Hello everyone! Here is the next chapter, some of the girls get to meet Kole.

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Ch. 5- First Impressions

Saturday, August 5, 2137

Kole stared at himself in the mirror, a frown on his face. Yesterday had been more hectic than he wanted, it turned out that the selected from Belcourt had a panic attack and decided that she didn't want to be there anymore, she had begged to leave. He had agreed to let her go with the rest of the girls he eliminated after the first meetings. When he asked why, he was shocked when she bluntly revealed she was afraid of the rebels, afraid of dying like Evelyn. That had been a slap in the face, but he couldn't argue with her logic; while the palace should have been one of the safest places in Illéa, the sad truth was it wasn't. The interaction didn't help the sudden nervousness he felt to meet this selected. It hadn't begun but already things were going wrong, from the Belcourt selected to him catching a glimpse of one of the selected before he was supposed to meet them. Maybe this Selection was doomed to fail?

He shook his head, he couldn't think like that right now. It was almost six o'clock and he was due to meet the selected in a few minutes. He was quite proud of the idea he had come up with to meet the girls this time around; the night would start with a cocktail hour with small hors d'oeuvres and wine being passed around in the back lawn before they would go inside to the dining room for dinner. He'd meet the girls and walk them through the garden the hour before dinner. If things went according to plan, he'd have the first wave of eliminated gone before the end of the night.

"Kole," He looked up to see Nat standing at his door. She was dressed in a beautiful A-line, plum-colored satin and lace dress, the sleeves stopped just above her elbows and the hem of the skirt barely brushed against the floor; her hair falling past her shoulders in loose, princess curls. He also noted that her makeup was spot on. If she wasn't his sister, he'd say she was trying to outshine the selected, but she was always like this; no matter what, she always had to look her best.

She in turn was eyeing him critically, taking in his close-fitted dark charcoal gray suit, dark dress shirt, and electric blue tie. His hair was neatly combed back and he was wearing nice sapphire cufflinks, "You look nice," She finally said.

"So do you, Sis," he said, a smile on his face. "Is everyone out in the garden?" He asked.

Nat nodded. "All of them are there,"

"Then let's go," He offered her his arm and they were out of his room before he lost his nerve. He wondered why he was so tense; he had survived meeting all the girls of one Selection, and he knew he could do it again.

"Just take a deep breath," Nat murmured when she noticed his nerves. "They can't be worse than the last batch."

"That's what you think," He murmured back. The two of them made their way through the French double doors and when they stepped out into the open air Kole forced a smile onto his face, knowing that the cameras were now watching them. There were white tents set up all over the lawn, with silvery lights hanging from them, and high and low tables settled inside each tent for the selected to stand or sit at. Waiters walked throughout the lawn, trays of hors d'oeuvres and wine balanced carefully against their arms.

As he and Nat reached the four steps that would reach the lawn, he could see the selected; some were chatting nervously to each other while others were more courageous and chose to talk to his family or members of his mother's council; for some strange reason, she had chosen to invite them. His Mom and Dad stood to the right of the stairs, surveying the girls with cautious, yet hopeful looks.

When they reached the stairs, Kole could feel all eyes fall on him, he took his place at the center of his family and took a deep breath. Showtime.

All the Selected curtsied to him with varying success, some did it flawlessly while others stumbled on the grass, almost tripping on their own two feet.

"First of all, we would like to thank you for taking time out of your lives to be here," Kole said, looking around at his girls and trying to take them all in. How was he supposed to find his One again in this large group? It fetl more daunting than the first time around "You don't understand how much this means to me, to have this second chance and find love again."

He continued, gaining confidence, he could do this, he had to remember that he wasn't just doing this for Illéa, he was doing this for Evelyn because she had wanted him to have a future. "Before dinner, I'll be going around and talking with each of you. While you wait, please feel free to mingle, don't be afraid to make friends with each other. And with that, let's all have a pleasant evening."

There was a pause and Kole looked around when no one moved. He had said that last part to indicate that they could start mingling, try hors d'oeuvres, or grab a glass of wine but no one moved; he didn't want to approach a girl first when they were all still laser-focused on him. It would be bad for him and the first lady he approached; he knew from experience that some of the selected didn't need much for them to feel slighted.

