suited for what you need - of course, I can never be sure, but - "

"Show me," I tell him, then remember to add, "your highness."

Prince Logan laughs. "I think we've reached the point where we no longer need to care about titles."

"Sure," I agree, and try to ignore the sudden thrill his words give me. I'm probably the first Selected to be granted this... honor. Is it an honor? Does the prince even think of it that way?

"I... What should I call you, then?"

"Logan will be fine."

"...Okay."

He laughs again. "Does it feel that weird?"

"You seem to be forgetting that you're a Royal."

"What's so special about being a Royal?" When he sees my expression, he adds, "Let me rephrase that. Why should Royals receive special treatment? We're all the same humans, no matter what position we're in."

"But you guys have... this super special, sacred blood... that kinda thing."

Logan smiles and shakes his head. "Trust me when I say blood means nothing. It's merely a tool people developed as an excuse to avoid questions."

I stay silent as I turn his words over in my mind. "That's... a bold statement."

"For some, yeah. But we Royals know firsthand that we're not born special, we're trained to be."

"Wait, so you're saying your trained in such a way that you turn special?"

"Not exactly. We're trained to be special, so we act special. That doesn't mean we're special."

"Okay, your words are giving me a migraine. We should stop here."

He grins. "As you wish."

After a while, Logan stops beside a pile of books. He picks up the one on the top and hands it to me. "It's a bit long, but I think you'll like it."

"Thanks. It looks better than the one I chose," I say, flipping over the first few pages.

"I'd recommend reading both. Just because the first one was something you chose yourself."

"Does that even make a difference?"

"Definitely. And I wouldn't know what you really need. It was just a wild guess." We start walking back towards the entrance of the library.

"Well, it was a pretty good guess," I tell him, and he grins.

"Thank you. I try."

When the exit comes into sight, I turn to the prince next to me. "Thanks for everything. Like, you've wasted your time getting me everywhere because I just can't find my way myself - "

"It was nothing, honestly. But you're welcome."

"It's hard to find someone I can really talk to here in the Selection. Like, some of the Selected I'd like to get to know, but they just seem... unapproachable."

"I can relate to that," he murmurs, and for a moment I can see some form of raw emotion in his forest green eyes - but before I can figure out what it is, he blinks and the emotion washes away. "I'll be seeing you, then, Lady Nichole," he says teasingly, and I grin in response.

"Yeah. Bye, Logan."

.:*:.

SAVANNAH

"...Elizabeth?"

"Hey!" Ellie greets me warmly as I walk up to her. She's standing awkwardly in the center of a open fitting room, surrounded by maids rushing over and taking measurements.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"Yeah, all this... I have no idea what's going on," she admits, gesturing wildly at her current attire, which happens to be a floor-length dress. "What are you doing here?"

"I... felt uncomfortable sitting in my room doing nothing, and I thought I could maybe help around with the palace maids."

"Cool," Ellie replies, and she's about to say something else when a girl - a member of the Selected - walks over.

"Is she your friend?" she asks. I notice she has a strong British accent.

Ellie nods. "Piper, this is Sav. Sav, this is Piper. She came from England - isn't that so cool? She's helping me choose a dress for the Report."

"I thought it might be a good opportunity for all of us," Piper tells me, "You can help if you wish. I just came back from this... strange Elite meeting, so I have to catch up on what the maids and designers have been doing." She glides away.

"I know her," I say quietly. "She's famous on social media."

"Yeah, I found that out a few hours ago. How'd you know that? I didn't know you were active on social media."

"I'm not. The family I used to work for... they had a girl my age, and she was interested in things like that." I leave out the fact that the same girl was the one that made my life harder than it already was.

"By the way," Ellie says, "you've gained some weight. I'm so glad you've started eating more often."

"Thanks," I tell her. I look down at my still-thin body. "I'm a bit worried that if I get too used to life in the palace, I won't be able to readjust when I go back home."

"That's exactly why you should stuff your stomach when you have the chance." Ellie grins. "And who knows, you might be the lucky one!"

I laugh awkwardly. "Maybe."

"Sav, I think you need to work on your positivity," Ellie whines, and I giggle.

"I'm not the one complaining right now."

