Julia walked around the ballroom, her eyes scanning for any sign of abnormalities, before remembering she wasn't supposed to. She wasn't on duty anymore—yet the habit had continued inside her head. She shook her eyes from the crowd and continued wandering, watching her fellow Selected mill about the ballroom, speaking to other nobles as they passed them by.

"You are Julia Ares, aren't you?"

Julia froze. That was a thick Sterfish (Gysterf) accent… they could never pronounce their J's or R's.

She turned to see a woman in her mid-twenties. She was strangely skinny, her face gaunt and her eyes sunken. Her reddish-brown hair was unkempt at best, and utterly insulting to the royal court at worst. Not someone who you'd expect to be in a ball, no… she looked like a commoner. A starving commoner. Wearing armor.

"Yes, and you are?"

She laughed heartily. "A friend, hopefully. I've heard much about you, Julia."

She didn't know what to make of it. Who was this strange woman from Gysterf?

"Oh… thank you?"

"Your Majesty!" A similarly scrawny little man rushed towards the strange woman and bowed. Julia stared at him. "The eye has responded."

"Really?" The woman raised an eyebrow. "Tell him I will meet with him as soon as possible."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the man said, scurrying off.

Then she turned back to Julia and smiled.

"I guess the cat's out of the bag," she said, nodding. "I'm Roxanne, Queen of Gysterf."

"You certainly don't look like a Queen," Julia remarked. Then she shut up. Why did she just say that? Why would she insult a foreign Queen?

But to her surprise, Roxanne only laughed. "I get that a lot. I don't look like a conventional Queen, do I? Queens wear jewelry and beautiful dresses; they're ornaments to make the Crown look pretty. But there aren't many sovereign Queens out there. Many of the conventional Queens that you know are merely wives of a King. I am Queen by birthright."

Wow. She was pretty arrogant, wasn't she? Julia scoffed. She thought she was so special. No wonder Gysterf was so terrible.

"I bet you love your title, Warrior Queen," Julia retorted.

"Indeed! Your brother has told me so much about your fighting skills. Maybe we can spar one day? I love a good challenge."

"You're a Queen," Julia said, averting her gaze. She puffed out her upper lip. Roxanne looked slightly confused. "You should be leading the nation. Passing laws. Tending to your citizens. Not running around killing people like a common soldier."

"Queen Elaina is a Queen," Roxanne said smoothly. Julia looked back into her bright brown eyes. "Does she pass laws? Does she tend to her citizens?"

"You said you were different, though," Julia said. "You're a sovereign. She is merely a wife."

"Touche." Roxanne nodded. "I admit, I do spend more time fighting for my country than tending to her. I can never stay in one place for long."

"That can be dangerous."

"I know." She sighed. "But it could all pay off in the end."

"You love Gysterf a lot."

"Indeed I do," she said, her voice softening. "After all, a monarch must love her country if she is to lead it well."

Julia nodded curtly, then turned.

To her dismay, Roxanne followed her as she walked. If Julia were a cat, her ears would definitely be pressed onto her head by now.

Didn't she know she wasn't wanted here, with her unkempt looks and her status as Gysterf's Queen, Ethica's greatest adversary? In fact, if Ethica hadn't signed that stupid trade deal, this woman would not have been able to step foot in their palace without getting her head chopped off.

Wait…

The Queen of Gysterf was here.

She was here, and why? Just to celebrate Alexander's birthday? No. She must have ulterior motives.

Of course, she had ulterior motives. Julia had no doubt of that.

Julia turned around, her fists clenched. Roxanne looked genuinely surprised that she had turned back. Julia took a step towards her.

"You're not welc-" Julia said, before Alexei strolled over, waving. Julia groaned. Seriously? Now?

"Hey, Julia!" Alexei smirked. Then he turned to Roxanne and bowed. "Your Majesty."

"There is no need for that, Alexei," Roxanne said. Julia frowned. How did she know his name? How did she know her name? "You are not my subject."

"You are still a Queen. It wouldn't do to show disrespect."

Julia frowned even more. Why was Alexei so… casual with her?

"I am but three years older than you," said the Queen. "I am no wiser."

