It had only been two weeks since the Selection had started, and Julia was already tired beyond belief.

Between juggling all her "duties" as an Ares (constantly checking in with Horace and Sunny, figuring out what happened with the secret passage, trying to figure out what Lady Domanshee wants), the grueling work of Lady Domanshee's constant stress-inducing lessons and tests, and the non-stop gossip and drama amongst the Selected, Julia was willing to give ANYTHING for a day to herself.

Ah…. She missed her room so much… and it was only a few moments away… why did she need another room in the Selected Quarters?

"I'm so done," Julia groaned, her face buried in her covers.

"Come on, Miss Ares," said Winter. "Lady Domanshee is coming."

"I don't careeeeee."

"JULIAAAAAAAAAA!"

The door burst open and Julia groaned again, turning her head slightly to look at Mary, who stood in the doorway, her eyes wide.

"What?" Julia snapped, burying her head under a pillow. "Go away."

"A date!" Mary cried, running over to her and shaking her shoulders. "Prince Alexander is going on another date!"

Julia sighed. After her and Eva's dates, Alexander hadn't even gone on a date with anyone else. Could that guy be any less obvious?

"Who?"

"Group date!" Mary squealed, still shaking her shoulder. "You, Eva, and Giavanna!"

Yep. He was not being obvious at all. The two nobles and the daughter of a rich merchant? How had no one caught on yet?

"When?"

"I think he said after the Report today!" Mary said as Julia sat up, rubbing her head.

"What are you so excited about?" Julia muttered. "It's not like you're the one on the date."

"Oh, come on," Mary said, pulling Julia away from her bed. "You're my friend and I'm happy for you! Now go! Go change!"

After changing in yet another peach gown, she walked out of her room to the main area, where the girls were milling about, waiting for Lady Domanshee to arrive.

"Julia!" Amaya waved her over. She walked towards her. "Congratulations!"

"Yeah. Mhm." Julia couldn't have been more listless.

"Are you nervous about the Report?" Eva scooted over. They waved at her. "Every word is going to be recorded. We'll be just like the royals… our words forever preserved on a piece of paper…"

She drifted off into her own thoughts, and Amaya nodded.

"Yeah. It's nerve-wracking, isn't it?" she said, sighing. "I mean… it sounds so… surreal."

Julia stared. She hadn't realized just how important this was to all the other girls.

"What do you think, Julia?"

"Oh… uh…"

The door swung open. For the first time in probably forever, Julia was grateful that Lady Domanshee had come into the room.

"Hurry up!" she shouted, her voice angrier than ever. How was that even possible? Why was she angry all the time? Surely it had some effects on her health. "The scribes are here! Quit drooling around and come!"

The girls all scrambled out the door, following the maids across the hall. It was surely a frenzy; even though many of the girls had just woken up, all of them were already energized beyond belief.

Then they arrived at the medium-sized, surprisingly plain room, with little to no adornments on the walls. There were about twenty scribes in the corner, who got to work as soon as the girls piled in. A man with curly black hair and a thick beard stood in the center, watching as the Selected gathered around the room.

"Form a circle around me," said the man, flashing a brilliant smile. "My name is Paliz. Welcome to the first Report!"

Julia stood in her spot, looking around at the twenty-nine girls around her, all dressed in beautiful gowns and jewels. The scribes were surely picking that up.

She looked down at her own outfit. Just a plain peach dress that reached down to her knees. No puffy sleeves or elegant sashes. She could almost pass as just a part of the wall.

"Firstly, we've gotten word that five girls have already been eliminated," Paliz swiveled around to an unlucky girl in the corner. "Tell me, Miss Darling, before our beloved Prince arrives, what do you think?"

The girl was dressed in a bright, neon pink ballet skirt and leggings. Not exactly fitting the occasion, but she did look fairly pretty. "Oh… uh… Well, I barely knew them when they were eliminated, so…"

"You're apathetic?" Paliz said. The girl nodded.

Then he swung around to stomp into Giavanna's face. "What about you, Miss Hu? What do you think?"

Giavanna grinned. "I say good riddance. None of those girls would have made it any further, anyway. It was better sooner than later."

