"Evaaaaaa!"
Eva rolled over in her bed, groaning.
"Evaaaa! Sweet darling! It's time to get up, girl!"
She buried her face into her cotton pillow. Ahhh… so soft…
"Rise and shine!"
Someone threw open her covers and she shot awake, staring up at her mother, who was clapping with irritating joy.
"Come on, Eva! It's time to wake up!"
"W-" She glanced at the clock. "Wh- how- it's four in the morning!"
"I know, and I'm proud of you, darling! Such an early bird!" Her father strolled into the room, grinning at her.
Eva sighed, but nodded.
"Now, darling, we're going to have to leave, okay?"
Finally.
"Oh, I'm sorry to see you go, mom," Eva lied. "I'll miss you."
"Yes, but the next time we see you, you'll be well on your way to become Queen!" her mom chirped, grabbing her hand to hoist her to her feet.
"We're rooting for you!" her father added.
"Why are you leaving so early, anyway?"
"So we don't attract attention!" her mother said. "Anyway, darling, is there anything you need to tell us? We want to help you any way we can!"
She blinked. "Oh… uh…"
"Are any of the other girls bothering you?" her father asked.
"Oh, no, they're all really nice-" Eva thought of Giavanna or Natasha, but then pushed them down.
"I'm your mother, Eva," said her mother, her voice suddenly becoming stern. "I want the best for you. It's not healthy to bottle all your feelings up. It's alright to tell me!"
Eva blushed. "Oh… uh, sorry. I just didn't want to bother you with my problems…"
"You don't bother us at all!" her father said, grabbing her hands and holding them earnestly. "Please, tell us."
"Oh… we'll, there's this girl called Natasha. She's kinda scary, but not really mean. I dunno, I just feel a bit uncomfortable around her."
"We'll do our best to deal with that, sweetie," her mother said innocently. Eva stared at her. What was she planning?
"Who else?" her father prompted.
"Oh, there's Giavanna Hu, too. She's some sort of a tigress. No one likes her, and she knows it."
"Oh, that's not good!" her mother cried.
Eva laughed nervously. "Mom, if you're planning to do something to them, please don't, it'll be pretty embarrassing…"
"Of course, not!" she assured her. "You're your own person. We trust you to deal with your problems yourself."
The words were comforting, but why did Eva have this weird feeling in her gut that knew they were going to meddle with her Selection somehow?
"Anyway, you must have friends, right?" her father said. "Tell us about them."
"Oh! Well, Mary's Natasha's sister, but she's really nice."
"Mary? Really?"
Eva raised an eyebrow. "You know her?"
Her father shrugged nonchalantly, though Eva, yet again, got a pit in her stomach that something was very, very wrong. "I've heard of her."
"And Julia's really cool too-"
"Julia?" Her mother frowned. "Julia Ares?"
Eva nodded, and her mother let out a long sigh.
"Eva, Julia is probably your greatest enemy," her father said, shaking her head. "She's already close with the royal family. You shouldn't be so close to her…"
"I'm not-"
"You should be sabotaging her," her mother said. Eva blinked, taken aback. "You should be ruining her chances of winning. Only then will you stand a chance—what, you think befriending her will get you the crown?"
"… No."
"Exactly," her mother concurred. "The most you'll get is some dumb job in the palace, working for the royals, not as a royal. Eva, you need to pick your allies wisely."
She bit her lip. "Yes, mom."
"Anyway, who else?"
"Oh, well, Sandra and Thalia are nice too, and-" Eva paused.
"Yes?"
"Oh… nothing. I've just been meeting with someone who isn't in the Selection. She's really nice, too."
"Really?" Her mother looked much more intrigued now, leaning forward, her eyes piercing into her soul. "Is it illegal?"
"No!" Eva gasped. "No, it's not like that!"
"Who is it?" Her father tapped his fingers. "How long have you been meeting her?"
Eva hesitated.
"Come on, darling." Her mother raised her hand and stroked her cheek. "You can tell us."
"Princess Alexandra." Her parents gasped. "No, it's just… she's really nice! She's been helping me, giving me tips on how to win Alexander over, and she's really helpful, since, you know, they're twins-"
"How many times have you spoken to her?" Her mother's eyes lit up almost comically.
"... A few?" Eva leaned back, grimacing. "Uh, can you guys move a little bit, y'know, outwards? I'm kinda getting cramped in here…"
"Oh, of course!" Her mother scooted back. "So? Elaborate!"
"Oh, I've just talked to her a couple of times in the hallway."
"That's it?"
