The Bride

Chapter 21//: The nation's queen...and my future wife

♕✿~♕✿~Chapter 21//: The nation's queen...and my future wife♕✿~♕✿~

Ahren's POV

The room is filled with light and curious conversations when I walk into the news room. As I pass by people, they lower into bows, which I'm still not used to. I dodge reporters trying to find out why I am making this spontaneous Report, reaching the far end of the room where the Report is recorded.

Josh Ritter is already there, looking eager to interview me on any questions he may have. The Elites that I had eliminated just a few hours ago are still here, planning to leave in the morning. They all look glum with the outcome of the Choosing except for Emily, who seems like she'd rather be at home now.

I shoot a smile at Josh in greeting as I stand in front of the podium where my father used to stand. Immediately, makeup artists and the wardrobe manager are fussing over me, making last minute changes to my look. I stay still throughout the whole process, running through what I want to say in my head.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. I know this is the right thing to do, but I worry about how everyone will react. Even though Alexis had told me to forget about people's expectations on me, I was still hoping for support from everyone rather than a riot.

Shouted commands sound around the room as they are preparing to start recording. I'm left alone at the podium, standing by myself. Juliet is sitting behind the cameras, shooting me an encouraging smile. I give a grim smile back.

The director starts the countdown and then the red light above the camera is turned on, indicating that we are recording. I try my best to give one of my easy-going smiles, but it disappears quickly.

"Good evening, Norta. Tonight, I have to make some important announcements. In regards to the Choosing, I have ended it just a couple of hours ago." I can hear whispers echoing throughout the room as the reporters hear the news. When I had eliminated the girls, the cameras weren't there to capture the moment. I ignore the hushed conversations and continue to speak.

"I congratulate the girls, Lady Emily, Lady Penelope, and Lady Nina, for making it so far in the competition," I state emotionlessly

"Your Majesty, if I may ask," Josh pipes in from the side where he is at, "why did you end the Choosing? As far as I am aware, you didn't crown a queen."

I almost move my body to face Josh, but stop and face the camera fully again. The whole nation needed to hear my answer.

"I ended the Choosing because I have no romantic feelings for the three Elites who remained in the competition. And," I pause here for a moment before continuing on, "I have someone in mind already whom I would like to be the nation's queen...and my wife in the future."

Again, the quiet conversations start around the room, but the voices are much louder. The reporters in the room all shout the same question: "Who is the person you have in mind?"

Josh waves his hand to signal to the room to quiet. When they do, he turns to me with an intrigued look. "And who is this person you have in mind, Your Majesty?"

I swallow, my heart pounding. Suddenly, I hated the publicity of the Choosing. My whole life was spent in front of cameras, so I was used to the public knowing everything in my life. But now that the topic was my love life, I didn't like the public trying to barge in.

But I knew the public would find an answer, whether false or true. And if I didn't give them the truthful answer now, they would most likely come up with a false answer later.

"The person I have in mind...is Lady Madison," I answer him. At first, there is only silence. Then, the room erupts with noise. Voices sound at my confession. I hear people asking, "Who?" and "Isn't that the girl who was taken by the Rogue Dawn?"

Again, Josh is the one to quiet the room and turn to me to ask another question. At first, he opens and closes his mouth, not sure how to word whatever he is trying to say. Then he lets out a small, awkward chuckle. "But, with all due respect, Your Majesty, Lady Madison is...gone." He finally says.

I narrow my eyes slightly at him. "She may be gone, but the palace guards are doing their best to find her and the Rogue Dawn to bring an end to their reign of terror. We believe we are close to finding Lady Madison and the hideout of the Rogue Dawn," I say to both the camera and Josh.

Josh chews his lip as he glances at me. "But she's...a Red," he says as he frowns a bit. Reporters around the room nod at his words, agreeing with his underlying message. Norta needs a strong queen. A Silver queen. Although Reds were allowed into the Choosing this year, one of them wasn't supposed to end up on the throne.

But what Silvers didn't understand about marriage is that it isn't all about strength and having the most powerful children. To Silvers, marriage didn't mean the union of two people in love. It meant the union of two people who would be able to produce the strongest offspring. At the beginning of this Choosing, I had thought that would be my fate: marry the strongest Silver girl who would provide children that would carry on the Calore name.

And then I had met Madison. A seemingly normal Red who seemed as if she could be nice. I had at first thought I could form an easy friendship with her. That was all I was going to let happen. From everything Silvers had told me, I had thought all Reds were inferior. But just like Madison had thought all Silvers were bad, I was wrong. And as I had gotten to know Madison more, I couldn't stop the smiles I would get every time I saw her, or how interested I would be to hear her speak about her home life, or the flipping of my stomach whenever she'd look at me and give me a shy smile.

I look at Josh and then at the other reporters. I arch an eyebrow at them. "And why does the color of her blood matter?" I ask them coolly.

Nobody answers.

I look back at the camera facing me. "I will now be focusing on finalizing my coronation and sending out more search parties to find Lady Madison and stop the Rogue Dawn from hurting innocents any further. Thank you for listening and have a good night, Norta."

Without waiting for the red light above the camera to turn off, I walk away from the podium. Everyone makes a pathway for me leading to the door, and I make my exit.

Even after I leave, only silence remains in the news room.

♕✿~♕✿~♕✿~♕✿~♕✿~

Dbdhjsbs now the whole nation knows Ahren chooses Madison :p

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! How do you think the nation will react? Do you think they'll support his decisions or will there be another riot?

Have a good rest of your week!

Glass_Sword

(I just read through this chapter to look for mistakes and realized I've been typing Josh as John -_-)