Over 100 reviews! You guys rock! And to clear up any confusion, it's Officer Alexander's father who is one of the head guys in the Royal Army not Aspen's. Anyway, I've written chapter 7 (as you can see) and have chapters 8, 9, 10, and some of 11 mapped out in my head. :)
Maxon's POV
The signing of the treaty had gone rather quickly once the photographs had died down. I was still a bit ashamed with how harsh I had been acting towards America but there was also a part of me that thought she deserved it. She had lied to my face and had made me fall hopelessly in love with her. How could I possibly want to be saying nice things to her? I looked down at Kriss and smiled as I continued to fill out my portion of the paperwork. She smiled back at me and her eyes beamed with pride. I nodded softly at her before focusing back on the task in front of me. Once it was all filled out we filed out of the room and headed in our different ways. I had planned on going to see Kriss before the Report started but I had too many people wanting to interview me on what my next plans would be as king following the coronation. When I finally managed to pull myself away, I knew I needed to go and get ready so anytime with my fiancée was going to have to be put on hold.
My maids had laid out a new suit, black with a bold blue tie to go around my neck. It was very regal and would go very well with the rest of the evening's events. After we discussed the treaty and the engagement with Gavril for the people of Illéa to see, there would be a small reception for the Italian diplomats in order to celebrate our success in our new partnership and be able to enjoy that we had finally reached terms together. It would also be the only time that we would really be able to celebrate our engagement. Since the rebels attacked, we had to put off celebrating with Kriss' family in order to get things back to the way they should be. Her family would be invited alongside the Italian royal line, Italian diplomats, the Illéa diplomats, and my royal family. Then it would be time to move past the engagement and begin working on the plans for me to have my coronation as king as well as the funeral. I had decided against announcing the date as I should have, out of fear that the Southern Rebels would try and attack that day. Alongside that, there would be a small ceremony planned for Officer Leger who was to become a captain in the Royal Guard. I chewed on my lip still disgusted at the idea but having no way out. He had secured his place as a Two and that meant that America would go up another caste when they eventually were married—something that she may or may not actually deserve.
There was a knock at my door and Officer Alexander stepped in. After the signing, he had gone off on the mission I had assigned him to. I was surprised that he had returned with the news so quickly but was glad that I would be able to get all of the information I wanted before the reception party later in the evening. "What information do you have for me, Scott?" I asked him, rolling my jacket over my shoulders to finish getting ready for the Report in an hour and a half. I sat down at my desk and motioned for him to do the same.
"Quite a bit, your Majesty," he replied slowly. "It seems that there were many nights that Officer Leger was missing from his assigned post for an hour or so, and Lady America's maid report that on some of those nights she was gone from her room or they had been sent away." My blood began to boil at that. So she must have never really gotten over him, must have never really loved me at all if she was sneaking around to see him so much. She was a very talented liar, something that I was sure she must be proud of. "However," he continued breaking me from my trail of thought, "It seems that following the night of the Report where she proposed that the caste system be done away with, there was very little connection between the two of them at odd hours during the day. As a matter of fact, sir, it was even mentioned by some of the guards that the only time they were together was when you were there alongside them."
That made my heart stop. The day that she had promised to earn back my trust, the night after I had shown her my darkest secret, the night I almost couldn't keep her from being sent home, was the night that she had stopped seeing Officer Leger. My heart then began to pound at an extremely accelerated rate. Perhaps she hadn't been lying to me after all. Well, at least not about loving me when she said it the night I told her she had won. If people had noticed her absence before and it had stopped, if people had noticed his absence before and he had stopped, that must have meant that she was focusing on our relationship, right? It had to have meant something and I closed my eyes unsure of how to feel. All this time I was trying so hard to push all of these feelings onto Kriss and all I could do was think about how much I loved America. And tonight, in front of all of Illéa, I would have to talk about how happy I was to marry my fiancée and some of the basic wedding plans. I had buried any chance of me and America when I refused to forgive her. We would become the sweethearts and become next in line to stand up next to each other as king and queen. In that fit of anger, I had lost America Singer forever and set myself up for a life with Kriss Ambers.
"There is one other thing, your Majesty. It appears that Lady America's maid was hospitalized in the rebel attack. One of the hospital guard mentioned to me that she was seen there with Officer Leger. That's the only information I have for you sir," he finished. I nodded at him and gestured for him to leave.
Of course she would be working on taking him back now. Did I not expect her to be more forgiving than I was? I knew in our ending that I would always have feelings for my first love, she must have been going through something similar. She wanted a future with someone, a family. I had seen how loving and caring she was through interactions with her maids. She wanted to have children, become a mother and someone's wife. If this officer still had feelings for her, of course she would fall back into that. It may not go all the way through marriage but it would be the start of her rebound from her. Tears prickled out of my eyes and I forced my composure. I wanted to go and speak to her but it wasn't like I could really apologize and take her back. I had told Kriss that I would try and love her with my whole heart the way that she loved me. But my heart felt broken all over again. The only way out of this marriage was for Kriss to decide she didn't want to be the One anymore. And she hadn't done anything wrong, I didn't want to be an ass to her and make her want to change her mind. I had to stick to my original plan and work on letting go of America. I'm sure that I could fall in love with Kriss if I actually gave her a shot. She was beautiful and kind, she had amazing qualities that were hard to find, there had to be something inside her that could spark me loving her truly and completely.
I headed down to the stage knowing that it was time for the Report. Somehow I had managed to push away all of the tears. I smiled as I saw Kriss on the opposite side of the stage. She looked radiant in her light teal dress. She smiled brightly at me and I sent one back her way. I nodded at her, telling myself over and over again that Lady America was moving on from me and that I needed to be able to do the same. But my heart still ached from the news that Officer Alexander had offered as I headed onto the stage at Gavril saying my name.
