Chapter 17 – Jesse Flynn

Jesse was pacing back and forth on the stage, going over his text with his iPad and keeping an eye on the time. He hadn't had one minute of sleep in more than 24 hours – make that 28 hours – but after drinking four black coffees and a Red Bull, he was a ball of energy. After the cakes and the first guests started leaving the party, Jesse left Sydney and her cameraman to shoot some more footage of the after-party while he and Otis went directly to the studio to start editing the Ball footage and interviews. There was still a lot of work to do so he hoped to be done with the Royal Report quickly.

The audience room was filling up as well, with spectators eager to get the first glimpse of the princes and the Selected after the party. Tickets for this session had been expensive, and Jesse was amazed that every seat had been bought out.

Giggles and clicking heels announced the arrival of the girls and the royal family, and Jesse went backstage to welcome them. He was surprised to see all of them still in their party clothes, with ruffled hair, smudged makeup, and rumpled dresses. Not what he was expecting, but it would have to make do: there was no time to have them all change, anyway.

"Did you even get some sleep?" he asked no one in particular.

"Nope!" Nathan said, slamming his hand on Jesse's shoulder. "And that's the beauty of youth: we don't need to sleep!"

Jesse made a face. He needed to sleep, but he hadn't had time. And from seeing Nevaeh's face with some marks on her cheeks, she had fallen asleep somewhere, and he found that was super adorable. She just ignored him and walked right past him.

"Nope, you're not going anywhere," he said, grabbing her hand.

"Excuse me?"

"I need to interview you on the ball and all," he explained. "Please?"

Nevaeh took back her hand and sighed. "Fine. Beginning or end?"

"Beginning."

She nodded once and went to find a seat in the first row of the audience trying not to yawn.

"Alright, Ladies and Your Highnesses!" he called out to get everyone's attention before they went on stage. "Today is going to be a little different. I'm going to mainly interview the princes because you have all been interviewed during the ball and your interviews will be edited into the Report." He paused and looked at the boys. "Will there be eliminations today?"

Nathan and Valerian looked at each other and nodded.

"Three, I'm afraid," Valerian said. "And we'd like to do that at the beginning so we can focus on the rest afterward."

"Okay, yep," Jesse said. He called out to one of the stagehands for some black roses they kept in store for situations like this and the three brothers all sat on three armchairs in the center of the stage while the girls sat in a semi-circle behind them, in a rainbow fashion, from white to black to red, to pink. And everything in between. The Queen and her husband were in the audience, near Nevaeh.

"Bill, are we ready?" Jesse asked the Stage director.

He gave him the thumbs up.

"Okay." He stood just behind the closed curtain and waited.

"And rolling!" Bill Mason called out.

"Goodeveningladiesandgentlemenboysandgirls!" Jesse boomed, stepping out from behind the curtain. "My name is Jesse Flynn and here we are today on the Royal Report to talk about last night's Ball!" He paused, knowing there would be some of Sydney's aesthetic footage inserted there. "But before we dig in a bit deeper in what really happened last night, our three favorite Princes will be eliminating three Selected, unfortunately."

The curtain slowly opened behind him, revealing the three princes on their armchairs, each holding a black rose. Jesse was surprised to see Silas taking part in the elimination, considering he never did before. Either he was still drunk from the previous night – Jesse had seen Silas many times with a glass of wine or champagne in his hands – or he was opening up a bit and starting to socialize with the world.

Jesse nodded to them and they all stood as one. Valerian took out a paper from his pocket so he wouldn't mess up the names and read the first one. "Neena Baker, from Bonita. I'm afraid you were found dead drunk under the dessert table at four in the morning."

The poor girl looked awful and a bit greenish. She walked over to them, Nathan gave her a black rose and she curtsied very clumsily, almost falling on the prince. Nathan had to help her walk out of the stage and Jesse heard her vomiting somewhere in the back. Yummy.

"Chasya Cohen, from Panama," Valerian read. "Vomiting on the Governor of Waverly was not the best idea…" he made a grimace and Silas gave her the second black rose, making sure not to make eye-contact with her. She didn't look up at him either, shamed for life about that 'exploit'.

