Cade supposed that the preparations were going well. He didn't receive many questions about it, which he decided to view as an added benefit of Aunt Morgan's thorough work instead of the councilmen deciding that they didn't trust him. The closet he got was the chef asking in passing if he thought that chocolate roses would make nice center pieces.

Cade had said yes.

He did like chocolate after all.

He-

"Ow!" Cade exclaimed as the tennis ball bounced off his chest.

"That should have been an easy return," his coach said, picking up another ball from the basket next to her.

"I know. I'm just thinking."

"We can stop today, Your Highness," Lana said, bouncing the ball on her racket. Cade had always wanted to be able to do that, but he lacked the hand-eye coordination. In fact, he lacked the hand-eye coordination to do most things in tennis. The only reason why Lana, the two time Illéan open champion and number five internationally ranked player, still helped him was because she rather liked him.

"No. it's okay. I want to keep going." Cade said.

Lana shrugged, serving the ball at a noticeably slower speed. Cade tried to focus on the game, but the tennis court was sweltering and his lungs felt as if they might give out from running around the court. That, and he just needed to know if the applications were okay.

He had seen a truckload of them being dropped off earlier in the morning. There must have been at least a thousand in those boxes, and there was no way that every single girl whose name was in that box was an entirely unfit ruler. He was sure at least one, even if they were from the dregs of society with manners befitting a roadside gas station instead of a palace, would have some brains in her.

Cade had wanted to open some of the envelopes, to look at the names. He probably would have tried to slip one out if the councilman from Allens hadn't been strolling past the mailroom at that moment. Maybe he would go back while they were all on their lunch breaks and-

"Ow!" Cade exclaimed again, looking at what was sure to be a hideous bruise on his knee.

"Your Highness, I think this game would be a bit easier for you if you were paying attention."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry," Cade apologized quickly. "Once more?"

Lana sighed, "I don't think that's a good idea. I wouldn't want you to suffer any more injuries this morning."

"Right. Well, thank you. Sorry I couldn't give you a better game." Even if Cade had been playing to the best of his abilities, he doubted that he would have been able to have what Lana considered to be anything close to a good match. Still, he felt bad for wasting her time. She was a busy woman.

"It's alright. Work on your backhand strokes for next time. I think they have some real potential." Lana told him.

"You think?" Cade asked hopefully.

She nodded. "You've made great improvement since we first started."

"So I'll see you next week?"

Lana paused, "Next week? I might be mixing up my dates, but isn't that the start of your selection?"

Cade flushed. "You're right, you're right. I didn't think of that. Which is weird, since my selection was the only thing I've been thinking about for the past few days. This game included."

Lana laughed, "I've never been in a selection, but I can't imagine it is much more stressful than a tennis tournament. Just go one step at a time. Meet the selected, talk to them, take one on a date. Imagine it as the preliminaries."

"The preliminaries?" Cade considered that, "I've never thought about it like that."

"Well, if you really think about it, everything in life is a preliminary for something else. All you have to do is find out what you want the next thing to be." Lana told him seriously. Cade knew what he wanted the last thing, or well, person, to be. He knew her down to the last detail.

She had to be charming, accomplished at something (Cade didn't really care what), a decent politician, a proverbial peacemaker, competent, preferably talented at mathematics and history, level headed, and kind. Although that last one really wasn't a requirement.

And he had to love her. Sometimes he forgot about that part.

He supposed that Lana was right. Maybe if he just thought of everything as a prerequisite to something else, things would fall into line. Cade had once heard a motivational speech about dismantling problems, and couldn't the selection of his wife be categorized as one such thing?

"So the next thing would be announcing the selected?"

Lana nodded, "As far as I know, Your Highness. I'm sure you know your schedule much better than I do."

"I do. I think." Cade picked up the two tennis balls that had hit him, dropping them back into the basket. "Thank you for coming over today."

"My pleasure. It's a very nice break from my own training sessions. Those can be brutal, especially in this weather."

Cade knew that she meant it was a break only because he was so bad that even a full tennis match under the boiling Angeles sun was considered light work compared to what she was used to. But Lana had never said that, and that was more than most people in Cade's orbit would do.

