April 28th, 2065
Royal Dining Room, Illea Palace.
Sythe looked at his hands nervously as he opened the door slightly to see the Selected in their own seats, chattering among each other.
"Is it hot in here?" Sythe asked, pulling on his collar slightly.
"Nope, that's just you and your nervousness." Allure answered, chuckling to herself.
"Not helping." Sythe murmured, closing the door. He slumped against the door, looking at his watch.
8:24 am. Six more minutes until he met the selected. Sythe couldn't sleep the night before, tossing and turning, dreading this morning.
He was going to meet the Selected in person.
"Don't worry, your highness, I'm sure everything is going to be perfectly fine." Allure assured, resting a hand on his shoulder.
"I feel sick. Maybe we should call this off?" Sythe asked hopefully.
"No can do, Your Highness." Allure sighed, "if you need to vomit, use the trash can to your right."
"There will be no vomiting today." Vita said, surprising Sythe. He didn't even hear his mother come up.
Neither did Allure, who immediately stood up straighter and nodded, "Of course, my apologies, Your Majesty."
His mother never really liked Allure, she always had her distaste for the Guard taking care of her son.
Maybe because she was insecure about Allure's looks, or the fact that she was more of a mother figure then Vita ever was.
Whatever the case was, The Queen tried to stay far away from Allure.
Vita cleared her throat before speaking. "Prince Sythe, it is your duty to not make a fool of yourself today. The cameras will be watching your every move."
"Cameras?" Sythe squeaked.
"Yes, we are videotaping the Selection for the Report every week. There will also be reporters and authors at this event, the tabloids will be all over The Selection." Vita sighed, as if bored with what she had to say.
"Right, I knew that." Sythe mumbled.
He in fact, did not know that.
"It's time to go, get inside. You'll say a brief message to the Selected, then head to the room to the right where you and Allure will meet the Selected." Vita ordered.
"Right, of course." Sythe said, taking a deep breath.
"Good Luck. Some of these girls are… a lot." Vita said, and with that she simply took off.
Sythe looked at the double door, his hands shaking slightly.
This was it, the time to meet the Selected. Sythe felt like dying on the inside, but he straighted up and put on a small smile.
"Knock em' dead." Allure whispered before he opened the door.
He could hear the chatter immediately dissipate as he swung the door open (a little too hard, if he had to admit).
The dining room was full of amazing food, the staff had prepared the absolute best for the Selected. Meats and eggs, along with pancakes and waffles. All kinds of fruits, some which Sythe didn't even recognize.
The Selected were all staring at him, their beaded eyes feeling like daggers all over his skin.
He cleared his throat, walking over to the head of the table as fast as he could.
Sythe saw in the corner of his eye Vallant, who was reading a newspaper at the end of the room.
Allure huffed slightly. If anything, Vallant was her least favorite person, and she made that known to him multiple times.
Sythe walked to the chair where his father normally sat, touching it slightly, before looking back at the Selection.
He didn't know how to begin, his throat was closing and it felt like the air was being pulled from his lungs.
"Hello Ladies…" he said, his voice echoing. He didn't realize how much of an echo there was in the room beforehand.
A bunch of hellos rang through the hall, some of the Selected had a warm smile on their faces. Some of them shot daggers at him.
"As you know… you're a part of my Selection." Sythe said, standing up a little straighter, "I'm excited to have all of you here. I can't wait to talk to you all one on one."
The girls nodded, some looking eager, and some looking like they just wanted to continue eating.
"Why should I waste all of your time, continue eating breakfast! In a minute the first girl will be called." Sythe announced.
The girls all cheered as Sythe turned his back and walked to his left, the door which lead to a small suite.
Vallant was standing at that door, his newspaper now in one hand and his arms crossed.
"Vallant, lovely seeing you again." Sythe said, extending his hand.
"Terrible speech, I thought I taught you better than that!" Vallant reprimanded.
Sythe rubbed the back of his neck, "I guess I forgot, sorry."
"Whatever." Vallant rolled his eyes, "just get in the room."
"Great pep talk." Allure muttered under her breath, but Vallant smirked and looked at her.
"Allure, beautiful as ever." Vallant said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
"Val, stupid as ever." Allure retaliated, opening the door to the suite, "Get inside Your Highness."