Finally, Nat moved away from him, grabbing onto Ben, who was dressed in a light gray suit, and dragging him towards the selected. "Come on Ben! I want to meet the girls, one of them will be Kole's future babysitter." She laughed, pulling their brother towards a group of girls.

Kole grinned, leave it to Nat to get the ball rolling. But did she have to say it like that? He didn't need a babysitter. He watched as the selected took Nat's cue and started to talk to each other; some of their postures relaxing as they turned to each other.

He watched them from his place on the stairs when a familiar blonde caught his eyes. Haley. Her sandy blonde hair was pulled into an elegant updo, a glittering white hairband helping to keep it in place. The dress she wore had a light blue sweetheart bodice with white off-shoulder sleeves, the bodice melting into a darker blue, the tulle skirt brushing against the grass.

She was talking to her brother, looking amused at something he was saying, though Jayce looked annoyed. Without thinking, Kole made his way over to them, grinning when Jayce's annoyed look shot at him. "You could have told me she was in your Selection."

"And ruin the surprise for you?" He grinned, meeting Haley's eyes. "Lady Haley, how are you this fine night?"

She laughed, eyes glittering with mirth. 'Better than my brother. Though I'm not sure why he's so bummed out. Lighten up, it's a party." She said, smacking her brother's arm.

"A party to find Kole's future wife." Jayce pointed out, "That you're part of." He then looked past them and winced, "And Bro, I think you better start properly meeting your selected or your mom is going to kill you."

Both Haley and Kole followed Jayce's gaze to his mother. She was dressed in a lace and tulle golden-champagne dress that fitted her perfectly, the sleeves going down to just past her elbows. Her dark hair was pulled up into an elegant bun, not a hair out of place and her dark eyes were burning as she looked his way.

He felt a chill go up his spine, "Lady Haley," He offered her his arm, "Would you mind going for a walk with me?" He asked formally.

"Of course," She dropped down into a flawless curtsey before placing her hand in the crook of his arm, allowing him to guide her away. Once they were out of earshot from the rest of the guests she laughed. "We should have been more formal."

He nodded. "So, anything to report about any of the girls?" He asked, curious.

Haley shrugged, "There's a few that can't stop glaring at me, they think I cheated to get in here. They think it's unfair since I've known you my whole life."

"Technically we did cheat," Kole mused, leading her around a row of rose bushes, "Which ones?"

She shook her head, "I won't say, you should meet all the girls first before I tell you specifics." She plucked one of the roses from the push and neatly tucked it into his suit pocket. "For you."

He grinned back, "I thought I was the one supposed to give you things." The two of them walked in comfortable silence before he spoke again, "So tell me about yourself Anything I don't know?" He teased.

Haley looked up at the sky, thoughtful. "Well, my dad is a pretty big fashion designer here in Angeles, always busy. I'm also named after both of my dads. If you drop the "y" from my name, it becomes Hale, and if you drop the "J" from my middle name it becomes Ean."

Kole gave her a look and she smiled, "I know that,". If he didn't know the two men so well, he would have thought the two were unbearably self-important, but the truth of it was sentimental and sweet; both men had wanted to name their daughter after the other and compromised by using both names. It was still better than Jayce's in his opinion, which was just a combination of two names both his dads liked. "Anything else?" He asked as they returned to the larger lawn, his time with her was ending.

"Hmmm," Haley tapped her finger against her lip, a mischievous look in her eyes, "Nat and I were the ones who dyed your clothes pink and red last year on Valentine's Day."

"What?" He glanced at her, eyes wide. He had looked ridiculous in a pink suit at Valentine's Day dinner. And worst, he hadn't been able to change since nothing had been available. He swore he had never seen Ben laugh so hard in his life. "I thought Jayce and Ben did that."

"That's your fault for assuming," Haley teased, practically skipping as she left his side to rejoin the rest of the girls, leaving him dumbfounded.

He then looked around, some of them were looking at him while others were simply enjoying each other's company. He was wondering who he should approach next when he saw a pretty girl standing by herself.

