"Mercedes Kim."

Mary froze, her head whipping around and around to look at the other Selected. Some of the other girls had come out of that room before her, their eyes wide with shock or fear. Whatever monster was in there wasn't going to be a walk in the park… and she had dreaded meeting the Prince even without the terror emulating from each Selected that seemed to seep into her skin and bury itself deep into her heart.

"Go!" Natasha elbowed her gently. She grimaced.

"Alright, alright, I'm going!" Mary yelled. Some of the other girls giggled.

She dusted off her monochrome dress, a gray gown with long, slim sleeves that seemed to drag her down from how heavy the fabric was. Nevertheless, she held her head high as she walked into the room.

click. The door closed behind her as she swung to see Prince Alexander for the first time.

She gasped.

The Prince was handsome. She hadn't seen him in person before, but she had heard of his beauty from the various newspapers that she had scraped together some money to treat herself to from time to time... yet she never really understood them. His physique was healthy, his skin glowed, his hair was perfect. So perfect, in fact, that Mary could hardly believe it. It made sense, she supposed, that he was so much prettier than the boys that she had known before. After all, he'd probably been treated to the best of food Ethica could offer, while many of her peers were often starving. His bright, round eyes were much livelier than the sunken, hardened eyes of many of the boys she knew… including her brother.

"Your Highness," she said, curtsying. The Prince smiled.

"Mercedes." He leaned in just as Mary sat. She flinched. He was getting close, too close for her comfort. "Do you love me?"

She blinked. "W-what?"

Then he laughed. "I'm asking this to every girl I meet. Some sort of test, I guess. I thought of it myself!"

"Oh." Mercedes didn't really know what to say. "That's smart."

He beamed. "Of course, I am."

"Well, uh," Mercedes coughed, feeling a grimace creep onto her face. "So… tell me about yourself!"

"Oh, of course." The Prince sat back and she breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm Crown Prince Alexander, heir to Ethica. You already know that, I presume?"

Mercedes nodded. "Yeah!"

"And who are you?" Alexander asked. He looked down at the paper in his hand and stared at it for a moment before sighing, almost as if he was disappointed.

"Oh... I'm Mary!" She searched her mind for anything that could relate to what he had said... before realizing that she had no way of relating to being a literal Prince. "I like reading." She smiled.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Alexander smiled too, though after he'd read whatever was on that paper the warmth in his eyes had faded, leaving a cold, apathetic gaze.

"What's your favorite color?" he asked her.

"Oh!" Mary thought for a moment, which was kinda stupid since she'd talked to so many people and this trivial, small-talk question must have come up pretty often, but she paused anyway. "I like purple, green, and blue. What about you?"

"You have a lot of favorite colors," Alexander said, leaning back on his chair. He avoided her gaze. "I like red and white."

Mercedes laughed, trying to ease the sudden tension. "Yeah?"

The bell rang, and Alexander nodded.

"Well, it was nice meeting you," he said politely. "But I think you have to leave."

Mercedes nodded and stood. He wasn't really half bad, actually… She didn't know why exactly the other girls were so traumatized. Alexander was… well… a person. She had spoken to him like anyone else, and he had responded like anyone else. He wasn't a monster, nor was he some kind of god. That fact alone, that conclusion, made Mary's heart beat a little easier.

"How was it?" Natasha asked as soon as she walked out. Mary smiled.

"It was… relieving," she replied. Natasha eyed her suspiciously but didn't say anything.

"Natasha Lopez-Kim!" Lady Domanshee's voice called from the corner of the room. Mary looked to her stepsister.

"It's your turn," she said.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "I know. I'm not deaf, you know."

Mary grinned, holding her hands up in surrender. "Hey, just wanted to remind you!"

Her stepsister sucked in a deep breath, then released it, standing up. She dusted off her black skirt.

"As I said, I'd rather bargain for fish than be here."

Julia was escorted back into her new room as soon as all of the other girls had finished their introductions. So far so good. She'd spoken to a few of the girls in the waiting room, and from what she saw, they were mostly good people.

"Would you like me to assist you, Miss Ares?" her maid, Winter, said. She had only known Winter for a day, and she already reminded her of Sunny… Well, Sunny without her optimism.

"Of course," Julia said, walking into her new bathroom. It was just a normal bathroom—as big as a bedroom, a steaming hot tub (wait, why was there already water in it?), a wide assortment of soaps and towels, and expensive lanterns that were made from some deluxe long-lasting wax. All in all, this was just another palace bathroom, with nothing special to it.

She undressed and jumped into the already filled hot tub, sighing as the water ran through her body, gently caressing her skin. Winter applied soaps into the water, and soon bubbles formed, rinsing off any debris.

