CHAPTER 8

Cade knocked on Irina's door twice, hoping that she would be ready. He usually met his dates in the foyer, but since this outing had been asked for by one of the council people, there would be a photographer tagging along. Apparently someone had a partnership (Cade thought it sounded more like "receiving bribes", but he didn't comment on it) with the National Dance Conservatory of Illéa, and they thought having the royal family present at the show would do well to boost donations.

Unfortunately for said person, Aunt Morgan developed a stringent headache, Uncle Albert had said that he was behind on paperwork, and Andrew hadn't even let the man finish his question before giving him a sound no and walking the other way.

So that left the matter with Cade.

And his date.

He had chosen Irina. She was the obvious choice as a professional dancer. She was someone who could appreciate the art of dance. Besides, he knew that she was exactly what the councilman didn't want; a five. If he couldn't choose when or where he went on his dates, or if he was photographed, or how much coverage his selection was given, he could certainly choose who he wanted to court.

"Yes, yes, I'm ready," Irina said, dropping into a curtdy. She looked dazzling, a dark gray evening gown with a ruby necklace around her throat. Well, an imitation of a ruby necklace. The palace wasn't in the business of loaning out precious jewels to random girls off the street.

"If you need more time-" Cade offered, before Irina cut him off.

"No, I'm good. Believe me, my maids fussed over me for an hour already. I'm very ready to go get this whole shebang over with."

Cade nodded. "They did a really good job."

"Why, thank you, Your Highness," she answered, her voice full of amusement.

Cade offered her his arm as they walked towards the marble staircase leading to the foyer. "There's going to be a photographer," he explained in a low voice. "They-people..we need to take photos."

"Oh?" Irina cocked her head to the side, "Why?"

"For the newspapers. Most of my dates aren't that documented, but they thought this would be a good one."

"Well, I do love to be the center of attention," Irina told him.

"You do?" Cade asked, dumbfounded.

"No. I tolerate it, enough. I don't mind, I just don't really seek it out."

"You're a dancer though."

"Sure, I am," Irina agreed. "I like performing on stage, and I like dancing. That's not exactly the same thing as always having to be the loudest voice in the room. Unlike some people." She muttered the last part under her breath, but Cade still heard it.

He considered asking about it for a moment, but what if it was something personal? What if she clammed up? He didn't want this date to go south before it even started. He could respect people having secrets, lord knows he had plenty of his own. There would be plenty of opportunities to ask later down the line, hopefully.

Cade was distracted from his thoughts by the photographer waiting for them. He instructed them in several poses, coming down the staircase, in front of a large vase, and Cade opening the door for Irina. The whole thing didn't take very long, Cade suspected these photographs would act as background shots to the ones taken in the actual venue.

In the car, Cade turned to Irina again. He needed to get to know her.

"Do you have any siblings?"

"One. I have a younger sister, she's fourteen, very sweet, much sweeter than me, most people would say," Irina answered.

"I have a sister too."

Irina laughed a little, "I know. She's in New Morocco now, right?"

Cade nodded. "That's right."

"I haven't heard about her much," Irina commented lightly. "Do you miss her?"

Cade thought for a few moments. Sure, he missed Julianna, but it had just become a part of his everyday life. He barely even noticed the difference at this point, he had become so used to her absence.

"I suppose, but it's not as if we don't speak. I got a letter from her last week," Cade said.

"A letter?" Irina commented, "I didn't know we were in the medieval times."

"I talk to her on the phone too, sometimes letters are easier because of the time difference," Cade answered. "She told me that she can't believe that I'm actually getting married, and that she wants to be a bridesmaid."

"Isn't that up to your bride?"

Cade just shrugged, "Julianna can be very convincing. I assume you miss your sister?" He asked, mostly just to change the subject. He didn't like talking about himself so much, especially not on a date. It made him uncomfortable.

Irina nodded. "So much. I write to her, since she doesn't have a phone, but I miss the sound of her voice. I think she graduated from junior high school today. I wish I could have been there." She sounded wistful, almost regretful in the moment.

"I'm sorry," Cade said automatically.

"No, no, I'm happy to be here. I'm very excited for this date, I just wish that I could have been there with her, I guess, doing both things at once."

Cade understood that to some extent. He was pretty sure that Irina wanted to be in the selection, that she wanted to participate, but it was months on end. The world didn't stop outside the palace just because Cade decided that he needed to find a wife.

"What type of dance do you do?" Cade asked after a few moments of quiet.

"Me? Mostly modern, it's my favorite style, though I can do all types. I had plenty of training as a child."

