Selected: Part 3 - Love and Lace

5. THE CORRUPT

MY GOWN FOR THE REPORT was mint green, with a sheer overlay and delicate bishop sleeves. I hadn't had much time to come up with new designs lately, yet my maids were so talented that it didn't matter; anything they come up with for me is lovely. I sat in the second row, next to Hazel, as Scarlett was being interviewed in front. All of us, one by one, were to be interviewed by Milo Ren.

"What has been your most memorable date with our Prince so far, Lady Scarlett?" It felt wrong to be talking about these things when graver matters, like war, should be the top priority. "Oh, Milo, you should've seen it! They have the most spectacular theater for viewing films in the palace. As an actress, I think I most enjoyed our time there, and the discussions that followed the movies." That made me think. What was my most memorable date with Ethan? I loved and cherished all of them so much. From our first date eating cake, walking in the gardens, visiting his studio, horseback riding with Mabel, to my birthday party and the necklace he had given me. All of those moments felt so important, though my favorites we're the private moments we shared, away from the cameras and the guards. I couldn't share those with the whole country, though. Luckily for me, Milo didn't ask each girl the same questions.

To some, he'd ask whether they'd been kissed. Though no one said yes, it made me wonder whether Ethan really had kissed one of the other girls, which would make all the kisses he'd placed on my cheeks feel a little less special. To others, he'd ask what they liked most about the palace. All the questions seemed pretty insignificant, except one. "Where do you think you stand in the competition?" It was an unfair question, with all the other girls listening in. Plus, Ethan was the only one to really know the answer. Of course, it was one of my questions. "I think that's up to Ethan to decide." I stated. "Oh come on, you must have a little idea of where you stand!" Milo booed mockingly. I looked away. "All I can say is, the more I get to know the beautiful person which is our prince, the more I feel lucky to be here. I feel as though I have as much a chance as any of us." As if this interview hadn't already lasted long enough, Milo then asked if there was family back at home rooting for me. "I'm sure my friends are sending me much love and support." I really didn't want to talk about being an orphan. "And your family?" He pressed on, to my dismay. "I'm afraid my friends are my only family, sir." I tried to remain vague; hopefully that was enough to satisfy him.

I thought I had gotten the worst of these questions, but turns out, Shannon's interview was even more invasive. "Do you really think you stand a chance, as the lowest caste in the competition?" I never knew our peppy host Milo Ren could be such a jerk. "Has your...more impoverished upbringing made it more difficult for you to learn the same things the other girls did?" It felt like he was attacking her for being a Seven, but Shannon didn't back down. She stood her ground and made it clear she belonged here just as much as the rest of us. "Not that it matters, but we're all Twos and Threes now, so I'm not any less than any of these other princesses." Though her tone was full of spite, it was pretty admirable how she stood up for herself.

However, the public didn't like it one bit,  as they felt she was too aggressive. It was true she could've remained more composed under provocation, but the questions really had been quite rude. It seemed Naomi, Hazel and Agatha stood firmly at the top of the most popular with the public. I thought of what Hazel had said about not wanting to be here, and wondered if the public adoring her would make her feel any differently. Then again, she wasn't the type to let others influence her.

The days following that rather awful Report were spent either in our rooms or the common rooms, brainstorming ideas for and working on our philanthropy projects, which next week's Report would be focusing on. It seemed as though we had no time at all for such an important task, but I took some time to go check on Shannon. We hadn't really ever talked, and maybe it was my fault, but I wanted to make sure she was okay after all the drama in the magazines in regard to what Milo had asked her. "I'm fine." She answered, her expression neutral. "Oh, that's good, I thought it was really unfair how-" She cut me off. "The castes are never fair; I thought you of all the other girls would know that. But you're too soft; you probably never had to live on the streets like I have." I was a bit taken aback, but I tried to not let her phase me. "Everyone has had their fair share of struggles. I'm sorry for what you have had to go through." And before she could interrupt me again, I tried to change the topic. "What are you thinking of doing for your philanthropy project?" Shannon crossed her arms. "Are you trying to get ideas from me?" I laughed, thinking she was kidding, but she was serious. "Well, I'll leave you to it." I had hard work of my own to resume.

It was funny to note how different we both were from each other, yet how Ethan had kept us both. I trust he saw value in her as a future queen though, so I tried not to question her tone and demeanor any more than I had. I thought being a Six, we could relate to each other, but it seemed that even between the lowest castes, there were huge gaps. That seemed really messed up, like how the King might be taking advantage of the Sevens and Eights. I thought if someone like Shannon were to become queen, the castes would be for sure dismantled, or they're be some sort of revolution. Ethan had mentioned wanting to make a big change within the caste system, and were I to be his queen, I'd want to help too.

Nevertheless, I had to think further than that. Were I to be at the head of Illéa, what could I do to make a positive change for our people? Shannon knew the struggles of being homeless, and I'm sure that gave her some ideas; I thought of what I'd been through, and that's when I got my idea. Reinvigorated by knowing what philanthropy project I'd want to accomplish, I worked twice as hard. I made posters, practiced my speech, practiced not being so nervous in front of others. I knew I wasn't the best public speaker, but as always, I had to try my best, for Ethan, and for myself.