Paliz soaked it up. "Oh, really? Do you know why they were eliminated, by any chance?"

Giavanna gave a cute giggle that sent the scribes wild in a flurry of words. "Oh, yes, yes, I do!"

"Do tell!"

She made a show out of thinking, putting a finger on her chin and tapping it lightly, her eyes trained on the ceiling. "Oh, I'm not sure I should. It was fairly cruel. To say so would tarnish the Royal Family's reputation!"

Why, that little-

"WELCOME!" a herald marched in through the doors, standing straight up, saluting at the doorway. "HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, THE CROWN PRINCE ALEXANDER!"

There were several trumpets that sounded in the hallway, though it was quite muffled inside the room.

Around a dozen soldiers streamed in along with the trumpets, chanting: "Welcome, Prince Alexander!"

Julia glanced at the other Selected. Some were already swooning, others in awe, and some—namely, Natasha—just stared at the door with no further emotion.

"MAKE WAY FOR HIS HIGHNESS!"

Oh, why, why did Julia have to sit through this?

Finally, finally, Prince Alexander came marching in, a dazzling smile on his face. Thalia screamed, cheering, while the other Selected (save for Giavanna. Surprisingly, Natasha joined in) clapped.

"Thank you, thank you," Alexander laughed, waving his soldiers off. They marched out of the room at his command. "It's wonderful to finally see all of my Selected together again! I hope this past week was lovely and rejuvenating for you!"

Rejuvenating? Seriously?

"It was wonderful, Your Highness!" a random girl cried. The Prince winked at her and she quite literally swooned and fainted, her head crashing on the floor. Oops.

"Oh!" Prince Alexander chuckled as if nothing had happened. "Anyway, I'm glad to be here, Paliz!"

Paliz glanced at the girl, whose limp body was now being hauled away by some servants, and then bowed. "Your Highness."

Alexander took his spot on a golden throne. He sat, waving at some of the girls.

"So, Your Highness," Paliz smiled, though he still glanced at the spot the fainted girl had been. "I heard you had two dates! One with Julia Ares and another with Eva Schmidt, yes?"

"Ah, yes!" he said. "They are wonderful people. I'm looking forward to spending more time with them."

"Do you find yourself attracted to any of those girls?"

"Oh, of course!" Alexander made a point to look at Julia. She avoided his gaze. The other Selected glared at her.

Paliz nodded, waiting for the scribes to catch up. "Can you tell us more?"

"Well, I brought Julia to The Hall of Ares," said Alexander. "It was a good time. Was it, Julia?"

Julia opened her mouth and closed it.

This was the Report. This was her chance. This was one of the reasons she joined the Selection, anyway. She had to use her oracy skills, especially now. "I… uh… Yeah! It was!"

Apparently, she wasn't good at oracy at all.

Was there anything she was good at?

"And what about your date with Eva Schmidt?" Paliz asked. One of the scribes yelped as another scribe elbowed them in the face.

"Oh, it was fantastic," Alexander said, grinning at Eva. Eva grimaced and forced a smile on her face. "Though I must say, I don't have a taste for idiots like her."

Oh. Oh geez. WHY DID JULIA HAVE TO BE HERE RIGHT NOW AT THIS MOMENT SHE WAS SO DONE WHY-

Eva's smile fell. Alexander laughed.

"What do you mean, Your Highness?" Now it was Paliz's turn to force a smile.

"Oh, Eva's a wonderful lady. I just personally don't like her, that's all," Alexander said smoothly. "She isn't exactly bright. She kept showing me how well she could ride a horse. It was quite irritating."

The girl beside her burst into laughter, which caused a huge, terrible domino effect, and soon, everyone started laughing, including Eva herself.

"If you do not like her, then why isn't she eliminated?" This time, Paliz's question seemed to be more genuine and for his own curiosity, not for the scribes.

"Oh, because she's a noble, after all," Alexander said with a matter-of-fact shrug. "I can't eliminate nobles this early, hm? But I don't think I'm going to ever marry her."

Julia wanted to jump out of the circle of Selected, grab him, and smack him in the face.

A couple of the girls blinked, shocked. Though Julia had expected this, she was less than pleased to see her expectations come alive. He was so very predictable, wasn't he?