"Modern dance? I'm sorry, I don't know…" Cade cleared his throat. "What exactly is that?"

Irina closed her eyes for a second, "It's hard to explain. Have you seen those music videos with the anamorphic characters?"

"I…maybe?"

"Well, that's what's in those videos. It's a combination of different ethnic dances, but it's very unstructured. There's no one technique or major style. It was created to oppose ballet with all its traditions and rules. It's much more," Irina searched for the right word, "free."

Cade didn't quite know what to make of that sentence. He had received plenty of dance lessons over the years, and he knew what all those words meant. He was actually a perfectly adequate ballroom dancer. He just couldn't envision exactly what modern dance looked like. What did a free sort of ballet look like?

"Is it like interpretive dance?"

Cade didn't realize how stupid the question sounded till it was out of his mouth and Irina had burst into laughter. It took her a few moments to get herself back under control, while Cade tried to fight the flush spreading through his cheeks.

'No, I'm sorry, Your Highness. I didn't mean to laugh. It's just…interpretive dance is like when you try to define an emotion with dance. It's not very, ah, let's go with, precise.``

"Modern dance is then?"

"Yes, in a way. While there's no one box with rules, there are certain features that are maintained from one dance to another. Sickle feet and hunched shoulders are still a no no. It's not as…hippie as interpretive dance."

Cade just nodded, wanting to get out of this embarrassing conversation. This was clearly something that Irina was very knowledgeable about, and he liked that, but he had already humiliated himself enough, even if Irina didn't seem to mind. She was actually explaining it to him with an admirable amount of patience given his idiotic questions.

"I'll watch a video on it later. I'm sorry for making you explain."

"Nonsense, it was fun. It's not very often someone actually cares about dance. Most of the time, people just want to watch it and applaud themselves for being so cultured. No offense."

"None taken. Were you in any performances like this one?" Cade asked, gesturing to the large theater. The limousine had just pulled into the parking lot.

"Some. Not many. I never joined a dance troop, and ballet was never my style."

"You're more of a free-lancer?"

"Definitely," she said with a smile. "I can be a bit prickly according to some people, and a dance company where you spend your lives competing against the same girls…you can see how that wouldn't work out well for me."

"I don't think you're prickly at all," Cade told her honestly. She had been nothing but pleasant all the times Cade had spoken to her. More than pleasant, kind and curious about his life."

"Why, thank you, Your Highness."

"We're here." Cade said, extending a hand to help Irina out of the car.

"I see. This should be fun," she said, settling her hand into Cade's. Her hand was warm, and she intertwined her fingers with his.

Cade considered this as they walked towards the door and smiled for the obligatory photos. Here he was, going to a dance performance, holding a girl who could very well be his wife's hand. It was all very foreign to him. They were alone, just the two of them, but at the same time in public. Not just in public, but with a photographer following behind them, snapping photos.

They were shown to a private box. Irina loved the performance, leaning forward, her eyes bright. Cade tried to watch it, but he found himself watching Irina more. She clearly was enjoying it, a sense of contentment over her face. Cade wondered if she would like to be there dancing, or if she was happy simply watching the show from above.

And most of all, he wondered what it would be like to kiss her. He considered it briefly, when she leaned over to tell him that this was her favorite dance. Their faces were inches apart, and that was how you were supposed to have your first kiss right? Sitting down, watching something in the dark. That was how all the movies depicted it. In front of a bonfire or while a television program was playing in the background.

It would have been his first kiss though. Not just of the selection, but ever, in his life. Cade wasn't sure he wanted that to be in this theater, with the photographer snapping photos of them. He wasn't sure he wanted his first kiss to be tomorrow's news. He wasn't sure it was even any of Illéa's business whether or not he kissed somebody, and how they reacted, and what he did after.

"What are you thinking about?" Irina asked, catching him staring for a few seconds too long.

Cade shook his head. "Nothing. I think you would have done a good job down there too."

Irina grinned, believing his half-truth. "Thanks."

So the moment passed, and Cade didn't kiss her. As they left the theater and he bid the photographer goodbye when they returned to the palace, he was happy to have not done so. No, he wasn't going to have his first kiss plastered all over the newspapers and magazines. Irina wouldn't have to go through all the speculation and examination that any public recipient of his first kiss would be bound to receive.

It was better this way, he thought as he dropped her off at her door.

Blythe didn't like the way all the other girls were staring at her. The unsettling combination of awe and envy, happy to be in her presence yet a jealousy almost wishing that they were sitting next to her instead. That they were the ones she was talking to.

