Oh my god guys. I have left months between updates (which I apologize for) and I come back to see I have 200,000 reads. I never thought I'd get this far. Thank you all so SO much for being so supportive and thank you for those of you who have read since the beginning. So much love for you all.

Again, I'm incredibly sorry for the lack of updates. Life has been busy lately. But here I am, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Comment what you think of it and don't forget to vote :)

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Dear Mom, Logan, Gerad, Gwen, and the twins,

I hope you are all well. Dad and I miss you tons back here at the palace, but we're sure you're having a blast in Britain! I've been seeing news articles about "the new king and queen of Britain"- Gerad and Gwen, you are doing an amazing job ruling. And Logan and Ashlyn, you too. Dad and I are doing a good job keeping our country in good shape too, don't you worry. There hasn't been a rebel attack in a long time and the people seem content.
The hallways seem so quiet here, it's quite weird. I'm so used to hearing the twins screaming and Gwen chasing them down the halls when they don't want to go to bed. And Gerad and Logan play fighting- oh, and Mom and Dad giggling and laughing as they retreat to their room for the night. Now that you're gone, I realize how much I loved the noise. 
Today is a big day here at the palace. It's the official start of my selection! I meet the thirty-five suitors today. It's nerve-wracking. I feel like I'm going to forget all the names of the suitors before I have to meet them... that would be a disaster. But overall, I'm excited for the experience. I wish you all could be here to experience it with me.

This is for Mom alone.
Hi Mom. I really miss you and I really need your guidance for how to deal with guys. The last boyfriend I had... well, you know that didn't end well. I don't know how to find love in a group of strangers. I'm kind of scared. But anyways, that's not what this is about. This is about you and Dad. He's been stressed a lot more lately, especially when your name comes up in conversation. Every time I say your name he tenses up and closes his eyes before responding. I'm putting the pieces together- you must've gone to Britain without his approval. Maybe even a fight was involved. When you come home, you have to fix it. You love him and he loves you. Nothing can get in the way of that. You two are my inspiration, my hope that I can find true love. You have to fix it. I love you, and miss you. Hope you are doing well in Britain.

For Gerad and Logan-
I never thought I'd say this, but it's pretty lonely around here without you two idiots. Well, I guess it won't be when thirty five strange men come to the palace today. It's not the same without you. Miss you tons, come visit soon.

For Gwen-
I miss you, sister! With only Dad home, I have no one to do makeup with and choose dresses with. After growing up with two brothers, it was nice to have someone like that. You make an amazing queen though, and I hope one day I can rule just as fairly and elegantly as you. Say hi to the twins for me.

Write and visit soon. I can't wait to hear from you.

Love,
Amberly

I put down the pen and stretch my hand. The words were not easy to write; it was difficult to transfer my emotions onto paper. Folding the paper, I take a deep breath and look at the clock. 2:45. Perfect timing- the suitors are here and almost ready for me to meet.

Just thinking about the suitors makes my heart race. One of these men will be my husband, and the future king of Illéa. My thoughts twist into worries about choosing the wrong man, but I remember my father's warning. Don't get too caught up in the what-ifs. Have faith in yourself.

As I slide the letter into an envelope, I hear the door open behind me. I turn around to see Paige in the doorway.

"Miss, the suitors are almost ready to meet you. It's time for you to go speak with them." Her voice is soft and smooth, never wavering. I hope I sound like that when I talk to the suitors for the first time today.

Paige touches up my makeup and hair, and as she does so, I review what I'm to do out loud. "First, I go to the lobby where they will all be waiting and tell them what we will be doing: a maid will bring all of them, one at a time, into the men's room where I will be waiting. I will talk to each of them for up to ten minutes. They will be sent out and the next one will come in. I am to eliminate ten to fifteen of the suitors after I have met with them all."

The last detail sends a shiver down my spine. I have to send at least ten men home before I even really know them. The what-if worries come back; what if I send home the man I was meant to marry?

"You look beautiful, you know," Paige says, looking into the mirror. I nod, smiling at our reflection.

"Thanks to you," I reply, squeezing her hand.