"And finally, Krystal Jayeigh Mickinney, from Dakota," Val said. He paused before explaining why she was eliminated. "You, uhm, stripped down on a table and two guards had to take you away. I'm sorry."

Jesse wanted to bark out a laugh. These three girls really went all out drunk during the party. Not Princess or Queen material, that was for sure. Once the three girls were gone from the stage, the curtains opened wider, showing the girls lining the back of the stage. "Thank you, Your Highnesses," Jesse said, inviting the boys to sit back down. "And before we dive in the questions I've prepared for you, I want to invite a very special guest to the stage." He paused for some effect. "The Duchess, Her Grace Nevaeh de Montignac!"

The audience and the girls applauded as Nevaeh walked up the steps onto the stage in her pink dress with the puff sleeves. Jesse grinned at her, but Nevaeh kept a straight face. He scooted to the side of the settee and invited her to sit next to him since the three armchairs were already taken by the princes.

Nevaeh sat reluctantly but put on a gracious smile.

"Welcome back to the Report, Your Grace!" Jesse said, beaming. Boy, he was glad to have her back on the stage with him. Only this time, he would be super careful not to hurt or humiliate her in any way. At least as much as he could, because he still needed the tea.

"Thank you, Jesse," she replied. Though her voice and her face seemed happy and friendly, her eyes said something along the lines of 'be careful Jesse, I could kill you with a snap of my fingers'. And Jesse knew that was true.

"So, tell me," he started. "How long did it take you to organize such an event?"

"Since I knew this was going to be the first big event of the Selection, I had around a month to prepare everything and send invitations."

"A month? Damn. I would have needed six months to do something like that!" he said. "And did it turn out how you wanted?"

"On the whole, yes." She paused. "I hoped the Selected would behave, and besides those three who were just eliminated, I think the others did a good job." She surveyed the girls and nodded.

"And the princes?" Jesse continued. "Did they do their part? Not too many protocol rules broken?"

Nevaeh laughed. "Surprisingly enough, Val was the first to break protocol when he helped Odessa. But I think that was very sweet and gentlemanly."

"And what about the decorations," Jesse asked. "Did you oversee those yourself or did you hire someone to do it?"

"I oversaw the decorator I hired," she replied. "A good event planner knows who to ask for certain things." She paused. "Like the cakes: I chose them, but I didn't bake them."

"Of course." Jesse looked at his iPad. "Oh, I had one more question for you," he said, "before I let you go and focus on the princes: what did you think of the Selected's outfits?"

Nevaeh eyed him and almost rolled her eyes. "Do you really want me to go there, Jesse?"

"Uhm, have you met me? I want all the tea you have on those outfits." If Jesse was texting right now, he would have put five tea emojis and seven eye emojis. He wanted it all. He was thirsty.

"Okay, fine," Nevaeh said. "Do you want the list in alphabetical order, or…?"

Jesse laughed. "Whatever's more convenient for you, Milady."

Nevaeh sat back on the settee and eyed the girls sitting in a line. They were already seated by color so it would be easier.

"Abigail Correl had no right to wear white, she looked like a bride. It's a very bold statement during a selection. Though it's easy to see who she's favoring after those little theatrics during the ball." She paused and continued to look at the girls. "Ivy Kotzias and Anastasia Pembroke weren't dressed for the occasion either. It was a ball, not a business dinner." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Most of them, I have to admit, understood what 'black-tie' meant. Others, not so much."

"Like who?" Jesse asked, sitting at the edge of his seat.

"Take Evelyne Williams, for example–"

"Mia?"

"Yes, Mia if you prefer," she conceded. "That gown was way too much. That was suitable for a 'white tie' event at the French Court. Not here. And she looked like a disco ball with all those pieces of jewelry. The woman doesn't know what subtlety means."

Jesse couldn't stop her anymore, but he didn't want to.

