A/N: So when I checked on the number of reviews I had for the last chapter, I literally screamed and went a little teary eyed. 17 reviews? I mean, that's amazing! I can't believe I have this much support for my story since I never really saw it coming! You guys literally make my day when you write your reviews and motivate me to keep up with my two updates a week timeline! Thank you so much guys!

Alright, so to answer everyone for the the book/musical references in the last chapter, the first was Tilda, inspired by the character created by Roald Dahl and then turned into one of the cutest musicals ever! The next was a reference to Wicked! Remember the girl Isadora encountered? She introduced herself as Georgina Upland, of the Upper Uplands, which was a nod to one of the very first lines G(a)linda said at Shiz University! (okay that kinda was a super specific reference lol) Crazy rambling aside...

My thanks go out to the following for reviewing my story in the last chapter: New Prussia, CoolFortheSummer, NewKindofCinderella, morethanjustastory, princessgothicfull, ravenclawgirl22, Of Darkness and of Light, The Lady Cloudy, wolfofstark, Cookiedoodles168, GreenWithAwesome (I've tried taking the advice you've given me bt unfortunately my writing application doesn't seem to have an emdash feature, but thank you so much for the help!), alexiaroosenhaan, fivesauce'n'YAbooks, Headless Gummy Bear, jenhen48, thedaffodilqueen, and wazowskis!

Thank you so much guys!


Percival Finnley Lombard's POV

Percy thought that giving the Selection a second round wouldn't be so hard or frightening, but as he sat in a room with 35 huge bowls labeled by their provinces, he felt that round two was two times worst.

His thoughts drifted back to the first time he had to do this. He went into his first Selection with minimal expectations, hoping to at least find someone who was tolerable enough to live with in the palace and have children with- a relationship that mirrored his mother and father. After all, neither were interested in the opposite sex- merely marrying out of formality and to fulfill an agreement between Illea and England.

Zoning back into the current situation, Percy reminded himself of his position at the moment. Your name is Percival Finnley Lombard. You are 21 years old. You are the Prince of Illea. He breathed in, closing his eyes, trying to ignore the crowd in the studio with crews getting ready for the live report and trying to avoid his reflection. He thought it was odd that the Queen had a separated the Report studio from the palace interior, moving it to it's own structure within the Palace's exterior. Perhaps it was a cautionary measure on their side.

With trying to calm down his nerves, certain memories began flashing in the darkness. Lavender, hazel eyes, blood on a blush dress, Kingdom Come- NO, he told himself, willing the memories to go away. They shouldn't be back again today, he's told himself a thousand times over to just stop that.

"Percy," Elsa's voice jolted him in his seat, making him open his eyes as she laid a hand on his shoulder "Perk, are you ready?" she asked as she rubbed his back comfortingly. The great thing about having three parental figures in his life, is that each of them possessed an aspect that made Percy the man he was today.

"Yeah," he gave a nod as he looked down on his hands, "just kinda nervous about going through this again." It was more than just nerves this time, it was more fear than nerves. Percy resigned himself to loneliness after the attack on the palace, knowing that his luck with love was pretty much used up after meeting Zam.

Stop thinking about her, he scolded himself. Shesgoneshesgoneshesgoneshesgone

"Well, Perk, you know what they say, second time's the charm!" Elsa reassured him adding a little humor to her tone. "You are a sweet and handsome young man, Percy. The girls Selected would have a harder time not fawning over you than your mother trying to avoid her love of chocolate chip cookies." she added while she squeezed him into a hug. Percy had to crack a smile at his mother's joke.

"Excuse me, your highness," Percy heard Quincy from behind them as Elsa had let go of the hug and turned around and he had to twist his head just a little to see Quincy standing a little flustered as he wore an expression that was a mix of concern, stress, and excitement while he kept his arms behind him.

"If Prince Percival would be so kind to walk with me for a quick briefing for the events for the day." he asked as he gestured to the set being set up in the broadcasting room. Percy and Elsa merely stood up , Elsa gave Percy a light pat on the back and a nod to Quincy and went on her way outside the studio , while Percy walked along Quincy as he began scanning his tablet for his plans.

"The drawing of the Selected will be filmed, and the footage will appear on the Report tonight kind of like some kind of audio-visual presentation that would bring all of Illea to the edge of their seats." Quincy gave a dramatic pause, "Then we'll be calling introducing the names and displaying the girls' photos on screen." Quincy explained as he stopped and showed the layout of the screen planned for the Report. Percy wondered why Quincy was telling all of him this, since that exactly was what happened in his last Selection.

