The knock at the door the next morning sent my heart into a pool of sadness. I would have to tell Lucas I couldn't go with him to the gym anymore. His mother wouldn't be happy if I made it her fault, so I would have to tell him I just didn't want to anymore. If he knew what was best for him he would go with it and let me politely tell him to fuck off, but he was not known to back down out of anything without a fight.

I nodded at Rosalyn to open the door for him. I sat at my desk in a soft robe that was over my nightgown.

"Skipping out on me today, are you?"

Luke leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms. I didn't meet his eyes, only starred at my feet.

"I'm sorry to tell you, I don't want to do this anymore."

His soft face crumpled into a concerned look in an instant. He pushed away from the door and started walking toward me.

"What do you mean? You don't want to-"

I cut him off. "I don't want to go to the gym anymore. I don't want to fight anymore," I snapped at him and I hate to report that my tone had crushed part of his soul, I saw it in his eyes.

"Why not? I deserve a reason."

"No, you don't really. I just don't want to and I think it is improper for me to be covered in bruises all the time. Stopping this now is for the best."

"You don't want to see me anymore. The bruises aren't the problem, Anna, I am."

I looked into his eyes for the first time today and shook my head. "Can't you trust me on this? Leave me alone."

He sat on the edge of my desk and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll stop going down there, but you can continue to work out, okay? You won't have to see me, but you shouldn't stop doing something that makes you happy."

I couldn't ask him to give up a part of his life for me. He had lived in the palace for his life and I'm sure he had always gone to that gym since he could remember. Asking him to change that routine would be selfish of me.

"I don't want to do anything down there anymore. I'm going to be the princess I'm supposed to be for a while."

My hand was resting on top of my desk. My heart fluttered when he slid his on top of mine. I wanted to hold onto that calloused hand forever; it was my safety rope. But I couldn't if I wanted Lil to live.

"I think you should go," I squeaked out almost inaudible.

His blue eyes dropped with a sorrow I had never thought he was capable of. He was always so strong and closed off, I never thought he would express such emotions with me. I have to admit it was... different.

"As you wish, Annalise."

With that he left. He walked out the door and closed it behind him. I had let him walk out of my room and possibly out of my life. I really needed to get Lil safe if I ever wanted to speak to him again.

"Rosalyn?"

"Yes, Miss Anna."

"I need to speak with Officer Chance after dinner tonight. The rest of my day will be spent with Lady Christie getting us ready for the Report tomorrow night, so he must be here after dinner. Can you make that happen?"

She narrowed her eyes at me and I could tell she wanted to question it. "Very well. I will see what I can do."

I nodded my approval.

"Let's get ready for breakfast. Long day ahead of us."

During breakfast I didn't look up at the royal family at all, but I swear I could feel Luke's stare boring a whole in me. Meghan and Val still weren't talking to me. I tried to ignore all the other giggles and joyous bits of conversation that were going on around me. In a room with so many people, how was it that I felt so alone?

After breakfast I sat in the Women's Room. I was off to the side by myself and was hurt to see Meghan and Val chatting with other girls that I didn't know the names of. I remembered Val telling me I should spend more time with the other ladies, and now that my session with Luke was over maybe I could focus on getting to know them better. I was a lone wolf in this Selection, and I'm sure that didn't look too good to the public; I needed to open up more.

"Are we ready to get started?" Christie strode in, her heels clicking on the marble floors.

We all shuffled into seats around Christie. People were so excited about the Report. It was their time to shine on television. I, personally, was a little scared about talking to a camera.

"As I am sure you know, the host of the Report will be Jax Menson. The King will give the usually updates about the country's financials and so forth. After that, Jax will come on stage and question Prince Alexandr about the Selection. He might mention you. If he says something about you, the camera will pan over you to get your reaction, so be ready at all times." Christie met each of our eyes to warn us. "After the Prince talks, Jax will ask some of you all questions as well. If you have had lots of personal time with the prince, I suggest you make sure you get camera time and tell the world as much detail as you like. The more the people see of you the more your ratings with the public will change, and their opinions are very important."

