Prince Killian

Everything had returned to normal. Or so it seemed. Yasmin was back, although she was still hiding out in her room. I still hadn't spoken to Tristan and we were both avoiding each other like the plague. And last night, I had scared one of my Selected girls by kissing her.

I had never been in love. I didn't know what it felt like, so for me to find out, this was the way. It might be unfair of me to go around kissing the girls, but then again, it wasn't, because they knew this was a competition for my heart. For my love. They should know that I'm going to kiss more than one girl.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair as I looked at the pictures of all the Selected that Yasmin had hung on my wall, at the beginning when the Selection was just starting. So far, only one girl had been eliminated, and there were fourteen girls left. I had a long way to go, and not much time left, so I had to move a lot faster.

Dad's condition had worsened in the time that Yasmin was taken, but now that she was back, he seemed to perk up again. Regardless, he still had a limited time left, and I needed him to be there when I made my choice. I felt an overwhelming feeling of sadness run through me but I pushed it away, as I always did when the thought of his fate entered my mind. It was hard to deal with, and I still didn't know how.

I studied all the pictures. Up until this moment, there were three girls I felt a genuine connection with, and who were at the top of my list. I smiled as I looked at the faces of the two blondes and the redhead. Arizona, Evelaine and Aenwyn.

While Arizona was difficult to get through, and didn't seem to like me as much as the rest, I admired her fierce independence deeply. There was something about her that made me want to get to know her more, and break down the walls she had built around her. And I couldn't deny that she was an absolute sweetheart.

Aenwyn had built a fort around herself as well, but I was breaking it down one stone at a time. She was more inclined towards me than Arizona, and she made me feel at ease. While our kiss was awkward, and had shocked her, it had made a shiver run down my spine.

I felt a connection to Evelaine that none of the other girls could provide me with. Like me, she had also had her struggles with substance addiction, and like me, she had overcome it. Our date was cut short by Yasmin's return, but I was already looking forward to spending more time with her.

My gaze shifted to Viollca's picture, and I couldn't stop help the smile that formed on my face. Viollca was very different from all the other girls, and I genuinely liked her. Talking to her brought out my carefree side, and she continuously managed to make me laugh. I didn't know if there was romance in our future, but I was definitely keeping her around.

My first date had been with Olympia, as well as the first kiss of the Selection. She was a sweet girl and the only one who actually entered for me. She never specified this, but it was easy to guess. I knew how to pick up on signs of a girl liking me, and her cheeks reddened whenever I was near her. I thought I liked her, but my kiss with Aenwyn felt so different, that I now realized that I probably just liked her because she liked me. Was that bad of me? Probably.

I sighed as I looked at all the other girls I still hadn't been on a date with yet. It was time for me to plan another date, and this time I would take a group, as the clock was ticking. Another elimination had to take place soon.

A bitter thought crossed my mind as I turned my back on the wall of pictures. Regardless of my feelings towards the girls, they could still turn out to be like my mother. The one I would choose could still betray me after we were married. My heart was locked in a cage, and I didn't know if I had it in me to give someone else the key.

Princess Yasmin

''Yasmin, Prince Killian is here to see you.''

I looked up from my sketches as I sat on my bed, legs folded underneath me. I had been avoiding him long enough, and it was time to talk. ''Let him in.''

Hailey opened the door to let Killian in, and I inwardly rolled my eyes as she practically melted in a puddle when Killian smiled at her. She blushed and curtsied, leaving the room.

I closed my sketchbook, looking at Killian with a hard expression on my face. ''You lied to me.''

Killian frowned as he sat down across from me. ''Lied about what?''

''Sam.''

His face went blank. ''How do you know about Sam?''

And I told him. I told him how the rebels took me, I told him about Sam and the fact that he was The Idealists' leader, about our mother's affair, but I didn't tell him that I was born out of it. Not yet.

''So, why didn't you tell me about Sam?''

He ran both hands through his hair, which was a sign that he was extremely anxious. ''You always had such a romantic and idealistic view of love. Mom and Dad's relationship was perfect in your eyes. You always talked about how you wanted your marriage to be like theirs. I guess I didn't want to ruin your image of love. I didn't want you to turn out bitter and pessimistic like I am now. I'm sorry, Yas. I was trying to protect you. I never meant to hurt you, I was trying to keep you from getting hurt.''

My eyes softened, and I reached for his hands. Here I was, thinking about myself, while he had been carrying this in his heart for four years. It dawned on me that it was around the same time he started drinking and acting out, and now I knew why. ''Just promise me you're never going to keep a secret from me anymore. You and I don't keep secrets from each other.''

He smiled and his shoulders relaxed. ''I won't. I learned my lesson. But we have to tell Dad and the council about this. If Sam is the rebel leader, that also means he has it out for me. This is valuable information.''

''There's something else..''

A concerned look appeared in his eyes. ''Tell me.''

''He kidnapped me for a reason. When he and Mom were having an affair.. she got pregnant. With me. He's my father.''

I saw the color draining out of his face as he quietly listened to what I had to say. He opened his mouth, ready to say something, before he closed it again. He was at a loss for words.

