Ever After | Book 2 of the Selected Series

2.

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Madison woke the next morning with a ball of anxiety in her stomach. She had been dreading this day for a long while, knowing what was to expect and she prayed that everyone would behave for the next 30 days. Because today, the 24 ex-selected contestants were coming back.

Though she was excited to see a few of them, she was petrified at the idea of facing Anastasia and Alex again after so many years. She had no other choice but to invite them all according to the Selection rules, it was formality and frankly she was still bitter that they couldn't by pass this one single rule. So with a lump of stress in her throat, she let Adeline pick her outfit for the day while Laura and Zoe did her hair and makeup.

Breakfast was awkward, sitting among the royal family who discussed casually while her mind was elsewhere, imagining every possible scenario of how things could go wrong. As formality obliged, she had to welcome the girls one by one and the tv news and media were already outside, ready to record the whole event. She could feel her hands become sweaty with stress as minutes passed by, giving the Queen a tight smile when she asked her how she was doing. Vivian knew how she felt, she went through the same things many years ago and she still remembered how stressful and awkward it is to greet people who fought against you for the man you love. But it was duty, and Mady knew that. She had to be the better person, be mature and suck it up. She was going to marry Harry in 30 days, they could do no harm now. Right?

"Are you ready?" King Arthur asked, a wide grin on his lips as he patted her shoulder. She faked a smile, nodding quietly before following them down the hallways and towards the royal entrance. A red carpet was laid on the stairs, reminiscing of her first day here. She could see cars after cars entering the white stone graveyard and she took in a deep breath, widening her shoulders and holding her head high. She could do this. In the corner of her eyes she saw the cameras glued to her face, ready to capture every flinch, smile or cringe. That was one aspect of the royal life she'd never get used to: Media. She hated it, being followed everywhere with a camera and having her life splattered on magazines made her anxious but she knew it came with the whole package. She worked a lot on ignoring them or the stories they would post and she was doing well most of the time, Harry being an amazing moral support. But he wasn't here now and seeing the first car halt in front of her, Mady felt like she wanted to puke.

"Mrs. Emily Everett-Addams" A guard announced and a short, beautiful brunette with a wide smile stepped out of the car with a beautiful blond man following her. Madison recognized Emily as the first girl who was eliminated on the show because she froze during the presentation of her project on the first challenge. But she looked radiant now, holding the hand of who Madison guessed was her husband. With a warm, sincere smile, Madison greeted the first ex-contestant, thanking her for her kinds words and for coming. Lindsey, the royal assistant, led her towards a maid so she could settle her bags in her old room. The second to arrive was Victoria who greeted her with a warm, excited hug. The beautiful brunette still looked as bright and youthful as she used to and her happiness was contagious. It made greeting the next girls easier and less stressful. Most of them were either engaged or married, congratulating Madison repeatedly and with such kindness, it warmed her heart and calmed her nerves.

"Simone Valley." The tall blonde stepped out of her car, no man following her but she still had a wide smile on her lips. Unlike Kim and Grace, who were yet to arrive, Madison wasn't as close to Simone as her friends but she had heard great things about her.

"Welcome back, thank you so much for coming." Madison said, grinning and Simone bowed slightly.

"I'm glad to be back!" She laughed. "Feels like an over-glamourous high school reunion." It made Madison giggle and they shared a quick hug before Lindsey redirected Simone elsewhere.