She lets out a small laugh, taking a polite step back as I begin to make my way to the door. "Miss, you always look beautiful. No matter what you're wearing or how much makeup you have on, you are always stunning. Everyone thinks so. All the maids, all the butlers, all the kitchen staff... I hear them talk about how naturally beautiful you are all the time. And I have the honor of getting to see your natural beauty every day." With one last smile, she walks in front of me towards the door. "Good luck, miss, you'll do amazing. They'll fall in love with you on the spot." She giggles, and rushes down the hallway.

I grin to myself. "Yes they will," I murmur.

-

"Hello, all of you." My voice is bright, excited. "It's a pleasure to meet each and every one of you today. I hope you are enjoying your stay at the palace so far- if you have any questions or if there's anything that would make your stay even more enjoyable, please, let your maids or one of the other staff know." I pause for effect, looking over the crowd of men. Some of them pop out at me, as having nice hair, or beautiful eyes. But I make myself wait to show a reaction to any of them. "Now I will explain what we will be doing next. I will have a private, one on one meeting which each of you in that room right over there, the men's room." I point to the room. "I will be waiting in there, you all will be waiting out here. A maid will bring you in. We will talk for ten minutes and then the next suitor will enter after you leave. After the meetings are over, unfortunately, I will have to send ten to fifteen of you home. So be prepared." I swallow the nervousness, hoping my voice will remain steady. "I can't wait to meet all of you." Pasting one last smile on my face, I turn and walk to the men's room, closing the door behind me.

I release the breath I was holding, allowing my posture to sag a little. Paige made sure to create an invisible pocket in my dress so I could keep a list of the suitors in the order they'll be entering in. First I will meet Jackson Cavalry from Zuni. I think I remember him having intimidating, gray eyes. Hopefully his personality isn't as cold as his eyes.

The door squeals as it opens, causing me to jump. I straighten my posture and take cautious steps forward. Jackson enters, bowing as soon as he sees me. A smile crosses my face, and this time I don't have to force it to. His face is handsome- and his eyes aren't as cold as I remember them being in the picture. When he smiles, they smile too. His dark brown hair is a nice length; not too long, not too short. His teeth are white and perfectly straight. He must come from a well off family.

"Princess Amberly," he says, taking my hand as soon as he reaches me. He kisses it, making me blush. 

"Mr. Jackson Cavalry, from Zuni," I reply, bowing my hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Let's sit."

Two chairs are set up next to each other, and we sit down. I can't help noticing that he sits on the edge of his seat, like my mother does.

"The pleasure is mine. Let me thank you for this opportunity. The palace is amazing, I already know this will be an amazing experience." His voice is deep and low, but somehow almost soothing to listen to.

Complimenting my home and thanking me. He knows how to make a first impression.

"Oh, you're welcome. I'm quite excited for this myself." I raise my eyebrows as I remember what this meeting is supposed to be about. "But let's focus on you, Jackson. Tell me about yourself. Your family, your home..."

Jackson nods and clears his throat. "My family consists of me, my mother and father, and my two younger sisters, Cali and Erica. Cali is 16 and Erica is 11. My grandmother lives with us as well. My mother is a teacher and my father is an engineer. They are both out of the house most of the time, so from a young age, I've looked after my sisters."

"Oh, that's nice," I say, nodding. "Do you and your sisters get along well?"

"Yes, definitely. There was a time where money was tight in our family and we were all tense and we fought a lot, but since then, we've come a long way."

"That's good. What about you? What do you like to do in your free time? Do you have any passions?"

"All throughout my school years I've been into math and science, like my dad. I also like to build things. Sometimes I help my dad out at work. Other than that, I spend time with my sisters and friends and my gir-" He stops abruptly, realizing what he said.

My mouth opens a bit against my will. I shut it quickly and cover up, asking, "Your girlfriend?"

"Y-yes," he stammers. "But don't worry. I broke up with her before coming here, because I know it's against the rules to be in another relationship while being in the Selection."

"You are correct," I say, looking down. "I'm sorry you had to break up with her."

So now I'm breaking up relationships?

"Don't worry about it! What about you? What do you do for fun around here?"

I look up quickly, narrowing my eyes. Since when was he asking the questions?