Most of her brown hair was left loose, falling to her shoulders in gentle waves, only a section was braided up into an intricate bun on the center of her head. Unlike most of the other girls, the royal blue dress she wore showed no cleavage, having a lacy mock-neck bodice, and the skirt flowing seamlessly to the ground.

"Lady Brelinda," He greeted, making his way over to her and catching her by surprise. He saw her pretty green eyes widen in shock before she curtseyed, a shy smile appearing on her lips.

"Your Highness," She greeted back, meeting his gaze for a moment before quickly looking away, her cheeks flushing red. "I'd like to thank you for inviting me here,"

He smiled softly, "Of course, it's nice to have you here. Can I escort you through the garden?" He offered his arm and though her face was flushed red with shyness, she took it after a moment of hesitation, her smile widening slightly.

"Have you enjoyed the stay here, Lady Brelinda?" He asked after a moment.

She nodded, looking at him shyly, "It's nice, the palace is beautiful and my maids have been so helpful. And if you don't mind me asking, Prince Kole, can you call me Bree? Everyone else does."

He nodded, "Only if you call me Kole. Everyone here does." He smiled when he noticed her look away again, the same shy smile on her face.

"Okay..." She looked around the garden, curious.

"So, you were a teacher before the Selection?" Kole asked when she didn't say anything. "What made you want to be around kids?"

Bree smiled, finally looking up and meeting his eyes. "I'm a student teacher right now, and it's amazing. The kids are so sweet and eager to learn, I think that's why I do it, they remind me of how I was as a kid..." Her grin turned sheepish, "I was a bit of a teacher's pet in school."

"Nothing wrong with that," He nodded, "We've only ever been homeschooled, but if anyone was a teacher's pet in my family it was Ben. Nat on the other hand could barely stay focused on her studies."

Bree laughed at that, "And what about you Kole?"

"I was attentive," Kole shrugged, "But I don't think my teacher would ever call me their number one student even if I am the prince."

"I'm sure you were more than perfect," Bree reassured.

The two of them continued in comfortable silence, with Bree continuously looking around the garden, "This would be a perfect place to have a scavenger hunt," She mused.

"Do you like them?" Kole asked, curious. "I remember we used to have scavenger hunts when we were kids. We never did find everything though."

"Maybe we can do one," Bree suggested hopefully, eyes brighter than he had seen them. She then blushed again, looking down. "I mean... if I get past here."

"I think that would be a fun idea," He said, giving her a kind smile, "Maybe we can do it on another day."

She looked up at him surprised, as if she had truly believed she wouldn't get past this first meeting. "I'd love that." She said, the smile reappearing on her face.

He returned it just as their loop around the garden ended. She had been quiet and shy, but he found that he liked her. "It was nice talking with you, Lady Bree." He gently took her hand in his, frowning when she flinched slightly at his touch, wondering what that was about. He gently kissed her knuckles, giving her a small smile as he straightened.

He took a step away and caught the eyes of another selected, this one he knew slightly better. Cosette.

"Please enjoy the rest of your night, Lady Bree." He shot her one more smile before making his way over to Cosette.

She stood out by wearing a black dress. The dress had a glittery high-neck, A-line bodice with a long, silky skirt. Her dark hair was left loose, curling down her back. She was also the only one besides Haley who had given him a perfect curtsey so far, a smile appearing on her face.

"It's good to see you again, Prince Nikolas." She said, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

"You know it's just Kole," He smiled back at her, offering his arm to her. "Shall we?" He asked, they had gone through this before so admittedly, it was a bit easier with her.

"I'd rather stay around here," Cosette said, gently taking his arm and leading him to one of the high tables. Soon after, a waiter with wine glasses stopped next to them and Kole easily grabbed two glasses for him and her. "How have you been?" She asked, taking the offered glass.

"I've been... okay," Kole said honestly, taking a drink of the wine in his hand and wincing. "I did a tour of duty in the military after... everything that happened last time."

"Understandable..." Cosette smiled at him gently. "I never got to say how sorry I am about Evelyn."

Kole shared a pained smile with her. "...yeah, and again, I'm sorry about your mother."

The two stood together, united in their shared grief for the people they had lost for a moment before he shook his head, "Anyways, what have you been up to?" He asked, desperate to move on from the conversation of lost loved ones.