"It is hot out. I hope it cools off in the next few days," Cade said, glancing at the sky as if it might have suddenly become rainy in the last thirty seconds.

"Me too. I'm set to play in the conservatory next week, and that stadium doesn't have a roof."

"Good luck, I'm sure you can win."

"Thank you. I appreciate that. I hope I win too, although I always hope that."

Cade waited for Lana to gather her duffel bag and switch her tennis shoes into a plain pair of sneakers. After she left he headed back to the palace to shower. Vivienne was supposed to be arriving later today. Andrew had originally wanted to go to the airport to meet her, but the plan had been hastily changed last night when the news had somehow leaked to the press. (Cade had a few ideas on how that happened but he wasn't in a position to accuse anyone yet)

Andrew had still wanted to go, but Uncle Albert had raised concerns that it may be unsafe with the mobs that were certain to come.

"I'm sorry," he had said. "I just don't think it's a good idea."

Andrew had crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I don't care! It's not like anything bad is going to happen. People just want autographs."

"It's going to be a very large crowd," Uncle Albert said carefully. "I don't want it to be unsafe for you."

"So then don't. Just shut down the airport for a few hours. You do it all the time."

Albert checked his watch, "Andrew, it's already nine o'clock. It's too late to call them now, and I can't ask all the airlines to reschedule their flights on a few hours' notice tomorrow. I'm sorry, I didn't think the papers would find out about it. If I had known then I would have done this weeks ago."

"Yeah actually. How did the papers even find out about this?"

"He does have a point," George Hyde interjected. "I would look into how the papers obtained that story. I thought the information was classified."

"Thank you, Hyde." Uncle Albert said, seeming equal parts exasperated and suspicious. Even though no one (with the possible exception of Andrew) would be blunt enough to accuse one of the councilmen without evidence, they all knew how the papers had gotten that story.

Hyde was the head of the council, meaning that after Uncle Albert, and soon after Cade, he held the most power in the country. Cade liked him somewhat better then the rest of the council. He didn't like Cade much, but at least he seemed to recognize that Cade ranked higher, which was ironic considering that out of all of the council, he was the most likely to be able to get away with foregoing politeness.

Hyde had also been the one to bring the article to Uncle Albert's attention, and suggest that Andrew not go. Which seemed to have backfired spectacularly for him, because now he was in the middle of one of the family quarrels. He obviously felt somewhat uncomfortable, although he probably had more of a right to be there then Cade did, who had invited himself in his Uncle's office.

"Andrew," Albert said, "I'm sorry but I can't do anything. We'll meet her at the palace. I'm sure she'll understand if you call to explain."

"Yeah. Whatever." Andrew said, letting the office door shut loudly behind him.

"I should go after him," Albert said, following Andrew out.

There were several moments of silence as Cade and Hyde avoided each other's eye contact. It felt so awkward, so uncomfortable, that Cade wished he could follow his Uncle. Perhaps he could make up some excuse about talking to Andrew, or getting his Aunt, but that would make him look weak. And Cade really didn't want to look like some weak sniveling fool in front of the head of the council.

"I feel bad for him," Cade said, pushing the words through his unwilling lips. His mouth felt like sandpaper, the pressure of having to impress Hyde weighing on him.

"It's for his own safety," was all Hyde answered.

"I know. He just seems upset."

"Life is full of sacrifices,"

'I..I know."

Hyde simply nodded, and the pair sat in silence as Cade wished he could say something impressive. Nothing came to him though. So he sat until Andrew and Uncle Albert came back, until Andrew agreed that it would be better for him to meet Vivienne in the palace, and until Uncle Albert told Hyde that he could leave.

Freshly showered, Cade waited with his family in front of the impressive driveway of the palace. Andrew was holding a bouquet of flowers and avoiding eye contact with his father. Uncle Albert kept trying to talk to him, but Andrew would shrug it off.

