THE PUPPET MASTER
Chapter Three
"You never realize how lonely you are until it's the end of the day and you've got a bunch of things to talk about but no one to talk to."
~Jaxon~
Folding my quivering hands in my lap, I forced myself to focus on Jared's words. He was speaking animatedly to Grayson, his eyes lighting up as he passionately discussed our upcoming selection.
He had been speaking to all of his loved ones about it, soaking up all the information he could get while I watched pathetically from the sidelines.
I pushed away a pang of jealously when I remembered that I didn't have any loved ones here to advise me.
Wiping my sweaty palms on my pants, I glanced back at Jared to see a rather pretty brunette speaking words of encouragement to him. I had seen the girl around the palace, but couldn't identify her. However, her presence seemed to ease Jared, who was smiling dotingly at her.
It seemed as though everyone had been supporting Jared, offering him advice and encouraging words, not paying any heed to me as I sat in the corner and sulked.
I didn't mind the lack of attention, but it got lonely after a while, watching Jared gratefully accept comfort from people who would glide past me as if I didn't exist only seconds later.
I received the distinct impression that the brunette who Jared seemed so fond of strongly disliked me as she gave him a warm smile before stalking past me with a sniff and disdainful look.
Rolling my eyes, I walked up to Grayson, who was prepping Jared and playfully teasing him about his striped tie. Grayson offered me a tentative grin before sweeping past the curtain.
"Places, everyone! We're live in 3!"
The royal family was scattered across the stage as maids scurried around, touching up makeup and adjusting stools. We took our seats and waited, and I noted that the pretty brunette that seemed partial to Jared gave him a thumbs up from behind the curtain.
I was sure I had seen her around before, but I just couldn't place her name.
We waited patiently as lights were set up, cameras were focused, and Jared and I were forced closer together to share the spotlight.
I noted that the brunette was now whispering to Aspynn. Despite looking slightly out of place sitting next to all the other royals, they appeared to be perfectly comfortable in her presence, all offering her adoring smiles.
Fidgeting with the cuffs of my suit, I clasped my hands together to prevents them from becoming a distraction.
In an attempt to calm myself, I focused on the brunette, racking my brain for her name. I was sure I had heard it somewhere… Emma, maybe? Or did it start with a P?
Grayson began counting down the seconds until the cameras would flash on, signaling the start of the Report.
"Live in 5…
4…
3…
2…
1…
"And we're live! Good evening folks, I'm Grayson Kingsley, bringing you the weekly Illéan Report from the castle here in Angeles. And tonight we have a very special announcement: two special young men are ready to host the selection of the century!"
Grayson's confident, charismatic voice incited roars of excitement from the crowd.
"Here we have our very own Prince Jaxon and Jared Romero!" The camera pivoted to capture the identical false smiles pasted on our faces.
Grayson waited for the cheering of the crowd to die down before continuing.
"As you know, these two princes are ready to co-host their very own Selection! This is a special event that Illéa has never seen before, and today, they are ready to take on the daunting task of being the only men in Illéa's history to co-host a Selection.
"Over the course of the time it will take for these two men to select a bride, there will be 3 Trials to test both our Princes and their Selected. The outcomes of these Trials will determine who is fit to rule our beloved country. But never fear, because you, the citizens of Illéa, will be left with the opportunity to vote for your ruler!"
I smiled nervously and hid my sweaty palms from view as Grayson's announcement incited another wave of cheering and roaring from the audience.
"But before we choose a King, we must choose their selected! Are you ready, Illéa?"
Grayson's wink was answered by screams of wild cheering and whoops of excitement.
I was sure to keep a charming smile pasted on my face as Grayson stood and sauntered over to the basket containing the envelopes, and I out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Jared was doing the same.
"And now… I'm proud to present our first lovely lady from Allens, Kalina Everheart, a Two!"
I beamed at the photo of Kalina, a gorgeous blonde whose bright smile was infectious. I had the vague memory of one of the Princesses selecting her form in the hastily painted room a week ago, but I couldn't remember who it was.
Attempting to calm my racing heartbeat, I unfolded my hands and dropped them, letting them dangle at my sides. Just keep smiling and you'll be fine, I assured myself.
"One of our very own from Angeles, Lady Parvana Leroux, a Two!" Jared's jaw dropped as the screen displayed the photo of the same brunette that he had been so friendly with before the Report aired.