"I've just been in school," She said, "I should be done in a few years."

"Medical school right?" Kole asked, remembering that she had told him about it the first time around, honestly, he was surprised he remembered the conversation from five years ago. Back then, she had been so excited and determined to help her mom fight her sickness.

She nodded back at him. "Yeah, it's been a long road, but it's been worth it. How did you like the military?"

Kole smiled slightly, "It was a good experience, I'm glad my mom let me go."

Cosette laughed slightly, "I'm surprised that she let you. I remember meeting your mom briefly last time and she was intense, a bit protective of her first son."

"That hasn't changed," He chuckled with her. "If anything, she's a bit more protective."

"That's what a good mom does," Cosette smiled, her mom had been extremely protective of her too. The only thing she had wanted even when she was alive for her to be happy and spread that happiness.

The two of them finished their drinks and Cosette sighed, "You have to move on don't you?"

He nodded, he knew she meant to the other selected, but thinking to himself, he also knew that he had to move on from Evelyn, talking to Cosette just brought her memories back during the worst time.

"We'll talk again later," Kole promised, reaching out and squeezing Cosette's hand before leaving her at the table. The talk made him not want to talk to any of the selected for a while but he knew he still had a good chunk of them to get through.

He quickly talked with the next few girls, finding many of them to be superficial and in it for the crown. Or worse, they would cling to him, already making up a whole romance between himself and them even though they had never met. He had to physically pry one of the girl's hands from his coat when she wouldn't let go.

At least it made it easy for him to decide which ones he was going to send home after this. He didn't need anyone so blatant in their lust for power to be his Queen or wife.

He looked around the grounds again before his eyes landed on a pretty blonde. She was dressed elegantly in a beautiful A-line dark blue dress with silver beading on the bodice, the dark blue transitioning to a lighter blue and then silver as it neared the hem of the skirt. Her hair was perfectly coiffed into an elegant bun, with a few strategic curls left to frame her face.

When she turned to face him, he blinked, meeting her hazel eyes. Morrigan Illéa; he couldn't believe he was looking her over. What was wrong with him? Morrigan gave him a hesitant smile and he tried to smile back, walking over to her, deciding it was better to talk to her now rather than later.

"Lady Morrigan," He gave her a small smile when she fell into a flawless curtsey, "You look beautiful."

"And you look dashing as usual, Prince Nikolas," she said softly, straightening up and meeting his eyes. There was no more hesitation in hers, she looked steady and confident, as if she had a right to be there.

"You don't have to call me Prince or Nikolas. We grew up together," Kole scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You were here all the time."

"When we were kids," Morrigan agreed, "But that was years ago... and a lot has happened, hasn't it?" She gave him a kind smile. "I'm sorry about all you've been through Kole."

"I'm sorry for all you've been through, too," Kole said, offering her his arm and escorting her into the garden where they could talk privately. "I'm sorry about your mother."

Igraine Illéa had gotten into a terrible accident last year and passed away. The royal family had attended her funeral to keep up appearances, but Kole hadn't personally spoken to Morrigan, Reagan or their brother Theodoric; he had been forced to interact with Marid, but otherwise, he had tried to remain invisible the whole service.

"Thank you," Morrigan said, glancing up at him. "She was too much like my father, for my liking, but... she was my mother. She was good in the beginning." There was silence between them, and Morrigan stopped to quickly pluck a rose from a bush, admiring its beauty. "I'm sorry about Evelyn."

He nodded silently, and once again, the two of them walked around the garden, unsure of what to say to each other; there was too much history between their families, bad history. "Why did you enter the Selection?" He asked bluntly, asking the question that they both knew he eventually would.

"My father," Morrigan shrugged, looking at him with no guilt in her eyes. "He's always been trying to control my life. He's never liked that I chose to go into medicine, he's always wanted me to marry into royalty like Reagan."

Kole nodded, Morrigan had always had a bleeding heart, even as a child, he did remember she always wanted to help the sick and injured. Reagan on the other hand had always been easily influenced by Marid, she had wanted a crown ever since she was seven.