"Right, of course." Sythe said, walking right into the Suite.
Looking around, it was clear that it was re-decorated earlier that week. The smell of paint was undeniable, and there wasn't much furniture. Just two small couches, a table, a TV, and a bar to the side, full of drinks.
"God bless vodka." Allure sighed wistfully as she stepped over to the bar.
"Don't get too drunk, you're supposed to protect me." Sythe raised his eyebrow.
"I can protect you better with a bit of alcohol in my system. Trust me, my aim gets better with liquor." Allure joked, grabbing a bottle of god knows what, and opening it up with a flick.
Sythe sat down on the couch, looking over to his side, he saw a simple small black button, and then up at the TV to see the picture of a Selected, with her name under it.
Summer Hastings, Allens, No Ability.
"Does this go in alphabetical order of province?" Sythe asked, tilting his head.
"It does, it's also very organized." Allure yawned, taking a sip of her drink, "whenever you are ready, just press the button and that Selected will come in."
"Let's get the party started." Sythe murmured as he pressed the button.
A loud voice rang throughout the Dining hall and the Suite, a voice that was robotic and monotoned
"Summer Hastings ." The voice simply said.
Sythe could hear the sound of chattering dissipate as the girls heard the first name.
Sythe waited for a few seconds before the door knob turned and the first Selected entered the Suite.
"Lady Summer, it's a pleasure meeting you." Sythe said sitting up straighter in his chair.
"Your Highness, it's a pleasure to be here." Summer said, tucking her hair behind her ear as she closed the door behind her.
"Please sit, would you like a drink?" Sythe asked, extending a hand to be shook. It was a simple gesture really, yet Summer either ignored his hand or didn't realize she had to shake his hand.
Not that he minded, he cleared his throat and
"Oh um, do you have Rum and Coke?" Summer said, smiling softly before sitting down.
"Yes I believe we do!" Sythe said, "Allure can you make Summer a Rum and Coke?"
Allure simply nodded before heading to the bar area.
"The castle is beautiful!" Summer said with a soft jingle in her tone, "Very golden."
"Yes you can blame my brother for all of the Gold." Sythe joked, to which Summer chuckled politely, "how are you enjoying the selected."
"They are very nice… the ones I met." Summer smiled, "however one of the girls sitting next to me keeps giving people side eyes. Like she's scouting competition."
"Interesting." Sythe murmured to himself. He dreaded any fights or scuffles between the ladies. All for his sake?
Allure came to Summer with a glass half full of her drink, and Summer took a small, polite sip of her drink.
"So, Summer, you wrote on your form that you have No ability?" Sythe asked, "Is that correct?"
Summer tensed up slightly, "Yes that is correct. Is there a problem with that, Your Highness?"
"Oh… no not a problem Lady Summer." Sythe gave a warm smile, "It's interesting, however. I'd love to know more about your life eventually."
Summer blushed slightly and tucked a peice of hair behind her ear, "That is if I make it that far…" Summer said with a small chuckle.
Sythe felt his heart warm up slightly. Summer was a breath of fresh air compared to the normal strain of the Castle. One day he would tell her his story, he new she was going to stay for a while.
"Of course, Lady Summer. Thank you for your time, you're welcome to keep the drink." Sythe smiled.
Summer simply nodded before standing up, and she was almost to the door before she turned suddenly and curtsied quickly, like she had almost forgotten that he was a Prince.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Summer said before leaving the room.
"I think that was a success!" Sythe said hopefully, looking at Allure, who was drinking directly from a bottle of vodka, "Allure be careful…"
"Ah don't worry, I'll be okay. Oh look! The next girl is on the screen." Allure pointed, taking another swig of the bottle.
Avalon Zicherman, Angeles, Light Refract.
Sythe had to hold his breath for this one. The Mayor of Angeles (although Sythe had never met him), was notorious for being rude. He hoped that Avalon was not like her father.
He pressed the button, and the monotone voice rang out the Selected name.
He tightened up his shoulders and cracked his neck.
"Nervous?" Allure asked, though it was more sarcastic than anything.
"Nope." Sythe lied through his teeth before the door slowly opened.
Avalon walked in, her dress was simple and plain, considering she was a Two.