It was times like these that Cade almost felt like an outsider. Uncle Albert and Aunt Morgan weren't his parents, and sure, they might love him, but they certainly didn't love him as much as they loved Andrew. Cade could pretend differently when Andrew was away at college, when Cade would be the sole recipient of their attention, but in times like these, Cade was confronted with the truth; that he was really just an extra person tacked on to their family.

Vivienne saved him from his somber musings in one of the few kind things she's ever done.

Her arrival was marked by two discrete vans pulling up the drive. A man wearing the red uniform of the French guards, opened the door of the third, larger, car.

Vivienne was a petite thing, frail almost. She couldn't be more than five feet tall, and Cade sometimes even doubted that. Her pale blond hair added to the image of delicateness, as if one strong breeze could knock her over. In a way, she seemed almost breakable, it always appeared like she was seconds away from shattering like a porcelain doll.

Cade's eye was drawn to the bright reflection bouncing off her finger. The large diamond engagement ring she wore caught the light ever so slightly as she turned to embrace Andrew. It was a welcome reminder that soon Andrew would be in another country, married to a future Queen. Soon, Cade wouldn't have to worry about his power being stripped from him.

Vivienne, now holding the roses, said to them, "Thank you very much for having me."

"We're delighted to, dear," Morgan assured her, "It's wonderful to see you, it's been several months."

"Yes, I am happy to see you as well," Vivienne said in her heavily accented english. "I'm very excited for the uh, the," Andrew whispered something to her in French, "for your selection Cadence."

"Thank you," Cade said, nodding his head. Cade hated talking to her. It was always so awkward, so fraught with tension from leftover hostilities and hard feelings. He tried to move past it, both for Andrew's and the country's sake, but it was hard when he didn't know enough French to discuss it with her, and Vivienne probably wouldn't fully understand what he meant if he tried to explain it to her in English.

He supposed he could always have Andrew act as translator, but somehow he thought that would be even more awkward.

Vivienne was fairly fluent in English, just as Andrew was fairly fluent in French. Neither of them spoke it perfectly, but through a combination of both languages, they made it work. Cade supposed it was some sort of inspiration, but really, he just hoped that the girls in his selection spoke English.

"Do you want to go have lunch?" Andrew asked her, "They made a spread in the dining room, so we can all catch up."

Vivienne nodded, "That sounds very good. The food on the flight was not the best. What should I do with my things?" She didn't stop walking towards the palace though, only nodding her head towards her red-uniformed maid who had exited the car.

"We prepared a room for you on the third floor," Albert told her. "With all the guests coming soon, we figured it would be quieter. I assume it can get quite loud during the day."

"That's very kind of you." Vivienne answered. "I don't think I've ever had a room on the third floor before. It looks very nice."

Morgan laughed, "I don't think we've ever had this many guests before. Well, what's having thirty-six instead of thirty-five anyway?"

Vivienne obviously understood that it was supposed to be a joke, and laughed accordingly, but Cade doubted that she truly knew what Aunt Morgan meant.

Cade took a pastry from the ornate basket on the table, turning it over in his hand. The topic of conversation had unsurprisingly turned to his selection.

"Cade is selecting the women tonight," Morgan told Vivienne, "On the Report. I'm sure they'll be absolutely lovely." Cade himself certainly hoped so, but he wasn't sure he shared his aunt's positivity.

"Is it a random process?" Vivienne asked.

Aunt Morgan nodded, "Of course. We want it to be an honorable process. So it can include those from the lower castes too, that Cade might not ever think about."

"I think about them," Cade said, mildly insulted.

"You do?" Andrew asked, giving him an odd glance.

"Well, I just mean, I think about the lower castes. Not that I think about women in those castes specifically… you know what I mean."

"Sure."

"So Cadence," Vivienne asked him, "The thirty-five girls are here to marry you, right?"

Cade nodded, "Yes, I choose one. That's how it's supposed to be.

Vivienne nodded, "And what happens to the girls if you don't marry them?"

Cade shrugged, "I don't know, I guess they go back home. Get on with their lives and all."

"And what if you like more than one?" Vivienne asked, looking genuinely confused, "What do you do then?"

