The Selection

😬Aftermath😬

The palace had been transformed.

Not in a good way.

Carpets were flipped, things were shredded, broken, and shattered. Frightening blood stains covered a few spots. I shivered.

We were told to eat breakfast in our rooms. It seemed as if the rebels hadn't reached my room, thankfully. My maids all looked flustered and rushed to me.

"Oh no!" Esme exclaimed, looking at my leg. "Miss, are you ok? Can I get you some ice?" She asked in a panicked tone.

"I'm fine!" I replied. "But some ice would be good." Esme scurried out of my room to get some ice. "Was it ok for y'all?"

"We were cleaning your room when we heard shouts, and we were able to get in a safe room." Jade responded. 

A knock at my door announced Esme with some ice as well as a kitchen worker with a tray. "Thank you." I said, nodding.

Nia received the the tray and set it on a coffee table. They lifted my leg and applied the ice, and I sat down to eat. This time, breakfast was a fancy danish served with coffee and orange juice. I happily ate it up, savoring the flavor.

After breakfast, I got a letter from Tuck. He told me that he was proud, and a bit worried about the rebels. He also said that he'd gotten a girlfriend, which was Natasha Gates, another Seven who worked at the same farm he did. 

I wrote back to him and took a nap, exhausted from the rebel attack. There was a ball of fiery fury blazing in my heart for the rebels. They took away my parents, and I wouldn't let them take anything else away from me. 

My maids prepared me for dinner and put me in a stunning ball gown. They'd outdone themselves again as it was a pleasing sight. Most of it was a light pink color, fluffed out in tulle. However, there was a spot consisting of a muted cranberry, adding pure elegance. 

Dinner did not fail to impress me. Tonight the chefs prepared chicken piccata seasoned with countless herbs. "This is so good!" I said in between bites.

"Tell me about it." Amelia replied, rolling her eyes back in pleasure. "Even as a Three, we never ate this well."

My thoughts turned to last night where Daniel said he wanted me to win. If I did, would I be eating like this everyday? Would I never experience the hardships and suffering of a Seven again? And if I did, I would save Tuck (and possibly Natasha) from the difficult life of a Seven.

I looked at Daniel, who happened to be look at me. He mouthed, "Meet me here after." And I nodded, wondering what he had to say. What if he changed his mind about me? But then I noticed a smile on his face and I shrugged the negative thought away.

"I love your dress, Nellie." I said, looking at Nellie's beautiful royal blue dress. It was simple and A-line, but a slit was there exposing her leg. "You must have talented maids."

"I do!" Nellie gushed. "Raina, Else, and Haddy are the best! They're so kind to," She remarked.

"I think all the maids are sweet." Via piped up. "Mine are Piper, Juliette, and Belle, and they never fail to impress me."

After that, our conversation turned into maids and dresses and such. Once dinner was over, I hung back to speak to Daniel.

Once everyone had cleared out, Daniel walked up to me. "Your Highness," I said.

"Oh stop!" Daniel said with a smirk. "You know you don't have to call me that." I let out a sigh of relief when Daniel was acting like himself. "How's your leg?"

"It still hurts, but not as bad as it did."

"That's good. I hate the rebels even more for it."

"Is there anything you wanted to talk about?" I asked, stroking the tulle on my dress.

"Oh, yeah. Aria, you know I want to spend more time with you, but nobody is going to allow it when they're expecting a big source of entertainment." I nodded, agreeing with him. "I'll do my best to squeeze dates in with you, but I'm going to have to go on dates with other girls. I just don't want you to feel like I don't love you anymore."

I was a bit taken aback. Daniel Wright, prince and future king of Illea liked me. Loved me. And I loved him back. "It's ok Daniel, I understand." I said.

With that, Daniel's arms wrapped around me and we kissed. At that moment, I forgot everything. All I knew is that I want a future with Daniel, a life with him. We drew apart and grinned at each other.

"I love you."

"I love you too."