Here are links to Jackie's dresses in this chapter.

"Opening Scene" dress: .co/products/amethystgown

"Selected Arrival" dress: .co/collections/vintage-couture/products/midnightblk

In the blink of an eye, this past week flew by and we were suddenly in the stage of final preparations for the arrival of the Selected. On Tuesday night, Silvia, Mom, and I enjoyed some wine over plans for when we were down to the Elite. Even though I didn't vocalize anything, I thought that they were thinking way ahead of the curveball.

Maxon had been a wreck for this past week. All I can say is... Poor baby! However, I can't blame him. I was in the same position as he was six years ago. Well, after the initial anger against my father fizzled out. Speaking of Dad, he's been in one of the best moods I've ever seen from him. It didn't happen when Mom walked into the room, it was constant.

"Jackie, are we ready for one of our last family meals as a family of five?" Connor asked while straightening his tie.

I finished fastening the silver version of my star necklace around my neck. "Just got to apply my lip gloss!"

"It's going to go to waste anyway, I've heard that we're having casserole!"

He was right; it was better to skip the lip products all together. I stood up and pushed back my chair and admired the dress that my maids and seamstresses had designed. Even when I gave them the simplest of designs, they managed to create a masterpiece. The fact that the three of them were expert stylists really helped.

The outfit for tonight's dinner was a floor-length amethyst purple gown. The neckline was strapless and fitted to my torso, but spilled out around the waist. The base of it was made of satin and was covered with a layer of lace in the same shade. Shiny beads and tiny faux gemstones added another dimension to the gown and allowed for it to catch the lights nicely. Simple silver strappy heels were my shoes and other than my necklace, the outfit was accessorized with a headband made from pearls and diamonds. Lily had done nothing to my hair, just curled it slightly.

"Ladies," Connor entered the bathroom. "You've done a splendid job. She looks more stunning than she did before, and she was gorgeous before." They blushed and murmured their thanks.

"Nice save." I winked at him as he led me to the staircase at the end of the hall. "Who's watching Céline?"

"Gretchen. Can't believe she's still full from that apple you gave her. Thought she'd be hungry by now."

"She's a good little eater, Connor. I'll give her a little milk before bed though." He nodded.

In all honesty, I was glad that Céline was still full from her mid-afternoon snack. I had a feeling that tonight's conversation would be incredibly important for tomorrow, and to entertain a baby and listen to Dad's vital speech at our last meal together as just us would be difficult.

The walk to the Dining Room seemed longer than it was at breakfast. It had nothing to deal with hallway clutter or our pace, time was just standing still. If only it had stopped years ago, I wasn't looking forward to sharing Maxon with any woman but Mom or Céline. They won't steal him from you, stop being unreasonable!

When we arrived at the door that opened to the Dining Room, Connor turned to me and wrapped an arm around my waist.

"Ready for one of the last quiet meals for a while?"

"Let's do it." I nodded.

If you asked me to recall this morning, I could only describe it as a blur. I was pulled out of bed twenty minutes early and rushed down to breakfast in my nightgown of all things where I somehow managed to feed myself and Céline. I wasn't the only one who arrived like this. Mom did too and she somehow managed to look flawless.

After eating, Mom and I were promptly rushed back upstairs where Esme and Beth put me into today's dress; a black form-fitting mermaid gown with long sleeves and a plunging neckline that stopped just above my belly-button. The sleeves were made of mesh and decorated with sequins, as was the entire gown with the exception of two satin panels placed on both sides of my waist. They pulled my hair back into an intentionally messy low bun and managed to weave a crown-like silver headband on my head. My shoes matched the headband and my makeup was kept simple in order to let the dress shine.

My maids and I couldn't get the image of Mom's expression when she saw the final look all together. We instantly knew it was because of the dress which was a stark contrast to her romantic white lace gown.