Eva sighed. "Mom-"
"Oh, not to intrude on your privacy, sweetie!" she cooed. Eva rolled her eyes. "I just wanted to help."
"Well, we talked about the stars and the moon and stuff… about Alexander… Oh, yeah, we also talked during the ball, too!"
"Really?" Her father raised an eyebrow. "I certainly didn't see-"
"Because your eyes are the equivalent of two meaty mushrooms," her mother snapped, turning to Eva. "Continue. Don't let your father distract you!"
Eva shrugged. "Well, we didn't really talk in public for a reason. We snuck out to some servant's quarters and she gave me some tips and what's to come and stuff like that…"
"What exactly did she say?"
"Mom… Alexandra's a friend. You really don't think-"
"Darling," her mother took one of her shoulders and shook it violently. "Listen to me. If you want to succeed in this Selection, you will have to tell us everything so we can help you, alright?"
"Yes, mom."
They waited. Eva took a deep breath.
"Well, she told me about the… uh… Well… She told me that Alexander's basically a jerk with a crown-"
"Hm." Her mother shared a glance with her father.
"-and, uh… She said that I was her friend-"
"You're hiding something," her mother said bluntly. "Tell us. Now."
Eva froze.
"N-no-"
"Eva," her father said in a warning tone.
She could feel something boil deep in her gut. She clenched her fists.
"Fine! She tried to kill Alexander! Well, not tried, she just got the option to-"
Wait… what was she saying?
Eva shut up immediately.
"And?"
"And… uh… nothing!" She could feel two sides of her brain fighting in a brutal battle between obeying her parents and keeping a horrible secret from one of the only friends she had ever known.
Her mother eyed her suspiciously, then turned to her husband, whispering some words to him. Eva watched nervously as her father turned back to her, sighing. "Eva, darling. Please continue."
"W-well… uh…" she struggled to speak. "Well- the rebels gave her this poison and she thought of using it but then she didn't, that's really it, it's not that important-"
A wide smile slowly spread across her mother's face. Eva flinched.
"Very good, Eva," she said, sweeter than ever. "Mommy must go now, alright, darling?"
Eva nodded, trying not to show her anxiety. Her father smiled like his son had just won a baseball game. Wait, what was baseball? Did baseball even exist at this time?
"I'm proud of you, darling." He gave her a warm kiss on her forehead. "See you soon, and with a ring on your finger and a crown on your head."
"Yeah," she said absentmindedly as her parents filed out of her room. "See you soon."
Eva sat, alone, in her bedroom, the silence echoing through the air like a siren, like a warning. What had been a tornado had become a mere breeze, just the aftermath of terrible destruction.
More silence.
And more.
She coughed, turning back to her covers, reveling in the rustling sound they made.
"I am Eva Paula Schmidt," she said out loud, hoping to convince herself of that lie she knew was never going to come true. "And I am going to win the Selection and make my family proud."
It had been two more weeks since Alexander's birthday, and he was finally picking up with the dates.
The problem with going on dates with a spoiled prince? You tend to get eliminated.
In only two weeks, Julia found herself with only fourteen girls in the Selected Quarters, her being the fifteenth. At this point, the girls who had survived their dates with Alexander were relaxing (which was a grand total of five) and the more unlucky ones were constantly pacing around in the main room, wondering when they'd eventually get picked for their date and most likely get yeeted out of the palace.
Her bet? Alexander probably hadn't even spent five minutes with those unfortunate girls before sending them away.
Of course, not all of the eliminations were made by Alexander. Lady Domanshee also felt the need to eliminate two more girls those weeks, after one of them accidentally tripped over those ridiculous dresses she made them wear the other day (to practice "balance"), and the other for no apparent reason whatsoever. At least, none that Julia knew of.
"Do you have any idea who you want to pick, now that we're down to fifteen girls?" Paliz asked.
"I'm actually not that sure!" Alexander shrugged, not even looking at him. He seemed to be busy examining the intricate designs on the lovely throne he was sitting on. "I'm weighing the pros and cons of each girl. They all seem like good matches, really… I just wish they were… y'know, better."
Alexander had even invited her on another date. Another one. Even though literally all of the other girls had only been on one date with him, somehow she got a third. Wonder why.
"You still suck, by the way," he said.
"I know," she retorted.
"Good."
Who knew that spending half an hour playing piano and singing with him would be so tortuous?
"Can you sing better? My ears are going to shatter," Alexander said, slamming his fists onto the piano keys to create an explosion of pandemonium.
"My ears are going to shatter, too. Your playing is dreadful."
"Shut up. Now."
Julia shut up, but if he was anyone BUT the Crown Prince, her future King, and possibly husband she would've punched him in the face.