"Well, when I'm not busy ruling the country, I like to draw and read and go to the gardens. I find them quite relaxing," I reply, trying not to show my uncomfortableness.

"Ah, maybe you could show me sometime-"

"I'm sorry Jackson, I'm afraid your ten minutes are up. It's time for the next suitor." I stand up, smiling at him. "It was a pleasure to meet you."

"You too, Princess," he said, walking out. I swallow as I watch him leave. I am definitely not cut out for this.

A bunch of the suitors seem perfectly nice, but I have trouble connecting with some of them. I keep a mental list in my mind of those who could barely hold a conversation- Aiden Danvers from Fennley. Elijah Degray from Kent. Liam Falkov from Dakota. Others, like Carter Rye from Clermont and Jayce Ambers from Ottaro were funny and charming. I'll keep them around, even if there was no initial spark.

The list keeps going on and on. Next up: Grayson Vogel from Sumner.

He enters, and the first thing about him I notice is his hair. It may be rude, but I can't help but notice the puffiness of the black curls on his head.

"Hello, Ma'am," he exclaims as he walks towards me. I stifle a laugh. He seems like a humorous person- he has a little bounce in his step and a crooked smile on his face.

"Don't call me ma'am, it makes me sound old." I giggle and motion to the chairs. "Let's sit, shall we?"

I'm about to ask him the first question when he opens his mouth. I raise my eyebrows, watching him.

"Let's play a game."

"Alright," I say slowly, sitting up straighter.

"I'm going to ask you a bunch of questions really fast and you will answer really fast. Ten minutes isn't a lot of time, and I want to get to know you more than ten minutes will allow." The crooked smile is back on his face.

"This meeting is for me to get to know you, you know," I say, laughing.

"I know. But I'm not very exciting. You'll get to know me quite fast if you decide to keep me here. You're much more interesting. So. The point of this game is to answer without thinking, so I can really know you. First question: what's your favorite color?"

"Sunset orange!" I exclaim.

The questions keep coming, and I keep giving him answers. Some of the things I say even surprise me. There's lots of laughter involved... which makes me want to keep him here, even if it's as a friend.

The next couple suitors after Grayson seem boring in comparison. They're not bad guys, but they're not as energetic or exciting. Oliver Devlin from Likely is definitely out- he looked sick the whole interview, and on his way out, he vomited into the waste basket.

I'm looking at my hands and playing with my ring when Xander Blake enters. I don't even hear him approaching until he's standing right in front of me. When I see his shoes next to mine, my heart stops. In a hurry, I look up, and have to blink a few times. He's definitely not as handsome as Jackson, and not as humorous to watch as Grayson, but he makes my heart beat so loudly I think it'll burst out of my chest.

"I-I'm so sorry, I didn't hear you coming," I tell him, cursing myself silently for stuttering. He must think I'm a mess.

"Don't worry about it." He takes my hand, and looks at it for a few seconds. "That's a beautiful ring. Does it mean something to you?"

"It's a promise ring... well, kind of. My mother gave it to me when she first told me I was having a selection. She made me promise to stay true to myself through everything, even with thirty-five guys here trying to win my hand."

"And I hope you keep that promise." He flashes a smile at me, and looks at the chairs. Leading me over to them, he says, "I'm assuming these are for us?"

"Yes," I answer, sitting down in my own. "Please, sit."

I watch as he sits, furrowing my eyebrows as he puts a hand to his chest. He closes his eyes for a moment, takes a deep breath, and opens them again. "My apologies, Miss."

"Are you alright?" I ask. As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I remember. He's the one with the bad heart. He must recognize the look of realization on my face because he just nods. "I'm so sorry," I whisper. "Do you need anything? Is there anything I can-"

"Hey," he murmurs, leaning forward. "I'm fine. It happens sometimes, but it's nothing out of the ordinary. If I take my meds every day, I'll be good for a long time. No need to worry."

"Okay, good." I push a smile onto my face, but I have a feeling it's not enough to cover my worry. However, we carry on good conversation. He tells me about his family, and that his heart problems really started affecting his every day life when his brother died. The death of his brother put a lot of stress on him and his heart became weaker than it had previously been.

It takes all the restraint I have to stop myself from crying. But when Xander leaves, a tear slips down my cheek. I wipe it away quickly before the next suitor comes in.

