Kerttu's Elite - A Sequel

New Love - Chapter 11

I had begun to realize that me and Tyrion were only friends. He was a fantastic person, intelligent, bright, and considerate. But he wasn't my person. He wasn't my husband. He was for sure someone I could trust but I didn't see him as a lifetime partner.

I had always wanted Shaan. He was dangerous, fun, daring. He made me smile with his serendipitous winks and grins. I felt like I knew him. Like we were oh so similar, two peas in a pod, a yin and a yang. He brought out the edge in me and I hopefully his calm.

Then there was Chaarlie. Smart, charismatic, relaxed, and self assured. The picturesque king. Whereas Shaan was insecure in his standing, Chaarlie took whatever I could give him and made the most of it. I had no idea the exact physical attraction but we could build that. He also seemed to have a passion for politics, that none of the other boys had. But did we have that undefinable spark like with me and Shaan? Would that spark out in the end?

"I need to stop thinking," I stated, marching into Amberly's room. "Has anyone ever - Amberly?" She wasn't in her room and neither were her maids. She's probably with Johan, I thought.

She wasn't. She wasn't with Calix or with General Leger. I entered my Mom's work room and fought a gasp. Mom and Dad were talking to Amberly and Berry. Together. Amberly and Berry. Together.

"Hey guys," I stalled, easing into the room. "Hey Berry!"

They looked up from their intense conversation, Mom's eyes lighting on fire the second she saw me. "Why didn't you tell me?" she interrogated, hand in Dad's. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Tell you what?" I replied, playing dumb. Amberry refused to look at me, focusing on the ground. Dang them and their catchy ship name.

"Don't lie to us, Kerttu," Dad belated. He seemed so sad. "Someone got some pictures of them together. It will be published in the papers today if we don't pay them."

"I'm sorry," I blurted. "I wanted to tell you but craziness kept happening and I'm a mass procrastinator. Plus they are too cute to be prosecuted, look at them." They finally looked up at me, smiling. Even in the midst of trouble, I had never seen people so happy. "So please, pay them whatever they want. We should protect them as much as we can."

Mom was still heated. "For how long Kerttu? This will look terrible for your Selection. Whenever they find out, the carnage will be the same."

"Well, Eadlyn," Dad whimsically started, "If we said they met again after Kerttu has chosen one of her Selected, that might be best."

"Mom, Dad," Amberly whispered. She looked up at them, them down on her. It was a crucial moment. She spoke for herself and no one else. It was the moment my little sister grew up. "As long as Kerttu doesn't mind, we would like to go public now. This sneaking won't last and even if we paid them, they might steal leak it to the public." She looked to Berry for confidence and he eagerly provided it. "Also, we're in love. It was hard enough hiding from you, not the whole country. I'm sorry for lying to you but I was just doing what I thought was best. So that we could be together."

This hit them to their core. This was the same thing they had asked for over two decades ago. They couldn't deprive their daughter of the same gift they had been given.

"Would that be okay with you, Kerttu?" Dad asked, a slow smile taking over his face. I nodded.

"Of course," I replied delicately.

The Report was on today. The photos had already been released and the palace line was brimming with calls. After Jakob's funeral, they had met up in a second floor lounge. Unfortunately, a camerawoman had been there, capturing the moment with glee. It was nothing terrible, just deep embraces and shy smiles. But you could see it in their eyes. They were in love.

Mom spoke first of the deaths of the palace and our growing understanding of the turmoil between Swendway and France. I was up next. Lights flickered across the stage as I swapped places with my mother. She squeezed my hand and I immediately felt more confident. I looked at Amberly then Berry then Shaan. He shot me a wink and I gave him one back in return.

His black hair was growing again, giving him an unmanaged thick wad of hair. I had never noticed before that when he smiled two lines indented his cheeks down to his jaw, putting the simper in a frame. If only it had a print option, I thought jokingly.

"What's up, Illea?" I stated, resulting in comments and laughs from the audience. "Now, I know a lot of you have probably heard that my awesome sister, Amberly, has a relationship with one of my suitors." The room was quiet, clinging to my every word.

"Trust me when I say this, they are the most adorable couple of all time. They fell in love in the old Women's Room, he heard her play music. She is the best musician in the world. They talked for awhile after that and Amberly felt so guilty that she told me about them. And there were few times in my life where I have felt happier."

"They are yet another example of the power of true love. It is unstoppable. As I search for the same thing," I projected my voice, gazing at Shaan, Tyrion, and Chaarlie. "I look to them for guidance. This system, the Selection has brought so much love and I hope to continue its legacy. I know this relationship is legally a crime but it's not. Love is never a crime. If you find someone you love, go after it. Don't be afraid, ignore the outside noise. Follow your heart. Take care of them, communicate. If Amberly and Berry can teach us anything let it be this: Don't care what they have to say. Break the rules. Because for love, nothing else makes sense."

Then something unexpected happened. A clap. Chaarlie was on his feet first, creating a thunderous ricochet across the room. Shaan was grinning at me, slapping his hands together slowly. The camera cut to Amberly who was crying and then to Berry who was very close to doing the same himself.

Uncle Kile was beaming from ear to ear as he took the microphone from me. "Thank you, Princess Kerttu. Truly stunning speech. Please send your love to Amberly and Berry!" The volume reached its apex, more and more clapping and hooting. "Or Amberry."

I hit Uncle playfully on the arm. "That name is mine, I'm in the process of getting it patented." Uncle Kile shrugged.

"Well, I said it first," he rebutted.

In the midst of a palace death, a new love had been born.

**Awww, Amberry!!**

**Halloween Ball next chapter!! Drama ensues. What do you think will happen?**