Chapter 24 – Nevaeh de Montignac

Nevaeh wondered how long the Selection would last, especially since no one was eliminated during the previous weekend, not even just off one list. Auntie Lena wasn't very happy about it, and she told her piece of mind to her three sons: Nevaeh was there, in the queen's office, when that happened.

"You three boys told me you'd eliminate at least one girl every week," the queen had said. "What happened this week?"

"Mom, we're not done with the first round of dates," Valerian had answered.

"From what I understand, Silas finished this week with his group of girls. Correct?" She had looked at Silas for confirmation.

"Yes."

"Then why didn't you eliminate one from your list?" Helena had leaned over her desk, resting on her elbows. She could be terrifying when she wanted and Nevaeh was glad her ire wasn't addressed at her.

"I wanted to wait for Nathan and Valerian to be done, too," he had said, pushing up his glasses.

Helena hadn't answered right away and looked at all three in turn. "Very well. I want you three to start scratching off one girl off your lists every week." Pause. "We can't afford to have this selection go on forever, and you know it." Helena had leaned back on her chair. "My Selection was only–"

"One month, yeah we know," Nathan had cut her. "But we're not you, and there's three of us. You gotta give us time."

"You of all people should already have found your final choice," Helena had said. "A playboy like you with such a vast choice of girls…"

"Mother," Silas had said, which had surprised everyone present: He never used that word unless he wanted to make a point or be extra polite because he was about to say something rather… uncomfortable. "We understand that you found dad quickly. But these women are not pieces of meat to be passed around and tested" – he looked pointedly at Nathan – "or tried out. Love, or whatever is going on here, takes time." Silas had paused, rubbing the back of his neck. "And it's more complicated than one might think…"

The Queen had smiled then. "I honestly wonder who of you three is going to find love first, to be honest. At least you're all choosing from the same group of girls and we didn't have three whole Selections for you."

The three brothers looked at each other. "You know," Valerian had pipped in. "There were selections that lasted more than 6 months. We're only on the second month."

"I very well know that and–"

"And it was you who wanted us to do this," Nathan had added. "You wanted a distraction for the people. Because apparently, 'nothing interesting was happening'."

"Yes but–"

"So, please, mom," Silas had finished, "just let us do this on our own terms."

Now, Nevaeh was looking at the girls working on their own on a project: they had to come up with the planning and organization of the next big event, the National Day Ball. They had to figure out on their own what needed to be done, the music, the decorations, and they had to present some kind of moodboard to explain their project. The three best projects in Nevaeh's opinion would be put to a vote, and the best one would be the one done in real life. The winner would be the one to manage the whole event.

It had been Sydney's idea to have them do something like this, which would considerably lighten the load off Nevaeh's shoulders. Of course, she was also doing her own check-list of what the projects needed to have, so she could check that everything was thought through.

Nevaeh was lost in her thoughts, miles away from the selection and the next ball, doodling flowers on her papers. She hadn't done that since high school, to be honest. And when her phone buzzed on the table next to her, she came back to the present and quickly hid her doodles under a pile of papers.

"Times up, ladies," she said, standing up. "Time for lunch. But before you go," she added, "there is an announcement I'd like to make."

Nevaeh waited for the girls to settle down – some of them had already gathered their things and were ready to leave the 'classroom'.

"Right, as you may know, today is Ashia's birthday and–"

"Yay! Happy birthday, Ash!" Jenissa said, turning around on her chair.

Some other girls congratulated her and again, Nevaeh waited for everyone to calm down.

"As I was saying, it's Ashia's birthday – a very happy birthday to you," she said directly to the dark-skinned Selected, "so we will be doing something special for your birthday this afternoon." She paused, for effect. "There will be a spa afternoon for everyone. Unless you really don't want to, then you don't have to come." She surveyed the girls who were all nodding and already whispering to each other. "There will also be a few masseuses that will come, as well as a couple of beauticians with a waxing table... The last time was a month and a half ago, so if you need a second waxing, you can do it, as well as manicures."

"Wow," Ashia said. "This all sounds really amazing!"

Nevaeh smiled. "And, just for you this evening, a special dinner with the prince – or princes – of your choice."

Ashia beamed at the news and Nevaeh was just happy that the birthday girl was happy.

"Alright! Lunch, and then the spa. Shall we?" She indicated the door and the girls filed out, talking animatedly to one another about the spa prospects.

-o-0-o-

Nevaeh had privatized the small ballroom for the spa afternoon, transforming the magnificent room into a beauty and spa salon, with a massage table here, manicure spots there, a DIY-masks table over there, and waxing cubicles over here. There was soft music coming from the corner, and all the curtains had been drawn shut, creating a cozy atmosphere. There was also incense burning on tables, which helped with the relaxation.

