Royal 2 (Book two in my Selection series)

Chapter 22

I sit laying on my back in my bed. Paige lays beside me and we both sit in silence.

"So he narrowed it down just for me? Wow." I mutter. Paige had come running to my room early in the morning the day after still in her night gown.

"Yeah. Wow."

"Why were we so surprised? I mean look at me." I say jokingly. I was in an unbelievably good mood. Paige bursts out in laughter too.

"You're funny. I like that." She says and sits up. "My maids are probably searching the palace for me."

"You probably should go see them. Breakfast starts in less than an hour and neither of us are nearly ready." I say with a snort.

"What you don't think we look good enough like this? I think they'd be impressed by the effort." She asks with a smirk on her face.

"You're right. I think we should show up like this." I laugh a bit.

"We are sorry your highness but we really do need to get Lady Autumn prepared for breakfast." I hear Amelia say confidently but with an apologetic voice.

"I guess we'll have to look semi decent won't we?" Paige laughs. "Thank you ladies." She says to my maids before leaving.

"Lets Get you ready." Liliana says and starts on me immediately. They get me ready in perfect time and I make my way downstairs.

I'd almost forgotten how jealous the other girls would be. I'd actually not even thought about them realizing I'd been gone with Will the entire day.

I walk into the Great Hall and I feel attacked with the glares the girls aimed at me. I could tell that my eyes visibly widened because every single person in the room was staring at me.

That's not awkward at all. I put my head down and walk to my seat.

"Where did he take you? You were gone all day with him weren't you?" Josie says with a gleaming look in her eye.

"He wanted to give me a change of scenery for a day." I say vaguely, though I couldn't help but smile either.

"He's just the sweetest, isn't he?" She was acting like he was doing it just to be nice. Not like he liked me or anything. "Since your maid died and all."

"I'd take your place. My maids aren't all that well and it's a whole day with the prince." Another girl says and I visibly stiffen.

"That's rude Kendal." Josie scolds patronizingly.

"Actually I don't believe you'd rather switch me places. At least you shouldn't. Losing someone isn't just not seeing them everyday, it's going every single day knowing the day could've been better with them." My voice raises as I say it and it's probably the most any of them had ever heard me talk.

They were all completely silent. Every single girl at the table along with the royal family cease all noise.

I stand abruptly and my chair makes the loudest noise in the Hall at the time. I hear a similar noise and look up and see Will standing by the table.

I shake my head and mouth Don't before turning and fleeing from the room. I breathe outward once I was in the fresh air and make myself up to my room. My maids weren't there so I stripped out of my dress and into my clothes from home. I seemed to wear these multiple times in a row before my maids washed them but I didn't care.

I hear a knock at my door and groan. Of course Will had come and made everything worse. Now the girls would hate me even more.

"Go away Will. You're just going to make it worst." I say.

"It's Paige." I hear a soft voice at the door. It probably wasn't helpful that she was here either, but it was better than Will and I wouldn't turn down her company.

"Oh okay. Come in." I say and watch as the door opens and she sighs.

"Those girls are so stupid." She complains. "I can't believe Will kept them around instead of the ones that were timid and quiet."

"It's alright. I could care less." I shrug.

"You don't really believe that though. You might say it but you don't." She says with a hint of a smile. I roll my eyes and smile.

"Maybe I care just a little." I shrug. "Why did he keep them around though? Especially Josie. For some reason I just cannot like her whatsoever. It's not like she is straight up mean but she's so— just— impossible to handle." I groan and lay on my back in my bed. I feel Paige sit on the bed beside me.

"I'm sorry." She mutters. "He really does like you I promise. He can't take his eyes off you."

"Maybe." I shrug. "You should go ahead and get back to breakfast. They'll be waiting on you. Don't worry I'll be fine I promise."

"You sure?" She asks. I nod and laugh. "Okay Bye!" She says and leaves. I wait in my room until lunch and take a short nap.

•••

That evening I head out of my room and when I walk into dinner I pause, unsure where to go. Instead of the long rectangular table, there was a smaller circular one.

I stand against the wall as the other girls did and wait. Will stands there and clasps his hands together.

"There is a name tag for each of you at specified seats. Don't switch name tags because I do know the order and I will not be happy about it." Will says and I start toward the table. I walk around the wooden table. My name was set near the back and beside of Violet, which I remembered from the plane but hadn't talked to much since.

"Nice to see you again." She says to me with a bright smile.

"You too." I say probably not with the same sincerity. I sigh as I wait for other girls to seat themselves.

"Hey Autumn!" I hear Josie call out from across the table. "Who sits next to you?" I look for the name tag to my right and there wasn't one.

"Nobody. Must've miscounted." I mutter with a shrug.

"Nobody miscounted a thing. Once The Elite Are Selected I get to come down here and eat with you all." I hear Will come up behind me and pull out the chair next to me.

"How fun!" One girl exclaims. It was surprising how extroverted some of the girls were.

"One announcement before the food will be brought out though," Will starts. "There will be an elimination of three girls tonight. Then, the day after tomorrow the remaining girls will get to see their families again. They will stay for four days and the fourth day we will have a ball to thank them for their stay."

There was the news I'd been waiting on. I'd get to see James and Colton.