Hey people! Here's chapter 3 of Contests! This chapter was so fun to write. It took a while to get published, though. I'm kinda proud of it.

Anyways, I want to thank everyone who followed and Favorited. Special thanks to iloveyugiohGX93, Moonlight queen, Lolly1o1, and Purple Neko for reviewing! It means a lot!

Read and Review people. I hope you enjoy it!

Flameruby's letter to the public:

Did you know elephants are super intelligent creatures? They found out another way to solve a puzzle that the scientists didn't even think of. It's amazing.

Yeah, I spent lotsa time on this story. But... Oops was about to say her name, WITCH probably spent the most. So thank her for her not so amazingness. Aww I have homework it's like all the teachers are like, LAST MINUTE HOMEWORK AND A BUNCH OF TESTS BEFORE BREAK. And they make you makeup the work when you go on a field trip, oh the agony. The pain. This is long. Wow. I like it when authors say "Enjoy!" before a story so you feel like you're going to read something good, which is usually good. It makes me happier after a long day. Like this story. It's good.

Enjoy the story! I am beautiful chan.

"Right this way, ladies," The blonde said.

Captain Oliver had offered to escort us into the castle himself. He didn't look like what I expected him to be. I imagined a middle aged man with graying hair flying the plane. To my surprise, the captain looked about the same age as me. He could have been a little older or younger, I couldn't really tell.

Miku tapped my shoulder. I turned to face her. She leaned close and cupped her hand around my ear, "The captain's kinda hot. Isn't he?"

"Why are you telling me this?" I said, tempted to shove Miku away.

Miku looked exasperated, "I'm surprised that you were born a girl, Rin. Think like a girl for once!" she whispered fiercely.

I sighed and looked over at Oliver. Miku wasn't wrong when she said that he was attractive. His charming smile made me want to smile with him as well. And even if he had bandages around his left eye to block out a part of his face, it made him look cooler. His blonde hair covered his mesmerizing golden eye. His accent was attractive too.

I looked at Miku who was awaiting my answer. "He's hot." I whispered. A smile started forming across Miku's face. "I'm not really interested though," I said, causing Miku to pout.

"Rin!" she complained.

I shrugged and turned my attention to my surroundings. The castle reminded me of Sleeping Beauty's castle, though it looked twice as elegant. I didn't want to admit it, but I absolutely adored its design. The architect who built this enormous castle knew what he or she was doing. They had created a masterpiece.

Oliver watched us gaping in awe. "Nice, is it not?" he asked.

We simultaneously nodded.

He chuckled at our reactions, "You lot are quite like siblings. Both of your reactions are so similar."

Miku grinned and pulled me into a one-armed hug, "This little lamb takes after me. She wouldn't be able to live without me! After all, I'm the number one princess in the world!"

I squirmed away. "That's completely not true!" I smirked as she started to pout, "By the way, I can't live without oranges, Miku. I think I could manage without..." I said.

She glared at me, "Don't you dare…"

"You." I finished.

Miku put a hand on her chest and mocked offense, "You're such a Daughter of Evil, Rin!"

A sinister smile crept up on my lips, "Stop acting like everyone has to do what you ask of them, ohime-sama."

Miku blinked, "Everyone really does have to do what I ask of them though."

I tilted my head and raised a brow, "Oh really?"

Miku grinned, "Why, of course, my little queen."

I shook my head and put my hands on hips. "Princess. You have no authority to talk to me in such a rude manner. You absolutely do not want to be punished, do you?" I said menacingly.

Miku looked horrified and screamed, "Don't take my leeks away!"

I smiled coldly, "As I thought! Now be a good little girl and don't misbehave again."

Miku nodded, "Yes, my queen!"

We glared at each other for a few seconds, before bursting into laughter.

Oliver watched, amused at our little scene, "Would you both care to explain, what that was all about?"

"A story," Miku said mysteriously.

"One that takes place several years ago," I added, using the same tone.

He shook his head, smiling, "Out of all the suitors in this competition, I wonder how I got stuck with you two."

Miku dramatically cast her arm out, "It is destiny!"

