Hello readers!

bja133 Review:

"I am curious as to where you got America's coronation vows?"

WriterQueen123 Response:

That's a great question! I got the vows from The Crown, when Eadlyn Schreave is coronated. Everything else was original. Thank you for commenting!

Virtue01 Review:

"Lovely chapter and the bed scene was very tastefully done. America will make a great queen. Thank you for 5he update"

WriterQueen123 Response:

Thank you for the continued support! I do believe that America will be amazing in her new role.

selectioneer Review:

"I admire your writing so much! It's so nice to finally get to know what happens in between The One and The Heir! Hope to see more!"

WriterQueen123 Response:

I'm glad that you're enjoying the book so far! There will definitely be more to come. Thank you so much!

Guest Review:

"I love this so much! You work/write the characters so well, especially America and Maxon."

WriterQueen123 Response:

I strive to make the characters as real and connected to the original books as possible, so the compliment means a lot. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Guest Review:

"Gaaaaaaahhhhh the suspense is killing me"

WriterQueen123 Response:

Haha! I wrote this chapter a little later than usual, so I'm sorry. Hope you like it!

Thank you all for supporting and leaving comments! I hope you are all well and will enjoy the following chapter. Sorry, it's a little shorter than usual.

P.S. Where did you think their honeymoon would be? Tell me your thoughts and if you had an idea of the place because the time it took for Maxon and America to arrive and their initial view.

I rubbed my eyes and glanced around the room, waking up. My gaze fell on Maxon, who was peacefully sleeping with his lips curled up in a natural smile.

My husband woke up in a few minutes, his face lighting up as he saw me lying across from him on the bed.

"Hey, beautiful," He greeted me, lightly caressing my cheek before leaning in for a kiss.

"Good morning," I sighed happily, breathing in his familiar scent of cologne.

"How are you feeling?" Maxon asked, hinting at what had happened last night.

"Magical," I smiled, kissing him again to prove it. I could see the relief clearly shining in his eyes as Maxon understood that he hadn't hurt me.

"America, thank you. For being so strong and loving and letting me care for you." I blushed at his words, sinking into Maxon's arms and resting my chin on his shoulder.

"I love you. Thank you for sticking with me until I figured that out myself," I said comfortably, gazing into his warm, brown eyes.

"Do you know what we're going to do today?" Maxon asked with a grin.

"What?" I begged, curious.

"It's time for our honeymoon," he answered excitedly. "Where we go will be a surprise," Maxon laughed, answering the question that lit up in my eyes.

"Come on," I pouted before grinning.

"Our private plane leaves at ten in the morning, so we need to get dressed and have breakfast efficiently. Your maids have already packed your bags."

"Thanks for planning this all, Maxon," I said warmly, kissing him before getting out of bed.

"My pleasure, Ames," He smiled.

Breakfast was a quick meal of banana bread. After finishing up, Maxon and I boarded the royal private jet. Two other planes holding guards flew with us to throw off any possible attackers. We settled into wide, plush seats right next to each other, TVs ahead of us.

"How are you, darling?" Maxon asked with a smile as I snuggled up next to him and the plane took off.

"Thrilled. You know, Maxon, this is only the second time I've been on an airplane. The first was when we were all arriving at the palace at the beginning of the Selection. But Celeste was blabbering the whole time about herself so..." I paused for a moment, a rock settling in the pit of my stomach.

"What is it?" Maxon looked at me quizzically, stroking my hair.

"It's just...Celeste," I murmured. "Oddly enough, I hated her for almost the whole Selection. Now I miss her more than I could ever have imagined."

"I'm sorry, America," He whispered.

"I'll get over it," I said, shaking it off. "Anyway, how long is this plane ride?" Maxon rolled his eyes, knowing that I was trying to escape the hurtful subject.

"Don't push your feelings away, America. I'm here for you to listen to everything you want to say," He promised softly.

"I know," I said absentmindedly, not wanting to get into this on our honeymoon. "Now, when do we get to our destination?"

"Unfortunately, you're in for quite a long ride. It's fourteen hours."

"Fourteen?" I gasped. "Where on earth could we be going?"

"It'll go by quickly enough," Maxon laughed.

"I won't get bored sitting next to you," I said, kissing my husband lightly on the lips and resting my head on his shoulder.

At long last, at midnight, our plane began to descend. I had been snoozing, so Maxon gently woke me up.

"What's going on?" I asked, my vision blurry.

"Our plane is landing," He explained. "Are you ready to get out?"

"Yeah," I sighed, exhausted, resting my head on his shoulder again. After the plane landed, Maxon led me out to a luxurious car that was waiting outside of the small airport. Our luggage had been piled in the back and I slept the whole way to our final destination.

When I woke up in the morning, I was in a soft bed with Maxon dozing next to me. I smiled and cozied up closer to him, realizing that he must have simply carried me from the car to the vacation house. Where were we, anyway? I decided to wait until my husband woke up to check outside and figure out where he had taken me.

A few minutes later, Maxon stirred and woke up.

"Thanks for carrying me up, love," I said, kissing him good-morning.

"Any time," He grinned, sitting up. "Do you know where I took you yet?"

"No, but I already love it. Can I look outside?"

"Sure," He nodded, getting up and leading me to a balcony covered by curtains.

"It's the big reveal," I laughed as he put an arm around me and drew the curtains.

"Wow!" I gasped in delight as I opened the glass doors and stepped out to the balcony. The vast sea stretched as far as my eyes reached. It was bordered by tall, green mountains. The early, warm sunlight seeped into me, giving me a new sense of energy.

"Do you like it?" Maxon chuckled, loving the pleasure clearly written on my face.

"This is beautiful!" I exclaimed, kissing him passionately. "And we have this whole view to ourselves, right outside of our bedroom." It was true. I couldn't see any other houses or buildings around, blocking the beautiful sight of nature that was now so rare in my life as a royal.

"So, do you know where we are?" Maxon asked, his eyes alight.

"I have no idea," I admitted, stumped. It was the most gorgeous place I'd ever seen, but unfamiliar.

"We're in New Zealand, America."