Selected || H.S

F i v e

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Around ten o'clock, a bell rings, catching everyone's attention. Next to the throne are situated other large, closed doors that suddenly open, letting a marvellous scent penetrate the ball room. One by one, cooks dressed in white uniforms enter the large room, holding trays of mouthwatering food.

A long table is place in front of the throne, a white tablecloth covering it. Each cook places the meals on it, creating a beautiful buffet. I've never seen such a big amount of food in my life, some of the meals are new to me, but the scent of others remind me of home. My eyes quickly spot the roasted turkey, cheese cake and macaroons, making my stomach grumble in hungriness.

Twenty-eight chairs, plates and cups are placed around and on the table, each of them with a designated name. All of the girls take their seats, and I found myself between two other unknown contestants while Alexandra is right across from me, a tall chocolate fountain between us.

We all stare at the food with envy. As long as the royal family isn't sitting at the table, we can't touch the food, which is really hard since everything is so tempting. Finally, they sit on the far end of the table, the king in the center, and a butler immediately fills their glasses with expensive wine. The King Arthur raises his glass, looking at each of us before he smiles widely.

"Bon appetite!" At his words, twenty-five pair of hands reach for the food, grabbing as much delicious meals and desserts as possible. The other guests had to eat in another room, leaving us only with the royal family. The girls chat between them, quickly filling the room with murmurs, gasps and giggles. Add to it the sound of utensils hitting the plate, and the thunderous laughter of the King.

My plate is filled with the roasted turkey I've been eyeing since the beginning and the salmon Alex told me to taste. The food is exquisite, and if I weren't eating in front of the King and his family, I would've gladly taken a second, maybe third portion.

"Hey, what's your name?" The blonde girl next to me asks suddenly, making me focus on something else than my stomach right now.

"Madison, you?"

"Amelia, and this is Cindy" She points the girl on my left. She has dark hair pulled up in a bun, her silk, red dress is decorated with small pink flowers and a golden, oriental dragon takes a big part of the material. It's the first time I meet a citizen of the Asian Continent, especially someone so beautiful and gracious like her. She is so svelte and looks so fragile, like a porcelain doll, and I feel as if a breeze could make her fly away.

"Nice to meet you" An obvious foreign accent tinted her voice while a small, shy smile curls her lips.

"Nice to meet you too. I guess you're from the China Empire, right?" Her dress is less overlooking than the other girls, but it still looks incredibly expensive. In fact, everything around me is incredibly expensive and I feel like I'm dirtying it by placing my fingers on it. All this luxury is so overwhelming, it's hard to get used to it when everyone throws it at you like that.

"Yes, my uncle is the emperor" Then it hit me. The China Empire and the Limia Kingdom have been on a cold case for a while. The tensions are high at this point because of the wars, and Cindy could be the solution to the problems.

Were all the girls chosen because of that? I've always thought they chose the most beautiful and talented girls, but this competition is actually a hidden politic measure. Maybe a bunch of us, like three or four, are really important and are chosen meticulously (and for politic motives) while the rest are picked to just hide the real side of the Selection? So then the prince doesn't actually have a lot of choices and if he does, they'll be highly influenced.