What would it be like for the girls who were experiencing the luxuries of the palace for the first time? Surely they were overjoyed or awed. This was the first time staff would attend to them, asking them for their every desire, to pour hot water into their baths. This would be the highlight of their life, for many of the commoner girls.

So she went on with her routine, standing from her bath and changing, tucking herself deep in her bed. It was softer than her own bed in her own room, she noticed. It adjusted to her body, shifting as she thrashed about.

This was surely a welcoming treat for those girls. But for her...

Julia closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep.

She finally started processing all that had happened in the last few days. It was scary, going against her father like that. She didn't want to admit it, but she had deliberately avoided her family ever since she was Selected. Which was, to be fair, one day, but Julia planned to deliberately avoid her family for the rest of the Selection. It was going to be hard, but she kinda had to stay sane in order to do any work and save Annalisa.

... And the rest of the Royal Family, of course.

What if her plan didn't work? What would happen then? She shuddered at the thought. She had given up her post as an Ares for the time being, a cousin of hers taking the role of protecting the youngest Princess. That meant giving up her responsibility and handing it to who may as well have been a stranger. What if something happened to Annalisa while she was here wasting her time?

Julia caught her breath, trying to calm herself.

In... out... in...

No. Nothing was going to happen. She was going to save the day, and everything was going to be alright. She just knew it.

So why was there still a pit in her stomach?

"His Highness invites you on a date in the Hall of Ares immediately."

Julia groaned as the rest of the Selected began whispering frantically, casting not-so-friendly glances at her.

Why would Alexander take her to be his first date? Why would he instruct his servant to tell her in the middle of the main room, where every other Selected would be?

"Do I get to change, or…?" She looked at her outfit. It was the first time she had worn a dress for many years. It was a simple peach gown, nothing much, no elaborate designs that would impress the Prince.

Not like she wanted to impress the Prince, but she kinda had to pretend that she did. Because she was Selected.

"His instructions were to go there immediately, Miss," the servant said.

She sighed, ignoring the glares of several other Selected as she walked towards the door. "Show me the way."

Of course, Julia already knew the way. The Hall of Ares was the one room she had been in less than a thousand times, but she knew the entire palace by heart. It was a few rooms past her father's, in between the Ares Quarter and the Royal Quarter of the palace.

She arrived at the door. It wasn't much to look at, just a bland, white door with no enthralling designs, but Julia knew better. Inside was one of the most beautiful art galleries in Ethica.

Alexander came running over, his chocolate brown hair slightly less perfect and refined as it usually was. He smiled at her and she curtsied, this time slightly more confused as she now had a dress and had forgotten how to sweep her skirt back properly, but Alexander seemed too distracted to notice.

"Julia," he said. "It's a pleasure to have you on my first date."

"It's only been a day," Julia said warily. Alexander laughed, shaking his head.

"What, you want me to wait?"

Julia lowered her voice. "Well…"

"I don't understand people who like to pace around and waste time," he lamented, opening the door into the Hall. "Just get on with it. Am I right?"

"Yeah…" Julia's voice was distant as she stepped into the dark, windowless room, lit up with only a few torches. "You're right…"

She looked around, examining painting after painting covering each square inch of the walls. It was quite a long room, thus called a hall.

"Well, will you stop wasting time, then?" Alexander looked annoyed. "Let's see… ah, let's start from the beginning!"

He suddenly grabbed Julia's hand and dragged her towards the end of the hall, where the art style started to go from realistic paintings to colorful mosaics. And there, at the very end, was a man, standing above a sea of skeletons, waving his sword up in the air.

"Justin Ares," Julia said, reading the engraving on a stone plaque in front of the mosaic.

Alexander seemed uninterested. "Look at the one next to it!"

Julia shifted her attention to another artwork next to it. A kneeling knight stood before a man with a crown and scepter, a sword laid at the crowned man's feet. Justin Ares and King Garric

"When were these made?" Julia made no effort to hide the curiosity in her voice.

Alexander shrugged "A few hundred years ago?"

"They're in surprisingly good shape," she said breathlessly.

He examined them. "Yeah. They restore them from time to time."

Julia found herself smiling as they moved on to the next piece of art. "Raul Ares."

This man was depicted sailing the open seas, a foot on the bow of the ship, a sword in his hands.

"Oh, I remember him," Alexander said, though he was already moving on to the next one. "He was a sailor or something."

She stared at him. "You mean a captain? A sailor doesn't-"

"Yeah, a captain." Julia sighed. She looked back at the door where she had been only a second before. Why was Alexander in such a rush?