"You have accomplished more than I ever will, Your Majesty," Alexei replied smoothly. "I cannot compare myself to you."

Was Alexei… flirting with the Queen of Gysterf?

Queen Roxanne merely smiled. She seemed to do that a lot. "Trust me. Your importance isn't exaggerated."

Alexei smiled too. Julia stared at them, trying to decipher what it meant.

Then they turned their backs to her. "Excuse us."

They walked together, talking and talking as they left Julia's earshot. She simply stared.

What in the world was going on?

Julia found herself walking along idly again, watching the dance floor and the crowds for something interesting.

Then she caught a glint of blue from the corner of her eye. She glanced at the door.

Princess Alexandra was there, walking out of the ballroom, looking around so no one caught her.

Now that was interesting.

Julia looked around, making sure no one was trailing her before nodding. She ran towards the exit and burst the door open as quickly as she could without attracting attention. She looked into the hallway. Alexandra was still visible, walking into a servant's room down the hall.

Hm.

Julia followed her, making sure not to make a sound as she tiptoed towards the door and peeked through.

Eva Paula Schmidt was waiting there, sitting on a servant's bed.

"Eva!" Alexandra smiled. "I knew you'd be here."

"Are you sure no one will notice you?" Eva asked, adjusting her seat so that Alexandra could sit down next to her. "It's your birthday, after all."

Alexandra shook her head, sighing. "Don't worry. They'll all be focused on Alex."

The two stared at each other. Julia held her breath.

"How are you doing?" Eva asked. "I haven't seen you for a couple of days. We used to meet at the window every day."

"Oh, busy. Preparing the ball and everything. You know." Alexandra shrugged.

"Really?" Eva looked interested. "You had to prepare your own birthday party?"

Alexandra laughed, her fingers fidgeting. "It's not my birthday party. No one really cares."

She stopped. Eva bit her lip.

"I'm sorry," Eva said, looking up at her.

"No, it's fine," Alexandra said, pushing Eva's outreached hand away. "I've gotten used to it."

Eva nodded. "What do you think of the trade deal with Gysterf?" she asked.

"Oh, we're going into politics now?" Alexandra said. "Well… it's been a while since we've had positive relations with them. Maybe it's about time we mend our ancestors' mistakes and start a new age of peace."

"I don't know," Eva's eyebrows furrowed. "Julia didn't seem to like it."

"Julia's a bit paranoid," Alexandra replied, smoothing out her black dress. "Don't worry about her."

Footsteps emerged from the hallway. Julia gasped and jumped into the shadows of the night just as Lady Domanshee walked by, her heels clicking menacingly with each step. She paused where Julia had been, frowning, before continuing on, turning the corner away from her.

Whew.

She returned to the door. "Who do you think that was?" Eva asked.

"I don't know," Alexandra furrowed her eyebrows and Julia ducked, hoping that she didn't see her.

But she said nothing, and merely turned back to Eva.

"I heard your parents were here, Eva," Alexandra said.

"Oh." Eva's voice seemed to fall. "Oh."

"Are you not happy?" The Princess looked slightly confused.

Eva sighed. "I just… no, I'm happy. I just thought I could live at least a few weeks or months without them."

"They won't be here for long," Alexandra said gently. "Just for a few days, to pay their respects."

"I know," Eva looked at the floor. "It's just… I thought they'd be like: 'oh Eva why did the Prince call you an idiot' and then they'd yell at me and everything. You know, it kinda hurt more that they didn't say anything about it."

"Yeah," Alexandra's voice seemed far away. "It was cruel of him to insult you in front of everyone like that."

There was a great silence once again, amongst the two women. Julia could barely fathom what was happening. How did Eva know Alexandra so well?

"I need to win, Alexandra," Eva whispered, looking at the wall. "I… I can't lose. Not now."

Alexandra stayed quiet, staring at her.

"Do you know what your brother likes?" Julia's heart broke at how desperate Eva's voice was. She had never heard her so vulnerable like this. "Please. I don't know if I'm going to be eliminated."

Alexandra sighed. "... Eva…"

"Yeah?"

The Princess stared into her eyes and sighed.

"Alex likes having power," Alexandra said quietly. So quietly that Julia had to lean even closer to the door she was already leaning on to hear. "He likes having his every order followed perfectly."