Some of the suitors are dark and mysterious, some light and funny. I find a lot that I like, and some that I already know I have to kick out.

I look at my list, and sigh with relief. Finally, the last one.

"Nathaniel Holmes from... Labrador, correct?" I ask as he enters.

"That's me. You can call me Nathan if you'd like, though- I usually go by that." His dirty blonde hair fits nicely with his blue green eyes. He looks me up and down, opens his mouth to say something more, but then closes it.

"Is there something you were going to say?" I look up at him, seeing as he's much taller than me. There were two suitors today that were shorter than me. Not by much, but still. I'm not even that tall.

"I just... you... you may be the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." His eyes don't meet mine for a moment, but when they do, I almost can't look away.

I don't bother trying to hide the redness of my cheeks. "Thank you," I breathe out. I become conscious of how close we are, almost touching. I suddenly have the urge to reach out and touch him, hold his hand, even kiss him- but I quickly shoot it down. I don't even know him.

He's about to say something else, but his jaw drops and his gaze is directed behind me. I spin around, wondering what he's looking at. 

"Is that a painting? Please tell me that's a photograph." He raises his eyebrows at the giant portrait of my family behind me.

"Nope, that's a painting. Done by a very talented artist." I turn around and look back at him, grinning at him. He looks excited, amazed, happy, and hopeful all at once. It's beautiful. "Are you into art?"

"It's just a hobby of mine. My dad is a football coach, so when I decided to play, he kind of forced it into being the biggest thing in my life. And I also play basketball. My dad doesn't know I'm into art, so he thinks I want to spend all my time playing sports." He shrugs and grins down at me. "But yes, I do like to paint... a lot."

"We have a room dedicated to art here. There a tons of paintings lining the walls of that room. It's one of my favorites, personally." His eyes light up, and I can't help but let out a soft giggle. "And there's another room that my Aunt May paints in. It's an all white room, and a bunch of our friends and visitors that come here like to paint on that wall. It's its own kind of beautiful. I'll have to show you some time."

"I would love that, Princess Amberly, you don't even know." He nods rapidly. "I love football and basketball and everything, but painting makes me feel alive." He pauses, a frown crossing his face. "Sorry, I probably sound stupid. I-"

"Nathaniel- uh, Nathan, why didn't you tell your dad? If you're passionate about it, why don't you want him to know?"

"I come from a big family... I have five sisters. Three of them are triplets. I'm his only son. He's so passionate about football himself, and he wants so badly to pass that onto me. I can't disappoint him, you know?"

"I know exactly how you feel. But don't worry... there's no disappointment here. You can be whoever you want here, and I will still accept you."

I didn't mean for the words to come out like that.

"Will you now?" His eyes twinkle. He's so... I can't even describe the feeling I get when our eyes meet. I've never felt it before.

As I open my mouth, thunder cracks outside. I jump- loud, surprising noises always seem to drive that reaction out of me. I was so focused on Nathaniel that I didn't even realize it was raining.

It takes me a moment to realize that I jumped right into Nathaniel's arms. I look up at him, embarrassed, just to find him watching me with a tiny smile on his face.

"I think it's been ten minutes," I say quietly, unable to suppress a smile.

"It was a pleasure," he replies, kissing my hand before turning and exiting the room.

I hold my hand to my chest for what seems to be forever, trying to figure out what this is I'm feeling.

-

"Hello again, gentlemen. I have chosen twelve of you to leave the palace this evening. I'm very sorry it has to be this way- you all seem like wonderful men, but I felt I was unable to connect to twelve of you. Those twelve are as follows: Aiden Danvers, Elijah Degray, Liam Falkov, Oliver Devlin, Wyatt Wolfhart, Landon Moreau, Gavin Sterling, Nolan Barnaby, Hudson Norcross, Trevor Bellemore, Elliot Kasters, and Micah Abner. Your maids will help you pack and you will be on your way shortly. The rest of you- I will see you for dinner."

-

Damn. That was long. Hopefully not too long and boring!

I think Amberly has found a few favorites!

What do you think of the suitors so far? We'll get to know them better next time. Comment your thoughts below!!