After taking a few minutes to compose herself, Alessia finally stepped outside of her room. Waiting for her, per usual, was her personal guard, Officer Frehley. He was rather slightly tall with a toned, muscular body, and black hair. Alessia and him were on rather friendly terms, well as friendly of terms as you could be with a guard. They made small talk as he escorted her throughout the palace, which was more than her previous guards had done.

"I don't mean to overstep, but I overheard you and your mother…" Peter trailed off, his dark brown eyes meeting her blue ones. "And I think it's terrible what she's done, and I'm sorry she did that to you."

Alessia shrugged in response. "I knew applying was a long shot, I shouldn't have bothered."

Peter glanced at her as she started down the hall, he could hear the disappointment in her voice, but knew better than to press the issue.

"So, your brother's hosting a Selection," Peter said, not wanting the conversation to end. Besides, he was curious about Alessia's thoughts on the Selection, especially given her brother's behaviour.

"He is, he's assured me that he's going to take this seriously, but you know how Anson is." Alessia said as she made her way down the stairs, with Peter in tow.

"Well, I sure hope he takes this seriously, it's one of our most sacred traditions," Peter said as they arrived at the dining room. He bowed his head to Alessia.

"Only time will tell if he's ready to take his position seriously, for his sake, I hope he does," Alessia commented. "I'll see you after breakfast." She said with a slight smile, as Peter opened the door for her. She disappeared into the room and Peter quickly wiped the smile from his face, when he got a questioning look from the other guard stationed outside of the room.

"Someone's awfully chummy with the Princess," the guard commented.

"It is my job to keep Her Highness safe, and it is easier to do that when she has a positive opinion of me." Peter replied, trying to downplay their friendship.

"Whatever you say," the guard said with a smirk.

Peter ignored the comment, wondering if his relationship with the Princess was something that other people had caught onto. Sure, they were friendly, but what did that matter? He was just doing his job, it had nothing to do with how pretty he thought she was, or how he wished he could change her circumstances and give her the life she yearned for. No, he was just making small talk to make his day go by faster, right?

That evening, Anson was in his room getting ready for the Report. He was a little apprehensive, sure he had addressed the nation before, but not for something of this magnitude. He sighed as he glanced at his reflection, he looked every bit the prince he should be, but knew looks would only get him so far. He had to sell his new found interest in ruling, and in settling down. Would the people believe him? Or would they simply laugh him off? Regardless, he knew he had to go through with the Selection, despite what the public might think, which meant he needed to be believable. Once he was satisfied with his appearance, he made his way to the studio, with his guard trailing behind him. One inside the studio he took his seat beside his father, while his sister sat beside their mother.

"Relax, Anson, you'll do fine, just remember the speech," Hudson told his son.

Anson nodded. He had gone over it half a dozen times, though he still felt unprepared. What if he made a fool of himself in front of the entire nation? He shook the thought from his head, this was public speaking, something he was actually good at. Anson listened halfheartedly to the Report, it wasn't anything he didn't already know. Finally, it came his turn to speak.

"Good evening, ladies of Illéa. I'm sure you already know, but I've had my fair share of exploits, and well, I have realised that it's time to put my partying days behind me. I am ready to settle down and find the woman I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. Yes, that means I will be hosting a Selection. Thirty-five lucky young women from across the country will be invited to come and compete for my hand in marriage."

"Wow, I am stunned!" the host of the report, Gabriel Fisher, exclaimed. "Our Prince Anson is finally ready to tie the knot!"

Anson smiled sheepishly, and tried not to look too embarrassed.

"We're very excited for him," Regina chimed in.

"Well, Your Majesty, do you have any advice for the young girls competing for your son's hand in marriage?" Gabriel asked the Queen.

Regina smiled and looked into the camera. "Of course I have advice for the girls competing, make sure you're in it for the right reasons, I understand that there are many reasons to apply to a Selection, but if you're not in it for the long haul then you're just wasting everyone's time." she said with a picture-perfect smile. "That, and be yourself, it's so much easier to keep up with the truth than it is to keep up with lies."

"Well said, Your Majesty," Gabriel said. "Well, that's it for tonight's Report. We'll see you next time!" he exclaimed.

"Finally," Anson murmured when the cameras cut.

"You did well, my dear," Regina said. "The nation should see that you're sincere about this endeavour, and well, my little warning should weed out all the rats looking for an easy pay cheque."

Anson smirked slightly, he didn't really care if people wanted to use him for the money, he knew it wasn't easy for everyone in Illéa to get by, and if that's what they needed to do to survive, who was he to judge them?

"Can we just eat? I'm starving," Alessia cut in, her tone terse. She was tired of everything being about Anson, after his string of affairs she didn't feel as though he should be rewarded with a Selection, but of course he could do no wrong.

"Sure, dear, we'll discuss this more during dinner," Regina said.

Great, Alessia thought, annoyed as she stood. She didn't bother waiting for the rest of her family before she left the studio. She knew it was only a matter of time before her fate was sealed, and she had half a mind to start sleeping around like Anson had, though she knew the tabloids would tear her apart if she had, not to mention her marriage prospects would be ruined. She sighed, it was so unfair, Anson was untouchable, and she had to walk on eggshells just to keep her life from falling apart.