Ashia was the first one to step into the room and the grin on her face and the wonder in her eyes told Nevaeh all she needed to know: Ashia had never had a spa day and this was the perfect gift for her – and the other girls, too. Everyone needed some me-time, and this was perfect. Even Nevaeh needed it.

The only person invited into the room was Sydney; Jesse, Otis, and the three brothers would be kicked out by the guards Nevaeh had posted in front of the doors. She counted the girls as they came in and noticed three were missing: Ana, Ivy, and Evangeline. Ana, she could maybe understand because she didn't seem like the kind of girl to like spa days – or maybe she was just spending the afternoon with Timothy Parker, who knows? But the others? It was surprising…

She watched as the girls paired up or did groups of three or more to go to the different stations around the room. She knew she would go to all of them, but the waxing and her manicure were her priorities number one and two. And since no one seemed to be going to the waxing cubicles, she showed the way. A few minutes later, another selected joined her in the cubicle just next to her.

"Who is it?" Nevaeh asked.

"Gail," came the reply from behind the crème-colored curtain. "I didn't want to be the first to go."

"I figured," Nevaeh said. After that, both were silent, trying not to scream as the ladies waxed them. Nevaeh got a full wax, and felt oh, so much better after that: she just loved the feeling of her smooth legs rubbing against each other, and she couldn't wait to slip in her bed, later that evening. Because yes, that was the best feeling in the world, okay?

From the waxing bed, Nevaeh could hear soft chatter and giggles over the music, and she knew that days like these, without boys, did great for one's mind and self-confidence. She had been craving a spa-day ever since the beginning of the Selection, and she was glad that she had finally found an occasion for it.

In the middle of the afternoon, around 4 p.m., maids brought in tea, fresh juices, cupcakes, macarons, and many other small foods. Of course, Nevaeh went directly to the chocolate-covered strawberries.

"Those are my favorite, too," Odessa said, sitting next to Nevaeh on the couch. "I could eat only these for days, I would never tire of them."

The blonde Duchess chuckled. "Same. These are divine." She took another one. "But they're much better if the strawberries come from France."

"Of course," Odessa said. "I don't doubt that one second." She finished the one she was eating and took another one. "But I think these are from here."

"Probably." Nevaeh knew the Chef took great care in choosing 'local' food unless it was something that couldn't be grown in Illéa.

"So, how many dates have you been on?" Nevaeh asked the New Asian girl as they nibbled on the strawberries.

"Two," she said. "I think I'm the last one Valer– I mean, Prince Valerian still has to go on a date with."

"Oh. Nice."

Odessa chuckled. "Yeah, I was flattered when I found my name on all three lists," she replied. "Though two lists would have been fine with me. Or just one."

"Can I ask you something?" Nevaeh said, turning her body towards the brunette girl, focusing her attention on her.

"Yes, of course."

"I've noticed that sometimes you have brown eyes and sometimes grey eyes." She paused, waiting for the girl to answer.

Odessa tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "They are naturally brown, but I've been wearing grey contacts ever since I moved to Yukon."

"Oh. Why?"

Odessa shrugged. "I thought it would be easier to go unnoticed…" She took another strawberry – by then both had stopped counting how many they had eaten – and popped it into her mouth.

Nevaeh raised an eyebrow. "A New-Asian with grey eyes? that's not very common…"

"No." She paused, debating if she should be telling Nevaeh this, and then decided to just go ahead since she had already talked about it with Silas, anyway. "I left Waverly without telling my parents where I was going, so I didn't want people to find me if they were looking for me," she said. "I had also died my hair a light brown, but now it's back to its original color." She paused again and pulled a strand over her face. "I do dye them black, though…"

"Why would you dye them black if they're already black?" Nevaeh asked. She had never done any coloring to her hair because she liked it just as it was, so she never understood what all this thing about dying one's hair. Especially if it was the same color.

"I have white hairs, actually," Odessa said a little shyly.

Nevaeh smiled. "But white hair is beautiful!"

"It is on your grandmother or on Val, but not on me."

"At least you'd have matching hair with Val," Nevaeh said, teasing her. "He'd be so jealous if you had natural white hair, though."

Odessa then laughed. "It's only a few hairs, my hair is not all white, thank goodness."

Leigh, Ximena, and Laelia joined them around the food and sat around the table, too. "Good afternoon, ladies," Nevaeh said. "Are you enjoying the spa?" She showed the whole room with her arm.