"Well..." Ellie gestures at the maids around her. "I'd like to think I earned the right to complain. I've been trying to make conversation with the maids for, like, hours! But they all just nod and pretend to listen, and then they go back to taking measurements and writing down stuff on their little notepads and taking them to the designer, and when the designer came to see me I tried to talk to the designer, but the designer is... just the designer. Everyone down here is all about work."

"It's normally how it is," I admit, "We're instructed not to get caught up in lengthy conversations with other people. It's believed to be a distraction from work."

"I don't think that's true," Ellie says. "When I worked in the bakery, we always chatted with each other while doing our work. Of course, we all wore these thin paper masks because we always had dough in front of us too, but still - it was fun. And the conversations never distracted us from our work - it only made us want to work longer."

"That... sounds nice," I murmur. I try to imagine what Ellie's life would have been up until now, but it's so drastically different from mine that I have to give up. All I've ever known is life working as a maid during day and seamstress during night, struggling to balance work and caring for my four siblings, trying and failing to earn enough money for the entire family. Ellie, being a Four, isn't that well off compared to Threes and Twos - but her family always had the space to have some fun and just... enjoy life. Sure, she did have to work all day long, but she worked with her family. She was happy.

Now, more than ever, I feel incredibly thankful I got picked to participate in the Selection. The weekly checks will be more than enough for my family. I just hope they manage the money well, even without me.

.:*:.

SHILLA

"Oh, look who's here! You do remember me, right?"

I look at the eldest prince. "You highness."

Prince Sebastian grins at me. "Does seeing my face make you that annoyed?"

I narrow my eyes at him. "I'm sorry, your highness, but I have no idea what the purpose of this conversation is."

"Okay, that was an unexpected response," the prince mutters, "I'll need to try another tactic."

I raise an eyebrow. "You realize I can hear every word you're saying..."

"Right - oh sh*t, please don't tell Alex about this, I'm gonna get another boring lecture on manners - "

"That would be a good idea," I tell him, "seeing as you are lacking in that particular quality."

Prince Sebastian mock gasps, placing his hand on his chest. "Who? Me?"

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. While the eldest prince may act incredibly... un-princely, that doesn't change the fact that he still is a Royal. Getting on his bad side will also get me on the bad side of everyone else.

"Anyhow, this is an incredible coincidence. This staircase right here," he says, gesturing at the stairs behind him, "happens to lead to another set of stairs, and a couple of corridors, which eventually leads to a set of doors, which eventually leads to the guest palace. And you have somehow managed to find it! And I have actually just come back from the guest palace, which means there was just a slight chance of our meeting each other!"

I stare at him. "Your highness."

"What? Do you want to tell me how awestruck you are by my godlike beauty?"

"...I need to get going, if you don't mind," I reply dryly.

"Already? But we've only been talking for, like, a minute!" Prince Sebastian complains, but somehow his words don't seem genuine. I study his expression for a moment, then come to the realization that the prince is probably poking fun at me just for the sake of doing it.

"Where are you going?" he continues, pretending to be disappointed.

I hold up my waterproof bag. "The pool. A friend invited me there. She said it was incredibly beautiful - I had to see for myself."

"Cool! I was at the pool a couple of days ago. I also happened to meet a member of the Selected there - "

"Yeah, that would be her," I mutter. The prince grins widely.

"Ooh, I wanna join. Can I tag along?"

I glare at him and turn to leave. As I'm walking away, I can hear the prince mumbling behind me, "Yeah, I thought so." I listen to the sound of his shoes against the marble floor as he, too, walks away.

...

The pool is even better than I thought it would be.

As I float around in the clear water, drinking a glass of cool lemonade, I exchange words with Arianna and the maids. We laugh and splash around, climbing on top of the huge inflatable swans, ordering more drinks from the bar. We take videos of each other walking on top of the invisible glass bridges that make it seem as though we're walking on top of the water. There aren't a lot of people in the pool, just a couple of maids we don't know and one other girl, a Selected, who we aren't close to as well.

We're just lying around, chatting amicably, when Ari shares with me a shocking piece of information.

"The prince what?"

"Yeah, I was surprised too," she whispers, glancing over at the maids, who are gossiping some distance away. "I don't think I'm allowed to tell anyone yet - you won't spread any rumors, right?"

"Of course I won't! I'm surprised you thought of me that way," I answer teasingly.