Cade cleared his throat, "Well, I guess I just choose the one I like best. It's not like I can marry three people. That's a little illegal."

"Just a little." Albert agreed.

"How do these girls know what it is to be Queen though? What if they do not want to marry you?"

Cade felt his face flushing at the comment. He had considered that many times, since it had been made clear to him on several occasions that not many people liked him. Not many women would want to marry him. Maybe it wasn't true, after all, some women must like the idea of being Queen enough to tolerate him.

That's not what Vivienne meant. She didn't mean it that way, he told himself. He knew that. She simply meant that they might not want to take on the responsibilities that came with the marriage.

"They can leave if they want. I'm not going to hold them here against their will." Cade said bluntly. "There will probably be teachers for history, politics, and etiquette. I'm sure they'll understand what it's like."

Aunt Morgan dropped her fork. "Oh my goodness, I knew I was forgetting something. I didn't get a comportment teacher. I suppose I'll have to find one. It's a dying art now, that'll take me hours."

Vivienne looked to Aunt Morgan, pursing her small lips. She glanced at Andrew, who was pouring himself lemonade. Then she folded her napkin in her lap, sitting up a bit straighter. "I can help."

"What do you mean?"

"I can teach manners. I think I have very good ones." Vivienne said. "Besides, I should help. You were all very kind to let me stay. It's the least I could do."

Cade wanted to say no, as the thought of having Vivienne interact with his future wife was almost frightening. He didn't know what she would say. But he got the sense that this was important to her, and maybe if he let her do this, it would bring them a bit closer to a reconciliatory relationship.

Aunt Morgan beamed, "That's perfect. You do have excellent manners, and I believe it will be good for the selected to be around an actual princess."

"What are you then?" Andrew asked his Mom, grinning a little.

"I try, but it's hard to erase one's birth" Aunt Morgan answered, shaking her head. No one pointed out the obvious, that Morgan had been born to a Duke and Duchess, and had essentially been a Princess. Minus the title of course.

Vivienne clasped her hands, beaming, "Thank you so much! I promise I'll do a good job."

Cade certainly hoped so.

The rest of the day passed in some odd sort of limbo. There was so much to do yet so little time, and though Cade tried to focus on his work, it became increasingly hard.

Every person who passed him offered him well wishes of varying degrees of sincerity. Cade was able to ignore it until one of his Uncle's guards mentioned that his daughter had applied for the selection.

Up until that point, Cade had been somewhat convinced that perhaps the council was right, and that no one actually applied. That the whole thing would be just a fluke. But now, confronted with the harsh reality that people who knew him personally, well, through several degrees of separation, had applied. People who must have known something about him and decided that they didn't absolutely despise him.

It was sort of a thrill, but at the same time, those nerves that had never really existed started to pop up. Cade wasn't just announcing names. He was announcing the names of his possible future wife.

When he got to the Report stage, he saw the glass bowls that had previously been in one of the management offices. Each was filled to the brim, neatly labeled with the Province. Each one must have contained thousands of applications.

Aunt Morgan called him over, waving her hand. "Cade, look at all of these. It must be such fun to choose them."

Cade ducked his head, "Maybe. I don't really know."

"It's almost like choosing the lottery numbers, wherever your hand goes will change the fate of the world," Morgan exclaimed, her eyes bright. Cade would say that she was being a tad bit overdramatic, but in the scheme of things, she was probably under exaggerating.

This was a huge deal.

The stage manager announced the five minute mark. Cade started to move to his place, smoothing his dark blue suit. The glass bowls were rolled on to the stage after him. He dully noticed Andrew grab an application out of the Denbeigh basket, showing it to Vivienne.

If anyone else noticed, which someone had to have, they didn't say anything. Perhaps his Aunt was right, This was fate, and whatever poor girl's application Andrew was holding simply wasn't fated to be part of the selection.

"Good evening lléa," Porter said, starting the show like he always did. "Tonight we will be dedicating the Report to His Highness, Prince Cadence Schreave."

That was all he said, He walked off stage, leaving Cade by himself under the glaring lights.

It took Cade a few seconds to collect himself. He knew those few seconds would translate to hours for people watching on television.