Paliz, too, seemed to share Julia's sentiment. He gulped. "Er… Yes, you are right, Your Highness. Uh… right, what do you know about the five girls that were eliminated earlier last week?"

This time it was time for Alexander to blink. "What?"

Julia wanted to run off and never come back again.

"The five girls that were eliminated," Paliz repeated. "What about them?"

"Five girls were eliminated?" Alexander frowned. "I never eliminated anyone."

There was a great, awkward silence in the room. Except for the writing sounds. But other than that, no one said a word.

Then Paliz coughed and searched his mind for another question, finally remembering what he was supposed to say.

"And what of group dates? I was told you'd be having one shortly after this Report."

"Oh, yes!" Alexander nodded.

"And… Do you have anything to share about that?"

"Oh," the Prince said. "I want to keep that a secret for now! To not ruin the surprise." He winked at the scribes. Some of them sighed, though most just continued writing.

Paliz seemed disappointed. "Oh. Okay. Well, that's all the time we have! Thank you for your time, Your Highness," he bowed.

The Crown Prince smirked, standing up gracefully. "You're welcome."

Trumpets sounded again in the hall and the dozen soldiers started marching again, this time streaming out of the room, chanting: "All hail the Prince! All hail the Prince!"

He marched out behind his soldiers, and the herald was the last to leave.

"THE PRINCE HAS LEFT," yelled the herald. "GRIEVE, AS HIS PRESENCE NO LONGER GRACES US."

Then he left, slamming the door behind him.

Paliz sighed.

"Come on, girls," Lady Domanshee appeared, waving them over. "It's done. Julia, Eva, Giavanna, you have to prepare for your date."

Oh, why did she have to say that in front of the scribes?

"Miss Ares!" Winter cried. "You're going to be late!"

"Relax," Julia laughed, looking at herself in the mirror. Her brown hair was tied up in her usual bun, but now a lovely diadem laid upon it. Her usual peach gown had been replaced with stunning lilac silk that swished whenever she moved, adorned with diamonds that seemed to shimmer even in the dark. She felt… pretty. Such a foreign feeling. She had never experienced the joy of dressing up before, but… this? The ability to walk around in whatever dress she pleased? She had to admit, she was finally starting to understand the noble ladies that walked around with hours' worth of outfits. "Alexander won't start without me."

She skipped towards the door, pushing it open to reveal Giavanna and Eva, who were already standing there, waiting.

"Where's Alexander?"

"He needed to go to the bathroom," Giavanna said.

Eva glared at Giavanna. "He said to not tell-"

"Alas, your Prince is here!" Alexander quite literally popped out of nowhere, scaring Julia half to death.

"Your Highness." She curtsied, admiring how the silk moved so smoothly and swiftly.

"Come on, ladies," he said, beckoning them to follow him. "I have a lovely surprise for you three."

Eva paled while Giavanna simply smirked, strutting along with him.

They traveled from the palace to the front gates, where hundreds of citizens were piled up, guards stationed in every corner, making sure the paparazzi didn't come through.

"Oh, look! Fans!" Giavanna waved at them and blew a kiss. The crowd went wild.

Julia and Eva exchanged a glance.

"Where are we going?" Julia asked, rushing to catch up to Alexander.

"Our family's private lake," he said with a smirk. Eva laughed. "I invite you to a four-person party on my personal yacht. Consider it a pre-birthday party."

"I'm so glad we get to celebrate your birthday here. It's so special," Giavanna said sweetly.

"Not as special as you," Alexander seemed to understand what Giavanna was doing and he was sucking it up So. Frustratingly. Much.

"Oh, you're too kind, Your Great Highness!" Giavanna batted her eyelashes. Julia couldn't help but physically cringe at how hard it was to watch.

They finally arrived at the shimmering lake, and Julia gasped. She had never been here before! Well, maybe once or twice with Annalisa, but with the shining beautiful sun and the calm waves and the calling seagulls… Julia couldn't believe she'd never remembered trips here. How could she have forgotten such beauty?

"Get on the boat, ladies," said Alexander. Julia's mouth hung open as they boarded the enormous ship, admiring the purple sails that flew majestically in the sky and the gold lining the entire ship. In fact, only a fraction seemed to be actual wood, and Julia had no idea how it was still afloat from the sheer amount of metal on it.