"I was getting tired of his nagging for me to get married to a man I didn't even know. Imagine my surprise when he said he'd stop bothering me about my future if I agreed to be in your Selection."

"So, he thought you'd get in," Kole mused, he had figured as much. Or Marid had been fairly confident that Eadlyn and her council would allow an Illéa in. He didn't know how he had guessed that Eadlyn would allow it; Kole still couldn't wrap his head around why his mother would do such a thing.

Morrigan just sighed and nodded. "Are you going to send me home?" There was some something he couldn't read in her voice. Did she want to stay? If she was here because of Marid, he thought she would have been eager to leave.

"I..." Kole looked at her, unable to deny that part of him did want to send her home, but he had promised his mother that he would give Morrigan a chance, that he'd take her on a date; at the very least, his mother wanted Morrigan here for a month.

"No." Kole finally said. "I won't eliminate you today. I'm willing to give you a chance if you want to be here. Do you want to be eliminated?"

The blonde looked thoughtful before shaking her head. "I'm sure my father will eventually go back on his agreement, I could use a break from him if you're willing to have me here."

He nodded, the smallest, genuine smile appearing on his face, "I don't mind helping you stay away from him." They had done their round around the garden at this point, and he escorted her back to a table. "Thank you for your time Lady Morrigan."

"A pleasure as always, Prince Kole," She smiled back before making her way to a group of girls.

"Wow," Ben materialized at his shoulder, looking at him with curious blue eyes. "I never thought you'd talk with Mor so soon."

"Mor?" Kole raised a brow at him, "When did you start calling her by a nickname?"

"You used to, too, remember? That's what we called her when she came to visit the palace with Marid as a kid." Ben shrugged, looking around at all the other ladies. "I'm glad she's been able to find a group of friends though, some of the others are cautious about her."

"That's smart of them." The blonde replied, looking around as well. "How many girls do I have left, Benny?"

Ben scowled at him, disliking the nickname, "When did I become the keeper of your selected?" He looked around once more, his eyes settling on a young woman with dark brown hair. "You have about fifteen girls left; I'd start with that one." He nodded to the brunette.

"Wasn't that your pick?" Kole asked.

"Yes, and I'm insulted that you haven't spoken to her yet, so get to it." Ben grinned back.

"What was her name again?" He asked.

"Lady Aria Monroe of Clermont," Ben said, giving Kole an encouraging pat on his back before he turned, moving to join Nat and Haley at a different table, both women currently laughing their heads off at something one of them had said.

Kole watched them interact for a moment before making his way to Aria. Her dark brown hair flowed down her back in loose curls; the dress she was wearing was light blue with a sweetheart neckline and had black lace over it.

"Lady Aria," He saw her jump at his voice. She quickly turned, causing her to almost fall over. He shot forward, catching her before she could fall onto the grass. "Are you alright?" He asked, alarmed. He shot the girls she was with a glance, glad to see that they were more worried than amused. He would have eliminated any selected who would laugh at her. After all, he had learned that the selected who took advantage of others' missteps weren't Queen material.

"I'm alright," Lady Aria said, her face flushing red with embarrassment, "Thank you for catching me, Prince Nikolas."

"Kole is fine," He smiled at her, she was rather pretty with her fair skin, dark hair, and silvery-blue eyes. "May I have a walk around the garden?"

Aria blushed again, a small smile appearing on her face. "Of course," She took his offered elbow, making sure that she watched her step as they made their way into the garden.

"I'm sorry," She spoke, breaking the silence that had fallen between them, "I'm not used to heels."

"No worries," Kole laughed, "I've tried walking in heels on a dare once, I can say they're not the most stable thing."

"Heels?" Aria laughed, "How did that happen?"

"A bet with a friend of mine. We were fifteen and being idiots." Kole laughed at the memory; he and Jayce had bet each other that they could last in heels for a whole day; in the end, the both of them had been limping in a few hours in, cursing whoever invented them.

"I would have loved to seen that," Aria smiled, her grip relaxing on his arm the longer they walked.

"You're a baker, right?" Kole asked, looking down at her, "What's the best thing you've ever made?"

