The sharp knock on my door causes me to drop my pen and shove my notebook quickly under my pillow. "Come in!" I shout from my four-poster bed, arranging my body to cover the pillow I had just shoved my diary under. My mother and father walk through the door, and my silent maid standing by my bathroom immediately drops into a curtsey.

"Your Majesty, your Royal Highness,"

Mother smiles politely at the maid before nodding to dismiss her. She scurries away through a passage by my closet. "What's going on?" I ask.

"We had, uh, a bit of a thought," Mom slowly articulates.

"Yes?"

She uncharacteristically turns to Father for help with words, almost scared to continue speaking. He steps up beside her, squeezing two of her fingers before speaking.

"As you well know, sötnos, Kerttu is turning twenty-five this month, and she's made it abundantly clear to us, and our people that she doesn't have any intention of getting married any time soon,"

"What do you mean? She's never said anything of the sort on the Report or in any interview, and I haven't said anything—" I shut my mouth while I scan through every conversation I've had in the past week, searching for something I must've said to get the family in trouble, and give away the secret that Kerttu isn't searching for a husband.

"It's no secret, Jo," Mother interjects my panicking. "She never entertains any diplomats as anything more than an acquaintance, and she redirects any personal question to something political. There's no question she'll make a wonderful ruler in every aspect but providing an heir,"

I start to chuckle. "Don't you think you two are thinking a little too far ahead?"

"The people are concerned, Josephine!" My mother exclaims, throwing both hands into the air.

"Your mother means that it can be quite challenging for any ruler, particularly a young woman, when she doesn't have the public's support. And right now, the public is concerned about the future of the monarchy—indeed the future of Illéa—when there is uncertainty about an heir,"

"But there is an heir," I roll my eyes, "Does anybody remember that I exist?"

Mother and Father glance at each other, heavily, before resuming. "That's why we're coming to you today, Jo," Mom says, stepping forward to take my hand. "I need you to understand the weight of your position. You are now, and quite possibly permanently, the next heir to Illéa. You're not just some second-born Princess who gets to shirk her duties and fool around,"

"That being said," Father puts a hand on Mother's shoulder to calm down her rising tone. "This is ultimately your decision, and if you choose to go through with it, you'll get so much more than political support. You'll find friends, new experiences, discover strength in yourself, and potentially find your partner,"

"What are you two even talking about!" I rip my hand out from Mother's.

"We're asking you to hold a Selection."

My mouth drops. After a minute of complete silence, I'm the first to speak. "Why have you never asked Kerttu?"

Dad clears his throat. "We have, sötnos, but she wasn't a fan of the idea, and of course we weren't going to push her,"

"Won't the public think it's strange that I'm having a Selection before she does?"

"I think it's clear to everyone that you're more interested in boys than she," Mother quickly chimes in. I shut my mouth before Dad brings up the time the press broke the story of my torrid affair with the cousin of the Italian prince, complete with a photo of us making out on the front page.

"We'll let you think about it. And if you mention anything to Kerttu, don't let her know that any of us are concerned about her lack of a husband. So far it's a small minority writing op-eds, but we'd like to do something to quell the dissent before it becomes a problem. No reason to worry her yet, ok?" I nod to her.

Dad leans down to kiss my forehead before he and Mother make their way to the door. "We'll discuss this again tomorrow. Ideally we can announce it on the Report on Friday the day after," Mother says in place of a goodbye.

I lock the door as soon as they turn the corner, and then ring the bell for my maid. She scurries in through the tight passage not a minute later. "Janice, thank you, will you get me a cup of tea and some toast?"

"Of course, your Highness," she curtsies, and backs out right back through the passage.

I plop down on my mattress and begin to massage my temples. Suddenly, I remember I stuffed my journal underneath my pillow, and pull it out. I yank the cap off my ballpoint pen and hurriedly recount all the details from the conversation with Mother and Father before setting up a new page with a large "T" shape, for a pros and cons list. I hover the pen on the right side of the page first and start listing all the cons. It could hurt Kerttu's feelings. There will be cameras everywhere. I might not find someone. As I reread them, a matching pro pops into my mind for each one. I would take the pressure off Kerttu finding a husband. There are already cameras everywhere, except it would be good press. I might find someone. I underline the last one a few times. The maid's passage echoes loudly, signalling that Janice is about to come through with my tea, but I leap off the bed and shove open the door, running down the hall and around the corner. Two guards in front of Mother and Father's quarters' jump to the other side when they see me coming, and I barge through the doors.

"I've made up my mind!" I shout.

"You'll do it?" Mom exclaims with a large smile.

"What?!" I stare at her with open eyes. "How did you know?"

She gives me a wink. "I know you, Josie,"