How much did this thing cost? This was more than anything Julia had ever dreamed—and she lived in the palace!

"Where did you get this?" Eva seemed even more starstruck, staring up at the vessel in awe.

"Oh, I had it commissioned," Alexander said, shrugging, though Julia saw a small smirk emerge on his face.

They stood, admiring the majesty of the scene.

"What are you waiting for?" Alexander pushed Julia so that she stumbled onto the docks. "Get on and have fun!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Giavanna blew him a kiss and giggled. "But I'd rather spend time with you. And only you." She glanced at Julia and Eva.

"I assure you, you'll get a slice of me soon," Alexander said. Giavanna fake-sighed. "But for now, let's just have some fun, shall we?"

"I'll be willing to provide that fun for you, Your Highness!" Giavanna said.

Okay, flirting with him the moment she met him was one thing. But this? This was way too much.

Julia fought the urge to push Giavanna off the docks as they walked, the wood beneath her shaking with each step.

"Miss Ares." A butler came running towards them and bowed. "Miss Schmidt. I have been instructed to treat you like royalty for this date. How would you like to be addressed? Any title but 'Your Majesty' would do since that would be beyond Prince Alexander's power."

"I'll just be Eva, thank you," Eva said. Her eyes lit up when she saw a feast on the table in front of them, servants scurrying about to tidy up every inch of the dining area. "Do you have cake? I've always wanted to try cake."

Julia gawked at her. What noble—even a minor one—hadn't tried cake before?

"Hm…" The butler thought for a moment. "Yes, we have a traditional Thelonian cake. I believe it's called Ryed Vyelvyet. Take a seat, I'll place an order for you." Then he turned to Julia and bowed. "How would you like to be addressed today, Miss Ares?"

Julia paused, glancing at Eva. She had refused any titles… Would it be imprudent to-

"Oh! Call me Her Royal Highness The Most Gracious Princess Giavanna The Brilliant!" Giavanna cried from behind her. Julia whipped around to see Giavanna, her hands locked around Alexander's waist.

Alexander nodded. "Yes. Do that, please."

"Don't forget 'The Brilliant' at the end!" Giavanna squeaked. The butler looked surprised, then nodded.

"Of course, Your Royal Highness The Most Gracious Princess Giavanna The Brilliant," the butler bowed.

"Come, my great Prince. Where to?" Giavanna said, looking up at him.

Alexander smiled. "I know a perfect place. Follow me."

Then they ran off like kindergarteners in a playground. Julia allowed herself to cringe now that they couldn't see her sheer pain.

It was like Giavanna was trying to make herself unlikeable. Who in their right mind would say something so blatantly conceited?

The butler then turned to her. "I apologize, Miss Ares. Your response?"

Julia smiled. "I… I'd like to be called Lady Ares."

"Of course, Lady Ares," the butler bowed to her. "If you need anything, our staff will be here to help."

Then he rushed away into where presumably the kitchen was. Julia turned to Eva, who was already overwhelmed with the attention and glamor the staff was throwing at her.

"Would you like to have goat milk, Miss Eva?"

"I'm a certified foot massagist. Would you like a rub, Miss Eva?"

"Forget the food massage, I specialize in foreign medicine. Would you like me to stick a needle in your back, Miss Eva?"

"Uh…" Eva blinked once. Then twice.

"I'd like a foot massage!" Julia rushed in, smiling at her. Eva gave her a thankful nod.

"Of course, Lady Ares!"

"Anything for you, Lady Ares!"

"Would you like goat milk with the massage, Lady Ares?"

Lady Ares.

Julia sat down on the bed. It was shockingly soft, probably filled with expensive stuffing. Two servants rushed down to take off her shoes and massage her feet. It felt better than Julia had expected.

"... No one wants me to stick a needle in their back?"

"No," both Eva and Julia said at the same time.

The guy looked very depressed as he slinked away. "Oh. Alright."

The servants fawned over them, tending to their every need. Of course, both Julia and Eva were nobles; Julia was already used to this, and Eva… well, Eva was a minor noble. She might not have had the same privileges that Julia had, but surely she had her own servants to tend to her.