"Oh, yeah," Ximena said, grinning. "I just got a red rose-themed manicure. Look!" She held out her hand for Nevaeh to see. Her nails were red, except the middle and ring finger: they were a nude color with red glittery roses and small dark green leaves.

"That's very pretty," Nevaeh said. "Just– Don't show this to Jesse. He's going to fanboy over them."

Leigh laughed. "Let's have him fanboy over our nails, then," she added. "I did red-rose-colored nails, too." Leigh wiggled her nails in front of Nevaeh, who just chuckled.

"These two, I swear," Laelia said, shaking her head. "I almost want to base my next book on their fight for the Prince."

"Will there be blood?" Ximena asked, leaning forward.

"And gore?" Leigh added.

"And a murder," Laelia concluded. "I just have to figure out who murdered who."

Ximena and Leigh burst out laughing. "Honestly, I'm pre-ordering your book," Ximena said. "Because this is going to be the best-selling book of all time. You're going to be rich."

"Imagine if they make a movie out of it," Leigh said. "I wonder who'd they cast for me, though?"

Nevaeh had no idea what was going on, and she and Odessa shared a look. "Wait. You two are really cool about this whole thing?" she asked. "Like, if Silas chooses one of you, the other is okay with it?"

Ximena and Leigh shared a look. "Maybe?" Leigh said. "I don't know. I think we've just been joking about the whole thing and avoiding being really serious about it, you know?"

Ximena didn't say anything and just looked at her new rose nails. Clearly, she had quite a head-start on Leigh, having already kissed the Prince and all. And from what Nevaeh knew about the woman, she always liked to support others and spread positivity. Her not saying anything told Nevaeh that this was hard for her to do: compete with her friend when she knew she had the advantage. Did she, though? Silas had also seemed to like Leigh a lot…

"Who wants some Champagne?" Nevaeh asked to lighten the mood that had suddenly become very heavy.

"Yes, please," Laelia said, grabbing the glass Nevaeh was offering.

"Seriously, though," Nevaeh said. "You two really need to talk this out."

"Oh, so it's between just these two?" Odessa asked, pointing at the two friends. "Aren't there more girls on Silas' list?"

"Yes, but–"

"Ooh, cake!" Laelia said when they heard a commotion coming from the door: two maids were walking in with a huge purple cake that looked like a marble gem that was cracked open. On it was a bunch of candles – Nevaeh didn't count them – and Ashia was beaming from her manicure table. The maid put the cake right next to Ashia and Jenissa started singing Happy Birthday, and everyone joined. Ashia blew the candles, leaving three burning.

"Oooh! That means you love three people!" Brandy said, wiggling her eyebrows. Everyone laughed and Ashia's cheeks darkened.

"Speaking of which," Nevaeh said, "who would you like to have dinner with, this evening?" She walked over to the birthday girl who was still having her manicure done. "It can be, one, or two, or all three!"

"I'd like to have dinner with all three if that's okay?" she said. "It's a once in a lifetime thing, I guess... if I don't win."

-o-0-o-

This was a first in the Selection, and Nevaeh knew that Jesse was all about firsts. The first dates, the first one-night-stand for Nathan, the first kiss for Silas, the first one-on-one date for Valerian. And now the first dinner for one selected with all three Princes.

Frankly, Nevaeh wouldn't have thought Ashia would have asked for all three Princes. But she had to admit that the girl was right: it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, especially since she was not on all three lists.

Some of the girls had gathered around Ashia in her room before dinner to help her get ready for her birthday dinner. She had even asked the Fashion Queen herself for some advice and Ximena had happily agreed.

After doing her hair and her makeup and choosing her outfit, Ashia was ready. Sydney had even wiggled herself into the room for some first glance of the selected, and for some photos – of course.

"Wow, Ashia," Nevaeh said when the girl walked down the stairs. She was wearing a floor-length pastel yellow flowy skirt with a matched color lace off-the-shoulder top with three-quarter sleeves, leaving a few inches of her tight stomach visible. Her dark skin stood out beautifully with the pale color of the dress, and her hair had been styled in an intricate bun at the back of her head. "Silas is going to be mad he didn't put you on his list," she said with a wink. "The three boys are waiting for you inside, as well as Jesse."

Ashia took a deep breath. "I'm so nervous." She tried to tuck some hair behind her hair before she remembered that they were all tucked securely into the bun.

"Hey, it's going to be okay," Nevaeh said softly, with a hand on the girl's arm. "They don't bite, and you already know them." She paused and offered her a warm smile. "You were brave enough to ask for all of them, tonight, so you're brave enough to go through with this."

Ashia nodded, but she fiddled with the smooth fabric of her skirt. "I think I'm ready." A bright smile spread across her face and she nodded again.