"No one will know who're the Selected except me and the head of tech." he added excitedly, "Which brings me to the newest part of the Selection this year," his tone climbing an octave in his excitement. Percy had raised his eyebrow.

"The Queen and I have agreed that a lot of the younger parts of this population were quite invested in your previous Selection- thousands rooting and expressing their support for each Selected on social media like Barker and Instagraph." Quincy paused for another dramatic pause (Quincy always loved being theatrical).

"So we've decided to work with it and have provided you your own Barker and Instagraph accounts. Well, not only you, but your Selection as well." Quincy explained as he quickly switched the display on his tablet to what apparently was Percy's Barker account- with one of his formal pictures as his icon.

"With that, you're expected to say things like updates about your life and the Selection without giving away too much." Quincy shrugged as he switched to another application to what apparently was Instagraph - a popular photo sharing application which Miranda was obsessed with her OOTDs (what did that even mean?) and pictures of her dog (appropriately named Queenie).

"You can ask Miranda to help you with your first post on Instagraph. Actually, why don't you stand right there your highness?" Quincy said as he pressed a few buttons on his tablet and proceeded to step back a little, followed by the sound of a camera clicking. Quincy then came back to Percy's side as he showed the screen to him- it was a photo of Percy standing in the middle of the unfinished report set- his head looking down and his hands in his pockets.

"But you can barely see me! This picture's against the light!" Percy reacted as it was only his silhouette that contrasted the bright lights of the set. "

"Exactly why it's great for a first picture, your highness." Quincy nodded as he tried zooming out of the picture, "It has an air of mystery but shows something about your everyday life. Not to mention very artistic-looking" he added as he tucked his tablet under his arm.

Percy still didn't understand why a picture of him being against the light was "artistic" or "mysterious" but he decided to trust Quincy as they both walked to the middle of the room where he'd draw the first names of the Selected.

"Alright, so this is where you'd be standing at first. I guess it's time to start with the random draw." Quincy spoke as two camera men were ready to follow Percy around. Percy nodded as he stood in front of the first bowls of names for Allens and reached for a name.


"Illea, Illea, Illea!" Sophronisca Prada greeted Illea as she stood on the podium of the Report studio as the crowd of the Report replied with a roar of "Prada, Prada, Prada!"

"Tonight is a very special night for us. As tonight, we will be presenting to you the Selected for Prince Percival's Selection!" Sophronisca beamed at the camera as she took the mic from its holder and moved away from the podium as she walked to the center of the set.

Percy sat in between his mothers, trying to keep his nerves under control trying to take his mind off the anxiety by taking in the chic dresses his mothers wore. Everyone in the family shared the same stylist - an established stylist by the name of Willa Garner, and he could say that all three of them always were satisfied by Willa's suggestions.

Queen Hanna Beth wore a black high necked halterneck dress and a dark dark blue skirt that reached the ground, that suited her tall frame while Princess Elsa wore a beguiling off white maxi dress with strategic lace paneling and a slit that reached up to the knees. Percy did not miss out on the opportunity to be stylish as he wore a midnight blue suit with an interesting blue pocket square - tie combination that showed a zig zag pattern.

"As everyone knows, this is the Second Selection being held, and I'm quite sure that this would be a walk in the park of our Prince." Sophronisca smiled as she walked towards the Royal Family. "Queen Hanna Beth, I understand that this Selection is not a foreign concept to your family, so if I may ask, are we going to see anything different?" she smiled as she stood right beside the Queen's seat.

"Well Sophie, every Selection is different in its own right. My father's ended with him finding a wife he's loved for years and years on end." Hanna Beth said fondly, her dark blue eyes showing the little laugh marks she's gained through the years.

"I hope my son finds someone to love that much." Hanna Beth added as she turned her head to Percy's direction and gave him a comforting smile. At first glance, his mother looked cold and calculating but it was in moments when she talked about her family that showed her genuine soul, a soul that had to develop an armor to protect the ones she loved.

"That's a lovely way to put it, your majesty. If I might add, you are slaying in that black dress. " Sophronisca replied cheekily earning her an amused laugh from the Queen. Sophronisca gave a courteous bow then moved to Elsa, "and you as well Princess Elsa, a wonderful look for the night! May I ask who are you wearing?"

Elsa laughed coyly, her hand partially covering her smile, "Thank you, Sophie," she greeted, "as usual, I'm wearing one of the wonderful designs made by no one else but Shaelyn Creed, and Hanna is wearing Shaelyn as well!" Elsa answered with a smile.

