#✦ . ˚ starters ˗ˏˋ with your grace; everything falls into place ˎˊ˗

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@theselectedhq​

「 ♕ 」  » “I’m so glad you all have the privilege of recording this monumentous occasion for posterity.” Blanche’s voice was uncommonly cordial as she repeated the sentence, testing out how different emphasises would roll off her tongue. “I’m so glad you all- I’m so glad-” The walk around her room only distracted her. Staring out the window at the bustle of the courtyard, she recollected her thoughts. “Where was I? As the queen for a day I need no more than a moment of your time to address the poverty of the country in terms of solutions. By example, a pre-tax payroll deduction for employee giving, with other words granting the people who donate to charity a tax break, could do wonders for the lower class economy, I think.” It was a borrowed thought. One she’d picked up from a conversation between the boys and politicians she’d waited on last week. Her reflection stared back at her from the mirror, proudly beaming at her for remembering all the words to a speech that ought to make her sound smart or well-educated.

A knock on her chamber’s door startled her. Never one to close or lock up on the servants’ floor, she didn’t even need to walk over. The door pretty much opened itself. How long had her visitor been standing there? How loud had she been practising? To save herself any embarrassment, she told her visitor, “I know I won’t be doing a big speech or something. Just want to be prepared for anything His Majesty may require of me. Can you believe this is happening?”

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@theselectedhq​

「 ♕ 」  » “Now, I would say I’m surprised to see our table nearly empty but we did invite cousin Emmanuel... so I can only be surprised our table is not entirely empty.” Prince Samuel laughed slightly as he picked at his plate with a silver dessert fork. It was the kind of laugh a man uttered when none of his other reactions seemed appropriate. One born out of a dash of self-pity and a sliver of jealousy. He remembered the days where the thought of the palace overrun by women seemed stifling and overwhelming. Now, he hated to admit he’d easily gotten used to the constant, readily available company and even, perhaps, sort of missed it a bit tonight. The moping was all in good fun, however, knowing this absence was momentary. It created more realizations than irritations, really. He glanced briefly over his shoulder to spot most of the contestants, then turned his attention back to the taken seat beside him, “I’m telling you, it’s like the winter of ‘08 all over again. When there was that talent show and... gosh, my apologies, I won’t bore you with that story or you’ll end up leaving too.”

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@theselectedhq​

「 ♕ 」  » Samuel raised his oven mits in the air. “ Very well, I hereby must admit defeat. My gingerbread allies did not win the war against the oven, it seems. ” For a moment, only the clattering of the oven platter against the marble countertop and prince Samuel’s laughter filled the kitchen. There was more flour to be found on the floor than in his batch of cookies, it seemed. Scratching behind his head, he added, “ I would feel terrible to rouse and bring any of our remaining staff down here though to clean this up. How about I promise to show you something I am good at later on, if you wait here while I locate a broom ? ”

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@theselectedhq​

「 ♕ 」  » “ No way... ”  Timila looked through the window, her nose basically plastered against it and her hands soon following. “ It can’t be... ” She whispered to herself although most familiar with the change in scenery outside. Giddily, she reached for the handle, embracing the cold in her hand as she carefully creaked the glass window open. Then: the first touch. Snow ! “ Incoming ! ” The blonde giggled as she threw a surprise attack of a snowball across ( and inside ! ) the room, then quickly averted her gaze as if that would avert the blame away from her as well.

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「 ♕ 」  »  “ Come on, you’ve heard what I said.” Blanche raised an eyebrow at the other, unimpressed by their reaction. The Selection had everyone on edge with new situations lurking around every corner. But for her, most things would always remain the same. “ Take off your trousers, please,” She repeated.

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「 ♕ 」  »  “ It’s okay, have some pie.” Prince Samuel offered the other. Perhaps a weak attempt at handling the stressful events taking place at the palace, but with nothing but a dessert table separating him from the other, it was the first act of kindness on his mind. He put up a smile. “ Goes well with a good tea and good company, after all.”