From across the stage, I identified the brunette next to Aspynn as Parvana, who was staring at her picture with wide, excited eyes. So that was her name.
I resisted smirking in amusement, noting that Jared still had a look of bewilderment on his face even as Grayson announced the selected from Atlin, Baffin, and Bankston.
Much to my chagrin, he snapped back into focus as Grayson moved on to Belcourt, my amusement fading into boredom as he regained rapt attention.
"Lady Arabella Livinely, a Four from Belcourt!" A low whistle escaped my mouth before I could help it, and several horrified laughs broke from the audience. I blushed in shame and managed to let out a bark of laughter at myself, but I couldn't help but admire Arabella's hourglass figure, flawless skin, and thick, silky chocolate hair.
I avoided Jared's gaze, which was most certainly a disapproving glare, and forced myself to smile through the next two girls.
It was my turn for my jaw to drop as Carolina was announced, shocking me out of my humiliation.
"From Carolina, Lady Rain Duchannes, a Two!" My smile melted into a ring of shock as Rain's photo appeared on the screen as I jolted in surprise.
However, my shock quickly morphed into elation as I comprehended that my best friend would be joining me.
Rain was coming! I would finally have a friend here, someone I could confide in. I wasn't sure what motivated her to enter, but I didn't dwell on that thought.
When Aspynn selected her form a week ago, I thought that I had recognized Rain from the flash of blonde and sweet smile. However, I hadn't allowed myself to harbor the hope that she might actually be selected. I made a mental note to thank Aspynn later.
I was giddy with excitement, my mind occupied with Rain and her highly anticipated arrival for the next several provinces, but I was sure to keep a charming smile plastered on my face.
We passed through several more provinces, and only Samantha Turner, a pretty Five from Fennley, stood out to me.
"A Two from Hansport, Lady Jamison Quinn." Jamison was a striking girl with auburn hair and fair skin. Though her features didn't exactly scream bright and friendly, her name is what caught my attention. Despite it not being outrageously unique, I immediately took a liking to it.
We pasted through several more provinces, my cheeks burning as I beamed at an array of stunning girls.
"Lady Emory Beckett, a Two from Kent!" Emory's name sparked the memory of Kayleigh selecting her form. I recalled that Emory was blind, but this didn't stop the beautiful blonde from smiling brightly at the camera.
I made a mental note to seek her out. My compassion and admiration for this girl already bolstered my image of Emory.
Constance Fabre from Midston was yet another girl who caught my attention. She was a Three, but it was her gorgeous golden brown hair, tanned olive skin, willowy figure, and bright smile that intrigued me.
I kept my mouth in a forced smile as girl after girl was announced, grinning until the muscles in my cheeks ached.
My hands still dangled awkwardly at my sides, so I subtly brought them to my lap and let them rest there.
Despite the lull in my interest of the girls, I couldn't help but perk up as a gorgeous brunette from Sumner was announced.
"Lady Jensen Wrenley of Sumner, a Three!" The combination of Jensen's chocolate brown hair, olive skin, and bright blue eyes painted a very striking picture, and I couldn't help but love her unique but pretty name.
"From Tammins, Lady Lennox O'Bradaín, with the Caste of Six!" Lennox drew my attention not only from her low caste and beautiful features, but from the memory of Sophie brandishing her form about, insisting she was very pretty despite not being able to pronounce her name.
We passed through the rest of the girls without any of them sparking much interest.
Femme Bali, Lindsey Donaghue, and several other names were thrown out until Grayson finally concluded the drawing with a pretty girl from Zuni.
My clammy hands shook with relief as I realized that this was almost over.
"And there you have it folks! This batch of girls forms our Selected! I would ask our two young men what they think about these ladies, but Prince Jaxon already gave us a charming display of his appreciation for their beauty," Grayson chuckled, prompting the audience to erupt in laughter.
My face burned, but I winked at the crowd anyway. Take it in stride, I told myself. You only have to handle this for a little longer. Deal with it.
I anxiously folded my hands together, wanting to wipe them on my pants but figuring that I wouldn't be able to be too discreet about it.
"Our young women of Illéa will be arriving at the palace a week from today, when we will broadcast their send offs and makeovers! Congratulations and good luck to those of you who have been selected! Be sure to tune in next week as the Selection of the century will begin!" Grayson closed with a wink and the cameras shut off as we were ushered off stage.
