All Chapters of The Choice: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

A few days passed after my encounter with Prince Carlos, and many more followed after that. I had to admit, Prince Carlos was not what I expected. He was still quite stand-offish and a bit detached but my time spent with him made me realize he had some sort of humor- and a great taste in books. A few weeks ago, I would never believe that I would call Carlos an acquaintance but there I was. I woke up feeling quite happy, despite the fact that I had dance lessons again. I had long finished 

"Are you sure we're allowed to be in here?" I asked, as Amancio led me through the deserted dance room. "We're not doing anything wrong, are we?" Amancio asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he started the music. "Well, no, but-," I started off but was interrupted by Amancio.&nb

"I'm so nervous, Madeline," Fiona sighed, gripping my hand tightly. We were seated in the salon, along with the other Ladies and everyone was buzzing with excitement (and fear) about The Demi Ball, which was only a day away. I had to admit, with Amancio's teaching, I had gotten noticeably better at dancing but it still wasn't enough to guarantee my success at the ball. I still felt like I would embarrass myself in front of the whole of Aridia. But, on the bright side, I would be going home soon. I could finally leave the

The Demi ball came quicker than I'd expected. It was the last event before The Cut so everyone was busy. Fortunately, I'd managed to escape the frantic Imogen and Lucy and find solace in the garden, a book tucked under my arm. I'm too busy reveling under the soft breeze to see the workman walking right towards me with what looked like ball decorations. "Out of my way!" He grunted and I ducked quickly, barely escaping injury. 

"Esme! Esme Addington, I swear if you don't let me out this instance!" I yelled, but there was no reply. She was already gone. I was more shocked than angry. I knew Esme was cunning but I didn't expect her to do something as drastic as this. I was trapped in the Ladies' Salon and the ball was bound to start at any second. I looked around the Ladies Salon for a way to escape but there was none. The windows were sealed shut and the door apparently, was locked as well. 

I heavily reconsidered my plan as I crept through the royal wing. There was no guarantee that Carlos would be in the library. I desperately needed to tell him what had happened, why I had missed the ball. The ball had obviously ended and the palace was virtually quiet. I had spent almost 4 hours in the Ladies' Salon and was filled with rage. Esme wasn't getting off easy. If I stayed, I would make her pay. 

Excitement mixed with the angst that squeezed my stomach, flipping it in knots. I didn't know why I was so nervous. I had entered the competition hoping to get kicked out at The Cut. Why did I feel like I wanted to stay? Soon, the bell tolled, signifying that dinner was about to commence. 

I was stunned into silence as Lady Gladys left the dining hall. The girls that remained were Esme, Ashley, Isadora, Katherine, Fiona and...myself. I was utterly confused as to why I was still seated and not walking out the dining hall along with the other girls. Were 7 girls leaving instead of 6? I could tell the other girls were confused. Esme's eyes narrowed as she looked between me and King Albert. "We are now down to The Six. One of you, in a few weeks' time, will be betrothed to Prince Carlos and will become the nex

"Lady Madeline, what part of Aridia are you from?" A curly haired woman approached me, a pen and notebook in hand. The grand hall was crazy with journalists and reporters everywhere. They ambushed us as soon as we got in and the amount of attention I was getting was extremely overwhelming. 

The day after the press conference, I woke up extremely bored. Luckily, there were no surprise events so I had the day all to myself- I hoped. With the competition, one could never be sure. I hadn't seen much of Carlos even though the whole point of me staying in the competition was to keep him company. I assumed he must've been busy as I hadn't seen Amancio around either. Princely duties must be exhausting. "Lady Madeline," Lucy and Imogen singsonged as they waltzed into my room.