I smiled and shook his hand as I sat down to begin my interview. "Prince Maxon, let me first say how sorry I am for the loss of your father. I can't imagine how hard that must be for you in a time that is supposed to be a celebration in your life." I nodded looking sad at the crowd. It was almost a good thing that I had received that news before the Report. I don't know if I could hide my mixed emotions about my father's death otherwise. "But, I'm sure that your fiancée has been rather supportive through all of this. How lucky you are to have something so sturdy to fall back on in hard times!" His tone was turning towards being more cheerful which meant that it was almost time to bring Kriss onto the stage.
"Yes, Gavril, Kriss is simply wonderful. I don't know any other woman who would be so patient about their wedding day being pushed onto the back burner to allow a man to grieve for the loss of his father. She continues to amaze me daily," I smiled at him and then back into the crowd. I could almost feel her eyes beaming at the compliment I had just paid her.
"So, if I may ask, when did you finally decide that she was going to be the Princess? Over Christmas I'm guessing as the Selection was ended shortly after?"
I wanted to reply that I hadn't decided on her at all. My decision had been altered by my stubbornness and I almost wished I had been injured in the attack. Maybe it would have helped me be less stubborn about the whole thing. Instead I replied, "Yes, Gavril, it was around then that I decided on my wife. She had almost always stuck out to me among the crowd of girls at the palace, her personality was just so different, and she had always treated me as a normal person. She was my friend that I realized I couldn't live without." I smiled to myself, glad that I could describe my perfect woman in such a nonspecific way that everyone wouldn't look past it to see that I was still working on letting go of those feelings about Lady America.
"Well that's just wonderful, what an amazing woman. Are you ready for your Princess to be brought out, Illéa?" he shouted to the crowd, which cheered and clapped, a few members chanting Kriss' name as she stepped out onto the stage. They absolutely adored her. I smiled and placed my arm around her shoulders, holding her close as she sat down next to me. She shook Gavril's hand and waved at the crowd before contently sitting down next to me.
"Thank you for having me here tonight, Gavril. It's such a wonderful evening to be here with you all, announcing our engagement and sharing in this beautiful moment with all of you," Kriss said regally, just like she was already the queen. She looked over at me and smiled. "It was a hard way's journey to get here but I am so honored to be loved by such a wonderful man."
"Indeed you are, it must have been hard beating out all of the other Selection girls. We were all aware that there were a few other close options but you ended up on top."
"Yes, Gavril," she replied smiling over at me. "There were others, like Lady Marlee and Lady America, who were my toughest competition. Lady Marlee was the public's favorite for a very long time and it was always clear to me that Lady America and my prince had a bond that no one could quite understand. Luckily when it came down to it I was able to stand out amongst the other girls. I can't imagine a future with anyone else."
Gavril laughed and then turned to face me once again. "And this morning you welcomed in your first accomplishment as the future king," he started slowly, then adding, "That's right Illéa, your crown prince signed an alliance treaty with the Italian government this morning. Something that I understand had been in the works for a very long time?"
"Yes," I smiled back softly. "My father had been trying to get their support for some time now and laid down some basic ground work that I was able to finish," I lied. I didn't want to confront them about the real reason that the Italians had finally agreed. They didn't really need to know and when the time came that America would be recognized as the diplomat, they probably wouldn't even care.
"Well, I'm sure that you'll do a very wonderful job having a start off like that to your rule!" He smiled as the crowd chanted choruses of Long Live Prince Maxon—and Princess Kriss. "Well that's all we have time for but I would like to ask one final question that is on everyone's minds. Will there be a wedding date in the near future?"
"Probably not quite as near as it would have been if we hadn't lost my father," I replied slowly. The crowd sighed.
"Unfortunately we have to plan the funeral and arrange for the coronation. There will be several other steps in Prince Maxon's training before we can really focus on too many wedding details but it will probably be no later than April or May," Kriss joined in, looking over at me before planting a small kiss on my lips. The crowd clapped as the Report was cut off.
America's POV
I had watched the Report with Celeste and Marlee, both of who tried to keep my attention on my new job as diplomat. Since Kriss obviously now knew I was staying, as well as several others, I figured that it would be fine that they knew what I had done with my morning. They both told me how much they admired my new position—Celeste with a teasing gesture about how she couldn't believe a Five still had more power than she did—and told me how much men would admire that I was a strong, independent woman in a high position of honor. I would become the most wanted woman out of the Selection girls and if Maxon had been foolish enough to let me go, I would find true love. It was the first time I felt like I was having stereotypical 'girlfriend' time with true friends and I appreciated it. They helped to get me ready for the reception and threw a few pieces of the popcorn we had the maids bring in at the television whenever Kriss would start speaking. It had made me laugh and made me feel so honored that both of these girls had become my new and closest friends.
They put me in a simple, yet extremely elegant, black dress that they had found in the back of my closet. Celeste had referred to it as my Little Black Dress, something that the girls in Claremont (and other Twos) would wear to steal away the attention in the room. I had protested but they had fallen amongst deaf ears as I was given pearls and red heels to go alongside my outfit for the evening. They had curled my hair and put it in an up-do so that it fell along my shoulders before sending me on my way for the evening. I hoped that I would be able to sit with the Italians and be as far away from Kriss and Maxon as I possibly could be. It would make sense for me to be seated with them anyway, as we would all begin working together from this point on. But I didn't know how close the Italians would be to the royal family either. I just had to keep my head up high and keep my thoughts focused on celebrating the alliance and being happy for the new couple. It was the only thing that was going to help me finally let go of all my leftover feelings for Maxon.
Yes I know it's a lot of oh I have get over him/her right now but again it's only been a handful of days. In the next few chapters a lot of that will be changing. :)