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「 ♕ 」  »  “ So which one are you fighting for?” Accalia asked in the women’s room. She knew it was unusual for a Selection to be hosted for two princes, but dare she say, it was to be noted in the organisation of the event. Couldn’t the others walk around with a sticker on their chest or something? Apparently not. “ I would’ve figured they’d at least split us up for the classes and communal events, but I guess not.”

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「 ♕ 」  »  “ Pardon my unannouncement, but I think it’s time you and I talk.” King William said while passing by. He had barely left his chambers since the broadcast. With hands in his hair, he had sat at his desk to feverishly study applications of all the new girls day in, day out. Before coming to the conclusion that this wasn’t getting him anywhere and he finally stepped out. There were only two people to blame for this mess and it frustrated him to no end that they couldn’t be fired this very instant. He steadied his breathing and washed away his frown with a little fake smile to keep his composure to the outside world. The last thing he wanted was for any of the girls to catch him in a bad mood.

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@theselectedhq​

「 ♕ 」  » Diplomacy is key at broadcasted events as these. Showing signs of stress was out of the question. So over the years, king William had mastered the skill of counting his own drinks and had thereby learned just how many he needed to appear calm, collected and dare he say, jovial in the public’s eye. A trait that had suddenly grown importance to him after being read poll results from this morning’s national news spread. Apparently the people not only wanted to know who was in charge but who to look up to - preferably, William answered to both. “I do hope you’re enjoying the festivities this evening,” He spoke, mingling around the palace’s big, decorated ballroom. Then, he leaned in to joke out of earshot. “If not, I can personally recommend trying to spot the nicest wig around the room. It's always a head scratcher.” He threw a meaningful look in the direction of Illéa's very own ministers and chuckled.

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@theselectedhq​

「 ♕ 」  » Legs crossed perfectly and back straightened with good posture, Delphine found herself dwelling on memories of home as she sewed and stitched. Time had flown by in the castle and she was none the wiser on her situation. Would she stay or would she go? On the one hand, Illéa’s palace seemed as good a hiding place as any and she hadn’t figured out a way to be sent back home without too much drama anyways. On the other hand... she felt no better off than the webs she had made and held in her hand for the other to see. “ I realize these are not the typical Christmas decorations used around here but where I’m from, these spiderwebs are said to be lucky. ” She smiled fondly at the memory before a sigh escaped her lips. “ Although, some argue they’re just pretty traps. ”

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@theselectedhq​

「 ♕ 」  » “ I didn’t know anything could even resemble the stars but this is just... wow. ” Madelyn held a breath when she gazed along the endless yard. Normally she’d have dragged a telescope out here and her eyes would be cast upwards rather than at the ground, but how could she turn away from the fantastic array of twinkling lights that decorated every low bush and tree in front of her ? She wrapped her scarf around her shoulders as if that would keep the shivers away and completely disctracted, failed to throw more than a glance back at the other when she politely replied, “ Do forgive me but I would love to stay out here just a moment or eternity longer. ”

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@theselectedhq​

「 ♕ 」  » “ No, see, I asked for the split to reach my thigh right here.” Accalia’s finger slipped up to pinpoint the spot on her leg where the silky red fabric of her Christmas gown revealed her bare leg. Had it been a compliment that had led her down the rabbit hole of talking about her clothing choices for the evening or rather someone calling her outfit not fit for the festivities ? She couldn’t quite recall. “ It’s a simple fashion trick to show off the features you’ve got, you know? So being blessed with a 34-inch inseam, I just had to. Despite what the maids said about the fabric being fragile. I’m here and I’m standing, aren’t I ? ” One could almost take that delicious smile as a threat.

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「 ♕ 」  »  “ In conclusion, history isn’t something you study, it’s something you just know.” Lady Elodie spoke, trying to maintain a louder volume than usual. Having all these new students in front of her, that knew little to nothing about a life they wanted to live, brought her back to her first days working here at the palace: it was a little bit of chaos. But she found herself in a superior position and had the perfect excuse to prod around in their knowledge and personal life. Albeit, that advantage was supposedly mutual. “ Do any of you ladies have any more questions? About today, next week’s task or the Selection generally...”