"Why are you in such a rush?" Oh gosh, why did she have such a habit of saying exactly what she was thinking? "This is supposed to be a date. You know, where we have fun?"

Alexander stared at her, then laughed.

"Well, this is my first date. Ever." Ah, yes. The classic answering the question without actually answering it.

"And why me?" she demanded.

"Well, I know you the best." He looked slightly confused.

"... Alexander, you don't even know any of the other girls."

"Yes, I do," he said quickly, his eyes darting from side to side. "I talked to them in the introductions."

"What? No, that's not… you're supposed to get to know them better?"

"Look," Alexander turned to her, giving her an expression akin to what one would make when one's cup had dropped to the ground and shattered. "I don't want to do this."

Julia stared at him. She crossed her arms. "Same here."

"You know what this is? Torture. Father's torturing me by sending thirty-four whiny girls my way to keep me in check," said the prince-who's-literally-complaining-about-having-thirty-four-girls-vy-for-his-heart. "I'm sure Annalisa was the one who convinced him to have this in the first place. She has something out for me."

"Thirty-four?" Julia raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, minus you."

Julia sighed. "How do you even know if you're not gonna like the other girls?"

"They're commoners, Julia. Father really thinks I'm going to marry a peasant girl," Alexander sighed, staring up at a painting of yet another Ares shaking hands with world leaders. "I'm just going to drag this out and then marry you in the end."

"I thought you didn't even want me to be here?"

"Yeah, until I realized there was only one other noble selected," he shrugged. "And I'm not even sure if that girl has half a brain. When we talked, she didn't even know what a panier was."

"There was only one noble selected?" Julia's eyebrows shot straight up. "Who was in charge of selecting?"

Alexander paused, looked around dramatically (even though they both knew there was no one there (save for Alexei or his guards, of course)), and whispered, "Lady Domanshee."

"What?!" Julia gasped. "Of course she would favor commoners, then! She is a commoner!"

"Exactly!" Alexander hissed. "She said she left it up to chance and dropped any girl with a suspicious background for the sake of security, but I think she just wants to ruin us by making a pauper the queen."

"If she left it up to chance," Julia tried to reason. "Then it would make sense that the majority of the Selected are commoners. The majority of the population are commoners. That's the whole point of being 'common.'"

"Yes, but my reputation would be ruined if I did marry one of those girls!" he protested. "A bunch of nobodies and a stupid noble. I'm actually glad I let Annalisa get you in. At least you're… better than them."

"Yeah…" Julia bit her lip. "About that…"

"Hm?"

"Lady Domanshee kinda… announced to everyone that Annalisa got me into the Selection," she said. "Everyone knows."

Alexander went quiet.

"And if everyone knows… if you show any favoritism towards me and marry me… I don't think that's going to sit well with the populace, Your Highness."

He cursed.

"I swear, when I become King…" he scratched his head. "I'm executing that woman immediately."

Julia blinked. "That's a bit much."

"It's treason!" he cried. "She's ruining our reputation on purpose! I wouldn't be surprised if she's a rebel at this point."

She looked down at her cotton peach gown and took a deep breath.

"I have something to report, also," Julia said, standing.

"Is this about the rebel?" Alexander raised his eyebrows.

She stopped. "You… you believe me, do you?"

He sighed. "Marginally."

Well… good enough. "We found a secret passageway he might have come through. We couldn't find anything, though, since we forgot to bring torches. I think we should investigate."

"Done," Alexander said immediately. "I'll bring this up with my father."

There was a long silence before Julia sighed, looking back to the painting they were now standing at.

"Erica Ares," she said. She closed her eyes, reciting the stories that had been drilled into her head. "She went against the family and decided to stop the war between Thelonia altogether. She conducted a peace meeting and drafted the treaty."

"Truly someone special," he commented. Julia laughed.

"Yeah…" she said. "A pioneer. You would've thought everyone here would be great warriors… but she fought for peace, not war."

She looked longingly at the painting of the woman, standing above a scroll of paper, reciting it to two arguing sides. She was clearly calm, so composed and knowledgeable that it was almost inhuman. How could anyone stay so serene in the face of war, where one wrong move could kill thousands?

"Who is she?" Alexander asked, leaning forward to observe Erica's straight face. "Your grandma? Great-grandma?"

"No. She's my great-great-great-aunt, actually," Julia said, still staring at each detail, each stroke. "She never got to be Lady Ares… but she didn't need to. She got herself into this hall nevertheless."

Alexander turned to Julia, frowning a bit before walking to the next work of art. Julia stayed put, still staring into the woman's eyes.