"I can't believe you still like Giavanna," she said. Then she paused. "Actually, nevermind. You guys are perfect for each other."
"She's rich, and she flirts like hell. What else could I want from her?" Alexander said, playing all the wrong notes.
"Can't argue with that," Julia muttered.
She was also busy trying to find a replacement for Sunny, but no one seemed competent enough.
"I swear, I've been in the business for years!" a girl protested as Julia sighed.
"Sorry. You just don't make the cut. I hope you find another job, though. I could recommend you to one of my cousins…"
Girl after girl she went through. All of them were… decent, sure, but it had taken many grueling months to find Sunny, one of the best guards she could have ever wished for. She didn't think she'd get so lucky again, and the current pool of girls sent her way weren't exactly the cream of the crop, with the little money her father had bothered to throw at her. In fact, if her job offer was anything but "Protect The Princess", the line in front of her little stall in a forgotten corner of the palace would be empty.
Forget the pains of being an employer—the Selected were in pain. Literally.
"IT HURTS!" Thalia screamed.
"You should probably go back to your room, you know," Natasha said. "And relax?"
Thalia screamed again, and Mary patted her on the back.
"I'll make another tea for you."
"Yeah!" Julia nodded. "Some tea should help. When I have cramps, I always love some warm ginger tea."
"I don't like ginger though!" Thalia complained, squirming and clutching her abdomen in pain.
"Well, too bad. Would you rather drink ginger than suffer through terrible cramps?"
Thalia wailed in pain. "I-I don't understand! I never had so much blood!"
"Probably because you're in the palace," Julia reasoned, sitting back. "You're eating more. With more nutrition, more blood."
"WELL, I DON'T WANT MORE BLOOD! I DON'T WANT TO BE IN THE PALACE ANYMORE!"
At that very moment, Lady Domanshee seemed to teleport into the room, raising an eyebrow. Thalia gulped.
"I-I didn't mean that-"
Lady Domanshee didn't move, but Julia could see a hint of a smile on her face.
"I am in possession of a new technology that could keep the blood from staining your dress, if you'd like."
Thalia sniffed. "Really?"
"Mhm." Lady Domanshee motioned for Cornelia, and she nodded, rushing out of the room to fetch whatever technology she was talking about, then coming back with some white things that resembled a bunch of tissues. Cornelia handed them to Thalia.
"T-thank you," Thalia whimpered.
Lady Domanshee gave her a curt nod, then walked away.
Julia couldn't stop her mouth from hanging open in shock. Was Lady Domanshee actually… growing fond of them?
Whatever little compassion she had displayed, however, had disappeared when she clapped her hands, signaling another lesson.
"Today we will be learning about the Ares family. If you are to become princess, you will have your own Ares to protect you. They will be a woman, as they will follow your every move and will most likely end up your confidante."
Julia could feel all eyes on her, and she shriveled up.
"Come on! Form a circle! We haven't got all day."
She could feel how empty the room was. Before, they had struggled to squeeze together into a circle. Now, they struggled to fill the empty spaces between them.
"Miss Ares, may you stand in the circle to help demonstrate?"
An, yes. Of course.
Julia stepped up, her hands against her back, standing straight as a soldier.
"I am a Princess," Lady Domanshee declared. Julia tried her best to not roll her eyes. "This is my loyal Ares. Say hi."
"Hi." Julia made no effort to hide her exasperation.
"Now curtsy."
She obeyed.
"Unsheathe your sword."
"I don't have a sword." Julia wrapped her hand around the knife she hid in her dress every day.
"Whatever weapon you have, then."
She whipped out her knife and stood in a fighting position. The Selected gasped in both fear and awe.
"Attack Cornelia."
"What?!" Cornelia whimpered. Julia tried her best not to turn around and attack Lady Domanshee instead. She walked to that poor little girl and smacked her in the face. Cornelia cried out. "Lady-"
Lady Domanshee ignored her. "As you can see, the Ares follow your every order. They are basically competent servants."
Cornelia squeaked.
"Can someone tell me the history of the Ares?"
No one moved.
"Hm… I think a few more girls can be thrown out… the King wouldn't mind, in fact, he adores my efforts to keep this Selection running smoothly…"
Mary raised her hand hesitantly.
"Mary?"
Wow, Lady Domanshee actually remembered her name?
"King Garric was fighting the Gysterf armies," Mary said. "And Justin Ares saved them."
"Good. And the Ares family has become a staple of Ethica's prosperity ever since."
Julia could feel sixteen eyes on her. She didn't move.
"Many nations have tried to replicate this. Can you name one?"
