Prince Maxon is nervous about the Selection. He visits his father, King Clarkson, in his study and receives cuff links from him for Maxon's 19th birthday, but Maxon remembers getting the same gift on Christmas from him. Maxon assumes that his father was too consumed with his job to realize he already gave him the same present.
Maxon's nervousness for the Selection is acknowledged by the king, and he tells Maxon he should be excited, not nervous. Maxon assures his father he is excited, but he's just nervous about how fast it's happening. The king laughs and says that while it seems fast to Maxon, the king has been working on it for years. Maxon asks what he means, but is interrupted by his mother, Queen Amberly, entering the room.
The queen wishes Maxon a Happy Birthday and whispers to him that his gift is coming. The king and queen then leave the room with Maxon following them in their shadows—"like always," he adds.
Maxon is then interviewed by people. After answering questions in a joking manner, he excuses himself, but is stopped by his father. The kings tells Maxon that he can't answer everything sarcastically, because he is the crowned prince and they need him to lead. Maxon apologizes, telling his father that since it was a party, he thought he could joke around. However, the king interrupts him, saying he should take it seriously. Maxon agrees with his father and says that it was just a temporary lapse in judgement. The king says he tends to have a lot of those.
Maxon takes a glimpse at Daphne, his childhood friend from France. The king follows the prince's gaze and says that she's pretty, which is a shame because she couldn't be in the lottery. Maxon says that she's nice, but never had feelings for her. The king is glad, saying it would've been stupid of him to. Maxon quickly changes the subject, saying that he's looking forward to meeting his true options. The king is happy that Maxon is making real choices in life, but Maxon thinks to himself that he has tried to make choices, but the king doesn't trust him to.