She looked thoughtful, "I'm not sure it's the best thing I've made, but it is the proudest," She smiled, "It was when I made my first croquembouche on my own, it was for my dad's birthday. My mom tried to help, but I wouldn't let her. He had taken care of us, so I wanted to do something special for him."

"I'm sure he loved it," Kole smiled back.

"He did, though I did burn the caramel a bit," She winced at the memory, "My family still ate every last bit, though." She looked up at him. "What's your favorite treat, Prince Nikolas?"

"Kole," He corrected again, "And I'm not sure. I'm a big fan of anything with berries, I've always had a hard time remembering the names of the desserts or pastries we're given."

Aria nodded, "Then we'll have to bake something with berries in it." She decided, nodding her head confidently. "I hope your competent in the kitchen."

"What?" He blinked down at her, deep blue eyes wide at her sudden confidence. Where had that come from?

"I mean..." She blushed, smiling up at him, "If you want to, that is." If I make it past today, is what went unsaid between the two of them.

"I'd like that, but fair warning, I've never cooked anything... or baked anything for that matter," He warned. "You'll have to teach me from scratch."

She laughed again, "I think I can manage, though I've been told I'm a stern teacher."

"Good thing I'm a good student," He smiled back, "Are you happy to be a baker?"

"Yes," There was no hesitation in her voice, "I've been in my mom's bakery all my life. I love the look on someone's face when they're eating the sweet they love most; you can tell that for some, they've been waiting for the perfect occasion. It's amazing."

"I've never thought of it like that," Kole said.

"Do you like being the Prince?" Aria asked, looking at him boldly.

He blinked at her in surprise. "I do. I want to be a good King for my people. Sometimes, it's hard; it seems like there's obstacle after obstacle, and I have to compromise where I'd rather not, but if I can make things better for the people of Illéa a bit, I'll go for it." Kole said honestly.

"I can't even imagine," She murmured softly as they rounded back to where the rest of the selected were. She beamed up at him, "Thank you for your time."

He chuckled, "I should be the one saying that." He pressed his lips against her knuckles. "I look forward to having you show me how to bake."

She laughed, "Me too," She beamed back, her cheeks pink. "You better bring your A game."

"You better believe I will," He shot her one last smile before her practically skipped back to the girls she had been with before, beaming.

He laughed softly, watching her before turning his attention to a pretty New Asian woman who was standing at a table alone, eyes calculating as she took in the other girls. She was dressed in a lacy, elegant pale pink dress that flowed down her body flawlessly, her rich black hair pulled up into an elegant and glossy updo. He immediately knew who she was, Yuna Hwang; she was one of the only two new Asian women in his Selection this time around.

"Lady Yuna," He made his way to her, and he couldn't help but be impressed when she performed a flawless curtsey; he had expected Haley and Morrigan to be flawless, but not any of the other girls yet, they weren't used to it after all. "May I ask for a bit of your time?"

"Of course," Yuna seamlessly tucked her hand into his elbow, allowing him to lead her into the garden.

He was impressed that she seemed to glide along the grass, her head held high and back straight, she was one of the most confident selected he had ever met in both of his Selections.

"What's your favorite flower in the garden?" Yuna asked, surprising him by speaking first, most of the other girls had waited for him to initiate conversation.

"I like carnations," Kole said after a moment of pondering, leading Yuna to a push that had blooming pink carnations on it. Carefully, he brushed his fingers against the delicate petal, a bittersweet smile forming on his face. "They're beautiful, and they were Evelyn's favorite flowers, she always loved the way they smelled.

When he turned to look at Yuna, he wasn't sure if she liked the thoughtful look on her face, "The carnation symbolizes remembrance and deep love... they are used a lot in funerals too."

"Yeah..." Kole murmured, abruptly leading her away from the bush and further into the garden. "What flower do you like?"

"I like clematises," Yuna said. "They represent intelligence and mental beauty."

Kole looked at her, the flower seemed to represent her perfectly, he didn't doubt that she was intelligent, and she seemed to have a lot of mental fortitude. "It's a flower that suits you," He smiled softly. "Unfortunately, we don't have any in the garden at the moment."

"That is a shame, " Yuna agreed, "Do you have any favorite type of music, any favorite song?"