"Jacinta Bazán-Morillo's tacky neon pink mermaid dress made my eyes bleed, and I don't think I was the only one. The fairy lights in Evangeline Locke's hair was a nice touch, very original. Oh, and don't get me started on Morrigan's headpiece. She was wearing it like a tiara – and everyone knows tiaras are for married princesses and queens, even I can't wear one – so I made her change it into a headband." She paused to take a breath and continued. "Veronica Flores' green gown went perfectly well with her red hair, although I wouldn't have added the vine in the braid. And the last one I want to make a comment on is Ximena Oliveira. That dress was amazing, but the hair accessory was maybe a bit too much…"

"You mean the red rose?"

"Yes." She looked at Ximena who was still wearing the rose and who held her chin high. "I just hope she doesn't get her heartbroken in the process because that red rose was a very bold statement."

"Thank you, Nevaeh, I'm sure the ladies will have lots to think about for the next event, and their next outfits!" He flashed her a grin. "Just one more question," he said as she stood to leave the stage. "Which one was your favorite outfit?"

"Mine, of course." With that, she walked away and took her seat next to the Queen.

Jesse snorted. Of course, Nevaeh would prefer her own outfit. And she was totally right: she was amazingly beautiful in that dress and he watched her walk away.

"Uh, Jesse?" Nathan said, bringing him back to the present of the Royal Report. "Everything okay?"

"Yes! Yes," Jesse replied, turning towards the princes. "Now it's just us boys," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. "Nathan, I noticed you danced with many, many girls. How many?"

"All of them!" he replied with a proud grin. "I had to test all the girls on my list to see how well they fit in my arms. I mean, that was the most logical thing to do, don't you think?"

Jesse wanted to facepalm, but he just chuckled. "Uh-huh, sure. So after 'testing' them all, are they all staying on your list? Or are you crossing some off, already?"

"Besides the three that were just eliminated, I'm keeping them all!" He sat back and propped his ankle on his knee.

"And what about the ones that are also on your brothers' lists?" Jesse asked. "Did you discuss the ladies you all favored?" Jesse knew to talk about the ladies like that when they were just behind them was kind of rude, but oh well. He had to live up to his reputation of the Royal Tea Extractor, whatever the cost.

Nathan looked at his brothers but he shook his head. "I have to admit we never talked about this."

"Maybe we should, don't you think?" Valerian piped in. "I mean, we don't want any broken hearts."

"Dude, this is a contest for love. Of course, there are going to be broken hearts," Nathan replied, ruffling his little brother's hair.

"Did you think of my heart?" Valerian asked trying to get away from Nate. "What if I like a girl who's also on your list? What then?"

Jesse wasn't sure Valerian was being serious, or if he was too tired to play a game on the Report. Or maybe even too drunk. Everyone had had lots to drink during the night.

"Then you just let me know and she's all yours!" Nathan replied, good-naturedly.

"They're not pieces of meat to be passed around, Nathan," Silas said, almost growling. Jesse was astonished that the Crown Prince would take the Selected's side and speak up without being invited to do so. "I think we should make those lists public and let them know what we're up to, and who they're up against."

Nathan and Valerian, who were usually very easy with words, were speechless in front of their older brother's statement.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Valerian said.

"Wait a minute," Nathan said. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"They already know they're all on your list," Val retorted. "At least it would be clearer for everyone. Silas is right."

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Of course, he is, as always." The sarcasm in his voice was palpable and he sat at the edge of his chair. "But don't come crying to me when there are more catfights because of those lists."

Silas stayed silent after that, and Jesse was a little bit at loss for words. He had not expected this to turn out like that and he needed to change gears really fast.

"Valerian," Jesse said. "What about you? Was it the first time you opened a Ball like that? How did you feel?"

Val faced Jesse, trying to focus on the new questions he had thrown at him. "Yes, it was the first time, and I was kind of terrified, to be honest." He chuckled awkwardly, regaining his composure after the previous argument. "I had no idea who'd be my first dance, but then I relaxed a bit."

"Speaking of first dances," Jesse said, "what you did for Odessa was very gentlemanly."

Valerian's cheeks filled with a pinkish-red color and he looked at his hands in his lap. "Yes well, I thought it would be mortifying for her so I jumped to my feet. I didn't even think."