After a while, Julia felt like closing her eyes and going to sleep. Maybe it'll all be better once she wakes up...

"Orange juice?" a maid that resembled Cornelia squeaked. Julia's eyes blinked open. "Imported from Gysterf!"

"Gysterf?" Julia shot up, accidentally kicking the foot massagist in the face.

"Oh. King Eadger and Queen Roxanne signed a new trade deal just last week," said the maid.

"What?!"

"Julia, are you okay?" Eva was frowning, now.

Julia looked at her and then at the maid. She stood up. "I… It's alright. I'm alright. I'm going to go see what Alexander and Giavanna are up to now."

Julia wished she had never seen what Alexander and Giavanna were up to.

"Mwuah! Mwuah! Mwuah mwuah mwuah!"

Julia's mouth hung open.

"Oh, you're so hot, Prince Alexander!"

"You're a great kisser."

"Why, thank you! You forgot to say my title, though."

Alexander laughed. "Ah, right. You're a great kisser, Her Royal Highness The Most Gracious Princess Giavanna The Brilliant."

Giavanna practically swooned. "Oh, you have such a good memory!"

And then they resumed their kissing session. Julia gagged as saliva dripped down onto the floor.

"Mwuah! Mwuah! Mwuah!"

She shut the door quietly and took a deep breath, trying to erase the mental image of those two kissing from her head.

"Uh, Julia?" Eva appeared around the corner, her light green dress swishing as she moved. "What's going on?"

Julia merely stared into the waves, her face haunted.

"... Are you okay?"

"I have been seriously traumatized and scarred for the rest of my life," Julia breathed, still trying to calm her pounding heart.

"What? What happened?"

Eva reached a hand on the doorknob and Julia grabbed it. "No! No, don't… Unless you want to lose your eye virginity."

Eva opened her mouth and then closed it. She stepped back and nodded awkwardly.

"Trust me…" Julia's voice shook slightly. "I've seen people die, and what's in that room is ten times worse."

Eva blinked. "Okaaaaaay."

"I- I think…" Julia scooted away from the door. "I think I need to lie down for a minute…"

"Right." Eva glanced at the door, and then scooted along with her. "You're right…"

Why, why did that have to happen? Why did she have to go through such torture?

As the traumatized victim and the very confused girl stumbled away, the door behind them swung open.

"Hey, Julia, Eva!" Giavanna's voice called. Julia and Eva froze in their tracks.

"Do we turn around?" Eva whispered. Julia didn't answer.

"Do you want a turn?" Alexander's said.

No. No, she didn't.

"Uh… I'd rather not…" Eva said, her feet fidgeting.

"Come on, Alex," Giavanna cooed. "They don't want you. I want you."

A sigh.

"Turn around, you two. Speak to your Prince face-to-face. It's not polite to ignore us, you know," Alexander ordered.

Julia spun around quickly, the soldier she was. Eva was a bit more reluctant, and deliberately avoided Alexander and Giavanna's gazes.

"Come on, Eva, Julia," Alexander flashed a charming smile. A normal girl would have fainted right then and there. Yes, Julia was implying that she was not normal. Not after she had witnessed what she had just did. "Join us."

Eva pretended not to hear. Julia simply gave him a less charming smile back.

"Come on, Alex-baby! They don't appreciate your hotness. Be with me."

If Julia could fling both Alexander and Giavanna off this boat right now without any consequences, she would do it in a heartbeat.

Alexander waited for another second, then sighed. "Come on, Giavanna."

"Call me Gina-poo, will you, Alex-baby?"

"... Don't call me that."

"Okay~"

They hobbled back into the room and shut the door.

"Mwuah! Mwuah! Mwuah!"

Why did they have to be so loud?

"I see that you're finally done."

The sun was starting to set, coloring the lake with golden rays of light.

Alexander shrugged. "She was fun."

Julia stared at him. "I will never be able to recover from seeing you two again."

"She was fun, though."

"Didn't you say you wanted to marry me?"

"Oh," Alexander cocked an eyebrow. "You're jealous, huh?"

Julia recoiled. "What?! No!"

"Then why are you complaining?"