"Good morning, Your Highness. My name is Avalon." Avalon said with a curtsy, her face neutral.
"You're… not what I expected." Sythe simply said, unable to find words. He had to curse himself for being stupid, he heard Allure chuckle from the bar.
"What did you expect?" Avalon asked incredulously, her brows furrowed, obviously not at all pleased by what Sythe said.
"Oh… nothing sorry!" Sythe said nervously, "I didn't mean that I just…"
"Lady Avalon, would you like a drink?" Allure interrupted, and Sythe would have to thank her later.
"No thank you, Miss..?" Avalon asked. Allure was slightly taken aback before she smiled.
"It's Allure, just call me Allure. I'm Prince Sythe's personal bodyguard." Allure said.
"It's lovely to meet you." Avalon said, before turning her attention to Sythe, "May I sit down now?"
"Yes of course, Lady Avalon." Sythe said, "I apologize from what I said earlier. I was just expecting…" Sythe trailed off.
"Let me guess? A ruthless and cold lady who demands things and wears the most expensive dresses and jewelry?" Avalon asked as she sat down.
"Yeah…" Sythe said in defeat, "Though I meant no disrespect."
Avalon smiled, though Sythe couldn't tell if it was a fake smile or a genuine one, "I get it a lot, it's quite alright, Your Highness."
Sythe needed to change the subject before it got to awkward.
"What's it like modeling?" Sythe simply asked.
"It's… busy. A lot of flying and photo shoots. I barely have time for family nowadays." Avalon said, "When me and my father heard about your Selection, I didn't know if I could take the time off. Thankfully, my agency is quite flexible."
"If there's anything I can help with, you may also take photoshoots at the Palace. Of course I must ask the Queen beforehand." Sythe replied.
"You mean your mother?" Avalon raised her eyebrow.
If you could call her that, Sythe thought, but kept that thought deep down in his heart.
"Yes, my mother." Sythe said while a fake smile was plastered on his face.
Avalon nodded, almost as if she understood what he meant with those few words. He felt a silent connection with those words. It was a few seconds of silence before Sythe cleared his throat.
"It was lovely meeting you, Lady Avalon." Sythe said simply, to which Avalon nodded and stood.
"It was a pleasure to meet you too, Prince Sythe. Have a wonderful day… and good luck with the rest of the Selected." Avalon curtsied before heading to the door.
"Good luck to you too, Lady Avalon." Sythe said as she opened the door and exited just as softly as she entered.
"I need a drink." Sythe said once the door was fully closed.
"You managed to piss off a model, great job, Prince Sythe!" Allure joked, a smug smirk on her face.
"It's going to be a long day." Sythe slumped into his chair further, "Can this continue another day?"
"Unfortunately not." Allure chuckled.
"Ugh, get me a shot." Sythe said as he pressed the button, waiting for the next person to walk into the door.
~0~0~
After a terrible meeting with a lady named Thea, Sythe already had a headache. He just wanted this all to be over and done with.
Eight out of Thirty-Five Selected had met him, but it already felt like a million girls talking to him.
The next girl displayed on his screen.
Cyra Remsey, Carolina, Pyrokinesis
"She's beautiful wow." Allure said, now away from the bar and standing in the corner of the room.
Sythe pressed the button, hearing the monotone voice again, "She is…" He agreed
"Cat got your tongue?" Allure asked
"Words are hard." Sythe simply said, watching the door, waiting to hear the door softly open.
At that it did. Some girls barged in, however there were a few girls that opened the door super slowly. As if they were scared of what was on either side.
They probably were.
"Good morning, Your Highness." Cyra said as the door opened and she walked in.
Immediately it felt like a warm presence, that made Sythe straighten his back in his chair and smile.
"Lady Cyra, please sit! Would you like a drink?" Sythe asked.
"Do you have Coke?" Cyra asked as she shut the door and strode to the chair, sitting in it comfortably.
"Just a Coke?" Sythe asked, tilting his head.
Cyra sheepishly smiled, "I don't drink alcohol…"
"Makes my job easier." Allure joked, smiling at Cyra and heading over to the bar.
"The palace is lovely…" Cyra started, "I enjoy the views of the garden, it's all so green."
Sythe nodded, "Yes the garden is quite lovely this time of year… or really any type of year. I think the gardener has the power to make plants grow? I've never talked to him though so I wouldn't know."