"Alright," Nevaeh said. "Here we go." She knocked on the door to the small dining room the royal family normally used for private dinners and two footmen opened the doors from within.

Inside, the three brothers were standing shoulder to shoulder, all wearing tuxedos in their own style – Silas' was totally classic, Nathan's was nicely fitted to his frame, and Valerian's was harboring a pale pink bow tie – with each their rose as a boutonniere on their chest.

"Happy birthday, Ashia!" Valerian said. He stepped forward and hugged her.

"Thank you!" she squealed under Val's tight embrace.

"A very happy birthday to you, Milady," Nathan said, kissing the back of her hand. Ashia blushed furiously at that and Jesse caught everything with his camera, flashing away, while Otis filmed from one side of the room and Sydney from the other.

"Happy Birthday, Ashia," Silas said, offering her a bouquet made of red, orange, and pink roses with splashes of baby's breath and eucalyptus – made by the palace florist and decorator himself.

Ashia took the huge bouquet in her arms and beamed at them. "Thank you so much! It's so beautiful!"

A maid offered to put the bouquet in a vase and to bring it to her room – which she accepted – considering the center of the table was adorned with similar floral decorations. Valerian offered her a seat by pulling out her chair and expertly pushing it under her as she sat.

Now it was time for Nevaeh to walk away and join the others for dinner.

A footman filled in glasses of Clairette de Die and Nathan lifted his flute.

"Let's toast to your birthday, Ashia," he said. "And may this year be even more amazing than it already is! Happy Birthday!"

Valerian and Silas echoed the toast and they all sipped on the bubbly drink.

Ashia was feeling nervous to be surrounded by all three Princes. She wasn't scared, but being alone with such a royal company felt... a little dizzying. Or maybe it was the Clairette. Either way, she felt like a Disney Princess and she liked it. Though she was wearing a yellow dress and could have been Belle, she felt more like Cinderella: she feared that this was all too good to be true and that everything would just disappear with a POOF at midnight. Or somewhere down the line.

Because to be honest, she hadn't really come to the selection to find love, per se. Well, yes, to some extent, because this was a competition for love, right? But she was looking for other things as well: self-confidence, self-love, and maybe just something else and new. Friends, maybe?

"Hey, are you alright?" Valerian asked, leaning over.

Ashia looked up to his soft blue eyes that were full of concern. "Yes! Yes," she repeated a little less loudly. "I was just thinking." She chuckled nervously and sipped some more wine before putting it down. It was starting to get to her head already. Damn those bubbles.

"So, Ashia," Nathan said. "How's royal life going for you?" He winked at her, clearly flirting even in front of his brothers. But it was just Nate being Nate so no one said anything.

"Pretty well," she said carefully. "It's the complete opposite of my life back in Honduragua, but I could get used to it, I guess." She didn't want to push her luck too much. She could be gone in the next elimination.

"How so?" Nathan asked. He had never lived another life than palace life – throw in there hotels, parties, sex, and fangirls, and that was his life in a nutshell.

"I live on a farm," she said. "We live off the earth and according to the tides of the ocean." She paused. "It's just me and my mom, and that's it."

"What kind of farm?" Silas asked. "Cattle?

"Mangos."

Nathan burst out laughing. "Mama mangos with baby mangos? Do you milk mangos?" He sniggered at the thought.

Valerian facepalmed and sighed.

"Do excuse him," Silas said. "He's quite ignorant of what happens outside of his personal life." He stared at Nathan who was still chuckling at his own jokes.

"It's okay," Ashia said. "People have a very definite image of what farming is." She paused, letting the footman serve her a plate. "But no, mangos are not like kiwis: you don't need female and male trees to produce the fruit."

"Is that plant sex? With the bees and all?" Nathan asked. He sniggered some more. "I'm sorry, it was just too easy."

Ashia didn't know if she wanted to laugh or cry and she wasn't sure her idea to have a triple date with all of the Princes was a good idea after all...

"Please don't mind him," Valerian said, seeing the girl's discomfort. "Nate, if you can't hold yourself, just leave. Please."

"No, I'm sorry," he said, straightening up on his chair. "I'll stop."

They ate in silence the first dish, their cutlery clinging on the china.

"You said it was just you and your mom," Nathan said to strike up the conversation. "What about your dad?"

"Oh," Ashia said, surprised he had actually listened to what she had said earlier. "Uhm, I was adopted, actually. I never had a dad..."

"Oh." This time it was Nathan's turn to be surprised. "I didn't know that. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry," Ashia said. "It's always been me and my mom and that's all there is to my story." She offered them a confident smile, hoping they wouldn't pry any further. Not that she had things to hide, but she just didn't want to expose her whole life in front of Jesse who was still hovering around them. By now, she knew how he loved any information he could get about the girls.