"There you are, Your Highness!" Silvia approached me as I was making my way to the Women's Room. "Interesting choice of a dress…"

"Thank you." I could see the disapproval in her eyes as I crossed my arms over my chest. "How are things this morning?"

"Hectic?" She offered, laughing.

"I can see..." My eyes began to wander around the hallway. "How many Selected are here as of right now?"

"Lady Janelle, Lady Kayleigh, Lady Olivia, Lady Samantha, Lady Elizabeth, and Lady Fiona are very close to arriving with he ladies Janelle, Kayleigh, and Olivia are slightly closer though."

They three of them must've been grouped together. Zumi, Sumner and Likely are really not that far from here. "Would you like for me to welcome them when they arrive?"

"No, Your Highness. But if you could make a "surprise" cameo when I give the tour, that would be much appreciated. While technically they're not supposed to meet you until tomorrow, they need to at least see one of you. You know- get a glimpse into what they're competing for."

They're competing for Maxon's heart, not the crown, Silvia. "I'm expected in a meeting at that time, but I could at least say a friendly hello."

"A friendly hello is all I need."

I nodded. "Now if you'll excuse me, my father wanted to see me." She nodded and went back to check on something.

As I floated down the hallway, Silvia's words echoed in my mind over and over. "You know- get a glimpse into what they're competing for." What did that mean? Did she think that this competition was nothing but a way to find the new princess? While that element did come with winning, the true prize was the seat next to Maxon on the throne. Being the one that would replace me...

I approached Dad's office door, trying stay out of the way of the hustle-and-bustle of the various makeup artists and hairstylists. It was a miracle that I managed to even maneuver over to where I needed to be without being completely pummeled.

"You asked to see me, Sir?" Dad held up his finger to silence me. He was on the phone for another ten minutes before he finally circled back as to why he needed to see me.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Great start... His face was angered.

"A dress?" I replied coolly.

"With that thing?" He pointed to the neckline. While it was deep, it really didn't reveal all that much. Just a silver of cleavage, it wasn't a big deal. "That is not a dress, Jacqueline."

"Dad, might I remind you that the girls aren't here for me; they're here for Maxon." I put the hand that had my wedding band on it on my shoulder to make my point clearer.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Well anyway, enough about that. How are you going to interact with the girls?" My brow raised.

"Your mother and I had a conversation last night. She told me everything." I straightened my posture and made my expression more stone-like. "There's no reason to be overprotective of him, Jacqueline. He needs to figure it out on his own."

"But Dad, Maxon is as clueless with girls as he can be. He's never dated before!"

"Neither had you six years ago, but you seemed fine!"

"Because I watched all those romantic-comedies with Mom! I knew what and what not to do." I crossed my arms over my chest "It also helped that she had some really good advice."

"She is an intelligent woman. As I was saying; I'm worried about you influencing his decision."

"Dad, I plan on not even indicating my preferences for the girls. If he catches on over time, that's on him and not on me. I'm pretty sure that he will." I sighed and stared out the window behind him. "Your parents had their favorites, right?"

"They did." He nodded.

"And we'll each have our own. How's Mom going to handle not influencing him?"

"Your mother won't even interact with them unless she needs to."

I saw her logic behind that. My mother wore her heart on her sleeve and rarely had something bad to say about someone, so if she happened to grow close to one of them and she got sent home... Mom wouldn't be able to bear it. It would be like... I looked at Dad, and judging by his face, he seemed to have the same thoughts. I began to turn on the heels of my shoes and walk out, when he stopped me.

"Now do you have the paperwork I requested?"

"It will be done by three today." I replied.

"Now that's a good girl." He replied.

I walked out office calmly in order to disguise the flames of my mood. How dare he think that I would influence my decisions? Sure; I would have my favorites, but it's not like I would go up and say "I really like Lady…" I was going to go talk to Silvia, but she wasn't where I left her.

She's in the Women's Room… I miraculously managed to duck into the Women's Room before the next group of girls arrived.