Cyra giggled slightly as Allure handed her a Coke in a cup. She cleared her throat before speaking, "Yeah well plants and me don't really get along…"
"You… control fire, right?" Sythe asked.
Cyra nervously chuckled, "I create fire… controlling is… hard for me."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Sythe said.
"Oh no, don't be! It's been hard ever since I was a kid. I would always try to control… but I ended up creating disasters… it's best to not show you…" Cyra sheepishly said.
"That's alright, thanks for telling me Lady Cyra." Sythe smiled.
"What's your Ability?" Cyra asked, which caught Sythe off guard.
"Oh um… nothing special." Sythe said. He didn't want to lie about his power, but at the same time, what would she think? Would she be disgusted?
"Oh… that's alright. You can tell me eventually, Prince Sythe." Cyra waved her hand slightly, "Or not… it's your choice."
"Heh… thank you." Sythe said, "It was lovely to meet you, Cyra."
"I cannot wait to talk to you more, Prince Sythe." Cyra sat up, curtsying and then walking to the door.
She opened it before turning back and waving slightly. She then shut the door, leading Allure to chuckle slightly.
"That was the easiest conversation I've had today!" Sythe said, a warm smile on his face, "Maybe this isn't so difficult…
Unfortunately, the lady after Cyra wasn't that much better.
Novah Sanders, a Two, was by all means a bitch. She entered the room nastily and judged Allure and Sythe from the moment she walked into the room.
He knew exactly who he was eliminating first when Novah left the room.
He let out a shaky sigh, "That was the worst girl so far…"
"Trust me there will be more." Allure sighed, "Another drink?"
Sythe shook his head while looking at the TV, with the next girl's face smiling directly at him.
This time, he remembered the girl's name.
Eunji Sang, Columbia, Healing
"Oh I remember her! She already sounds Exciting! Her name sounds pretty." Sythe said to Allure.
"Alright, lover boy, save the complements for the Selected." Allure joked.
"Right, yes." Sythe said as he pushed the button next to him.
He waited for a few seconds before the door opened, it was a smooth motion, as if she had been practicing opening a door.
"Good Morning, Your Highness." Eunji said as she entered the room.
She almost stopped in her tracks, closing the door slowly as a face of slight skepticism crept to her face.
"Good morning Lady Eunji… would you like a drink?" Sythe asked.
Eunji hesitated before standing up straighter, curtsying softly, "Yes please, what do you have?"
"Oh I dunno… anything really?" Sythe said, looking at Allure who shrugged.
Eunji smiled softly, "Then I will have Strawberry Lemonade."
"Actually, that we don't have." Allure said.
"But you said you had anything!" Eunji joked, a small chuckle coming out of her mouth, "It's alright I'll just have a water."
"Coming right up." Allure said.
Eunji turned to Sythe before sitting in the chair in front of him, "I don't mean to pry… but what illness did you have when you were a kid?"
"Oh…" Sythe said hesitating for a moment, "I really don't want to talk about that right now… it's a lot to get into…"
Sythe technically didn't lie, he really didn't want to talk about the fact his mother lied about his illness from a young age.
"Ah that's quite alright. I understand… when kids get illnesses it takes a lot off of their mental health… I totally understand…" Eunji said, taking the water from Allure's hand, before smiling, "however I do find it quite… weird no one in the country knew you were so ill as a kid."
"Yeah… I guess it is weird." Sythe agreed.
Eunji shrugged slightly, before smiling, "Anyways, I ran into your brother Yesterday."
"Oh really?" Sythe asked, dreading the fact that a Selected was already talking about his brother.
He hoped Conji didn't flirt with Eunji.
"Yeah… he was… interesting." Eunji shrugged slightly.
"I apologize on behalf of him." Sythe sighed, rubbing his temple slightly.
"Oh no don't apologize, he didn't do anything wrong. I got lost and he helped me, that's all." Eunji smiled, "He was a little confused why I was wandering around though…"
"That is a little weird." Sythe shrugged, "Are you a spy?" He asked jokingly.
"What! Me a spy? No way." Eunji said sarcastically before smiling, "Man I wish, being a spy sounds so cool."
