𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙺𝚎𝚢𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚢 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝 (𝙰 𝚂𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚂𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢)

𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝙻𝚒𝚕𝚢

"I'm doing it." Are the first words that I say to anyone this morning. 

"What? No!" Lily shouts, bolting from where she's sitting on the couch to hug me. "Yes." I say. "Oh my gosh! Iris! If you get it, think about all the possibilities!" She squeals. "You could be Queen! Of Illea!" 

"I'm proud of you for deciding to do this honey." Mom says, brushing past Lily and hugging me, as if she wasn't reason that I'm doing this. 

"Yup!" I gush with fake enthusiasm. 

Dad walks down the stairs, smiling. "Rose told me that your going to sign up for the Selection! Oh I'm so excited for you my little princess. Fill out the form now and I can take you to go drop it off." 

"That would be great. We could get it over with instead of pushing it to the last day. Besides, Phillip and Paige will see your picture soon, rather then later." I can't believe that Mom can so calmly refer to the rulers of our kingdom by their first names. 

Mom stares at me. "Aren't you going to go get ready?" 

"Yeah! Yeah of course. Don't know what I was thinking." I mumble, racing back to my bedroom and changing into my favorite blue tank top that matched my eyes perfectly and my favorite white and blue flower skirt with the matching white sandals. 

I sneak into Mom and Dad's room and apply the tiniest bit of mascara before clomping down the stairs. 

The envelope is sitting on the kitchen counter, with one of Mom's really good pens sitting next to it. I take a seat and open it carefully. The paper of the envelope is super high quality, like Dads, when he has to write letters to important people. 

I pull out the paper and look at the sheet. I grab the pen and start to fill out my name, age, birthday, caste, and contact info. It also asked me to put my height (I had to get Mom to measure me for that), my hair color, eye color, and skin tone. 

I added that I could speak French and German (Thanks to Mom and Dad). I listed the highest grade level that I had completed. Under special abilities I put swimming, riding, and singing. Mom wanted me to know how to do some special things. I think it was because she knew that she would get me to sign up for the Selection. I sometimes think that Mom got pregnant a little after Queen Paige, just so that I would be a tad bit younger then Prince Liam so that I could sign up for the Selection. 

I finish it and place it back in the envelope and walk to the front of the house, where Mom is. 

"Ready kiddo?" She asks. "I just want to get it over with." I get in the car and look out the window as we back down the driveway and to the Province Services Office,  where I will be putting my future on the line.  

── ✧《✩》✧ ──── ✧《✩》✧ ──

The line is incredibly long. 

There are about 30 girls, but Mom quickly spots a friend of hers and skips past the end of the line to the front. "Hi Rose! Hi Iris! Let me guess, Iris is following in her mothers footsteps and is going to be entering the Selection!" Carol, one Mom's writing buddies, exclaims. 

"Of course she it." Mutters Carol's daughter, Carrie, mutters. 

"Carrie, you both have 50/50 chances." Carol pastes a fake smile on her face and immediately starts talking with Mom.  

"Its true." Carrie states. "King Phillip is obviously going to choose you to be the Selected from Angeles, since he knew your Mom, and probably kissed her. Maybe they did more." Carrie smirks. 

I stare at her in horror. "What went on between the king and my mom is for them to know. Besides, King Phillip and Prince Liam may pick someone else." I snap. 

"Pfft. King Phillip knows you Mom, they probably got cozy together, if you get my vibe." Carrie crosses her arms and cocks her head. "I bet they did. I bet its gross thinking about it for you, because I mean, Rose is married." 

"Shut up." I growl. "No thanks." Carrie says with fake cheerfulness. "It would be gross, wouldn't it? Just think about it! Major. Eww." 

"You know what Carrie, I'm sorry for you." I say. "I-what?" She asks, confused. "I'm sorry that you feel that you have a right to treat me this way. I'm the same as you. Just because my mom was in King Phillip's Selection doesn't mean that I'm going to be in Prince Liam's Selection. I hope that you have a great rest of your day and not treat anyone the way you just treated me." 

I turn my back on her and listen in to Mom's conversation. 

While I pretend that I'm totally not listening to Mom's convo, my mind wanders everywhere, but mainly, to Prince Liam. 

Then to my behavior towards it. 

I grimace slightly thinking about my behavior last night, while it wasn't that bad, it was still bad. If I get in, I get in, and I become one of Prince Liam's girlfriends. There's nothing bad about that. And if I don't get eliminated the first minute I walk through the door, then I can try to win his heart. And if I don't, I'd still be going home prime marriageable material. 

Mom told me that everybody wanted to marry her, because when she was eliminated, Queen Paige won. And because she made it and was super close to marrying King Phillip, people wanted to marry her, but she married Dad. 

Fun stuff. 

So if I get in, don't be eliminated in the first few days, and actually survive within the palace, then I have a chance. But if I don't, I get sent back and then everyone will want to marry me. 

I should be happy that I'm able to have this chance, and grateful that I might have a chance to be Selected from the province of Angeles. 

"Honey? Honey?" Mom's voice brings me back to reality and I look around in confusion. "Honey they're waiting." She says with a smile. "What? Sorry." I mumble, following the women who's going to be taking my picture. 

"Sit on the stool in front of the camera." The lady instructs. 

I take a seat and Mom arranges my long caramel brown hair to flow down my shoulders as I smile at the camera. 

"Great thank you." The lady shows us the way out and when we leave the corner and get into the car, Mom turns to me, and I grab her hands, and we both squeal. 

"Ohmygosh! I just did that. I just signed up for the Selection! Mom!" I shout. 

"I know, I know honey! I cannot believe this!" Then we squeal again.