"Well, it's a lovely dress, your highness. So back to business, any advice for the Selected?" Sophronisca asked the common question to the Princess Consort. Elsa took a moment to compose her answer and glance at Percy until she finally answered. "Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself, girls."

"Gabriel also said this the last time but it's useful..." Elsa paused with a smile, leaning towards the camera and cupping her hand beside her mouth as if she were telling a secret, "Percy loves to eat chocolate chip cookies just as much as his mother." she laughed as the Queen joined in with her trademark boisterous laugh, with the audience laughing along too.

"Hear that ladies? Prepare those cookies when you get here in the palace!" Sophronisca laughed when she finally spoke to Percy.

"Ahhhh, the man of the hour, Prince Percival!" she grinned as Percy gave a nervous smirk as he awaited Sophronisca's question. "So, nervous, Prince Percival?"

Percy gripped the arm of his chair, as his palms started to get a little slippery with his sweat. "Who wouldn't be Sophronisca?" Percy laughed, trying to play cool.

"I'm going to meet 35 wonderful girls, and get to know them! I'm a lucky man to have this opportunity." Percy gave a smile to Sophronisca and to the camera.

"Prince Percival, I'm not sure if you've been asked this before, but what do you find attractive in a girl?" Sophronisca asked followed by an audible oooooooOOOO from the audience in the studio.

Percy opened his mouth ready to give an answer until he had a flash of Zam's smile on his mind. He tried to give an answer, his mouth moving without a sound coming out. He shook his head to clear his mind a gave a smile, "Sorry, there were just dozens of things I do find attractive. However, I think that what makes someone beautiful is their confidence and heart." Percy replied hoping his answer would suffice and not make him seem shallow.

"Agreed your highness!" Sophronisca spoke as she moved towards the podium where she'd announce the names of the Selected.

"Now, Prince Percival personally drew the names out to ensure an unbiased Selection, and that each and every girl in Illea had an equal chance to be Selected."Sophronisca started off, "We've even prepared a short AVP. Roll it!"

The Screens then showed the video to the audience in the studio. Sophronisca shook her head a little and took a glass of water out of where it sat in case she got parched during the Report. The crew had silently moved towards Percy as they pointed him towards a screen where he'd be able to see the pictures of the Selected.

A minute or so later, the video had ended and Sophronisca held an envelope with the Illean seal on it. "Get ready ladies, cause your life is about to change drastically once I read your names." Sophronisca said as she opened the envelope and began reading the names of the card.

"For Allens, Miss Arabelle Rosetta Hartley, a Six." Sophronisca declared as a photo of a girl with a dark caramel complexion and a a glint of recklessness in her eyes flashed on the screen, she was pretty enough to him.

"Miss Julchen Maria Ackerman, Angeles, a Two" the picture flashed onto the screen with an audible gasp from the audience. Her skin and hair were as white as snow, and her eyes were an eye catching shade of red- from what Percy had learned from the different tutors he'd had, he was sure that this girl had albinism. Despite her interesting features, she had a face that looked ethereal in a way, like a marble sculpture he'd seen when he visited Italy.

"For Atlin, Miss Shaelyn Amory Creed, a Two." the familiar name made Percy's eyes grow wide slightly. Shaelyn was a both of his mothers' favorite designers, even wearing her designs that night. In his shock, he had missed Shaelyn's picture flashing on the screen.


A/N: Wew! Another long chapter! Don't worry everyone! The Report would continue on the next chapter! I'll be posting it around May 3 or 4 (since I probably would spend some of my writing time reading The Crown!) And if you guys had noticed, I had actually changed the cover of the story into something that I tried to replicate it like a a legit Selection Cover! (the keyword is tried) XD

Warning: Minor Spoilers ahead! Do not read if you do not want to get spoiled!

Okay, I'm super hyped about The Crown and to see what happens to all the characters in the story! I personally am rooting for Eikko (hurhur, I know he's not a Selected Suitor but he's Eikko! Wonderful wonderful translator, super nice Eikko!) or Henri! (I just found out that you read his name like OHN-REE , and I was like "whaaaaaaat? My whole life is a lie!)

I've got tons and tons of theories of what could happen in the book, so if anyone's interested to listen to one of my many rambles and theories, don't be afraid to PM! :D

Thank you guys so much for your support again! Tell me about your thoughts on the new cover! Love it? Hate it? I'd love to know!

~*Sparky out*~