The smell of hairspray, vanilla lotion and nail polish flooded my nostrils and the clambering of feet covered in different types of shoes filled my ears. I hope that the current smell in this room would go away, because I never wanted to have the luxury of smelling it again.

I continued surveying the room. It had been probably fifteen minutes since I'd talked to Silvia, but there definitely were more than the seven aforementioned girls here, probably closer to seventeen or eighteen. Various artists clambered around the girls who were already here.

"Excuse me," A beautiful girl with dark brown hair and honey-golden eyes asked. "Do you happen to know where station fifteen is?"My eyes briefly darted over to see what flower was in her hair; a pacific dogwood. I was talking to Lady Kriss Ambers of Columbia.

Unfortunately, that gave her enough time to see who I was. Damn my eyes for being so recognizable! "Oh- I didn't realize that... I'm so sorry, Your Highness!"

"It fine." I replied, my lips curling into a smile as my mind began to draw up the seating chart Silvia had created in my head. Station fifteen… It's adjacent to thirteen and diagonal from seventeen. But which row is it in?

"It's in the third row. I can show you if you'd like."

"Oh, no, that's fine." She smiled. "Thank you, Your Highness."

Lady Kriss walked away and quickly found where she was supposed to go. Unbeknownst to her but not me, she had just broken a rule by speaking to the princess of Illéa before the designated time. After all, I wasn't supposed to meet them until later when Silvia was giving the tour. In my mind, this didn't count as an official meeting. But this did tell me something; the competition for Maxon's heart would be fierce. Many hearts would be crushed over these grueling months.

The arrival of the next group of girls made things chaotic again, so I slipped out through the back door and walked away for the time being.

~~~~...~~~~

The only thing that was brought up during them meeting was a small and what-seemed-to-be Northern-orchestrated rebel attack in Hudson. I wanted to raise the question of what if both sides would come and try to attack us, but knew that they would come regardless of occasion. They wanted us dead- or at least the Southerners did. Miraculously, I managed to get out of it early and to where Silvia wanted me to be during the tour.

While waiting for them, I stared at the portraits on the wall. All of them were of political leaders from when Illéa was still "America". I stared at the hardness in their eyes, wondering what kind of man lay underneath the mask. They couldn't be strict and uptight men all the time. Most had families or other hobbies that allowed them to unwind and take their mind off of things. When we were young and free, Maxon and I often imagined what their hobbies were. According to him, President Wallis played the clarinet. How the hell he came up with that is lost on me.

I walked down the hall a little more and stopped in front of the portrait of my grandmother, Abigail Schreave. Both of my parents spoke very little about her, and when they did, they were not very polite. I saw some resemblances between her and Dad, the main being the blonde hair, but not many. Both of my parents said that I took on a lot of her, like her politically ambitious nature and eyes. My eyes were a bright, bold, almost-electric ocean blue with tiny hints of green and gold. Sometimes Aunt Adele compared them to the seas off the coast of Honduragua.

After a while, Silvia's voice began to float through the hallway and was accompanied by thirty-five pairs of stilettos clicking on the marble flooring.

"You are not to go outside under any circumstances. During the day, there will be times when you can go into the garden, but not without permission. This is merely a safety restriction. Try as we may, rebels have gotten within the grounds before." She rounded the corner a moment later. Right on schedule, as always…

"And here we have- Your Highness! I didn't know that you were here!" She tried to sound surprised.

"Hello, Silvia." I replied in a smooth, elegant tone. "Hello Ladies." Some curtised or bowed while others waved awkwardly. Silvia cleared her throat and continued.

"Your things are already in your rooms. If the decor is unsuitable, just tell your maids. You each have three, and they are already in your rooms, too. They will help with any unpacking you might have and will help you get dressed for dinner." I saw that a few of them nodded.

"Before dinner tonight, you will meet in the Women's Room for a special screening of the Illéa Capital Report. Next week, you'll all be on the show yourselves! Tonight you'll get to see some of the footage they've taken of you leaving your homes and arriving here. It promises to be very special. You should know that Prince Maxon hasn't seen anything yet today. He'll see what all of Illéa will see tonight, and then you will officially meet him tomorrow. You also weren't supposed to meet Princess Jacqueline until tomorrow, but fate had other plans."

"Wrong place, wrong time I guess!" I shrugged.

Silvia chucked and turned to address the girls. "You girls will all be having dinner as a group, so you will be able to meet one another, and then, tomorrow, the games begin!" She turned around to escort the girls up to their rooms.

"Have you met any of the girls?" Dad addressed me as I began cutting my food.

"I-"

"I was talking to your sister."

"I talked to Lady Kriss earlier." Maxon's brows furrowed as he tried to remember which lady I was talking about. "The brunette from Columbia. She has professors for parents."

"Ah! Continue."

"Then while Silvia was giving the tour, she wanted me to make a cameo."

"I thought that I heard you talking to her." I nodded.

Thankfully, other than the excitement this morning, the rest of the day turned out to be quite uneventful. I took a bit of salad and a sip of white wine. After setting down my glass, Connor and I made eye-contact from our positions at the table. Our eyes asked the same question; should Céline come down for breakfast tomorrow?

My eyes darted back to my mother, who instantly caught onto us. "What are you two thinking?"

"Dad, we were just wondering if it would be a wise decision to bring Céline down to breakfast tomorrow."

"Oh! Why do you ask?"

"We're concerned about the... mess..." Connor chose his words carefully. "It's one thing for her to make a mess on one of us and herself when it's just family around, but with thirty-five strangers..." I sighed and shook my head.

"Maybe feed her while Maxon's meeting the ladies and then eat with her on your lap. I've seen you do it; quite impressive I must say. I want you to bring Céline to not only have them meet the full royal family, but to also give the ladies a glimpse into what their future will be like."

"Which will be?"

"Your mother's job; organizing political dinners, hosting foreign guests and most importantly; carrying and bearing the heir."

~~~~...~~~~

"Why the hell does he think that all women are good for is bearing children?" I asked my husband while Beth helped me take my hair down. Connor just shrugged.

I turned around in my chair and fluffed out my hair after Beth removed the last pin. "Not all women want children! Sure; a good majority of them have them, but how many of them didn't want them in the first place?" He held up a hand to speak. "And when they do have a child, that child is always referred to as the woman's. In this case, it will be Maxon's heir. Yes; he will be the father and half of the child's genetics will come from him, but do keep in mind that the woman carries the child for nine months!"

"She's feeling a little ranty tonight..." One of Connor's maids whispered to him as she took his suit jacket.

"Clearly."

"Sorry," I began removing my jewelry. "Dad's really been pissing me off lately."

"When has he not pissed you off is the real question." He pondered while laying Céline down in her crib by our bed.

"There was a time that he wasn't a complete ass..." I sighed, getting lost in the memories. "Like when Mom was pregnant with Maxon."

"Things have been really stressful for him lately, Jack. The rebel attacks have amped up to being on a near-daily schedule, the Selection is officially starting tomorrow. I'm not even going to start with the pollution problem in the South!"

I started brushing out my long dark hair. "I'm trying to get that fixed. My team and I- we've made small changes, which has led to progress. Not as much as we would like, but progress is progress I guess…"

"All of you are doing your best, Honey." He loosened his tie in the mirror behind me. "I just wish I could do more to help you."

"We've got trained professionals left and right. We'll be fine Connor. We've got plans for the future, for when Maxon ascends and Dad dies and for-" I sighed. For the very small chance that I become queen.

Connor nodded but thankfully didn't push subject any further. "I'm going to go shower now. I love you." He kissed the back of my head and rubbed my shoulder.

"Love you too." I murmured back.

The next morning, we were awoken abruptly not by a disturbance, but by one of our maids knocking my hairbrush off the vanity and the rattling of the other pulling back the weighted brocaded curtains.

"What…?" Connor and I groaned. He sat up and reached for his glasses on the bedside table and put them on. I managed to roll over and clear the blurriness out of my vision.

"So sorry Miss Jackie and Mister Connor," Beth said once our brains began to register what happened. "Lily-"

"It's fine…" I turned to Céline, who was miraculously still asleep. I looked at the clock on the wall adjacent to my side of the bed. It read six forty-five; twenty minutes before breakfast. I looked at Connor once more.

"Welp, I'm up. You?"

"Same. Do you need me to fetch Céline's formula, or are you going to feed her by…" His eyes traveled down to my chest.

"Formula." I yawned. "She's been a little resistant to the boob lately. She might be getting too old to nurse." I flipped the covers off of my body and walked over to my vanity in a haze.

"She'll probably alternate between boob and formula- or that's at least what Gretchen says." Connor began combing his hair.

"Mom and the doctor said that's a possibility and that there's nothing wrong with it. Maxon was terrible with solid foods at first." I smiled at the memory of him throwing peas in my face. Thankfully Mom had managed to catch that on camera and it would live on forever.

"Besides Maxon; isn't he going to be meeting his ladies today?" Connor's maids handed him a freshly-pressed suit-set, shirt and tie.

"He is, but Dad still expects us to be down at breakfast at our usual time. We'll start eating when they arrive."

"Ah."

How is he going to remember thirty-five names? I thought while Esme began pinning up half my hair into an up-do. He sometimes forgets my name, and I've lived with him since day one! Mom says that they'll have pins, right? Can't believe she still has hers...

"Jack, Céline and I will meet you in the dining room, okay?"

"You're already ready?" I turned to him and he was bouncing our daughter on his hip. "We haven't even started on my hair!"

"Again; we'll meet you down there. I love you." He teased.

"It's not fair..." I grumbled underneath my breath. "Love you too!"

~~~~...~~~~

Compared to last night, the set up of the Dining Room was significantly different. Gone was the antique seven-foot long table that allowed for some elbow room in between all of us and the five lonely chairs and Céline's highchair. They were replaced by a stiff looking 'U' shape that had forty places. Nothing about our seating had changed; was at the head with Mom at his right and Maxon at his left. I was placed on Mom's right and Connor on Maxon's left.

Another new addition were the camera crews were setting up in order to film our first meeting. Other than the reason that they were filming our first meeting, why were they here? Couldn't we get the necessary shots and move on?

"'Morning Mom." I greeted her with a hug from behind.

"Good morning Jackie." She replied, touching my hand. "You've got a hungry one today. She's been pulling at my dress, trying to get breakfast." She laughed.

"We've been telling her that your mom lacks the necessary parts for that, but she doesn't listen." Connor added. I rolled my eyes at their antics.

"Why does she want yours more than mine?" I took my place next to my mother and pulled the bottle from out from behind my back.

"Hand her over." From the look on my mother's face, neither of them were going to budge. I sighed and reluctantly handed her the bottle.

Ever since I had given birth to Céline, all she wanted was either Connor, Gretchen or Mom. Well, she technically wanted any of her relatives, but Dad and Maxon weren't always available and Connor's family lived all the way in Waverly. I knew that she held nothing against me- according to Mom I wanted to be near my father more than her when I was a baby.

"Why does she like you so much? I'm the one who birthed her!"

"You were the same way with your father..." My mother sighed. "I guess this is my way of enacting revenge." A mischievous, youthful grin crept onto her lips. Céline finished in a little under five minutes.

"Wow. That was fast."

"The doctor said that the older she got, the less formula she would need. I only put three-quarters in that bottle."

After a little while, my mother finally handed me back my daughter, who was now nestling in between my breasts. One of her fists was clenched around the chain of my necklace and her feet were digging into my stomach. Her hard head was pressed up to be directly under my chin. It was uncomfortable, but I didn't want to disturb her by shifting.

"So…" Connor broke the silence. ""I wonder how Max is doing with the girls?"

"I was wondering the same thing. Let's hope that he remembers all their names."

"They're probably wearing pins." Mom placed her hand on the lower part of my arm. "We wore pins on the tops of our dresses for five days in order for the palace staff to remember our names."

I nodded. "How many were eliminated this early on in your Selection?"

"A few." She leaned back into her chair and fiddled with a piece of her skirt. "Probably three or four; not that many."

"Why would he eliminate someone this early on?" Connor asked. "Shouldn't he get to know them more?"

"Sometimes the first impression is all you need in order to really know someone. Like with you; from the first moment we met, I knew that you were going to be a pain in the ass!"

"Hey!" Mom did her best to stifle a laugh.

"She is right," Dad's booming voice entered. "Sometimes the first impression is all you need." He patted my shoulder and kissed Mom on the lips.

"How's he doing?" I straightened my posture. Mom slipped her hand into Dad's. They interlocked fingers on the top of the table.

"We'll only know when they come." He brushed the top of Mom's hand with his thumb. "He could eliminate twenty, he could eliminate three. Count the number of girls that walk through the doors, Jacqueline."

"He might not even eliminate any of them, so we might have all thirty-five join us." The possibility of that would be very unlikely. Céline began to stir, so I moved her in order for her to be sitting on my lap. She giggled and grasped the arm of my chair.

"Here they come…" Connor whispered. The stampede of heels was getting closer by the moment.

The doors opened and in walked the girls, all dressed in various colors of the rainbow. Most of them wore heavy jewelry that shone beautifully under the lights. They kept walking in order to find and take their seats. Silvia burst through the doors a moment later.

"Ladies," She sighed. "I'm afraid we didn't get this far. Whenever you enter a room where the king or queen is present, or if they should enter a room you are in, the proper thing to do is curtsy. Then when you are addressed, you may rise and take your seat. All together, shall we?" They curtsied towards us.

Mom addressed them directly. "Welcome, girls. Please take your seats, and welcome to the palace. We're pleased to have you." The kind and motherly tone in her voice was genuine.

The plates were brought out moments later. First the servers came in order to pour freshly-squeezed orange juice into our glasses. They were replaced with various butlers soon after, who brought plates full pot steaming pancakes, eggs and bacon. Some of the girls' eyes widened at the sight. The butlers set them in front of us and servers came back and set plates of tarts on the table. My stomach rumbled, but it was thankfully masked by the girls' awe.

Once everything was settled, Dad blessed our food and we all began to eat. I was beginning to work on the stack of pancakes in front of me when Maxon walked in. The girls' attention snapped towards him.

"Please don't rise, ladies. Enjoy your breakfasts." He kissed Mom on the cheek and wrapped his arms around me.

"How'd it go?" I whispered into his ear.

"I'll tell you later." I flicked his wrist with my nails in protest and he squeezed Céline's little hand. He pat Dad on the back and talked with Justin for a few moments before shoving food into his face.

As I chewed the current bite in my mouth, I began counting the number of girls in the room. One, two, three, four… I got twenty-seven. But that can't be right! I counted the girls again, and a third time just to make sure. Both times I got twenty-seven.

I surveyed the room, seeing which girls that appeared on the Report for the announcement who weren't here at the moment. My eyes briefly stopped on Lady America, who looked like she had the same question as me. Lady Kriss answered her question.

"They're gone."

Yesterday, thirty-five girls arrived at the palace. Today, we have twenty-seven remaining. Eight girls down, twenty-six to go.

AN: I just got asked how often I would update this story. To answer your question; I'll aim for once a week. This story isn't complicated in the slightest; I'm just following what Kiera wrote and adding my own details.

PSA: Some chapters may be delayed due to school or other causes, but once a week is the goal for updating.