"Well, that was very 'Knight-In-Shining-Armor' of you." Jesse winked at Valerian who blushed even more. "And did you know Emelda also had her birthday, just the next day?"

"No, I honestly didn't know," Valerian said. "Had I known, I would have found a gift for her."

"Well, in that case, Val, I've got you covered!" He motioned to a stagehand who walked in with a huge bouquet of red, pink, orange, and white roses – 100 in total – and he gave it to Val, inviting him to go deliver it to the birthday girl herself. Emelda was trying to hide and make herself tiny, but Valerian took her hand and helped her stand.

"I'm happy you're sharing this moment with me," he said, laughing. "As I told you, I hate to be the center of attention alone."

Emelda laughed and thanked him with a kiss on the cheek. She sat back on her seat, hiding behind the ginormous bouquet. And when Val was back in his seat, Jesse continued asking his questions.

"Prince Silas," he said next. "I'm pretty sure you've stopped counting the number of balls and fancy parties you go to. Was this one any different?"

Silas shifted in his armchair and crossed his legs. "In many ways, actually."

Jesse waited for more, but nothing came. "Such as?"

"I didn't have to open the ball," he started, pushing up his glasses, "and I could actually choose my dancing partners."

"Speaking of partners, you chose Lady Yuna first. Why?"

Silas shrugged and shared a quick look with the lady in blue. "She's my best friend, and I wanted to start with someone very familiar."

"So this wasn't your first dance with her?"

"No."

Jesse knew he was walking in dangerous territory and Silas might shut out at the next question, but he still decided to ask it anyway. "Your Highness, would you say that Yuna is a Selection Contestant like all the other ladies, now? Or do you still only see her as, as you put it, 'your best friend'?"

Silas, again, didn't reply right away. He looked at said lady in the row of girls and nodded slightly. "I'd say she's not only my best friend."

Jesse grinned. He would also be putting money on her, that was for sure. "Thank you for your candidness. Nathan? How did you go through that party?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Jesse knew too well that the man had probably skipped some parts to be with some of the selected… more privately.

"It was amazing," the middle price replied. "Lots of beautiful moments, challenges, and other fun ones!" He looked for a girl in the group of Selection and winked at her. Jesse couldn't see who he was looking at, but it was definitely one of the ladies in blue.

He joked a bit more with the princes – mainly Val and Nate – and was glad to have the Audience laughing along with them. By 11:30, they were done, and he just had time for a sandwich before editing the Report and adding some footage of the ball and the girls' interviews. But Jesse was exhausted, and he was wishing for only one thing: his bed and his pillow. The only thing keeping him going was coffee and Red Bull. But at 8 p.m. sharp, the Royal Report was on and everyone was watching it. Even the Selected girls and the Royal family.

-o-0-o-

After the report was done, the four limos took the royal family and the girls back to the Palace, while Jesse, Otis, and Sydney continued to work on editing the whole thing for the evening. Oh, how he wished he could sleep for three days. Alas, this was not the plan. And from what he learned afterward, when coming back to the Palace himself, after the Report was done, to watch it with everyone else, most of the girls had napped. Some on lounge chairs in the sun, others in their beds. But all in all, nothing really interesting happened that afternoon, so he hadn't missed anything.

Everyone was super happy to see the Ball through another point of view and hearing all the girls' interviews mixed into the report gave everyone a good time.

When that was done, it was time for dinner. Only, Silas gave a red rose to Odessa Fan and they went just the two of them for a quiet dinner in the gardens under the willow tree, away from prying eyes. Jesse was way too tired to be bothered to follow them or send Otis and Sydney after them for some juicy footage, so he let them be. He didn't even go to dinner and went directly to bed.

Silas was happy that no one would follow them to their dinner. He would have wanted to go to sleep as well or go on a date with another lady – one that had worn a red rose in her hair, preferably – but he had promised Jesse that he'd go on at least one date with each of the nine ladies on his list. And since Odessa was one of them, then why not?