Julia struggled to find words. "N-no, that's not- wh-"

Alexander smirked and elbowed her side playfully. "Might as well confess right now."

She grimaced, making a big show out of caressing her side. "First of all, no. Second of all, that hurt!"

"I like it when you get all riled up."

"Wh- no- stop it! Stop it right now!"

"Whoa," Alexander raised his eyebrows, placing his spoon into the huge bowl of caviar. "Ordering the Crown Prince around? That's treason."

Julia banged her head against the table. "Do you seriously flirt with every girl this much?"

"Nope. Just you three."

Julia pushed her own bowl away. "Uh-huh. Let me guess, because everyone else is worthless?"

"Well, they are worth something."

"So, they're worthless."

Alexander paused. "In a nutshell, yes."

A beat.

"What happened with the secret passage?" Julia finally said.

"Oh, that?" Alexander laughed, waving his fork around. "Nothing. Seems like someone just dug a hole and forgot it. Don't worry about it!"

But Julia still worried, and Alexander still noticed. He gave her a weird look.

"You should really be more careful," Julia said.

He raised an eyebrow, carefully popping a fish egg in his mouth. "Hm?"

"You should at least look like you're trying to give the peasants a chance."

"Well, it'll be a waste of time, won't it?" Alexander said, taking another bite. "I want to get to know the ones I can marry. Even letting Giavanna here was a bit of a stretch, but her money could be useful…"

"That 'waste of time' could save your life," Julia muttered under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing," she said quickly. Alexander frowned and sighed.

"Julia, can you stop being so… dense?" he said. Julia froze.

"What do you mean, Your Highness?" she asked.

"There's nothing to worry about, Julia," he said, sitting back on his chair. "Look. I know it's your job and all, but… you're in the Selection now, Julia. You can just relax. You don't have to do all of your ridiculous security checks—that's your guards' job. There are no rebels. None that pose a threat, anyway. We've mended relations with Gysterf; heavens, Julia, did you hear about the trade deal? It's the biggest thing that's happened since Annalisa's birth!"

"But-"

"Listen. I've always known you and your family grew up constantly stressed. I understand… I've lived a life full of expectations, too." Julia turned her head to glare at him. "When I'm King, I'll relieve you of your duties. You wouldn't have to worry so much anymore."

Julia pushed his hand from her shoulder. "You… you can't do that."

"Well, technically-"

"I KNOW!" Julia shouted, standing up. Alexander's eyes widened in shock and then they narrowed in anger.

"Sit down, Julia," he ordered. "You know you can't leave without my dismissal."

"I don't need your stupid dismissal," she spat, spinning around and marching for the door.

"Julia. I'm warning you."

She stopped, her hand hovering over the doorknob. The sound of a chair pushed against the table let her know that Alexander had stood up.

"Miss Ares."

She flinched at how dangerous Alexander's voice had become.

"I'm trying to help you. And you're going to repay me by disrespecting me?"

"Stop-"

"What gives you the right to tell me to stop?!" Alexander demanded. "What gives you the right to stand up and leave without my permission? What gives you the right to barge into my father's room like the crown doesn't exist?! Gosh, Julia, you act like a peasant!"

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her shoulders and Julia screamed as a guard forced her down, pinning her on the floor.

She looked at Alexander, whose face was disgusted… with her.

"Escort her off of this ship," he said. Then he turned to a maid who was standing in the corner. "Get Giavanna."

"Yes, Your Highness!" The maid ran off and the guard forced her up, still restraining her hands.

She stumbled as the guard wrapped a rope around her hands and led her away, bringing her back to the docks. Her heart pounded against her chest and she sniffed, finally realizing that she had been crying. She would have wiped her tears if not for the fact that her hands were currently tied up, so she merely blinked the tears away, trying to fan them out before anyone saw them.

She looked up at the guard. He was stiff, strong. She could vaguely remember him standing guard next to Queen Elaina's room from time to time… Usually, she'd be the one ordering him, and now he was the one holding her against her will.

He released her when they stepped off of the ship and she fell, tumbling to the floor in a useless pulp.

She looked up. The guard was already gone.

"Miss Ares!" Winter's voice rang out behind her. A flurry of footsteps followed. "Are you alright?"