"Blame the fates!" I said grinning.

"Sure, I will!" He exclaimed with a wink. "Anyhow, I've been wondering something about you lot. You both seem so close. How long have you pair been roommates?"

"About a semester?" I answered with a little doubt.

Oliver looked surprised, "Really?"

Miku nodded, "Yup!"

"Why?" I questioned.

Oliver shook his head, "It's nothing. I'm just surprised by how close you both are. I thought you knew each other much longer than that."

"Well, that's because we have known each other for more than a semester," Miku explained, while twirling her pigtails with her fingers. "We lived near each other as children, so we would see each other often. After we graduated high school, we both decided to go into the same career path. Once I found out that Rin was going to attend the same college that I was, I called her and we decided to share an apartment."

Oliver nodded, "Oh, okay. That makes sense."

"Mmhm. Oh! Oliver, did you know that Miku was weird as a child? When she was seven, she took out a lot of odd crayfish-like things from a random pond and put them in her bathtub," I said smirking. "You should have seen how her mother reacted."

"Rin, that was confidential information," Miku said while gritting her teeth. However, after a second, she cheerfully said with a teasing smile, "But it's not nearly as confidential as that one time you bumped into that cashier and he fell on top of you. Even better, he accidentally kissed you. Poor Rinny, losing her lips to a stranger!"

"Miku, I'm going to kill you!" I growled, walking over to her.

She yelped and hid behind Oliver who chuckled nervously, "I cannot have a murder on my hands, you two."

"I'll cover it up," I muttered angrily.

"Sorry Rin, but I can't let you do that," he said.

I sighed and crossed my arms, "Fine."

He smiled and continued leading us to our new living quarters. We passed through the castle gates and entered the castle doors. The interior of the castle was just as magnificent as the exterior of the castle. As soon I stepped in, I could feel the enormous amount of space overwhelm me. With golden designs painted like vines, the walls made the lobby feel like a regal jungle. The floor was spotless and was a shade similar to a dark beige; it was perfect for a royal ball. The long curtains hanged on sides of the room were a deep maroon. Expensive furniture was placed across the room in a stylish manner. I thought back to our tiny one room apartment and realized that my comfy little orange painted room would never compare to this.

On our way there, Oliver started to explain the significance of the numerous places in the castle. To my surprise, I found it extremely interesting. Apparently, we had stood in the same place that the first queen danced in. I had also found out that someone was brutally murdered in the guest bathrooms a century ago. I made a mental note never to go in there alone, if I would ever go in there at all.

There were quite a lot of old musical instruments in the castle's private music collection. According to Oliver, it was one of his favorite places to be in the castle. It wasn't hard to see why; Miku and I fell in love with it right away. The room was filled with instruments from every musical instrument group there possibly could be. Ancient-looking pianos, violins, antiquated guitars, microphones, and many instruments and instrumental tools that I couldn't name were neatly placed around the room. In addition to the old musical objects, there were plenty new and fancy instruments. Musical albums from singers from several years ago were displayed in huge glass cases and collections of sheet music were stacked in piles to the side. I felt like I was in a musician's paradise.

Oliver led us into another room once he discovered our interest in music. Like the room before, it didn't disappoint me. However, this room showcased instruments from different countries around the world. With my hands over my mouth, I stared at the instruments in awe. I was tempted to reach over the security tape and snatch a few of them to play. My rational side kept me from doing that and getting arrested.

Each instrument had a silver plaque that told you what it was called and a flag next to it to represent what country it originated from. I walked through the room and read as many names as I could. Finally, when I read a quarter of plaques, Oliver said that it was getting late and we still had a little more to see.

I followed Oliver out of the room with a small frown on my face. When he noticed how dejected I looked, he promised me that he would take me back there the next time he had time. I brightened at that and fist bumped the air.

"Your rooms are just beyond the painting gallery," Oliver said while leading us through the hallways.

The gallery was beautiful. Several different types of paintings from different eras hung on the walls. According to Oliver, some of the paintings dated back to when the kingdom was first established.

I was admiring a painting of a log cabin when Miku called out, "Rin! Doesn't that one look cool?"