He did feel a bit weird, though, especially after his brother had chosen her as his first dance, the previous night. But oh well. At least the lists would be made public soon and everyone would know where everyone stood. And Silas stood by what he had said on the Report: the ladies were not pieces of meat to be passed around.

"So, uhm," Silas started after sipping on his glass of wine, though he promised himself it would be the only one of the evening. "You probably figured out you were on all three lists."

Odessa nodded and put her glass down. "Yes. It's… a little weird, to be honest."

"I can imagine." He forked some food and both ate in silence for a few minutes. "This may sound odd, but who's list would you like to be on? Because it might be easier for you to focus on only one or two, and not all three of us."

Odessa's cheeks turned a little pink, and a soft breeze blew some of her dark brown hair into her face. She quickly tucked it away behind her ear. "Can I be honest with you?"

"Of course," he replied. "I was hoping you would be."

Odessa put her fork down. "If I could not be on Nathan's list, I think I would be more relaxed." She paused. "I mean, he is funny and all, but his playboy aura isn't really my thing."

Silas nodded and sipped some more wine. "Which is totally understandable. I'll have a word with him about that. He needs to start narrowing down his own list because he can't keep everyone…"

Odessa let out a small giggle. "I think some other girls would be happy not to be on his list as well, to be honest."

Silas raised an eyebrow. "How many, exactly?"

"I'd say at least five or six, but it could be more."

Silas nodded, thinking. They continued to eat in silence until their plate was empty. "You know," he finally said, "I'm surprised you also want to stay on my list…"

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I just didn't think there'd be many ladies who would want to."

Odessa tilted her head and played with the gray eucalyptus leaves of the flower arrangement on the table. "You don't think you're boyfriend material?" she asked with a small smirk, which made Silas let out an amused huff and his cheeks heat up a little.

"What I mean is that there are more things that come with the package." He paused, careful to choose the right words. If only he could write that down it would be so much easier. "Whoever will marry me won't have just me. There's everything that goes with it: the crown, the title, the scrutiny, very little to no privacy, and so on." He paused, looking at Odessa's grey eyes, which surprised him, to be honest. "Who would want that?"

Odessa offered him a sweet smile, and it made Silas all warm and fuzzy inside. "I think there are a few girls out there who wouldn't mind that."

"Would you?"

This time, Odessa didn't reply right away. She frowned, thinking for a few minutes. "I think I'd need some time to adjust, but I think I could get used to the idea."

Silas nodded. He was genuinely surprised. If he were in their shoes, he would run away from such a responsibility. He had been groomed and prepared for it since he was a kid. Not them. There was way too much to learn and do. But maybe he was underestimating them and they had some magic under their sleeve?

He waited for the dessert to be served before starting on a new conversation topic. He wasn't in a hurry, either, since their silence wasn't uncomfortable, actually. "Now that we cleared all… that," he started, "why don't you tell me a little more about your life, before the Selection." Damn, this wine-thing was really working and he was actually socializing, which shocked him, to say the least. And maybe his mother had been right all along: this would really help him get out of his comfort zone – if one could consider being the future king a comfort zone, but it's all that Silas had ever known.

Odessa put her spoon down and tilted her head, thinking about how to phrase this. "Well," she started, "I think we can say that you and I are pretty similar, from what I've gathered."

"How so?"

"Both Heirs? Both with responsibilities?" she tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear after a light breeze blew over them again. "Have you ever heard about Fan Enterprises?"

Silas frowned. The name did sound familiar. He nodded. "You're the heir to that?"

"Unfortunately, yes." She paused and sipped on her wine again. "Back in Waverly, my father controlled everything I did: what I studied, who I dated, what I did, and when I did it." Again, she paused. She pursed her lips and thought for a moment. She was talking to the Crown Prince, after all, and she needed to be careful what she said. "Then I… left, and traveled to Yukon."

Silas leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, which was a complete lack of manners, but he didn't care. "What happened then?"

"I had all my savings with me, and I found a small apartment in Whitehorse." She paused and pushed a raspberry from her cake around on her plate. "I enrolled in the local community college and a couple of months after I arrived, I was buying myself some flowers in this shabby but very cute flower shop. That's when I saw the note on the door, as I was leaving: the old lady was selling her shop and looking for someone to take over."