I could see the conflict in Jared's eyes as he debated where he should lecture me or speak to Parvana. His eyes darted back in forth between us before his rage toward me seemed to win out as he cornered me, simmering in fury.
"What was that?! You can't just wolf whistle at every pretty girl you see! Especially when you're on live television!" He seethed. "You have to uphold a certain image, and you just proved to the country that you're both immature and irresponsible."
Jared seemed to have cooled down a little, but that didn't lesser my guilt.
"I'm really sorry," I apologized. "It just happened, I swear I didn't mean to embarrass you or act immature," I pleaded. But I couldn't help but let my mind wander back to the moment. That girl – Arabella? Dang, she was fine lookin'.
Jared stared me down, seeming to follow my train of thought.
"Look, I'm sorry for losing my temper and getting on your back, but you have to think about your actions when you're in this high of a position. People look up to you and you need to set a good example and earn their respect," he ranted, quickly loosing my attention.
Sure, I felt really bad about it. It was humiliating for me, as well. But couldn't Jared see that I wasn't used to this lifestyle, constantly being watched and judged and speculated over?
"You need to prove your maturity, and by whistling in the middle of the Report, you only demonstrated to all of Illéa that you can not handle to responsibility of being Prince," he continued lecturing me.
"Your immature and inappropriate behavior reflected poorly on both you and the rest of the family. You have to think about how this affects our image," he prattled.
My hands grew increasingly sweaty, but I now freely wiped them on my pants, disregarding what anyone else thought of me.
Jared continuing lecturing me with a measured voice, and I nodded along apologetically.
"I swear it won't happen again, Jared," I assured him quickly before he could cut me off and continue to berate me.
"I'll be more responsible and mature from now on. It's just really hard to measure up to everyone's expectations, and I'm not used to all the attention. You set such a good example and you handle it all so much better than I do. You've had a lifetime of experience with the spotlight. I can't imagine constantly having that much pressure on me all the time," I gushed, hoping to garner some sympathy and butter him up simultaneously.
Unfortunately, his humility got in the way of my pathetic attempt to deflate his anger, his eyes narrowing skeptically at me as he crossed his arms.
"Nice try, Jaxon. I understand that this is all new for you, and it certainly isn't easy. But you have to remember that all of Illéa is looking up to you now," he told me with a tinge of bitterness in his voice.
I attempted to look sorrowful, hoping he'd ease off me. Sighing, Jared finally turned away.
"I'm sorry for being so hard on you, but this is your life now, and the sooner you realize that and act accordingly, the better off you'll be."
Jared gave me one last look before whipping around and striding purposely toward Parvana, starting a passionate conversation with the anxious brunette.
Whatever fragile bond Jared and I had tentatively formed had obviously been demolished by my "immature and inappropriate behavior."
Sighing, I headed toward my room, distracting myself from my embarrassment by reminding myself that Rain would be keeping me company in this wretched place in only a week.
I was eager to tell someone about my day, to rant about my humiliation and Jared's assertive lecturing.
It was when I realized how desperate I was to talk to someone that I also realized how absolutely alone I was.
Rain was the person I normally went to. She was my best friend to the very end. We even made each other friendship bracelets. I typically told her everything, and I missed her calming presence.
I sighed wearily. As much as I missed her, all I could do now was anxiously wait for the selection to begin.
here's chapter 3! yay! I'm sorry for updating a little later than I intended! I had hoped to post two more chapters before school starts, but I'm not sure that's gona happen now. I'll definitely update much less frequently during the school year, but I promise I'll try to stay slightly consistent and update at least twice a month;)
for those of you who submitted to the cover contest: thanks so much! yall are incredible, and I don't know how I'm going to choose a winner from all the amazing covers you'd made:) I'll announce the winner in the next chapter, which will be posted in about 1 week(hopefully), so you have until then to continue making covers.
as far as the characters go: the next chapter will be the interviews, so I can only feature the girls who have been completely submitted! I'm setting a tentative due date for all the forms by August 30th, but don't feel rushed if you can't get yours in on time. please PM me if there's any reason you can't send everything in by then, and I promise I'll give you gracexD
thanks to all my awesome reviewers, Thursdaypants13, jenhen48, drakel19088, shadeslayerprincess111, Jcuret98, chocolatebunnyhills, IndianaNovak, and Shannaenae(x3)! yall are awesome!
~lexi