"She was already my age when she did this," Julia said wistfully.

"What, she was eighteen?" He didn't turn and instead resorted to studying the sculpture before him.

"Yeah," she said. Then she shook herself out of her stupor. What was she doing? "Sorry, I just… Eighteen seemed so far away, and now that I am…" She looked at the painting again, but then tore her eyes away from it.

He shrugged. "Yeah. Whatever… Whoa, look at this!"

She walked towards him to a stone sculpture, water erupting from the top and dropping beneath to create the illusion of a waterfall. A full recreation of armies marching to battle laid out beneath the rushing waters, each person colored with an unbelievable amount of detail. Why, this piece must have taken many, many years to complete.

"It's the famous Battle of Dila," Julia said. She paused, then sighed. "I don't remember the details, though."

"Funny, because there seems to be a lot of details in front of you," Alexander joked. She laughed for the sake of politeness.

They walked across the huge hall, commenting on each piece. Before long, they were already at the end, where Julia's grandfather stood, holding a glass bottle and smashing it against someone's head. Brutal.

"And that's where your father's going to be once he dies," Alexander pointed to the space next to it. "And that's where we assume Alexei's going to be. I'm going to get them to put me in the painting, too."

"Really?" Her eyebrows raised. "You don't know if you're going to outlive him. Besides, the only time a King has been in this hall was King Garric. This is a place strictly for our family, anyway."

He looked at her as if she were the stupidest person in the world. "Of course I'm going to outlive him. He's my bodyguard."

"Mhm." They stepped out of the room, back into the light of the world. She squinted. "Thank you for taking me on this stroll, Prince Alexander."

"Did you enjoy it?" he asked. "I think you're smart enough to figure out that I chose this date especially for you." He grinned.

Julia fought her urge to punch this guy in the face. If she did, she'd probably get in big trouble. "I… enjoyed it, Your Highness."

But he was already gone. Of course, Julia could see that he was only a few feet away from her, but he was already walking away, off to schedule another date, perhaps. Since he was so in a rush to get this whole Selection over with.

She felt guilt churn in her stomach. She hadn't known the other Selected for long, but they weren't whiny, stupid girls like Alexander had described. They were each a person, common blood or not, with their own quirks and personalities. It wasn't fair for them to immediately dismiss them like that… who knows, maybe one of them would become an amazing queen. But Alexander was right, and even if he married such a lady, she would never be accepted.

But then… if Alexander knew this, then King Eadger would, too, right? Then why would he allow this to happen? And why would he put so much trust in a mere mistress?

She had never felt so alone.

"Miss Ares," a maid came running to her from the direction Alexander had gone. "May I escort you back to the main room?"

She nodded, turning her head towards the window.

A boy the same age as both Alexander and Alexei stood out there, strolling along the cobblestone path, unaware that she was observing him from above. His hair wore the same hazel color as the rest of the royal family, though his nose was slightly longer, resembling Lady Domanshee's cold demeanor.

"... Miss?"

"Coming," she said, turning back to the maid.

There was much she had to do.

"Julia!"

When she stumbled into the main room, Mary immediately waved at her, giving her a big smile. She looked at the rest of the girls, who gave her sideways glances. Well, better her than them.

Julia walked towards Mary. She sat on a cozy velvet couch, a book in her hands.

"How was your date?" she asked.

"Oh…" Julia sighed. "Not particularly fun, but it was fine, I guess."

"Oh, Eva just left!" Mary told her. "He's really going through us all, huh?"

"Eva…" Julia searched her mind for her name. "She's that noble girl, right?"

"Really?" asked Mary, a small frown emerging on her face. "She seems nice."

"Right…" Julia took a seat next to her, deep in thought.

The girls chittered and chattered, gossiping about everything, from what kind of banana they had peeled this morning to how hot the Prince was (the opinions were quite mixed.)

"Let's bet," Amaya suggested. "Who's going to be the first one to be eliminated?"

"What if he eliminates us in batches?" another girl asked.

"It doesn't matter! Just-"

"This is stupid," Natasha said, leaning her legs on the arms of her couch. She looked like she was chewing something, though Julia didn't know what. "I'm not even sure gambling in the palace is legal. Not that I wouldn't mind, of course."

"I bet that Natasha's going to be eliminated!" some random girl yelled out. Natasha shot her a warning glare.

"Natasha's not going to be eliminated," Mary shot back, a slight frown on her face, though her cheerful smile still persisted. "None of us are. We shouldn't be so hasty."

The rest of the girls sighed at this. Around twelve sat around the main room, the rest probably in their individual rooms or taking a stroll around the halls. Natasha took out some playing cards.

