My hand began to shake as I straightened my bowtie. I didn't usually get nervous at meeting new people. This was different though. I was about to walk into a room that contained my future wife.

"Kit!" I turned around to see who had called me, and I couldn't resist grinning.

"If it isn't Ren Hart," I said ambling over to where my cousin stood. "Last I heard you were still up in Whites, what brings you back to our humble home?"

"Oh you know me Kit. I was only there because I met a girl. Then she broke up with me," he shuddered as if the memory was too painful, "can you believe her nerve?" I let out a chuckle. "I was going to go stay in Waverly with Sage but when I got there her roommate told me she had moved back to Angeles."

"What?" I figured if Sage was back in the province someone would have told me. "If she's back then why isn't she here?"

I winced as I was hit on the back of my head. "Just because I haven't come to see you doesn't mean that I haven't been here." I turned around to see Sage looking exactly like how I remembered.

I wrapped my arms around her. "A year is too long to go without seeing my favourite cousin."

"Hey!" Ren called out from behind us. "I get no appreciation in this family. I mean I'm going to have to restrain from flirting with thirty-five girls. Do you realize how difficult that's going to be?"

Sage rolled her eyes at her brother. "I think you'll survive Ren."

The door burst open and Liv came charging in before Ren could complain anymore. "It looks pretty bad if you don't show up to your own ball."

"We're coming Mother."

Liv glared at me for being sarcastic and then took hold of my arm. "Mom and Dad are already in there meeting the girls. We better hurry before they start discussing your 'hipster phase.'"

Most days I would fight back, but in that moment I just didn't have it in me. "I want your opinion Liv." I stopped once we were just outside the ballroom doors and looked into her blue eyes. "I trust you more than anyone else, so I want your opinion on the girls."

"Okay," she said nodding. "Once I have one, I'll come to you and we can talk."

Before I knew it the guards had opened the doors and Liv was pulling me into a completely quiet ballroom. Part of me wished they hadn't announced our entrance, everyone was put on edge knowing I was there. It felt so unnatural.

"Where are you going to start?" Liv whispered into my ear when the room had gained a bit of noise in the form of conversation.

I scanned the room a few times before replying. "The one over there in the green dress. She's the only one not staring at me."

"Good choice, her name's Grace." Without another word Liv pushed me in Grace's direction and I found my legs slowly obeying.

I was still a few steps away when our eyes met and she smiled at me. Then when she realized I was actually coming to speak with her she got a little flustered. Still, she perfectly executed a curtsy leaving me quite impressed.

"Your Highness," she spoke strongly and steadily, "I'm Gracie."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Gracie, but please, just call me Kit." With every word I felt like I was going to pass out. Sure I had spoken with plenty of girls before, but I knew that there was no chance they would become my wife. My future had been tied to this Selection my whole life.

"Your sister's dress is beautiful," Grace said glancing across the room to where Liv was watching us from.

"Do you have a sister?"

She nodded immediately. "Lydia, she's twenty-three."

Before Grace could continue we were interrupted by another girl. "Your Highness," the girl, who was much taller than Grace, spoke with a thick accent. "I am honoured to meet you. My name is Régine."

I looked over to Grace who was clearly intimidated by Régine. She looked back at me, "it was very nice to meet you." Then she curtsied once more and was gone.

"I hear you just got back from England." I nodded, not really in the mood for small talk. "It's a beautiful country," she went on, "I've been a few times."

I glanced around the room at all the other women who were trying not to stare. "I should go meet some of the other girls." I placed my hand on her shoulder as I made to walk past. "It was lovely speaking with you."

I headed straight to Liv who was talking with a redheaded girl.

Liv's face lit up when she saw me. "Kit! This is Molly, she has a cat," the pure excitement that Liv was displaying made me laugh. My sister had a huge obsession with cats.

"Hello Molly, I hope Liv isn't scaring you off. She doesn't get out much," I winked, trying to act charming but probably failing completely.

"The Princess has been a delight, so has the rest of your family. They all clearly love you very much."

I smiled at the sweetness in her voice. I was quite enchanted by Molly's red hair, falling in curls around her face, her white dress enhancing the colour dramatically. "I'm glad they're actually behaving themselves, my cousins love to cause problems."

"Hey, we're not that bad," Sage said coming towards us. "I'm Sage Hart," she extended her hand to Molly in a most unroyal like fashion.

"It's a pleasure, I'm Molly Keegan."

"So, Molly Keegan, have you gotten to know any of the other girls yet?"

Molly froze up immediately at Sage's comment. She looked at me for conformation that she could speak freely and I smiled back. "I sat with Dailey Winslow on the plane, she was incredibly kind. Then this morning I had a lovely conversation with Sol Castilla, she's the one talking to the Queen." Molly pointed Sol out across the room, and although I couldn't see her face, I could tell that she was quite beautiful.

Sage shook her head. "That's all great but I was hoping for some dirt. I guess I'll have to keep looking."

Once she was gone Liv turned to Molly. "Care to join me for a drink? Poor Kit is going to be here all night if he spends this long speaking with every girl."

Molly nodded and Liv dragged her off before she could say anything else. I was not for the first time in my life, alone in a room packed with people. Suddenly I needed to be outside.

Trying not to make a spectacle I snuck out a back door and made my way to the garden. The June air was surprisingly chilly when it hit my face. I almost regretted coming out, but then I saw her.

It was a couple of moments before she spotted me. Her curtsy wasn't as perfect as Grace's but I smiled at her attempt.

"Your Highness," her voice was merely a whisper in the night. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you."

I laughed, "it's me that should be sorry. You were here first, Lady," I thought quickly back to the forms I'd read through, "Malia."

"I was a bit worried coming here," she began, once I was standing next to her. "I mean I figured all my time would be spent inside confining rooms. It's pretty amazing out here though."

"I wish it was more. There's so much that I miss out on sitting inside these walls." I looked up into the darkness, and for a moment I wanted nothing more than for it to engulf me.

Then she spoke again. "Maybe in a way it is. You're trapped by walls, but really they stretch all the way to Illéa's boarders. The whole country belongs to you, in the purest sense."

"Thank you," I said smiling at her. "I don't think you know how badly I needed to hear that."

She shrugged, her dress glimmering in the moonlight. "There was a time when I needed to hear something similar, but no one was there to tell me." She paused, glancing towards the door. "Shall we head back inside?"

I offered her my arm, and together we went back into confinement.

A/N

Hey! Hope you all enjoyed chapter three, it was a bit rushed because I wanted to update before the weekend ended. I know they were brief glimpses but what did you all think of the girls? I still need a bunch of entries so please keep submitting! For anyone interested in seeing the dresses the girls were wearing you can find them on my Pinterest (shaelynnsophia). Sadly I did not get to go into as much detail with the fashion as I wanted to but I realized it would be untrue to Kit's character if he was analyzing every dress. Speaking of Kit, this was your first real look at his more vulnerable side. We kind of saw the same feelings arise in Liv in chapter one (she wanted to leave but couldn't because of Kit, he wants to leave for good but can't because of the crown), if only they'd realize that they feel the same. Also, I wanted to talk briefly about Sage. Although she's not competing for Kit's heart, she does hold a piece of it in familial way. Their relationship is one of my favourites, which is saying something because a main focus of this story is on sibling relationships so I feel like I'm betraying that concept considering they're cousins. Anyway, I'd better stop myself before I go off on a tirade. Thank you all so much for reading!

Shaelynn