"Thank you," Cade cleared his throat, " Thank you to everyone who submitted an application for my selection. We have received them by the truckload over these past two weeks, and I am so happy that so many ladies decided to apply. Tonight, I hope you all will join me in selecting these thirty-five lovely women."

Cade walked over to the first basket.

"From the province of Hansport, Miss Catalina Brereton."

The girl didn't look much like a six, or at least, what Cade expected a six to look like. Her wavy brown hair was clearly highlighted and professionally styled. There wasn't a blemish on her skin, though if that was due to natural causes or some clever editing work, Cade couldn't really tell. Her job was listed as an aide, probably for elderly citizens or something along those lines.

"From Midston, Miss Avary Rodrigo."

The girl was listed as a basketball player, and Cade vaguely recognized the name, though mostly from a few stray remarky by Andrew about some controversy over her recruitment. Her hair was also dyed, though in a significantly more noticeable way than Catalina's. Her curly hair had streaks of gold throughout it. It was actually quite pretty, with the way it was braided over her shoulder. Putting her application to the side, Cade moved on to the next basket.

"From the province of Allens, Miss Nora Louise Lexington."

Now, this was a name Cade recognized. Of course, he didn't know who Nora Louise was, but the Lexington company was one of the largest in Illéa, manufacturing and selling furniture. There was some part of the company that was based on philanthropy, Cade recalled, but he knew that the owner was very, very wealthy. Cade supposed that Nora Louise must be somehow related to the owner. She was a three, so it made sense. She was pretty, Cade would admit that, with a round face and bright eyes. Cade didn't like to judge people based on their appearances, but her smile was kind, filled with hope. He wished he shared that hope sometimes.

"From Waverly, Miss Irina Lenka."

Her eyes were blue. A very bright blue. So bright they almost popped out against her pale skin and dark hair. She looked young, but according to her application she was older than Cade himself. She was also apparently a dancer, though Cade didn't recognize the name from anywhere, not that he attended many dance performances.

So on and on it went. There was a Brianna from Baffin and a Gabrielle from Bankston. There was a girl with hair dyed a syrupy shade of red, and one with a tattoo running along her upper arm and neck. Cade knew that the council wouldn't like either of them. The bright-haired girl might be able to alter it, but unless the tattoo was much less visible in person, the council would want her dismissed quickly.

When at last Cade put the girl from Yukon's application aside, he felt relieved more than anything.

"For those of you selected, congratulations! I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you over the next few months. You will receive further information shortly. For the rest of Illéa, I hope you join me on this journey. Thank you all." Cade held his smile until the cameras cut, and then he slumped, letting out a sigh of relief.

The smattering of applause in the audience was overshadowed by the sound of the glass bowls being wheeled out of the room. Still, people looked genuinely happy. Even a few members of the council nodded approvingly, looking over a few of the applications.

Aunt Morgan caught his arm, Uncle Albert next to her. "The chefs prepared a wonderful dinner. I even ordered special flower arrangements."

"You didn't have to do that."

"Nonsense. This is a big deal Cade."

Dinner took hours, as in addition to the flower arrangements, Aunt Morgan seemed to have demanded a five course meal complete with two rounds of desserts and several of the chocolate roses the chef had asked Cade about earlier. Dinner always took a long time, but this one seemed to stretch on and on, and after three hours, when Cade was finally able to return to his room, he was practically dragging his tired feet.

When Cade finally got back to his room, there was a note waiting for him, placed squarely in the middle of his desk as always. Four lines of text, with five words in each line. They always were a bit theatrical.

The council grows more desperate

Be careful who you trust

It is about set in motion

We are awaiting your approval

Cade shook his head, crumpling the note quickly and tossing it in the trash.

Hi everyone! I absolutely love all the selected I've gotten so far and I'm so excited to get the rest of them! They all sound fabulous and very interesting so I am very very excited. Thank you to everyone who submitted or is planning to submit, it's been making me so happy. I don't really have a schedule yet for updates, but I'm going to try and do once every two weeks or so, but we'll see how that goes.