Ari blushes. "I mean, I just... this is a big deal, apparently."

"Yeah, it is! Do you know if he asked anyone else on a date?"

"No, I haven't heard of anything. If he did, the girl he invited would be keeping this a secret, like me."

"True." I sigh, and Ari looks at me worriedly.

"What's the matter?"

"It's just that... there are so many secrets. Too many of them, really."

"That's just the way things are," Ari replies. "There's nothing we can do about it."

"Yeah, well - that's what makes it so depressing."

"I understand that feeling."

We stay silent for a while. Then I build up the courage to ask, "Do you have feelings for the prince?"

Ari's eyes widen. "You mean Prince Alexander?"

"Who else?"

Ari shrugs. "Our country has three princes."

"Yeah, well, we're here for the second." I pause. "So do you have feelings for the prince?"

For a moment, Ari looks startled, then she hesitates before saying, "I... no. It's only been a week or two since the Selection officially started. None of us have had the time to fall for anyone."

"Do you think there's a possibility, even a small one, that you'd fall in love with the prince?"

"I don't know," Ari replies truthfully. Her voice is quiet. "No one knows, after all."

"True." I inhale deeply, breathing in the fresh air. We've floated near the drink stand, and I climb on the island to grab another drink. Ari stays in the water.

"Well, since you're going to go on a date, we need to get you some new clothes," I tell her, jumping back into the water. Ari giggles as the spray hits her. "Do your maids know?"

"I haven't gotten the courage to tell them," she admits. "Do you think I'm allowed to?"

"If you don't tell your maids, how are you going to get the outfit you need?"

"Right." Ari glances over her shoulder, where one of her maids - Esti - is chatting excitedly with her friends. "I'm worried the talk will spread, though."

"...What about your other maid?" I ask her. "Coral... you said she doesn't like swimming. Where does she spend her time, then?"

"She mostly reads at the library."

"I didn't know there was a library." I make a mental note to visit sometime later. "Since the maids will probably read and not talk in the library, isn't it safe to trust Coral?"

Ari smiles, and her entire face seems to light up in relief. "Yeah, that could work."

"When's the date?"

"This Thursday, just before lunch - he's coming to get me, so I don't know the exact time."

"C'mon, you should inform her of your oncoming date as soon as possible," I tell her, "we only have two days left."

Ari nods, and we lift ourselves out of the water.

...

.:*:.

PRINCE ALEXANDER

"Seb," I greet my brother as he walks in my room - without knocking, as always. "How'd it go?"

Sebastian plops down on my sofa and casually sets his feet on the table. I sigh and shake my head. "Do you have to do that while wearing the same shoes you've worn to the guest palace?"

"It went just fine, brother," Seb says in reply. "It was just as awkward as we expected it would be."

"Okay, that sounds pretty bad... How's Anna? She's still at the guest palace, right?"

"Yeah, she's coming back tomorrow, probably since she's gonna be marrying that bastard, so she needs some time to get closer to him." He grits the last words out.

I ignore the profanity - we're in private, but for fear of eavesdroppers, calling the crown prince of another country a bastard is definitely not recommended in royal etiquette. "How is she?"

"How do you think she is?" Seb asks plainly.

"...Not that great, I'm guessing?"

Seb sighs in reply. He pulls out his screen and lazily flicks through the latest news. When he starts seeing paparazzi pictures of Anna in front of the guest palace, he folds his screen shut tight and shoves it in his pocket. I watch as my brother tilts his head up and closes his eyes, saying nothing.

I make sure not to show any signs of worry, but internally, my mind is churning with sharp emotion. Seb is always loud, carefree, and frivolous - he speaks when he wants to speak, leaves when he wants to leave, and seduces anyone he wants to seduce. It's incredibly difficult, even as family, to find that one shard of the sharp, humorless man below the persona he has created from such a young age. It isn't often when he willingly shows that part of himself - he uses his frivolity to get out of most uncomfortable situations, and turns solemn only when he knows it is absolutely necessary. Times like now, when Seb isn't the Seb we know, happen when he is going through such mental distress that he just can't bother to keep his mask up.