Julia didn't dare speak for fear she would burst into tears.

"Miss…" Winter crouched down, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Would you like me to bring you back to the palace, now?"

She didn't respond.

"Miss?"

"I wonder why he didn't eliminate you."

Her shoulders tensed.

Giavanna stepped down from the ship, fanning herself lightly with a pretty pink fan.

Eva looked troubled. She followed Giavanna from the ship closely, though she didn't say anything.

"Maybe because I have a better personality than you," Julia snapped. Giavanna laughed.

"Oh, please. You had Alexander all upset. I had to give him quite a few kisses for him to calm down," Giavanna said, her pink heels clacking against the wooden docks as she sauntered towards Julia, her dress swishing behind her. "I don't think anyone with half a good personality would make someone so upset."

"Oh, what do you define as a 'good' personality?" Julia glared at her.

"Oh, darling, I never said I had a good personality," Giavanna said sweetly, patting her head. Julia slapped her hand away and stood up, facing her. "I'm just better at pretending."

"You act like a noble, from the selfish way you speak," Julia said.

"That's rich, coming from a noble," Giavanna sneered. Eva gulped behind her.

"At least I'm honest," Julia said, taking a step towards her. Giavanna looked shocked for a second before her ruthless grin returned.

"You reckless fool. Won't be long before you get eliminated," she paused, then smirked. "Or worse."

Julia scoffed, turning back to Winter. "Let's go."

Winter nodded, giving Giavanna a glance, and led her back to the palace.

"We've lost one more girl, today."

The room was quiet, too quiet.

"What?" Julia was the first to speak between the three who had just come back from their torturous date.

"The girl who fainted in the Report," Mary said quietly, shaking her head. "She hit her head hard enough that…"

"Do the royals know about this?" Eva said, her voice equally quiet.

Mary nodded. Thalia started crying.

"We're all gonna die!" she screamed. "She was the first one to go! And now it's our turn! We might as well go home before it's too late!"

"Relax, Thalia," Mary grabbed her hand. "Shh… calm down…"

"B-but she died!" Thalia wailed.

"It was deserved," Giavanna shrugged. The girls ignored her.

"It was an accident, Thalia," Amaya said. She sat on the floor, her legs in a criss-cross.

"I DON'T CARE! SOMEONE DIED!"

"People die every day," Natasha pointed out.

"Not. Helping."

"What's going to happen now?" Julia said, walking further into the room as Thalia kept sobbing uncontrollably.

"There's going to be a funeral tomorrow," Amaya said. "We're going to attend in these clothes." She pointed at a pile of black dresses, all identical to each other. There were only three left.

"Hm. I wanted to wear something fancier," Giavanna muttered.

"Tomorrow? Isn't that Alexander's birthday?" Eva asked.

"It is," Julia said.

"I think it's going to be after the ball?" Mary suggested, still cuddling a sobbing Thalia in her arms. "It doesn't make sense otherwise."

"I heard that our families were invited," another girl said, popping into their conversation.

"Where did you hear that, Sandra?" Mary asked her.

"My maid. We gossip a lot," Sandra said, giggling.

"That's not practical. We still haven't gone down to the Elite, yet." Julia's eyebrows furrowed, deep in thought.

"Maybe only some of our families will be here?" Mary suggested. Julia sighed.

"I don't know."

"We should just see tomorrow," Natasha said, putting a hand on Mary's slumped shoulders. "There's no point in discussing it now."

"Natasha's right," Amaya said, standing up. "As much as I'd like to gamble with you all for the rest of the night, I think we need to have as much energy as possible tomorrow." She narrowed her brown eyes. "Something tells me that tomorrow isn't just going to be fun and games."

A/N If you're still seeing this, it means future me was too lazy to delete this non-existent A/N. (Hi past self, I wanted to delete this but didn't because I thought it was funny. But then I actually did write an A/N, so I had to write this note so the existent A/N would not be confusing.)

This chapter was really fun to write! It's so easier to feel better about writing cringe when it's on purpose—I could barely read Giavanna's cliche mean-girl lines without wanting to die. She's just so... predictable. So generic. And that's what made her fun for me.

Hope you enjoyed!