Sythe laughed, "I better keep my eye on you then, Lady Eunji, can't have a spy running around in the castle."
"No, you can't…" Eunji said, placing her cup down on the table next to her, biting her lip slightly.
"Thank you, Lady Eunji, it was a pleasure meeting you." Sythe smiled, to which Eunji stood up and curtsied, a small (and a little unorganized) gesture.
"The pleasure is all mine." Eunji said as she turned and walked out of the door.
"What a weird girl." Allure said, taking another shot.
"How many shots have you had?" Sythe asked, a look of concern etching his face.
"Enough to call me an Alcoholic." Allure replied, still seeming as sober as ever.
"Maybe you should stop…" Sythe suggested, rubbing the back of his neck.
Allure sighed, nodding, before putting the bottle down on the bar table, "Bring in the next girl."
"Yay." Sythe said sarcastically as he pressed the button for the next girl
~0~0~
Ruihua Fu, Likely, Unconscious Inducement
"Scary power, wonder why she isn't a higher caste?" Allure asked, tilting her head at the TV.
Sythe, who is now three shots into the whole experience, shakes his head slightly, "how does it work? Does she have to touch you to knock you out? Or is it a mind control thing?"
Allure shrugged, "That would be a perfect question to ask the Lady."
"Right, of course." Sythe ran his fingers through his hair before pressing the button to call her in.
Sythe waited for a few seconds before the door opened swiftly, and in came Lady Ruihua.
She closed the door and then curtsied, almost as low as she could have gone without touching the floor.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness." Ruihua spoke, "I look forward to getting to know you."
"As do I, Lady Ruihua." Sythe smiled softly, "Please have a seat, would you like a drink?"
"Please, call me Rewa." Rewa said, taking a seat and crossing her legs, "Do you have any orange juice?"
"Orange Juice, coming right up." Allure said, going behind the bar and taking out a glass.
"Thank you." Rewa said before turning her head towards Sythe and smiling ever so slightly.
It seemed manufactured, practiced in almost a way that was uncanny. Sythe smiled back, clearing his throat.
"Tell me a bit about yourself, Lady Rewa? What is it like back home?" Sythe asked, tilting his head.
"It's manageable." Rewa said simply, "I work as a nanny for the wealthy people in my province. I earn money for my family, I work as much as I can."
Allure came over with the orange juice, to which Rewa took and sipped out of. Allure smiled before walking back over to the bar.
"You work with kids?" Sythe asked, his eyes lighting up slightly, "how is that?"
Rewa smiled, a little less rehearsed, "Most of them are spoiled, but they are also kids that like making messes and tracking dirt through the house."
"That does sound like kids. We have my cousins over for a bit, and the twins love running through the garden and tracking mud in the castle. I feel bad for the maids sometimes." Sythe sheepishly chuckled.
Rewa let out a soft huff before taking another sip of her orange juice. Sythe smiled awkwardly, and there was a silence that filled the room.
"This is good, where are the oranges from?" Rewa asked, breaking the silence and looking at Sythe.
Sythe shrugged slightly, "I actually don't know…"
Rewa looked like she wanted to say something but she bit her tongue and nodded with a smile on her face.
"It was lovely meeting you, Lady Rewa. I look forward to more conversations with you." Sythe put on a smile.
Rewa stood very slowly and curtsied slowly… everything she did was thought out and slow, "Thank you for your time, Your Highness."
Sythe smiled as Rewa left the room, and as soon as she closed the door, he slid down and sighed.
"Sheesh." Allure stated, "She's… interesting."
"I need Tylenol." Sythe said, a hand over his face.
"Sorry, I don't have any." Allure sighed, taking another swig of the vodka bottle, which at this time Sythe had lost track of how many she had drank through.
Sythe sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair and getting it stuck on a knot he had.
"You ready for the next one, Your Highness?" Allure asked.
"Nope." Sythe simply replied before pressing the button
~0~0~
Welcome to part one of the Introductions! This was a long chapter but I thank you for sticking by me! We met 5 out of the 10 Selected, and next chapter, we will meet the rest! Thank you to all that submitted, I love the characters and I can't wait to get this party started!
Also, be on the look out for a nice surprise soon! (Hint; it has something to do with Rune!)
Have a great day! Love all of you! 3
Logan