"That's not what I-"

"He doesn't like anything material, really. His wants fluctuate from time to time. One year he got into archery; another year he really liked reading. As far as I know… there isn't a way to please him other than approach him timidly, follow his every order, become someone he can depend on to get what he wants whenever he wants."

Eva's face looked stricken. She bit her lip. "... I see."

Julia couldn't help but notice Alexandra clutching something in her dress.

Eva seemed to notice too because she said, "Alexandra?"

"Hm?"

"What's that thing in your dress that you keep holding?"

Alexandra froze, her eyes wide. "Oh… it's nothing."

"Alex-"

"I…" her face fell. "It's just…"

Alexandra glanced at the thing in her pocket and took a deep breath.

"Eva?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," Alexandra's voice broke. It wavered with each syllable, infused with emotion. "You're the first person who I ever met that… cares about me. As a person. As a friend."

"Oh."

"Even though we've only known each other for a few weeks… You don't know how much that means to me."

"Oh."

"I… I'm glad that the Selection let me meet you, Eva. And I promise—whether you win or lose, whether you become my sister-in-law or simply just another noble… You'll always be my friend. I trust you."

"Oh."

Alexandra closed her eyes shut and squeezed them, hard.

"Can I tell you something? I've been scared to tell anyone, but I just... it's so hard to keep it in like this."

"If it's a secret, I won't tell anyone," Eva said, placing her hand on hers. "I wouldn't be your friend if I didn't."

Alexandra gave her a thankful smile, then pulled out a small vial, about the size of a finger, with white-tinted, translucent liquid inside.

Eva stared at it. "What…?"

"It's a long story," she said. She thought for a moment. "I've had this for over a year now."

"What is it?"

Alexandra opened her mouth, then closed it.

"Oh… uh…"

Eva waited patiently.

"It's…" Alexandra coughed. "If… If you happen to consume this… You'll drop dead within ten minutes."

Eva's blue eyes widened. "Poison?"

The Princess nodded grimly.

"Wh- how did you get this? Why?"

"Please," Alexandra croaked. "Let me explain."

Eva calmed down a bit, though she still eyed the vial suspiciously.

"Over a year ago," Alexandra started. "A rebel came to me. He gave me this and told me exactly how it worked."

"What?" Eva exclaimed.

Julia agreed. What?

"He told me that this poison was specially picked from native Gysterf plants," Alexandra said. "As soon as it is swallowed, the person is done for, no antidotes. They'll start feeling a headache a minute after consumption, and their condition will rapidly worsen until they drop dead at your feet."

Eva held her breath, shaking her head.

"He… He knew about our argument," Alexandra's voice was small, defeated.

"What argument?"

"Earlier that day… With Alexander… I just…" Alexandra sniffed. "I just snapped. And I yelled at him and he yelled back and I said some words I shouldn't have and he threatened me and…"

She trailed off.

"You don't have to continue if you don't want to," Eva said softly. Alexandra shook her head.

"No… I have to."

Eva waited.

"I wanted to kill him that day. I wanted to be Queen. I… I didn't want to hurt him, but… I thought Ethica would be better off with me as her ruler," Alexandra whispered. "He told me about the horrible things Alexander had done, and I knew they were true and… He told me the rebels had my back and that if I ever decided to do it, they would crown me Queen." She shook her head. "But I'm not stupid."

"What?" Eva questioned.

"I knew their plans. They just wanted to destabilize our family so that it'll be easier to take over. But… nevertheless…" she sighed. "I almost did it."

Eva was speechless. She merely looked at her in shock.

"But then, I…" Alexandra gulped, staring down at the vial. "I realized that I couldn't."

A sob escaped from her throat and Eva scooted closer to her, patting her soothingly on the back. Alexandra nodded her thanks.

"I knew that if they ever found out… they'd never forgive me," Alexandra said, looking back down at the vial. "And… I'd never forgive myself."

Eva's expression was a confusing mix of shock, fear, and anger.

"And I knew that I couldn't just tell them about it," Alexandra said. "Because if they knew the rebels had said that they were on my side… I'd be killed. Well, banished, if I were lucky. So I kept it, and…"

She froze, realizing what she was saying.