God, Blythe absolutely despised it.

It wasn't as if she was any stranger to this. She got the look wherever she went. At restaurants, parties, weddings, even at funerals. She could pick it out very quickly. She thought it would be different in the selection though. That maybe the combination of wanting to impress the same man combined with the almost cartoony competitive aspect of it would have made these girls not so…fan-girlish over her.

It had barely been a week though. Maybe over time the girls would come to treat her a little more normally.

"Blythe? Blythe, are you listening?" Finley complained from her seat next to Blythe. They had claimed a small couch near one of the large windows of the Women's Room. It was tucked into a corner, giving them an almost unobstructed view of the crowded room. The sun was shining through the glass giving the whole room the air of being happy. As if it wasn't filled with hordes of girls who were fighting over the same man.

"I am. I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"I asked what you got on the quiz?"

Blythe flushed a little. She had heard plenty of the girls complaining about it, as if it held any true value. "I did pretty good."

She had gotten a perfect score. In fact, Princess Vivienne had written her a note in loopy cursive on top of her paper, telling her she was the only one to have done so. Blythe didn't have it in her to be proud of her accomplishment, she had done what she needed to do. She couldn't be less than perfect. Her mother would have her head. She could get fired from her latest movie. She could-

"Ugh," Finley groaned, "Lucky. I failed. Which I guess makes sense since I didn't write anything down during the lesson…but I didn't think it would be that hard."

Blythe shrugged. "It was very difficult."

"Yeah, you bet."

They were silent for a few moments as they both checked their phones. Blythe hadn't wanted to disappoint anyone during her stay in the selection, so she had gotten approval to post a few simple pictures of her in the gardens. Finley had also posted photos of the actual gardens, not herself, and without permission. Yet, nobody had been by yet to demand it be taken down, so perhaps Blythe didn't need permission in the first place.

God, why did she ask? Why didn't she just do it? Here she was, inconveniencing the royal family already like she was owed something because of her fame.

Blythe glanced at her phone again. The photos were nice. Her mother would like them. Blythe was sure her parents saw them, and must have approved considering she didn't get any screaming voicemails early this morning.

"Oh, look!" Finely exclaimed, showing Blythe a news article. It contained photos of Prince Cadence and Irina from their date last night. Blythe wasn't sure how she felt about that. She wasn't exactly jealous, and Irina had said very little about it, but she hoped she got her date soon.

"They look nice," Blythe answered. "Irina has a very pretty dress on."

"I know!" Finley agreed enthusiastically, "It reminds me of that dress in the revival production of Songs for Summer. You know what I'm talking about, right?"

Blythe nodded. "That one was so pretty. I heard they auctioned it off recently."

"Ah, lucky girl, whoever bought it."

"Finley, Blythe, do you want to come?" Nora Louise had walked in front of them, her hands clasped in front of her.

"Come where?" Blythe asked.

"I think we're going to go play some board games in Mona's room. She found some in one of the cabinets, but we don't want to make a mess in here," Nora Louise explained.

"Oh," Blythe bit her lip, "I would love to, but is there anything we're supposed to be doing today?"

Nora Louise shook her head quickly. "No, I don't think so. Nothing was on the schedule. I asked Princess Vivienne if she wanted to come play too, since there was nothing going on. She said she was busy, but she didn't say we had lessons or anything, so… I think we're good!"

"Okay. If there's nothing else going on, sure, why not?" Blythe said. Finley nodded her head, following them.

Included in their little board game group was Nora Louise, Mona (since it was her room), and Charlotte. They asked Lea, but she said she wasn't feeling very well and waved them off.

That made Blythe frown for a second. She probably just didn't want to spend time with them playing a game, which was understandable, but still just a bit hurtful.

Nora Louise had gotten some sort of frozen watermelon juice from one of the maids and was doling out cups of it. "Perfect for summer," she said with a smile.

"Okay," Mona said, looking through a few boxes. "How do we feel about monopoly?"

Charlotte sighed, "That's going to take forever," she complained.

"I have nothing better to do." Mona stated. "Sure beats sitting in the Women's Room all day waiting for someone to call on us."

"I second that," Finley agreed. "And I call the thimble."

"Top hat," Nora Louise screeched.

"I'm the wheelbarrow," Charlotte agreed, looking resigned.

They all looked at Blythe. "Uh, I'll take the dog? That's a piece right?"

Mona nodded, handing her the dog.

"You know," Nora Louise said as she rolled the dice, since she was the youngest and they were going in age order, "I don't mind sitting in the Women's Room. I mean, it's a little boring, but I'm okay with it."