"So you did," he guessed.

"Not right away, no. The note hung there on the door for weeks, and I couldn't stop thinking about it." She smiled at the memory. "I kept going back to buy flowers and talk with Greta, the shop owner, and we actually became friends. She was the one to ask me if I'd take over the shop for her." Odessa looked at the swaying willow branches around them and smiled. "And I accepted."

"Just like that? With no experience?"

"Yes." She sighed, content. "And it was really the best thing I ever did in my entire life: a free choice."

Silas sipped his last bit of wine and nodded. "I wish I had that, too."

A footman arrived just then to clear the table and dinner was over. But Silas didn't want to end their date together just yet, so he asked her if she wanted to go for a walk around the gardens, which she accepted. They walked side by side, without touching, and he continued to ask her questions about her shop, about her life in Whitehorse, and though he didn't think they'd be a match, romantically speaking, he was glad to have her as a friend on his list: she understood him and his situation and there weren't many selected who could.

-o-0-o-

Meanwhile, back inside the palace, Valerian was having a very fun group 'board game date' with Jenissa, Morrigan, and Yuna. It was fun to see all of their competitiveness come out for these games. They started off with a simple game of UNO, just to get in the mood of gameness. Then they played Jenga, Clue, and finished the evening with a game or two of the famous 7Wonders strategic game. It took them way longer than the usual game time because Valerian had to repeat the rules over and over, explaining each card at least three times. But the second game went a bit faster. Val won that game, and the girls promised to get their revenge at some point.

The Women's room had been used as a makeshift cinema room for all the other girls – they watched Notting Hill, the cheesiest, most romantic movie ever made –, that evening since Nathan and Laelia were occupying the real cinema room to watch a good horror movie.

"I can't believe you convinced me to watch A Quiet Place," he said, making himself comfortable in a red velvet seat in the middle of the auditorium. He popped some popcorn into his mouth.

"Well, I thought it would be stupid to watch a movie we had both seen, so it's also new for me." She also popped some popcorn into her mouth as the lights around them dimmed and took a sip of her beer. "I watched The Conjuring way too many times, anyway."

"Is this one as scary as The Conjuring one?"

Laelia shook her head. "Well, it's not the same kind of scary stuff. This one is more a keeps-you-at-the-edge-of-seat kind of scary, while The Conjuring is more haunted-and-scare-jump kind of thing."

"Mhmm," Nathan hummed, already knowing that he'd be in for one sleepless night. He wasn't a big fan of horror anything, and he had suggested a Star Wars movie, of course. But Laelia thought it would be funnier to watch… that thing.

It was a story about super-hearing aliens who were out to destroy the human race. The movie followed a family trying to survive without doing a sound. But as Laelia and Nathan learned, humans are loud. Like, really loud: food crunches; footsteps boom; doors creak painfully. Every sound made them jump, and when the mom had to give birth without a sound after walking barefoot on a protruding nail in the stairs, Nathan couldn't hold it in anymore. He was gripping the armrests of his seat with so much force that his knuckles had turned white and the blood didn't flow anymore.

"I can't watch this," he said, pausing the film.

"Are you kidding?" Laelia said. "This is amazing! Just when it's getting interesting!"

"This is awful!" he half-hissed, half-whispered. He also looked over his shoulder for those super-hearing aliens.

"Nathan Schreave," Laelia said teasing. She crossed her arms over her chest and smirked. "Do you have the jitters?"

"No." That was a lie. "Absolutely not." And a second one.

"Good. Then let's finish this movie." She took the remote control from his hands and pressed the PLAY button.

Nathan kept his eyes on the screen and tried to think of flowers and little kittens and sex and cigarettes. Yes, he would need a cigarette soon. He jumped a few times, but he made it alive to the end of the movie.

"Well, not so bad, huh?" Laelia asked when the lights turned back on.