"Oh, we're playing?" Mary immediately sat down on the floor, her monochrome dress shifting as it met the carpet.

Amaya looked at the brown-haired girl and shrugged. "Sure, why not?" She followed Mary, sitting down next to her.

Julia soon joined in as Natasha and Amaya started arguing. After a few moments, Natasha handed Amaya the cards. "What are we playing?"

"Blackjack," Natasha replied as Amaya handed her two cards.

"Wow," Katya laughed. "You're really a gambler, huh?"

Natasha shrugged, combing her brown curls with her hands. "I do from time to time. It's not that bad."

"I bet you've lost a fortune," Amaya said. She stopped, then blushed. "Nevermind. Not betting. Just… a saying."

"I know. I'm not stupid," Natasha said as Amaya finished dealing the cards and turned to Julia, motioning for her to start.

Julia looked at her cards. A queen and a ten. She looked at Amaya. A queen.

"You know how to play, right?" Natasha asked her, leaning over like a crane.

"Yes, I do," Julia said.

"Then hurry up. It doesn't take a year, y'know. We're not gambling, anyway."

She sighed.

"Stand."

Next was Natasha, who sighed, looking at her cards, which totaled to a mere four. "Hit."

Amaya drew a card from the deck and slid it across the floor. A nine.

Natasha paused, then shrugged. "Hit, I guess."

A ten. Amaya hooted and snatched Natasha's cards back quite violently. Natasha didn't even bother glaring at her. Mary stifled a giggle and Natasha gave her a look.

"What are you laughing at?" she snapped.

"You're usually so good at poker," Mary teased. Natasha rolled her eyes. "What happened?"

"This is a game of luck, Mary."

Amaya shrugged. "Your turn, Katya!"

Katya looked a bit nervous. "What do I do?"

Natasha leaned over to eye her cards. "I would hit if I were you."

"NAT!" Mary yelled as Amaya laughed. She handed Katya a nice nine to go with her four and king.

"You're out," Natasha deadpanned as Amaya turned to Mary.

Mary looked at her cards and sighed.

"I would hit," Natasha suggested. Mary glared at her sister.

"Hit," Mary said, casting an annoyed glance at Natasha. Amaya nodded, quite literally yeeting her a two. Mary had to reach to catch the card in the middle of the air.

"Fourteen," Julia said. Mary thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Whatever. I have nothing to lose. Hit."

Amaya took out a card, looked at it, and grinned. "Blackjack."

"Wait, what?" Mary took the card and smiled too. "Coooooool."

"Congratulations!" Katya cried, and the rest of the girls clapped, some enthusiastically, others more politely. Natasha, of course, just raised her eyebrows.

"Alright, time for the grand reveal…" Amaya took a deep breath. "Drumroll, please…"

Mary actually drum rolled on the floor, while the other girls just looked done with life.

She flipped the card. A nine. That would total to…

Nineteen.

"I won!" Julia yelled. The rest of the girls cheered for her. "I had a twenty!"

"Go, Julia!" Mary cried. She leaned over to hug her, and Julia was surprised at how similar it was to Annalisa's enthusiastic hugs.

Julia found herself smiling, proud at what luck had brought her, even though she hadn't even worked for the victory.

After a few more rounds, the number of participants dwindled, and Amaya decided to stop the games for the day.

"That was fun!" Mary said, helping to organize the cards back into Natasha's box. "Thanks, Amaya!"

"No prob."

"I wanted to be the dealer," Natasha mumbled under her breath.

The door opened and each Selected turned their heads, looking expectantly at Eva, who looked slightly winded. She looked like she had been crying and her dress wasn't exactly the cleanest.

The girls fell into a deep, awkward silence.

"How was the date?" Mary was the first one to speak.

Eva didn't answer. Instead, she just walked straight past them, almost stepping on one of the stray cards that laid on the floor as she marched back into her room and shut the door.

They all stared.

"... I assume that it was bad," said Natasha.

Mary bit her lip, her eyebrows arching in worry. "I'll go check on her," she said, running to the door.

Julia looked back at the exit as the rest of the Selected gradually went back into their individual tasks or hobbies.

She had someone to check on, too.

A/N Sorry for not updating last week! I joined a new extracurricular so I'm gonna have a lot less time than I did before for the next few weeks. To make up for it, I extended this chapter a bit so it's longer now (this is two chapters merged into one lol, I hope it wasn't that noticeable). Hope you enjoyed it!

Depending on circumstances, I might have to miss the update in two weeks. Good news? I'll be back the week after that! Thank you all for reading!