"Really?" Mona asked, handing Nora Louise the card for the property she landed on.

"Yes, of course! The room is beautiful, and I love pretending like I'm a princess. Besides, what else was I going to do during summer?"

"That's a good point," Charlotte said. "It might not always be the most exciting but I do think it is better than working."

"I was supposed to be in a movie this summer," Blythe said, before she lost her nerve. "They re-casted me, just in case I don't ever come back."

"You mean if you win?" Finley asked. Blythe just shrugged.

"Blythe, I've been meaning to tell you," Mona said, "I don't watch a lot of movies, and I think most of them are pretty cheesy, but yours are actually usually really decent. I like them more than I like most movies."

Blythe looked down, red spilling over her cheeks. After twenty-one years, she should probably know how to take a compliment, she got them so often. She was always praised about her acting, her appearance, her social media, anything and everything about her. She appreciated it, she really did. She loved hearing from her fans. She just always felt like she disappointed them a little. The Blythe Cecilia they met wasn't the Blythe Cecilia on their televisions, and she had no way of fixing that.

"Thanks," Blythe said, not making eye contact with her.

Nora Louise fake-pouted, "Blythe, do you think I could be an extra in one of your movies? It always seems so fun, I want to wear one of those cool outfits and walk across the street."

Blythe laughed a little at Nora Louise's enthusiasm. "I can try, I just think…the extras are usually twos."

Nora Louise's smile only dampened a little. Blythe couldn't picture her without a smile. "Oh, right. Well then, I will just watch from home, because the movies are amazing."

Mona looked a bit disgruntled. "Call me a foreigner, but I don't understand the whole caste system. It just seems so pointless. We don't have that in Italy."

Nora Louise looked down. "Oh, I don't know…"

Blythe was not one for politics. She could not answer this question. Under absolutely no circumstances could she answer this question. She knew enough about the movie business, more so about her place in the movie business to understand that political opinions were not something that Blythe Romanovan Cecilia could have.

"Don't say that," Charlotte said quickly, lowering her voice. "Not here."

"Why? I just think it's so stupid-"

"Mona! You can't say that here. We're in a government building," Charlotte hissed.

Mona looked around the room, her eyes settling on the thick door. "Oh, right. I guess expressing your opinions here is a bad idea."

Nora Louise looked down before answering, "King Garrison, he's dead now, people said he didn't take criticism very well of his policies. I don't know if that's true. It's just what I heard. He might have been a lovely person."

"That's Cadence's dad, right?" Mona asked.

Blythe nodded. "Yes," she whispered, not sure if she should even be in this room right now.

"And Prince Albert, the guy in charge right now, he was the dead guy's brother?" Mona continued, making sure she had her facts right. Blythe nodded again. "Oh. He was younger than the old King right?"

"Yeah," Finley said. "I think by a good few years."

"What did he even do, before the other guy died? Like what was his job?"

"Something in foreign affair. I don't know what," Blythe told her, struggling to remember what her father said. He talked about it sometimes, not much, but enough that Blythe had developed a deep disinterest in the royal family. If her father liked them so much, then maybe it wasn't something that Blythe should be concerned about in the slightest.

"Huh." Mona scrunched her nose up. "Well, to be honest, I think he's done a pretty mediocre job of it. I mean, nothing bad happened, and he doesn't seem like a bad guy and all. but I've been here for a year, and I cannot name a single thing he did. You know, does he even do anything like at-"

"Mona, that's enough." Charlotte said firmly. She put her drink down. "I hope you all have a nice day, and please don't involve me in any further of your anti-monarchy discussions."

Nobody tried to stop her. Charlotte probably wouldn't have stopped. Blythe knew she should walk out after her. Her parents would kill her if they ever found out she was part of this conversation. She would probably never get casted in a movie again. If Blythe was smart she would have left too. She would have come to her senses and never spoke to these girls again. Nothing but trouble, as her mother would say.

But Blythe was a stupid, stupid girl.

Blythe didn't want to leave. Finley was the first friend she had made in so many years, and Nora Louise had wanted her company. Mona seemed really cool, and although Blythe could never do the same, she could respect someone who spoke her mind like that. Even if the location was slightly less than favorable given the possible repercussions of her words.

Blythe didn't leave. She should have, but she didn't.

"I'm taking all her properties." Finley said quickly, reaching over Blythe to grab them.

"No fair," complained Nora Louise. "Hmph. It's your turn Blythe."