My head hurt. I hadn't had much one on one time with Alexandr, and those moments I did spend with him were not pleasant ones. What if Jax asks my opinion about Alexandr? I can't be honest and tell the world he's garbage, but I don't want to lie to them either. I remembered what Prince Alexandr had told me about keeping him entertained. I couldn't sit out of the spotlight on the Report; I needed to make a good impression that wouldn't let me get eliminated. I had come too far to be eliminated. I was no longer in this for Lil, I wanted to help Illea.

"Oh, and you should know that five girls will be eliminated after the Report, so stand out."

I was fucked.

"I will have you know, Miss Mallory, that I was very reluctant about showing up here. You are lucky the palace workers like you, otherwise we could be reported for suspicious activity."

Max Chance was standing in my room, not too happy about me summoning him.

"What do you mean? We are in my room with my maid here," I motioned to a disaproving Rosalyn.

"We did have an embrace yesterday, we could be reported for intimate activity, which is treason considering you are in the middle of a Selection."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever."

He looked offended. "Treason is not something to 'whatever' about!"

"Well, I am going to ask you to help me commit treason."

He exploded on me. "What!? Are you mad? You know I'm an Officer, right? I could turn you in for even saying that. This is ridiculous, I am leaving."

He started for the door and opened it up slightly. I sprinted at him and slammed the door closed.

"Queen Amberley threatened to kill Lil."

He let his hand sit on the doorknob and he went quiet. I tried to make him meet my eyes, but he was refusing. He stayed quiet for a while, his head down.

"She wants me to stay in line; wants to control me. She already made me stop talking to Luke. You said it yourself, I was influencing him into caring about other people, and she doesn't like that. She doesn't like that I'm taking control away from her."

"You're a threat to her," he said slowly. I nodded when he let go of the door and sat back. "I'm not agreeing to anything, but what would you want me to do?"

"I need to get to Lil. I want you to find her address and help me sneak out of the palace. I'll be back in a few days, depends on how long it'll take me to get to her."

"That'll be hard. People will notice you are gone. There are always eyes on you. Sorry, but you really grab attention all the time. They'll notice you've gone missing."

I let out a frustrated breath. I hated when he was right.

"And," he continued to pick apart the loose plan. "Where would she go?"

She couldn't go back to Dante, that would be the first place they looked for her, considering that was probably where they found her the first time. I didn't have anyone I thought she could live with. All the people I knew didn't care about the needs of other people, so Lil couldn't stay with them.

"She's tough as nails," I said depressingly. "She can handle herself until I'm booted from the Selection. I'll be a Two after I'm eliminated. It'll all be worth it."

"You can't go to her, though."

"So, what should I do?"

He rubbed his hand over his jaw and thought. "You are so lucky the workers like you. I'll take care of it. I can get someone to her; someone trustworthy. You're not getting eliminated either. That's the price for us, meaning the guards, saving your friend. You have to try and win this."

"I can't make him love me."

"Love's got nothing to do with marriage. You just need the crown."

In that moment I felt the same nausea that I had when Queen Amberley had told me the same thing. Why did no one think love should be the cause of a marriage? It was sickening how they all thought. I felt so trapped I wanted to run away, but I needed control, for Lil.

"Deal. I'll do my best to win this. You get my Lil out of the Queen's grasp."

He nodded gravely. "I'm on it, Your Highness."

I shook my head at his playful bow. We laughed it off, but the task that was ahead was eating at our minds. I kicked him out of my room and Rosalyn got me ready for bed. My mind couldn't rest until Lil was safe. Maybe not safe, but away from Queen Amberley.

I sat on my bed the entire night without sleeping. I bit my lip to pieces worrying about Lil. And the worst part was that I couldn't go beat the shit out of Luke tomorrow morning to get my stress out. My anxiety would have to eat me alive tomorrow.

The hours passed whilst I sat on the bed, twirling a gold rose in my hands, thinking about how I had lost one of my two loves today. I wished I didn't have to hurt him to keep him away from me, but Queen Amberley was right, believe it or not. I was getting too attached to him and it wasn't good. After I was eliminated I couldn't have been with him anyway, I was simply getting the heartbreak over now before it got worse.

But things always get worse.

Lights. Camera. Action.

We were supposed to be in the Great Room for the Report in five minutes and my maids were still making me look presentable.

