Here is your update! :) Thank you for all your reviews, I can't believe that we are already almost to 100 reviews! Since I want to celebrate this milestone, if I have a way to contact you via PM on this website, then I would like to offer the 98th, 99th, and 100th reviewers a sneak peek at the next chapter! Depending on which reviewer you are, you'll get that amount of words sent to you in the PM. Also, I have some time off work on Thursday and Friday and I plan on writing out a few chapters to get ahead that way if I get too busy to write I can stagger the posting and get you all some more of my little story!
America's POV
The next morning I woke up early to get ready for the alliance treaty signing with Italy. While there were still very few things we could do with the palace still being on a ban, there were enough camera men and journalists to capture the moment and make it known to the world within a few hours. It would take a little extra time and I wasn't sure how they'd actually get it all done, but I knew that they would have a way. Afterwards would be the Report, which would start off talking about the new alliance and then focus in on the main event—Prince Maxon's engagement and his plans on becoming King now that Clarkson had passed on. Kriss would also announce the day of the funeral but that had been a very skeptical thought amongst everyone. We need that the Southern Rebels had informants and would probably try to attack again during the funeral. If they didn't want Clarkson for a king—or any king for that matter—they would be more than happy to try and take out Maxon once again. That thought made my stomach turn and I hoped they would be smart about announce the funeral. Even if they waited for that day, it would be better than giving advanced notice to the rebels. Hopefully, that would be what they decided on.
I hadn't seen much of Celeste that morning, except to tell her that I was going to be busy doing things throughout the day. She had tried to pester me into telling her what was going on but I kept my promise and vow of silence to Maxon. I wanted to show that I would be a dependable worker by keeping this a secret until after the press meeting and signing of the new alliance document by Italy and Illéa. I, of course, would be filling out the diplomat portion of the document while the two kings filled out their own. I was a little nervous about the whole thing though. I didn't think I would be able to handle this kind of responsibility. I didn't even know where to begin or what would really be expected of me a diplomat besides signing these documents. I guess if I can compete with 35 other girls for the heart of one man and get pretty far in that competition, I can do this job. There will be less people to talk to and understand. That would make it easier than the Selection by far. And no one would have a personal agenda against me—or at least I hoped they wouldn't. Who knew how Kriss had taken the news? Who knew how Illéa would take the news that a former five was going to become a diplomat? I guess they just have to accept it as is, there was only one way we would get a partnership with Italy. Lucky me having Italy on my side and all future matters.
I zipped up the rest of my dress on my own. I tried to make it as simple as possible, not sure what Kriss would be wearing on the Report later in the day and I didn't want to out shine her. I wanted to show her that I was trying to be happy for her, like we promised each other we would be, no matter how much I was still dying on the inside. Today was going to be the first step in that journey though and I knew I could propel myself in the right direction at this meeting. I decided on my father's necklace but I also debated putting on Maxon's bracelet. The two sat next to each other on my nightstand, on top of Maxon's letters, and seemed to complement each other so well. There was no part of me that wasn't worried about how Kriss would take me wearing it though. I picked it up and lightly played with it between my fingers, sliding it half way on before taking it off again. I then decided that he had given all the other girls presents—whether it be on dates, before the Court date, or at Christmas—and that they would be treasuring those forever. I decided that it was just going to have to be okay for me to wear mine. It was just jewelry after all. I left the letters untouched though. He hadn't asked for them again and I wasn't very willing to hand them over. I wanted to remember that I had made him fall in love with me and that I had held his love for a while in my life. I wanted to keep them as a reminder to be truthful and honest with him as we continued to work together and to hold a better temper. I was going to be the best diplomat Illéa had ever had, plain and simple.
There was a strong knock at my door which shook me out of my thoughts. It was time already, I realized, knowing that it had to be my escort outside my door. I walked over to greet him, grabbing my shoes off the floor so I wouldn't forget to put them on in my nervous state. I looked at his name plate, wanting to be able to be friendly to him and try and make a conversation to help calm myself before we reached the Great Room. After all, the last time I had been in there Maxon had proposed to Kriss, King Clarkson had been killed, and there was all around chaos that had changed a lot of things that I had known to be true in my life. Officer Alexander, it read. I put up my finger to ask for one minute to put on my shoes before we headed out the door. He nodded, standing tall and waiting patiently as if we had nothing but time to get to the treaty signing.
"Hello, Officer Alexander," I said, shutting my bedroom door as we headed down the hallway. I wasn't sure why we needed an escort, very few people knew that this meeting was taking place, but perhaps it was just for precautions. I guess that I should have already been used to escorts and would have to get used to it for the rest of my life.
"You can just call me Scott, Lady America. Officer Alexander is so formal, even if I am on duty."
I smiled and nodded as we continued down the hallway. "Where are you from?" I asked, not sure if it was actually something we should be discussing but at this point I would do almost anything to keep the butterflies from flipping my stomach into any more knots. I just needed something to help me get through the day, help me relax and be okay with the official news of Maxon and Kriss' engagement. Anything, anything at all was the perfect distraction.