Instead of trying to make him feel better - I've learned from experience that it never works - I leave him be, turning to sit back at my table and work on the papers handed out to me this morning. There's been an increase in the numbers lately, mostly due to the spread of the rebellion. It has spread from the original Gerberas not only to Chermoya, but to Cress and Tamarillo as well. Actually, Father suspects the start of the rebellion was really either Chermoya or Tamarillo, the two provinces with the biggest gap between rich and poor. It was simply waiting for the right moment to erupt, similar to the workings of an incubation period. Mother is worried that the rebellion will impact the Selection, and even force some of the Selected to go back home.

I grimace, sorting through the papers before landing on a report of the newest rebel attack. A couple of Sevens from Tamarillo attacked a Caste Two family of five. The family was on a picnic, and the rebels killed a parent and kidnapped a child. Fortunately, the child was found not long after the attack - but, of course, this fortune cannot make up for the loss of a family member. Two other attacks occurred during the same week; one at a community center, and another at - to much horror and outrage - a local hospital in Cress, one that was famous for accepting only the society's elite.

While the rebellion is a certain abomination, I cannot deny that there has been a definite cause for the uprising. The caste system - some say this, as a tradition, must be kept - however, the ones who approve of the caste system are undoubtedly the ones that receive the benefit of their caste. It is no secret that the lowest castes are born to a monstrous disadvantage; they are fated, from the moment they enter the world, to live their lives penniless and deprived of the basic necessities of life.

Over the years, there have been some efforts to assuage the worst of the caste system. The Eights are no longer treated as slaves - they are discriminated against, yes, but they receive education and a chance at a job. Various supporting teams are sent to impoverished villages, help to destitute children, and a small amount of money is sent to all grown Sixes, Sevens, and Eights in Illéa. Nevertheless, the caste system is still going strong, and so are the damages brought by the system. It would be a lie to say the caste system is fair in any way. It was created for a cruel purpose, and is certainly being used with a cruel purpose as well; but the past century has failed to confront the problems with the system in too many ways to count. Even Mother and Father haven't been able to get a hold of it - this is the only way people are used to living, and too many wealthy, powerful Twos and Threes will oppose a movement to abolish the caste system. And so, with this knowledge acting as an advocate against the lower castes, Illéa had and has stayed as a country with the caste system in full action. After such a long period of neglect, it is no wonder the lower castes have decided to rebel against the system.

"Alex," Sebastian calls, breaking my train of thoughts. I quickly write down a few words and turn around. "Yeah?"

"Is it that bad?" he asks, inclining his head toward the stack of papers on my desk.

"Yeah, it's... definitely getting worse," I admit. "They attacked a family yesterday."

Seb looks disgusted, but not surprised. "What about the repairs? How are they going?"

"The community center is almost done. The hospital... needs some more time."

My brother doesn't reply. Instead, he pulls out his screen and scrolls through the news again. "Why isn't there any news about the family?" he asks aloud, searching twice to be sure. "I check the news every day. I haven't read anything about it."

I stay silent. We both know the answer - the media is much more interested in Anna's betrothal with the French prince than the death of an innocent citizen. The news did come out, but after the first few rebel attacks the initial panic slowly died down, the people far from the dangerous areas letting go a sigh of relief. The news of Anna's meeting with Maxime spread much faster, and soon enough the news containing small pictures and predictions of Anna's supposed romance with her betrothed dominated the network.

Seb frowns. "Alex, we can't send our own sister off for slaughter. I have no idea how in the world the two people we call parents agreed to the betrothal, since even they struggled with the same problems when they were young - Father did, at least. Sorry to say this, but what's happening to Anna is even worse than your Selection. She doesn't get to choose who to marry. What is this, the seventeenth century? Seriously, Alex, this system. I despise this system. And Mother and Father have officially failed as parents too - I thought Mother might be different, but she's just like everybody else - "

"Seb," I try, but he shakes his head.

"You know I love her, but that doesn't mean I should excuse her for all her mistakes."

I stare at him. He holds my gaze for a while, then turns to look out the large window on the side of the room. The curtains are slightly drawn; still, the endless blue sky and warm sunlight seep through the glass and color the room with their brightness.

Seb sighs. "This system is f*cked up," he murmurs, repeating the sentiment from a few days ago - the one I discovered I could only agree with. But this time, his words lack the humor that tinted them before the first elimination. I wonder which system he's indicating - the castes, the Selection, or Anna's betrothal? In truth, I realize, all are equally f*cked up.