They had put me into a cream colored dress with gold tints. My makeup was subtle but gorgeous and my hair had gold strands woven into it. I looked in the mirror and really looked like royalty. After years of being covered in grime, it was odd how different and clean I looked now. This new me looked like a stranger. I touched the sparkling necklace that hung onto my collarbone that jutted out.

"You look stunning, Miss Anna," said Macie. She was straightening out the dress.

"Make us proud tonight," Maddie teased.

I smiled at them and told them I would try. My stomach was churning as I walked down the the steps to join the rest of the Selected in walking to the Great Room.

I counted the girls on my way towards them. There were only fifteen of us left, I realized. Girls went home without me even noticing. I felt like a bad contestant for not even knowing the faces of the ones who were already gone. I barely even knew the names of the remaining girls.

"Nice dress," Meghan mumbled to me on the way to our seats.

I glanced at her and weakly smiled. "Thanks. You look great too."

She nodded her thanks to me and didn't say anymore.

I wanted to apologize to her and get my friend back, but I was too distracted by all the cameras and microphones that were strung all over the room. I prayed I wouldn't screw up today and that I wouldn't be eliminated afterward. I had to stand out in order to stay.

I was sitting in a row with all the Selected girls. My legs were fidgeting with nerves. I took the free time that we had before the show started to get a drink of water.

When I stood up my legs were shaking. I wobbled in my heels all the way to the table where the drinks were. I picked up a glass and sipped on it. My lipstick stained the edge of the glass. I was so different from when I had first arrived. I was a new person who wore fancy dresses and lipstick. I never thought I would be in a position like this.

"Annalise," a man breathed behind me.

I turned around to the awestruck face of Luke. He was starring at me like he had never seen a woman before. His look made me slightly uncomfortable.

"Can I help you, Your Highness?"

He shook his head, as if he hadn't realized he was stuck starring. "No- I, um, sorry. Alexandr says it's time to take our seats." He slid his arm around me and took a drink for himself without taking his eyes off of me. "You look beautiful, by the way."

I sipped my glass again. "You look good too." And he did. He was wearing a suit jacked over top a striped vest with a gold pocket watch chain looping out of the pocket. He looked charming in the getup.

"Places!" Christie yelled. Upon spotting me, the only girl not doing what she was supposed to do, she came over to me and grabbed my arm. "Sorry to inturrupt, sir, but it's time to go, Anna."

I put my glass down and let her guide me to my seat. I was grateful she held onto me so I wouldn't tip over. I was so nervous I didn't know what to do with myself. An alcoholic drink would've helped more than the water, but they didn't have any of that around, unfortunately.

"Thank you all for tuning in tonight," the King put on his charming smile. "I am sure you are all excited to meet our lovely Selected. I promise to make the updates quick."

I zoned out after the king started reading the statistics about Illea. Why was I so damn nervous?

"And now, to Jaxon Menson."

I turned my head toward the man with hair bigger than my head. It was teased and hair-sprayed into an odd shape , but people loved the look. His light blue suit picked up the lights and he smiled cheerfully into the camera.

"What an honor it is to host the Report for the Selection of Prince Alexandr!" He motioned towards Alexandr and the cameras zoomed in on him. "Your Highness, how have the girls been treating you?"

Alexandr smiled devishly. "Some are better company than others, I have to say. They can be very... naughty." He looked directly at Aubrey when he said this and she blushed. Her fake smile made me want to punch her in the throat, but I refrained.

Jax had a harsh laugh. "It seems Prince Alexandr has been busy," he said into the camera. "Can you name the girls that you think stand a strong chance?"

Alexandr pretended to think hard about the situation, but I already knew Aubrey would be the first name out of his mouth. I did notice that Cambria acted hurt that he didn't mention her in the moment. Aubrey pretend not to see Cambria's glares.

Jax made his way towards us, sitting in two rows. "Miss Aubrey?"

She flipped her hair and smiled. "Yes, that would be me."

"What are your opinions about the prince?"

I didn't listen to her spew compliments about him. I didn't need to hear how handsome and kind and gentle and what a good kisser she thought he was. I didn't care about either of their opinions at all. I was focused on thinking about getting the attention on me so that I could make an impression and not get eliminated.

"We are glad to hear you think so highly of our future king," Jax said and moved away from Aubrey. He made his way up towards the prince and his family. "Prince Lucas, there has been word that you requested an etiquette teacher for the Selected. That's not good news for whoever you said acted like a 'pig', or was it all the Selected you were disappointed in?"