"I'm a fan of acoustic music; it's simple, and you can hear all the notes and the purity of the instrument itself in an acoustic version of a song," Kole explained. "Lately, I've been listening to the acoustic version of Time of Your Life," Over and over again, he added to himself; he listened to it on repeat while he worked.

He looked down at her silence and tried not to frown. It felt like she was trying to see into him, judging him, not in a bad way exactly, but it was clear that she was trying to figure him out.

"I'm a fan of the classics myself," Yuna admitted after a beat, "Any type of life performance or orchestral music is soothing for me."

"There is nothing better than a life performance," Kole agreed, he had been to many life concerts himself with his Grandma America and always left impressed.

As they walked, he noted that Yuna was taking everything in, her eyes settling on the palace, "Do you like living here?"

"It's home," Kole shrugged. "I can't imagine living anywhere else, and I'm expected to live here when I'm King."

"It certainly looks comfortable," She mused, her dark eyes taking in the palace. "And you have a lot of space."

"It feels too big and too small at the same time," Kole admitted, looking at the palace wistfully. "I remember getting lost in the palace when I was a kid, and hide and seek was a chore. But, ever since the attack five years ago, it feels like there's not enough space to breathe."

"Like a bird in a cage?" Yuna asked curiously.

"No," Kole said immediately, "I think it's just a problem I have, now I'm afraid we're out of time."

"I'm sorry if any of the questions I asked offended you," Yuna said, her dark eyes looking over his face, trying to see if she had somehow offended him with the last question.

"You did nothing wrong," Kole assured her, though he was a bit wary of the way she was trying to read him. "But it is almost dinner, and I still have half the girls to go."

He led Yuna back to the table she had been at, pressing a quick kiss to her knuckles before leaving her. He wasn't sure what to make of her, but she intrigued him; he had a feeling that she wasn't like the other girls here, and he wanted to know more about her.

"Thirteen more to go." Ben reappeared at Kole's shoulder, causing him to jump.

"Stop doing that!"

"It's not my fault you're not paying attention to where you're going." Ben huffed back. "What do you think of the girls so far? Any winners?"

"Not yet." Kole sighed, feeling exhausted. How was he going to get through this? Had the first meeting in his last Selection been this tiring? He couldn't remember. "Can I just go back to my room?"

"Not a chance, you have thirteen more eager girls waiting to meet you, get to it," Ben ordered.

Kole grumbled but did as he was told, hoping the last girls would all be easy on him.


Viola POV

Viola tried hard not to glower at the other selected around her, but it was hard, Prince Kole hadn't approached her yet, and that would have been fine... but he had already talked to Aria! It irritated her beyond anything.

What was it about that baker that made him want to approach her first?! It couldn't be that Aria was prettier than her, the girl was bland and a klutz; she had seen when her half-sister had tripped into the Prince; it had been embarrassing, and Viola hoped that no one realized that the two of them were sisters.

It wasn't fair. Worse of all, it was clear that both the Prince and Aria had enjoyed their time together, Viola couldn't remember the last time that Aria had been smiling that big, her cheeks red.

"It's ridiculous," She muttered to herself, sipping at the wine in her hand. Now, she had to make a better impression on Prince Kole than Aria had; she smirked it would be easy, she was already better than Aria in every way and the moment Kole met her, he would realize it too. She just had to bide her time and wait.

She would not be second best here in the Selection; she knew that if she was given the chance, she could win it all. If she won, then the people who shamed her parents for getting together while her father was still married to a different woman would have to be quiet.

Her mom didn't deserve the judgemental looks, and her dad didn't deserve how cold his coworkers treated him; didn't they both deserve to be happy? Why couldn't people just accept that her parents were better for each other? Everyone would see it when she became Prince Kole's chosen "One", that her parents were right all along, and finally, people would leave them alone.

All she had to do was win the prince's heart and, after, make sure that her sorry victim of a sister was never in her sight again. Viola smiled, taking another sip of her wine. Easy. It was just a matter of time before this was all over.


And that's the end of the first half of Kole meeting the selected! As always, let me know what you think in the reviews.

Next, chapter, Kole will meet the rest of the girls