"I'm sorry…" Alexandra said. "I shouldn't be bothering you with this."

"No," Eva shook her head. "Continue."

"And I started bringing it everywhere I went because I was too scared that if someone found it… they'd find out it was me. I started depending on it whenever Alexander made me angry, which, honestly, is basically every time he talks to me. I'd hold it and remind myself of what would happen if…"

Sobs echoed throughout the room as Eva quietly patted her.

"You're strong," Eva whispered. "You were able to keep such a secret by yourself for a year. I'm sure it must have torn you apart, not being able to tell anyone."

Alexandra nodded. "Yeah… It feels so much better now… thank you."

"Hey, I'm here, okay?" Eva smiled, letting go of her and helping to wipe her tears.

A sniff. Another pat.

Cringe. Julia scrunched up her nose.

"You won't tell this to anyone, right?" Alexandra whispered. "It's kind of a big deal."

"Of course," Eva whispered back. "I promise."

The Princess smiled.

"No matter if you win The Selection or not," Alexandra said. "Can we stay in contact?"

"Of course. I think my parents would like that, actually."

Alexandra smiled. She nodded. "Thank you."

The door creaked and Julia froze as the two girls looked over at her.

"Hide!" Eva whispered, ducking underneath the bed. Alexandra merely peered at the door.

Julia ducked to the side, her chest heaving with each breath.

She needed to have a talk with a certain someone.

Fallon Ares was a year younger than Alexei, but she was in charge of Alexandra. Julia never really spoke with Fallon a lot—maybe once or twice in passing, but she was never particularly close with her cousin.

"Fallon!"

Fallon had wavy brown hair that was tied up in a long ponytail. She looked at Julia. "Hi, Julia!"

"How long have you known?!" Julia shouted.

"Known what?" Fallon frowned. "Aren't you supposed to be at the ball?"

"That Alexandra has been carrying a vial of poison for the past year!" Julia cried. Fallon's eyes widened and she rushed to her, covering her mouth.

"Shush! How did you find out about that?! It's supposed to be top secret!"

"I found out about it perfectly legally, as Julia the Selected, not Julia Ares," Julia snapped. Fallon's eyes softened a bit, but she still glared at her. "Fallon, how could you keep that from us?! This is serious! How could you let a rebel approach her?!"

"I can't control her every move! Besides, she wasn't in danger! They weren't going to hurt her!"

"Are you serious?!" Julia yelled. "She could have killed him!"

"But she didn't!"

"You could've at least told Alexei about it!"

"If I did tell anyone, they'd kill her!" Fallon yelled. Julia took a deep breath. "Don't you understand?! My job is to protect her, not Alexander!"

"By risking the royal family's stability?" Julia argued. "You know that if he died there's a pretty good chance we'd ALL die!"

Fallon slapped her in the face and Julia yelped, taking a step back. "Julia, I swear- if I told anyone, it'll be against the law! The Oath of Secrecy, remember?"

"Not if it's an emergency!"

"It wasn't an emergency!" Fallon insisted, her brown eyes narrowed. "If I told them, they'd kill her, and I would be dead, too!"

"So you'd rather save your own skin than the entire kingdom?!"

"Julia, why are you so paranoid?!"

"Because our Crown Prince COULD HAVE DIED!"

"I could care less about the Crown Prince! Have you fallen in love with him or something?! Have you forgotten our job?!"

Julia could have punched her back, but she restrained herself. "I'M NOT IN LOVE WITH HIM!"

"Then why are you acting as if you're his bodyguard?! You're forgetting Annalisa entirely!"

Julia gasped. "I'm acting in the interest of the entire family!"

"Oh, really?" Fallon sneered. "That's Uncle Joseph's job, in case you've forgotten. HE'S Lord Ares, not you!"

She didn't respond.

"You say this," Fallon whispered in her ear. "To no one else."

"No promises."

"Are you serious?!" Fallon looked like she wanted to murder her. "You're going to get me killed!"

"Oh, yeah, like you're more important than the royal family and thousands of innocent civilians."

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"

Both Julia and Fallon froze as Julia's father came marching in right at that moment. They turned to face him and he glared at them.

