In my mind, this chapter is just a solid "okay", but I was having trouble writing anything, anything at all, so I'm kind of just grateful I got through it. Does that make sense to anyone other than me? I feel like it doesn't. Oh whale. (Imagine a whale emoji here. I can't put a whale emoji here, but if I could, I really, really would.)

Thanks for all the love on Chapter 8! I had a lot of fun with that one and I'm really glad I'm not the only one who enjoyed it.

"…and now, Princess Eadlyn has an announcement to make!" Gavril told the camera, stepping back so I could have center stage on The Report.

The stage lights were nearly blinding, but after so many years of this, I was used to it. As a princess, I was not perfect, but I really had the public speaking part down.

…though this speech was probably going to be a little different than any of the ones I'd made before. A little more important, also. I was going live on The Report to tell my country that I had ended my Selection by proposing to Henri.

At least, that was what I was supposed to be doing. Now that I went up to say it, all the words I'd rehearsed just sounded stupid and unnecessary. I couldn't make any of it come out of my mouth.

There was a painfully awkward pause. The whole country was watching this, waiting with bated breath, and I was standing there like a fish. How brilliant.

I pulled it together quickly. I hadn't spent my whole life thus far in the public eye without gaining a couple emergency survival skills. "Good evening, Illéa," I said serenely, as if they were all right in front of me and we were just having a casual, friendly conversation. "I'm sure you're all eager to hear the news about my Selection."

It seemed they were. The studio audience started to cheer. I winced, which hopefully wasn't visible on camera.

Offstage, Silvia's little grimace indicated that yes, it definitely was visible on camera. Oh well.

I didn't know what to say next. I could see Henri out of the corner of my eye, waving me on encouragingly. He was so sweet. I wished I could truly be excited about marrying him.

But I wasn't. I really wasn't. I liked Henri; I enjoyed his company, but we had about as much romantic chemistry as a pair of socks. Maybe even shoes.

I took a deep shuddery breath, and in that moment, I made up my mind. "The Selection is over!" I announced. Henri started to creep towards the stage. "I'm cancelling it! I quit!"

Henri backed up very quickly.

"I mean it; I'm done with it! I don't want a husband right now, and I certainly don't need one, you sexist pieces of crap!" I yelled. "Yeah, that's right, I'm calling you on it! Y'all think I need a man to rule this country but I ONE HUNDRED PERCENT DO NOT!"

The crowd seemed very alarmed- their eyes were wide as saucers, and some of them had gone awfully pale. I don't think they had expected me to yell at them, but it was kind of fun, so I didn't really feel bad. It was also distinctly better than marrying Henri. Sorry, Henri.

"The Selected are kicked out of the Palace immediately!" I declared. I paused. "…well, except Kile. He lives here. Sorry, Kile."

"It's okay!" he called from behind me or wherever the Selected guys were supposed to sit. He sounded like he was laughing. Somehow, it didn't surprise me that Kile found all this funny.

"…and, uh, sorry Henri," I added. "Eadlyn out."

In lieu of dropping a microphone (because I didn't have a microphone) I yanked out my earpiece and chucked it across the room. That was a good enough exit as any, wasn't it?

By the way, I know Eadlyn would not say y'all. I just say y'all so much that it finds its way into my writing and I don't know how to get rid of it.

Hope y'all (see? It just happens) are ready for Chapter 10! I have no idea what's going to happen in it, but you can count on 1) bad humor and 2) Kile. There will definitely be Kile.

And then we're onto bonus chapters! Or bonus chapter. We'll see how it goes.