Eva raised her hand. Lady Domanshee ignored her.
"Let's see… Thalia?"
"W-what?" Thalia took a surprised step back. "Oh. Uh… Thelonia?"
"Wrong. Thelonia actually criticized this system. They said that a single family shouldn't lord over all military and security departments of a nation, or else it'll disrupt the power balance. Alright, Natasha?"
Natasha looked insanely bored. She shrugged. "I dunno."
"Hm. Mary?"
Eva's hand couldn't have been higher.
Mary brushed a strand of hair back from her eyes. "Uh… Aloia?"
"Lucky guess. Yes, it was Aloia. Can you name the family they appointed?"
Eva's hand wavered and she let it fall to her side.
"No one? Hm, I'm very disappointed. Amaya?"
"I don't know!"
Lady Domanshee sighed. "The Kuang family. But they chose wrong. A few ambitious members of the Kuang rose up and destroyed the royal family, taking power for themselves."
No one spoke.
"Hopefully," she said, a hint of a smile on her face. "We do not suffer the same fate."
They all turned their heads towards Julia.
Seriously?
She hung her head, showing no signs of movement.
"Julia, you can come back to the circle, now." Lady Domanshee cleared her throat. "The Ares family has had a long and rich history…"
On and on she droned about everything Julia had known by heart since childhood, though the confused faces of her fellow Selected proved that they were more unfamiliar.
"... After the peace summit, Erica traveled back to-"
"LADIES!"
Lady Domanshee whipped around, narrowing her eyes at the servant who had swung open the door. "Can't you see I'm busy?"
"I apologize, ma'am," said the servant. Lady Domanshee scoffed and muttered something about how she was supposed to be a lady, not a ma'am. "I have direct orders from the King!"
"The King?" Mary frowned.
"Effective immediatel, the palace will be going into a lockdown!" the servant announced. A chorus of gasps echoed throughout the room.
"A l-lockdown?!" Thalia's face paled. "Ohhh no…"
"Don't say it," Natasha said.
"No…"
Natasha glared. Thalia's lower lip trembled.
"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!"
"And there she goes." Natasha rolled her eyes.
"You will not be permitted to leave the main room and your individual rooms—unless given specific permission by King Eadger or his legitimate children," he said. "If you are caught skipping around the hallway, the King has given permission for such an offense to be punishable by death."
"I TOLD YOU!" Thalia burst into tears. "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!"
"That's only if we don't follow the rules," Mary said soothingly, running to Thalia's side and patting her on the back.
"But why?" Julia asked.
The servant ignored her. "That is all I have been ordered to say."
He bowed and rushed out of the room. Six guards marched in as soon as he scurried away, filing into the walls in a straight line, looming over them like hawks.
"I guess they'll be watching us now?" Amaya waved to one of them. The guard didn't react.
"Now, now, girls," Lady Domanshee said, holding a hand up. A deep frown was etched on her face. "We will continue with the lesson."
The girls all settled down, albeit more out of fear than actual compliance, and they looked at the Mistress expectantly. Lady Domanshee sighed.
"Where was I? Ah, yes, Erica Ares…"
"And she… she hit me!"
The girls gasped as Thalia held out her arm, displaying the red marks on her wrist.
"Now that's just going too far," Mary said, shaking her head.
"She's just getting bolder!" Amaya agreed.
"We need to do something about her. She's a vile, evil witch who doesn't deserve to be here," Sandra said, taking a seat next to them. "Maybe if we present our case to the Prince… and he can pass it along to the King…"
Julia scoffed. "Do you really think he'd do that?"
"He's not that bad," Sandra said softly. "Besides, what else can we do?"
She glared at her, and when Sandra frowned in confusion, she pointed to herself.
"Uh, hello? I'm Julia Ares."
"You can't match Alexander, though," Sandra sighed, leaning on the table with dreamy, lovestruck eyes.
Julia rolled her eyes.
"Okay, so we get Julia to do… what?" Mary asked.
"Uh-huh. We can get her to ask Alexander. Which is the exact same thing."
"Well, he'll probably listen to her, right?" Mary suggested.
"Yeah, I don't think he likes her very much." Natasha crossed her arms.
A chorus of disappointed groans appeared rather simultaneously.
"What are we going to do?" Sandra sat back on her chair. "She's going to whittle us down. One by one. Until the entire Selection is her Selection and not Alexander's."
"Don't give up yet." Mary put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll go with the first plan. Sandra, you're having a date with the Prince in a week, right?"
"Right," Sandra replied.
"Good. Then we'll get rid of Lady Domanshee soon."