"Julia?! Why aren't you with the other Selected?! You're not allowed to be here!"

"If there's a security issue, then I think I'm allowed to do my job," Julia snapped back. Her eyes widened, slapping a hand over her mouth. Did she really just say that?

"Oh, is it about that rebel you saw that day?!" Joseph boomed. "Stop it! Now! Get back or there will be consequences!"

"Yes, My Lord." Julia rushed past him in the direction of the ballroom. He turned to Fallon.

"And you, what were you doing talking to my daughter?"

"I swear, My Lord, she was the one that sought me out, I didn't want to talk to her!"

"And what did you talk about?"

Julia could hear the fear in her voice. "Oh… uh…"

She sighed, walking away. She didn't want to hear what kind of pathetic excuse Fallon made to save her own skin.

But… deep in Julia's heart, she knew that she was right. No harm had been done; no one had died. If she spread the word now, it would destabilize the monarchy even more. Princess Alexandra would be executed within a heartbeat, and the people would know just how powerful the rebels really were.

She walked across the hallway, ignoring the splendor of the palace around her, the palace that she knew by heart, that she'd walked upon and examined for so many years that she'd already stopped admiring the beauty and begun seeing it as just a tool.

But a tool for what?

"Oh, hey, Julia!" Mary waved her over to her table, patting an empty seat. "I've been looking for you! Where have you been?"

"Dancing," Julia lied, sliding into the empty seat. It was warm.

Mary examined her, then laughed it off. "Oh, really?"

"Mhm."

"Would you like a drink?" Mary pointed to the bottles of beverages on the table. "There's alcohol… More alcohol… Wow, these nobles are getting wasted… Oh, apple cider! Want some?"

"Sure. Thanks, Mary."

Mary poured her a bottle and handed it to her, and Julia drank. Then she coughed.

"I was wondering… how does it work?"

"How does what work?"

"Well…" She thought for a moment, sipping her own viscous golden liquid. "You're Princess Annalisa's bodyguard, right?"

"Yeah."

"So you know all of her secrets, right? Everything she does every day, everything she likes…"

Julia's shoulders tensed slightly as she emptied the rest of the cider in one gulp. She reached for the bottle again. "Yeah, I do. What about it?"

Mary scrambled to elaborate. "No, no, I didn't mean it like that! I was just wondering: wouldn't that cause some problems?"

"Oh," Julia cracked a smile, despite her current emotions. "Yeah, actually. Two centuries ago, my great-great-great-aunt actually spilled a ton of her principal's secrets to the public. After that, they decided to make us swear an Oath of Secrecy so that it wouldn't happen again. So I can't tell you anything I know about Annalisa that I've acquired on duty."

Mary nodded as Julia brought her glass to her lips again. "Wait… On duty?"

Julia nodded, putting down the drink on the table. "Yeah. It gets a bit complicated from there. Anything we learn about our principal and their family off-duty will be permitted, but there've been several cases where this exception has been abused, so it's a pretty gray area."

Mary nodded again. "I was just wondering, because… Well, it doesn't make a lot of sense, you know?"

"I know."

They sat in silence for another moment, and for the first time, Julia felt at home with a friend sitting next to her, downing glass after glass of precious cider, no orders to fulfill, no rebels to worry about, and no questions to answer.

Just silence.

That was probably what Julia liked most about Mary, in the few weeks that she had known her. She was so comfortable to be around, so understanding. Somehow she knew her better than anyone else Julia had known for her entire life. Somehow she knew everyone better than anyone else.

"Thank you," Julia finally said to her. Mary looked toward her.

"Oh!" Mary smiled. "If you need me, I'll be here. Always. Well, until I get eliminated, anyway."

And they laughed.

She thought of the laughter that George, Alexei, and Alexander always shared. She thought of how they always seemed to know what the other was thinking. They were true friends. And sure, she had Annalisa, but she never had a choice but to be friends with her. It was her duty, and she enjoyed being with Annalisa, sure, but did they really have that deep bond?

For the first time in Julia's life, she finally understood what it felt like to have someone she could rely on. Someone she didn't have to look after 24/7; someone who could look after her in turn.

For the first time in Julia's life, she finally understood what it was like to have a friend.