The SelecTXTion

Chapter 9

"Maddie could have never guessed how embarrassing the simple process of taking her seat would have been."

Maddie

written by: j

Maddie had seen all the girls before dinner in the parlor after their makeovers, but for some reason everyone looked even more glamorous in the royal dining room. Maddie looked down at her floor length dress. The dress was light blue and had a fitted v-neck, leafy lace bodice. The leafy lace gradually turned into tulle as the skirt reached towards the floor. Just below her skirt, Maddie wore strappy silver heels. It was the first time she had ever worn heels. She had argued with her stylist that since she was wearing a floor length dress, it didn't matter what shoes she wore, she could wear her brother's sneakers, but that was not a fight Maddie won. Her hair had been trimmed and highlighted and was now loosely curled with a few of the front pieces pinned back. Her makeup was done to accentuate the blue in her eyes and complemented the dress beautifully. Although Maddie wasn't allowed to have a say in her shoe choice, she was thankfully able to refuse all jewelry. Maddie never wore jewelry besides the occasional thimble, which she didn't even consider jewelry. Maddie couldn't really pinpoint why she hated jewelry, but she was grateful her stylist had been flexible and allowed Maddie to wear nothing.

Maddie chose a seat next to Amy who was wearing a stunning emerald green dress. The table was very long as it could comfortably seat 40. Amy was sitting near the end of the table away from the window and Maddie took the seat to her left. While waiting for the royal family to arrive, some of the girls chatted, some of the girls zoned out, and some of the girls were in the middle of a full fledged panic attack. This would be their first time officially meeting Prince Yeonjun as well as the King and Queen. Maddie was nervous for sure, but she wasn't stressed to the point of puking, which looked to be the state of the girl sitting across from Maddie. Maddie remembered her name was Tara, from Yukon. Maddie reached over and put her hand on her elbow.

"Are you okay?" Maddie asked quietly to Tara.

"I don't feel very well, but I'm okay. I'm sure of it," Tara replied in a whisper, breathing heavily after she finished talking.

"Okay," responded Maddie in a tone that implied she did not believe Tara.

Just then, Sylvia stepped into the dining room followed by a short guard.

"Presenting the Royal Family of Illea. King Jaesung, Queen Alaska, Prince Yeonjun, and Prince Beomgyu," announced the guard as Sylvia motioned for all the girls to stand and smile. Maddie tapped on Tara's shoulder as her head had been on the table for the past thirty seconds and hadn't seen the charades game going on between the girls and Sylvia. Clearly standing up was not the right decision for Tara as she looked even more dizzy after standing up.

The royal family entered the dining room and Maddie could hear the other 34 girls taking a deep breath. First through the doorway was the King, wearing a fashionable gray suit escorting his wife who was wearing a deep blue, simple gown, accented with a silver necklace. Following them was Prince Yeonjun. He was wearing a slim fit black suit with a white under shirt. His suit jacket was unbuttoned, as were the first two buttons of his white shirt. From far away, Maddie admired the ensemble, but as he walked closer, she could really get a good look at the excellent tailoring that went into making such a perfect fitting suit. Maddie guessed the precision and sharpness achieved in this outfit probably took a team of three or four seamstresses at least four days. Maddie looked over at Amy and could immediately see that it wasn't the clothes that transfixed Amy, but rather the lack thereof. Amy starred, along with the other 33 girls, at those two unbuttoned buttons and the prince in between. Yeonjun walked with confidence and smiled as he tried to make eye-contact with each girl.