"Yeah, yeah," Nathan said. "I need a cigarette. Come on, let's go outside." He stood and headed to the door and Laelia followed him, laughing softly. She would never have thought Nathan was a scaredy-cat, to be honest. But it had been fun.

As soon as they were outside, Nathan lit a cigarette and it took several puffs for him to start to relax.

"Seriously, you didn't enjoy it?" she asked, walking next to him.

He shrugged. "Not my favorite genre, but I guess it was interesting." He could at least admit that. It had been 'interesting' in the least. At least now he knew never to watch a horror movie ever again, even if someone tried to convince him. He would rather watch a bad remake of Star Wars than that ever again.

"Is this how you come up with your ideas for your books?" he asked. "Val told me about the one you gave him."

Laelia laughed. "Yes and no. I read and watch many, many things, so I guess I'm inspired by a lot of things." She paused, thinking. "But I guess my head is so full of crazy things that it gets down on paper somehow."

"So you're already writing the next book?" he asked. "Sorry I googled you and my friend the Internet said your readers were waiting for book two."

"I wish," she said. "I'm a bit stuck, to be honest."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

They continued to walk in silence and almost bumped into Silas and Odessa around a bushy corner.

"Oh, hey!" Nathan said. "How's your date going?" he wiggled his eyebrows and elbowed his brother. "Anything juicy to tell?"

Silas rolled his eyes. "Excuse him," he said to both Odessa and Laelia. He pressed forward and walked passed the duo, Odessa following him.

"Is he always that dense?" Laelia asked, looking at the retreating couple.

"Psh. That was him socializing, trust me." He lit another cigarette. "So, what else do you do, apart from procrastinating your second book? Which I will never read, by the way."

Laelia barked a laugh. "Too afraid?"

"I don't like reading. I mean, if it were made into a movie, I might consider it."

The lady shook her head. "But to answer your question, I'm into sports a bit."

"Ugh." He made a gagging gesture. "Not me. What kind of sports?"

"Running, cycling, and yoga."

"Ah, yoga, I could get behind," he said. "No sweat, just relaxation."

Laelia laughed again. "I'd like to see you try the Omkarasana pose, then." It was one of the most complicated and hard poses ever, even she couldn't do it: she was only an average yogi.

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Bless you. What the hell is that?"

"Handstand with one foot behind your head and one leg wrapped around your other arm."

The prince choked on his last intake of smoke and starting coughing. "The hell? That's torture!" He coughed some more and Laelia tapped on his back to help. It was not helping and Nate had to sit on a bench nearby. "Why do people even do that? Seriously…" he shook his head in dismay and continued to puff on his cigarette.

She tried to explain why she did yoga, but she didn't manage to convince him. By the end of the evening, they walked back to the Palace and Nathan made some sexy suggestion to Laelia, which she refused laughing. She thanked him for the pleasant evening, commended him on his bravery for watching that movie, and bid him goodnight, leaving him alone in the hallway, while all the other girls were already in bed, and probably fast asleep.

He yawned and was actually surprised at how tired he suddenly felt and he walked up the stairs to get to his room for some nice shut-eye.

Helloo! Hope you enjoyed this chapter with Nevaeh's roasting of the outfits (I had lots of fun writing that LMAO) and Jesse's juicy questions on the Report! :eyes: Also, what did you think of the dates?

Don't forget to check out the IG page for visuals of the cakes and the gifts Val received ;)

Thanks for reading, reviewing, and supporting! see you on SATURDAY with a new article, written by Sydney, and not Jesse! :eyes:

PS: Reply to Roses' last review (guest): (and I think that might interest everyone...:eyes:...)

- how long is this fic going to be? — for now, I've planned only to the end of the first round of dates. Then I'll have to sit down and plan further ahead (though I have the whole story planned out, just not detailed in chapters).

- Do you already know who they're going to end up with, or are you just flowing with the story? — I already know who the winner(s) is (are), yes; so no, I'm not going with the flow of the story. That's why I need to sit down and plan more in detail… :eyes:

- is there going to be an epilogue? — absolutely. there will be an epilogue, and even better yet, I'm even considering a sequel :eyes: