Hey, guys!

So, the updating schedule might be changing a bit. I'm not exactly sure what is going to happen except that the epilogue will be posted on May 31st.

I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Twenty Five

Adrian hated paperwork. It was literally the bane of his existence and he would be okay if every piece of paperwork burned up from here on out.

Originally, mountains of paperwork had been King Abernathy's way of punishing Adrian, and Adrian could still remember the beautiful spring days during which he was forced to stay inside and write until his head and hands hurt. Since then, King Abernathy had moved on to more violent forms of punishment. Adrian still hated reading and paper work with a passion though.

The sun wasn't up yet, but with the back to back dates, Adrian had neglected his work until it had turned into a little mountain of its own. He knew King Abernathy would be furious if he saw the pile.

Adrian sighed as he looked at his perfect cursive handwriting. There was something so dull about the words on the page that it hurt. He wondered how people could even stand reading through his paperwork. He would hate having to be the one who had to read through all of this. Writing it was already torture.

He looked towards the door after hearing the quiet rapping against the door. Who was knocking on his door this early in the morning? Why was someone knocking on his door this early in the morning?

Adrian stood up, then pulled back his shoulders. He peaked in the mirror to make sure that his curls weren't too unruly.

Adrian wasn't sure what he had been expecting when he opened the door, but a crying selected wasn't one of them.

"Kelly?" He said. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

He felt like he had been punched in the gut. Why was she crying? Was she okay? He hated seeing his selected so upset…

If he was being honest, he was kind of at a loss. He loved all of his selected, but he had no idea what to do when they were crying. Normally he was the one crying.

Adrian stepped out of his room and closed the door behind him. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

Kelly sniffled, then wiped at her eyes. "I miss them so much…" She said as a fresh set of tears burst from her eyes. "I miss my family."

Adrian gently grabbed her hand. He couldn't pretend like he understood what she was going through. He had been homesick before, but he had still had his family around him. He hadn't ever been alone in some strange place for a long period of time before.

"Hey, why don't we do something really unorthodox and go find some ice cream?" He suggested. He wasn't the best at soothing people, but maybe he could make her a little more happy.

Kelly wiped at her eyes again, but looked up at him. "Really?"

Adrian smiled a playful little smirk. "I know ice cream for breakfast is so scandalous," he said. "But it does really help me when I'm feeling bad. Just don't tell my father."

His father. Would Oliver care if Adrian ate ice cream for breakfast when he was having a bad day? Would he be mad at him for doing so? Or would he sit beside him and join him? King Abernathy wouldn't. King Abernathy would go on a lecture about how bad ice cream was for the body and that Adrian should stop pouting and get something done.

Kelly smiled. "I won't tell a soul."

Normally, ice cream for breakfast would be eaten under the covers of Adrian's bed and he would hide from the world for as long as possible, but he had a slightly different plan this time.

He grabbed their containers of ice cream and took her by the hand before leading her to the top of the hill that overlooked the forest surrounding the palace. From the top, he could just see the beginnings of a sunrise.

"Whoa," she said as she looked around. "Do you come here often?"

Adrian shrugged. "Not as much anymore, but I used to come here all of the time with my mother," he said. "We would do it whenever my father wasn't home and we would bring a picnic basket filled with food. We would just sit on this hill for as long as we wanted. Sometimes we would look at the clouds and other times she would bring a book and read it aloud."

Kelly smiled, then grabbed one of the spoons. "That sounds amazing," she said, then cleared her throat. "She was an amazing woman, Adrian."

He nodded. He thought of everything she had done for him, everything that she had done with him. "Yeah, she really was."

They sat there in silence for a moment as they ate their ice cream, then Adrian looked at her.

"Tell me about your family?" He asked. "You know so much about mine, but I know so little about yours."

Kelly smiled, her eyes sparkling in the pink light of the sunrise. "I know you don't remember, but you met them last fall," she said. "They loved you and you loved them. You guys talked for hours about everything. I think I had like… Three or four glasses of lemonade just sitting there! You guys talked about music, the weather, a bit of politics… Like literally everything."

Adrian smiled. "What are their names?" He asked. He wished that he could remember them, but he couldn't. For now, he would just settle for knowing their names. Maybe he would see them again at the wedding. All of the former selected and their families were invited to the wedding, after all.

"Their names are Riley and Esmeralda Greensmith," she said. "We're super close and they're great parents. I do have to admit, they did push me to get good grades in school, but like… They were just looking out for me. The good grades did help me get into a nice university."

Adrian set down his ice cream. "Congrats," he said. "What are you in college for?"

Kelly looked at the sunrise, there was a wistful look in her eyes. "My dream is to be a fashion designer in the entertainment industry," she said. "Those costumes always look so cool and I want to make my own. Like, imagine one day some famous actor or singer or whatever is wearing the outfit you made! I just… That's what I want."

Adrian smiled. He loved hearing people talk about their dreams. The way their eyes would light up and they just get happier. It always made him happy.

"I hope you're able to get your dream," he said. "I think you would be amazing at it."

Kelly blushed and curled into herself at the words. "Thank you, Adrian," she said. "That really means a lot."

Adrian looked over at the sky where the sun was now proudly shining down on them. They would need to be getting back to the palace soon. They had a big day ahead of them.

"You're welcome, Kelly," He said, then stood up. "Shall we?"

Kelly looked up at him, then took his arm. "Lead the way."

Adrian was always nervous before The Report, but maybe he was more nervous for this one. There were only six girls left, and two of them would be going home tonight. Of course, he already knew which two, but he still couldn't help but shake the fact that he might accidentally be sending home his One.

Jensing walked up to him, a smile plastered on her face. "You ready?" She asked, then frowned. "You okay, Adrian? You look like you're gonna puke."

"What if I eliminate the wrong girl?" He asked. "What if I send home my One?"

Jensing shook her head. "Have a little faith in yourself for once in your life," she said. "If you're trusting your heart then you'll find her again."

Adrian nodded, but he still couldn't shake the fact that he could accidentally send her home. He wondered if the kings and queens of the past had experienced this too. Had they been as nervous as he was?

Jensing stood there for a moment in silence with him, then sighed. "Well, we start in five minutes," she said. "You've got this, Adrian."

"Jen, wait," Adrian said. "Were you ever… Does this whole thing bother you? I mean.. The whole..?"

Jensing raised her eyebrows. "You mean reporting on your selection after being your ex?" She asked with her trademark smirk. "Not anymore. Maybe during the first week or two, but that was more like secondhand embarrassment from the weird selected and the weird prince."

Adrian smiled. "I'm sure I wasn't that bad," he said. "Although, if it was as bad as you're saying it was, I'm fine with not remembering it."

Jensing chuckled, then began to walk away. At the last moment, she turned around. "No, you're right, it wasn't bad," she said. "It was awful."

Adrian shook his head as she walked off. He hoped she never changed.

The beginning of the report was fine. King Abernathy had stood up to address some of the growing concerns about rebels and some other things. For the most part through, Adrian had just zoned out.

It wasn't really his fault. Most of the stuff that King Abernathy talked about was stuff that Adrian already knew about. He knew that relations with Russia had been a bit strained, but they were working on it.

And of course, everyone was still asking about the attack. Adrian couldn't help but wonder if he should speak up about what he had learned about it… He knew the reason behind it now. He knew that it was King Abernathy's fault that Queen Aurora and Ana had died, but speaking up was harder than he thought it would be.

After he was done, Jensing walked onstage. She looked absolutely regal in her long, gray dress. It flowed to the ground and billowed behind her with every graceful step. Her hair up in a bun with tiny, tiny flowers in a crown around it.

Adrian could see it in her eyes though, the way she would subtlly look over to the clock behind the camera. They were behind. Very behind. And she was stressed.

"Good evening, Your Highness," she greeted as she sat down beside Adrian. "So, you're down to the final six. How does that make you feel?"

Adrian cleared his throat. "A bit nervous," he said, then looked at the selected. They were all so stunning. So beautiful. What Adrian found even more amazing was their personalities. They weren't only beautiful on the outside, but each one of them was absolutely radiant on the inside. He thought of his dates, how each girl had their own quirks and interests. How could he ever choose?

"Do you know which ladies will be going home this week?" Jensing asked, and Adrian found it odd that she wasn't trying to get every last little bit of drama out of him. Normally she would ask about the dates and if he had kissed anyone else.

Adrian nodded. "It took a really long time, but yes," he said. "They're all such wonderful ladies, it was a hard choice."

"Well, before we get into that, did you have any interesting dates this week?" She asked, then brushed a golden curl behind her ear.

Adrian thought for a second. He had enjoyed many interesting dates since the last elimination, but which one would he choose from? "Well, Lady Jehan and I went to the Angeles City Library, and Lady Vivienne and I went on a dinner date," he said. "All of the dates were very good though. It's hard to choose just one."

Jensing nodded. "Well, I think it's time for the eliminations," she said, then turned to the ladies. "Good luck."

Adrian stood, then walked over to the girls. He took a deep breath, then cleared his throat.

"Lady Kelly Greensmith," he said. "You have been so fun to hang out with and I loved our dates, but… I just don't think you're The One."

Kelly nodded, and Adrian tried to ignore how her beautiful eyes were filling with tears. He didn't want to make her cry… Why did she have to cry?

Adrian leaned over and gave her a hug. "Friends?" He asked quietly, just for her to hear. He liked Kelly a lot, just not romantically. He didn't want to lose his favorite roller skating buddy.

Kelly laughed and wiped her eyes. She had such a cute little laugh. "Yeah," she said. "Friends."

Adrian smiled. "Keep your head up, Kelly," he said, then bowed.

Kelly curtsied, then began to walk away. At the last moment, she looked over her shoulder and waved. Adrian couldn't help but smile at the wide smile on her face. Underneath the stage lights, she glowed like a star. Then she was gone.

That was when the first bullet was shot.

Adrian turned around to face where the sound had come from, then froze.

The gun was pointed at him. Vivienne Starling was pointing a gun at him.

"Vivienne?" He asked softly as he tried to back away.

"Don't move," she warned. She didn't look like she had snapped, no… She looked calm.

Adrian could hear the way his heart beat rapidly and loudly in his chest. Was this really how he was going to die? He couldn't help but tear up. He didn't want to die yet. He still had so much life left to live.

Vivienne pulled the trigger, and Adrian braced himself for the pain. For whatever would happen next.

But the bullet never hit him.

Adrian caught her in his arms as she fell to the ground. He didn't even notice as security took Vivienne away.

"Everleigh…" He said as he took off his jacket to apply pressure to the bullet wound in her chest.

Everleigh looked up at him with her gorgeous brown eyes. She raised her hand and placed it on his cheek. "Adrian?"

Adrian tried to ignore her breathing. The way every breath jerked her body and took more of her energy. And why was there still so much blood?

"I'm here, Ev," he said as he pulled her closer. "I'm here."

"Don't forget me?" She asked, her words barely above a whisper.

A sob tore from Adrian's throat. "No. You're not allowed to die," he said. "I love you. I can't lose you."

"Promise me," she said.

"You're not dying, Ev."

"Please."

Adrian looked down at her. Her skin was gray, the light behind her eyes was fading. She wasn't going to survive. It was too late.

Adrian pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I will never forget you, Everleigh."

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