My eyes welled with tears as I watched the wheels turn in his head. He saw the tears threatening to spill over, and pulled me in for a hug. ''This doesn't change anything, you know that right? I'm still your brother, and no matter what your DNA says, Dad is still your father. Don't ever doubt that. We are your family and you are the Princess of Illéa.''

I sniffed as I let the tears fall. ''No, I'm not. I'm a fraud.''

Killian pulled away, holding me at arms-length to look me in the eyes. ''Don't say that, Yas. The whole country loves you. You are more loved than I am. Everyone thinks you are the perfect Princess, which you are. Your parentage doesn't change that. No one has to find out.''

I nodded and wiped away my tears. ''Promise me you won't tell anyone. Not even Dad.''

''Are you sure you don't want to tell him?''

''He doesn't have a lot of time with us left. I don't want to hurt him more than he already he is. There's no use in telling him. It would only pain him, and I don't want him to.. die like that.'' My voice broke at the mention of him dying, and I swallowed as I tried to keep the tears at bay.

Killian nodded and stroked my cheek with his thumb. ''If that's what you want.''

''You can't tell Tristan either.''

He sat up straight and crossed his arms. ''That won't be a problem. We're not exactly on speaking terms.''

''Why haven't you apologized yet?''

Killian sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. He had to stop doing that because his hair was starting to look like a mess. ''To be honest, I can't face him. I acted irrationally and I shouldn't have punched him. But when I heard that you were gone, and that he was with you and supposed to protect you, I just lost it. I couldn't think clearly and all I wanted to do was hurt him for loosing you.''

I smiled. ''That's sweet, I suppose. But he is your best friend, and you need him. He will forgive you if you apologize, I know that.''

Killian seemed uncertain. ''Are you sure?''

I nodded and started fiddling with my bracelet. I couldn't be mad at him for keeping a secret from me, while I was doing the same. Now was the best time to come clean. ''I have to tell you something.''

His eyes widened and he looked genuinely afraid. ''Oh god, what now?''

I chuckled. ''Don't worry, it's not bad. At least, in my opinion. It's about me and Tristan.''

My protective brother scowled. ''What did he do?''

''Well.. We're in love.''

Killian's jaw dropped, and I had to bite my lip to keep from bursting out laughing at his expression.

His mouth snapped shut. ''You're serious?''

I nodded. ''We've been together since the day the Selected came to the Palace. I love him, and he loves me.''

His fists clenched and unclenched, and I saw that he was having a hard time with this. His best friend and his little sister. ''Are you happy?''

I nodded again and my mouth curved into a smile. ''Yes. He makes me very happy.''

Killian sighed and ran a hand across his face. ''I would accept anything as long as you are happy. But that doesn't take away from the fact that you're still engaged to Oskar.''

I held up my hand. ''Tristan and I are both aware of my responsibilities. Don't worry about us. We know and we won't jeopardize Illéa's relationship with the German Federation.''

He stroked my hair, smiling. ''You're much tougher than everyone thinks. Was that all, or are you going to tell me that Tristan is secretly the Crown Prince of England?''

I laughed and shook my head. ''No more secrets. Promise.''

He smiled and pulled me in for another hug. ''I missed you.''

''I missed you too.''

Lady Jia

I was sitting on a chaise longue in the Women's Room, my flats on the floor and my legs stretched out in front of me. I was frantically leafing through a German-English dictionary I had found at the library, a piece of paper beside me as I tried to translate a sentence.

April sat down next to me, her bright, fiery red hair in an elegant updo. ''What are you doing?''

''I'm trying to translate something.'' I bit on my pen and groaned in frustration, ''But I can't figure it out. You're smart, can you help me?''

April chuckled and took the dictionary from my hands. ''What are you trying to translate?''

''Du hast wonderschöne Augen,'' I carefully phrased, trying my best to imitate Oskar's German, which was difficult since German was a very hard language.

April leafed through the dictionary, and after a few minutes, she already had the translation written down on paper. She looked at it and raised her eyebrows. ''Who told you this?''

I snatched the paper from her hands and my eyes flew over the translation. You have beautiful eyes. I tried to hide my blush as I shrugged. ''I heard it on a tv show and I was curious as to what it meant. And now I know. Thanks.''

April nodded, but she still had a suspicious look on her face. I buried my head back in the dictionary, and breathed a sigh of relief when she decided to leave me be and sit by the others.

You have beautiful eyes. What a smooth bastard.

Okay, I'm not entirely happy with this chapter but I still wanted to post something for you guys, so I hope you still like it regardless. Even though I think it kind of sucks haha. At least Yasmin and Killian have hashed everything out.

I thought it would be fun to give you guys a fact about me, so you can get to know me better. So here it is: I have a big tattoo on the middle of my back, between my shoulder blades (it's the size of a hand) and it's a hamsa. It has a very, very special meaning to me and I got it when I was 18. And I'm certainly planning on getting some more ink.

Also, for the guest reviewer who asked: my mothertongue is Dutch.

That was it! Thanks so much for reading and keep reviewing! Your reviews motivate me and keep me writing.

Love,
Wolf