I turned to face the painting Miku was looking it at. The painting had a run-down farmhouse with a happy family playing in the fields. My eyes widened in shock and recognition. After all, I was there….

"And then they lived happily ever after." My mother proclaimed.

I giggled, "Again! Again!"

She rolled her eyes playfully, "Again? It's already getting late, sweetness."

"Please Mommy! Please! One more time!" I begged.

She sighed and opened the book once again, "Alright."

"Yay!" I squealed with happiness.

My mom chuckled and began reading the story, "Once upon a time…"

"Rin? Rin? You alright? Rin?" Miku frantically asked.

My eyes slowly opened. I squinted as the sudden intake of light temporarily blinded me. Feeling the cold flat surface underneath me, I turned my head to see that I was laying on the floor. Miku was sitting next to me with her hands firmly held onto my shoulders. Oliver touched my head with the back of his hand to check whether I had a fever. They both had expressions of worry etched on their faces.

"Should we call a doctor?" He said with a concerning voice.

I slowly pushed myself of the floor and shook my head. "N-no," I stuttered. "I'm fine. Sorry for scaring you two."

They didn't seem to believe me, but they said no more on the matter. The rest of the walk to our rooms was quiet. I mentally sighed for ruining the pleasant mood we had before.

The part of the castle that the suitors were staying reminded me of a hotel. Two rows of doors went through the hallways. My room and Miku's room were right across from each other. Oliver explained that the doors on my side were all occupied by people competing for Len, while the doors on Miku's side had occupants who were competing for Kaito.

He informed us that we would have a photoshoot tomorrow. The pictures the kingdom had displayed, when we were picked as contestants were too plain. They had displayed passport pictures or drivers licenses. It was ironic to think that I got mine that same pictures from the photoshoot were supposed to help make the competing ladies look more appealing to the public.

In the process of being informed of our schedule, we also found out that Oliver would be our teacher while we were here at the castle. The skills he would teach us would be beneficial to win the competition. Even though I wasn't going to win, these skills could help me for the future.

"Thanks for the info," Miku said.

"Yeah thanks," I agreed.

Oliver smiled, "You're welcome." He looked at me, "Rin, please tell me if anything unusual happens to you. I am a person you can count on." He turned to Miku "Miku, you as well. You lot can always rely on me."

I gave a big smile, "Thanks, Oliver."

He smiled back, "Not a problem, my ladies," He looked at his watch and cursed. "You will be eating dinner in your rooms tonight. You will also meet your maids tomorrow morning. Sorry for not being able to explain more, but I must run. Good luck to you two," he said before dashing off.

Miku let out a long sigh when he disappeared. "This is going to be a long six months, huh?" she asked.

"It could be shorter," I said. After all, I'd probably be kicked out by round three.

She shook her head and headed for her room, "I think I'll take a nap before dinner. I'm worn out."

I nodded with exhaustion. My muscles were starting to feel sore from walking around the castle all day. "I think I'll do that too." I said while walking in my room.

"Rin?" Miku called.

I turned around with a confused face. Miku wore that worried expression again, "When you're ready, please tell me what all that was about."

I opened my mouth to assure her I would, but no sound came out. I merely nodded and headed in my room. "See you later, Miku," I whispered.

"See you later Rin," She responded.

I closed the door and headed towards my bed. My new room was spacious. Compared to my old bedroom, it was bigger by at least five times. A sectional sofa curved around the middle of the room while an orange floral carpet lay in front of it. An octagonal fish tank coffee table was filled with remotes, vases, and books to read. In front of the coffee table was a black glass TV stand. On the TV stand was a huge plasma screen TV.

I stared at all the unnecessary furniture and walked over to the king sized canopy bed at the end of my room. An expensive looking nightstand stood next to it with a basket of fruit. A note was attached to the basket at the very top. I picked it up and read, 'To the princess staying in this room. I wish you the best of luck.' I shook my head in annoyance and jumped on the bed. The huge bed made me feel as though I were on a warm, fluffy cloud. Sadly, the blissful feeling didn't last long for the fire started quickly...