My face flushed and I twisted my hands into my dress.

"Oh, Jax," Luke cleared his throat. "There are many girls who I wouldn't be proud to have join this family."

My face got hotter. He was talking about me, wasn't he? He hated me now, perfect.

"But," he continued, "I have gotten to know a some of them, and one in particular really stands out to me. She doesn't behave differently around us because of our titles, but she is the most genuine person here. The best part is that she doesn't think she is anything at all... but I can see it. People are beautiful sometimes, in the way they talk or smile or the way they bite their lip and look angry, when they really just want a hug." He looked away from Jax for a moment and looked at me. "Sometimes people are beautiful, and everybody but them can see it."

My world had stopped. The cameras suddenly meant nothing to me. For once, the only people in the room were me and Luke. We gazed at each other from across the room. I swear I could've leaped over the chairs and gone right up to him, even in heels and a heavy dress. If love was real, he was mine.

"Well," Jax's loud voice pulled my attention to him. He was nervous looking now. He glanced at the Queen every now and again, she was starring daggers at him.

Suddenly I understood. She wasn't in control of her son right now. He had made the choice of me, even though I had told him to leave me alone. She was mad at Jax for letting him speak in the first place. Now the world would see what Luke had said and rumors about him being in love with one of the Selected would fire up by morning. Luke had messed up, but I was glad he did.

"Miss Waters!" Jax looked at Cambria and rushed to ask her questions, trying to take the attention away from the awkward situation.

I was praying that Lil was already free from her house under the Queen's command, otherwise she would be sentenced to death before the Report was over. If she wasn't gone, Luke might've just killed her. That realization made me nauseas. I wanted to run away and vomit. Was she already dead?

I felt numb. I couldn't hear anything anymore, not even Jax standing next to me with a microphone in my face. Oh no. He had asked me something. I needed to focus.

"Miss Mallory, we all know about your adventures before arriving at the palace. It can be said you aren't exactly a rule follower." He smiled kindly and I instantly felt cooler. He was good at making people feel at ease even with a camera on them, he was good at his job. "So, tell me, has it been hard living in a palace with twice as many rules to follow?"

I looked at the royal family. The Queen was starring daggers at me, the King wasn't paying attention, Alexandr was looking at Aubrey, and Luke was half smiling at me. I could do this.

"If I'm bing honest I haven't exactly done everything I'm supposed to do. Following all the rules in life isn't healthy; it's no way to live."

"That would make for a bad queen, if you ask me."

"Not a bad queen, a queen who understand that laws were meant to be broken. If I followed all the rules, I would never have any fun."

Jax shifted uncomfortable and glanced at the Queen again. He was probably just as scared of her as the rest of the world was. That was a bad queen.

I sighed. "Does breaking rules make me a bad person? Depends on who you ask." I noticed that I had everyone's attention for the first time since I got here. They weren't judging me like usual, they were interested in what I had to say. "I might've come here to become a princess and a queen, but I won't let some stupid social rules and judgement change who I am as a person. I will not be fashioned into a maiden that needs saving from a dragon; I am the dragon."

There was silence. So much silence. I needed someone to say something. I needed someone to yell at me that I was wrong and stupid or to tell me I was doing a good job. I didn't care what they told me I just needed someone to say something. Jax was studying me carefully. The Selected girls were staring in wonder. Alexandr had a blank expression. The King looked clueless. Luke looked in love. The Queen was going to rip my head off.

"Okay, Jaxon," the Queen said, standing up and getting the attention of the cameras onto her. "That is all the time we have tonight. Tune in next week for an update on the Selection."

The cameras went down immediately. Queen Amberley turned towards me and started storming my way. Then she stopped when Meghan stood up and was clapping.

Meghan met my eyes and clapped for me harder. Then, get this, all fourteen other girls stood up and clapped too, even Aubrey and Cambria. They might not have liked me, but they knew I was right about the laws being so controlling and fucked up. Laws stopped people from being their own person and from living life. They felt just as oppressed by it as I did.

A quick look at the Queen told me I was in for it. If Lil hadn't been rescued by Max already, then she was dead.

At least I did what I wanted; I made an impression.