They talked some more and Ashia asked them questions so they wouldn't ask her anything. If she was going to talk to them, it was not with Nathan. Silas if she really had to, but Valerian was her favorite. If they were allowed to have favorite girls, she could too, right?
She asked Nathan how many provinces he had been to and it turned out he had had one night stands in every single Province, more than once. That was way more information that Ashia or his brothers wanted, but that's what they got.

She asked Silas how long he'd been playing the piano, and he told her he had picked it up around nine years old. He had started alone in secret for a year or two, and then his father had found out about it and found a teacher. He had sent his teacher away when he turned eighteen, saying that he knew enough to be able to improve on his own. He always refused to play in front of people. At least until Jenissa pushed him, which he was grateful for…

Then she asked Valerian why he had chosen environmental-related studies, and he said that he wanted to give his kids – and the next generation – a better world. Ashia thought that was the softest thing ever and she couldn't stop looking at the silver-haired prince who was her total opposite, physically-wise. Where she was dark-skinned with dark brown hair, he had clear skin and silver hair. Where she was short, he was tall. Where she had frizzy hair, his were smooth and straight. But people said opposites attracted, right?

After dinner, Valerian saved his brothers from any further obligation by suggesting they go take a digestive walk in the gardens, which Ashia quickly accepted. As much as she had had fun getting to know the other two a little better – especially Silas since she wasn't even on his list – she was glad to have a moment alone with Valerian.

"What do you usually do for your birthday with you mom?" he asked her as they walked down the gravel path through his grandmother's rose garden.

Ashia smiled, fond memories coming back to her. "We usually spend the day away from the farm. We go down to the beach, spend the day swimming, playing with rackets, and just going over the past year." She chuckled softly. "Then my mom makes me answers this list of questions. Every year, they're the same, but she thinks it'll be fun to read through them when I'm 25. Or something like that."

Valerian laughed. "That's actually genius," he said. "I bet your answers changed a lot since when you were a little girl, right?"

"Probably," Ashia replied, slipping her arm into Valerian's. "Mom has been keeping every year's list of questions and answers hidden away in a box under key." She paused. "I guess we'll find out how different they changed over the years in a few years."

"Have you gone through the questions, this year?"

"Not yet, no." She stopped near one of the pink rose bushes to smell the flowers. "My mom sent me the list just yesterday, and I have to send it back to her once I've completed them. She doesn't want to skip a year just because I'm in the Selection."

"That's nice of her," he said. "I'm sure she misses you a lot…"

"Yeah…" Ashia sighed. "We haven't been apart like this ever since she adopted me, to be honest." She paused. "Are the parents going to come here, at some point?"

Valerian frowned. "I haven't even thought of that," he said. "I'll have to ask mom or Nevaeh if we can have a family weekend or something." He ran a hand through his silver strand of hair that had fallen into his face, pushing it back again. "Or at least when we have our Elites… I don't know. I need to talk about it with them."

Ashia nodded. "That would be nice. I'm sure others are also missing their families…"

They continued walking together until they had circled around the gardens and they found themselves back on the steps where they bid each other goodnight. Valerian went directly to find his mother to talk about the families visiting, while Ashia went to her room.

Dyani, Malia, Eve, and Phoebe were waiting for her in their pajamas, surprising her with a girl sleep-over in her room for her Birthday. They talked late into the night, giggled about three particular boys, and were just being silly and happy, and all fell asleep with smiles on their faces.


Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed this shorter chapter! ;) what did you think of Ashia's birthday and of her asking to dine with the three princes?

also, as Nevaeh mentioned (at the beginning of the chapter), each girl will have to present a project and a moodboard for the 'National Day' Ball… if you want to participate in this, you are very welcome to do so! I mean, I'm not going to ask everyone to make something, but if you want to, you can ;)

If you want to participate, please send me (either through PMs here, through Pinterest, or through Discord DMs) a short text describing your OC's idea (theme, music, food, color, etc…) and a small moodboard of the project, and please let me know if your OC would be a good organizer/leader or if it would be a big mess... haha. If no one sends me anything, I'll just do something myself, don't worry! I just wanted to let you into the story some more, if you wanted.

For those who have access to Instagram, I've added a "Fanart" section in my stories! I'll also post them on Pinterest (on the "memes . fanart" section)! Thanks, Wondy for drawing them, and Logan for coloring one of them ;) don't hesitate to send me your fanart of the characters ;) it's always fun to see them! and I'll share them in IG or Pinterest...

anyway… I'll see you next chapter, next week! byeeee