"Clermont. I actually grew up near Celeste. She didn't seem to have changed a bit from the little girl I knew, or at least what I watched of the footage of the Selection."
I giggled slightly to myself. For whatever reason, the idea of the old Celeste was humorous. It just reminded me of the girl who had spent the previous night in my room, chatting away with me to distract me from whatever pain I was feeling. Plotting to help me take back the man of my dreams if that was what I wanted. Trying to help remind me that Maxon was still in love with me, no matter what shield he was putting up between us. She had changed in so many ways and in others, not at all. She was still extremely cunning.
We reached the doors to the Great Room and he gave me a small bow before shutting them behind my entrance. Kriss was already in the room but was in one corner talking to some of the Italian diplomats. The Italian queen and king weren't there yet and neither was Maxon. In the opposite corner of the room was Queen Amberly and Nicoletta. And then there was just me, my back to the doors and standing all alone not sure who I was supposed to go talk to. I didn't really want to go near Kriss but I didn't want to have to look Amberly in the eyes. I still hoped that she could have been my mother-in-law and it hurt that everything she had whispered to me would never be true. I decided to just take my seat at the table and play with my thumbs while I waited for the meeting to start. I felt a pair of eyes glare at me for a moment, and that all but helped to ensure my decision to stay away from the conversations that were flittering around the room.
Maxon's POV
I wasn't looking forward to today. I hadn't slept well, as images of America and I had haunted all of my dreams. They had popped up between ideas of the future with Kriss which still stung that I couldn't quite get over her. I was working on it though, Kriss knew that, and everything was starting to seem like it was going to turn around. I finished getting ready, putting on my best suit to look presentable for the Report and the alliance treaty signing. While it wasn't an official act as king, as I had yet to officially be placed with that title, I had been urged by several of my advisors to add this to my engagement report. They hoped that it would give the Southern Rebels a little something to fear and help to prevent any attacks in the nearby future. It wouldn't keep them forever but they hoped we would be able to get through the funeral and most of the wedding planning, or wedding itself, without an incident. I just hoped that it would show Illéa that I was ready to become king, even if my teachings had been cut short at the loss of my father. I would be one of the last people to arrive to the meeting, alongside the Italian king to show that we were united as one force. Everyone else would be there before us and be allowed to mingle and talk about how excited they were that we were finally going to be united as two countries. I shook my head, this was kind of like a wedding within itself.
I headed out of my room at the knock at my door. We were using as few guards as possible for retrieval of the people. Officer Alexander had been assigned to Illéa royalty and diplomatic leaders and Captain Henson had been assigned to Italy. We wanted to attract as little attention as possible to people being moved around the castle, so it had taken a great deal of time to get everyone inside the Great Room. But no one was really in any rush to do anything else. We just had to get through this and the later broadcasting of the Report today. It would be a few more days before the ban on the palace was lifted, so we all needed to relax until then anyway.
I had decided that I would ask Officer Alexander to go around and find out what he could about Lady America and Officer Leger. His family had been members of the guard for many years—and his father was our leading Master General in New Asia at the moment. He had proved himself to be trustworthy and was usually the guard posted outside of my room anyway. I knew I could trust him to keep the assignment quiet, as well as to be honest with me in his findings and make them discreet. We walked down to the Great Room and I quietly explained to him why I needed this information. He simply nodded and didn't add much to the conversation, other than that he would be willing to do it if it was something I truly wanted.
The doors were locked after I entered the room with the Italian king. We walked side by side to our seats in the middle of the table. On either side of us was our chosen delegate—which meant that I was sitting next to America. Everyone stood as we walked to our seats before we all stood together, photos being shot of us at every direction imaginable. I looked through the room that was filled only with a few members of each royal family and Kriss. She kept her eyes glued on me and I could tell that she was trying not to lose control of the negative feelings she had towards America. I was proud of her for that. I was also very grateful that she could conduct herself in such a manner.
I looked over at America from the corner of my eye and I could tell from the look in her eyes that she was nervous. I didn't want her to be worried, I knew that she would do a wonderful job as diplomat. She was stubborn and bold, something that was well needed in order to make arrangements and work out problems in planning. The country would be in good hands at her working in this position. Barely moving my lips, I managed to send a few words over her way.
"There will be plenty of people to help you learn how to do your job. You already have the right attitude and you're very stubborn. You'll make a perfect diplomat," I whispered through my smile as we posed to take a picture once more. She looked up at me, almost awestruck at what I had just told her. It was only then that I realized these were the first words I had spoken kindly to her in the past two days.
Well, there is the only Maxerica that I can really offer you guys right now. He IS still engaged to Kriss and they are both still trying to accept that. They were in love, after all, it isn't a it's been one day I'm over you sort of thing. And I know you'll say that he should listen to America and talk it through but he's still hurt guys. He's been lied to and is probably afraid of her spinning up some more lies just to get him to forgive her and take her back! :) Or something like that, I dunno that's what the borrowed Maxon who lives inside my head is telling me anyway! :) Much love!