Blythe picked up the dice and rolled it.

She really hoped that she didn't regret this.

Cade wasn't surprised to see another letter on his desk when he got back from dinner. It was Sunday, four days after the meeting which he couldn't attend. He had expected it sooner to be honest, but perhaps the messenger was just being careful. It was probably hard to break into the Crown Prince's room time and time again and not get caught.

Cade had offered time and time again to meet the messenger somewhere in the palace to make it easier, but it was always met with refusal. Cade got the feeling that, whoever it was, they didn't want Cade to know their identity. He could understand that, and he got his correspondence, so he didn't need to add to anyone's worries

He picked it up gingerly, the weight of it surprising him. The sealed envelope obviously contained more than just the normal single sheet of paper. Rummaging through his desk draw, he found a letter opener, slicing the seal carefully. He didn't want to rip anything inside, at least not until after he read it. Then he supposed he would burn it. It was the safest way to dispose of these things.

The first was the standard letter. It explained that the northwest group had decided to stage a break-in at a food bank, and informed Cade that he should attempt to discourage the council from reacting publicly. As if they would need any help in that matter. The council liked to brag about their victories, not their humiliations.

Cade would tell them as much the next time he saw them. Whenever that might be. Unless he figured something out soon, it would have to be after the selection was over, which could take God knows how long. Cade didn't want to rush the process. He needed a Queen, he needed to see which girl would be the best equipped. He also sort of wanted to fall in love…maybe. Hopefully. That would take time, he knew that.

No. He had to figure something out to get to the monthly meetings. He couldn't miss them for months on end.

Hopefully an opportunity would present itself, because Cade had exhausted most of his options over the years. Perhaps he would have to just make up a bucket of lies to tell to his Aunt and Uncle and hope they were too distracted to consider them properly.

Moving the brief update aside, Cade went to look at the other things in the envelope.

There was another letter, this one handwritten in a familiar slanted print, the Ts almost diagonal. Lana's handwriting.

Got an advanced copy of the paper.

Thought you might want to see this before it's all over Illéa tomorrow. I looked into it, no way to stop the publications. I even threatened to sue over an article about me. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

You're going to be in for a rough few days. Hope you're ready.

P.S: I think the council is going to love photo number four.

Oh no. This was bad. This was very very bad. Cade could feel his heart racing as he looked through the cutout photos.

He didn't know what he was expecting but somehow, these were so much worse.

The first one was of Finely running away, bolting into the forest.

The second was of Cade looking after her in confusion.

The third was of Cade following her into the forest. From the angle, one could clearly see the surprised guards, and Finley a few steps ahead of him, the straps of her dress falling onto her shoulders.

The fourth one, the one Lana found the most hilarious, was a shot of one of the guards, Cade was pretty sure his name was Gingham, holding Finley's shoes, staring incredulously at the spot where his wards used to be.

Cade had sort of forgotten about that. He had received no scolding about it, not comments, not even a prolonged sigh or twitched eyebrow. He had foolishly thought that maybe the photographers hadn't gotten any photos of it. Maybe they hadn't wanted to publish them.

Oh no, they had gotten their photos alright. Cade supposed it was a good business practice, wait for a slow news cycle and then publish these photos, ensuring not only renewed interest but plenty of profit. He even would have been a little impressed by the cleverness if the photos weren't of him. If they weren't the most humiliating photos of him ever taken. If they weren't going to be construed into every way possible of him being immature, stupid, incapable, moronic, and a complete doormat.

Oh God, the council was going to see these. They were going to be furious. They were going to do something awful to him, Cade could feel it.

He knew this was going to happen when he ran after her. It wasn't as if he was clueless to the hordes of press following them, or how him running after Finley would be reflected…he just didn't think it would be this bad.

Tomorrow morning it would be on the front page of every paper. Cade needed a plan, he needed to do damage control.

But his mind was blank.

He had no idea what to do, what to say, how to act to make this whole thing seem better. He made his choice. He would have to live with the consequences.

Hopefully the council wouldn't be too terrible. Perhaps they would take it easy on him. A few were guaranteed to find it funny, perhaps those would reign back the ones with malicious intent.

Probably not.

A/N: Hi everyone! This is going to be the last update for a few weeks, I'm going to camp for most of July, and unfortunately technology and camp are not exactly on good terms. I did prewrite a chapter for the day I get back though so...exciting. In other news I made a camp nano goal but only for 10k because obviously I'm going to be gone for most of the month. I will keep everyone updated on my nano bc I'm sure you're all so interested. Lots of love and see you all next time