Dear Juliet (Chosen Sequel) (The Selection Fanfic)

Five.

The 'main' boys ^^

"This is immensely exciting, is it not? So dear, sweet Juliet, you must tell us what's going through your head at this very moment."

I cringed at Robbie Carswell's address to me. 'Dear' and 'sweet' was not the way I wanted my people to view me. But the smile on my lips did not falter, it couldn't falter or I would seem weak.

"Of course I share the excitement of everyone but I also retain some nerves, which is to be expected, for I am potentially staring up at my future husband." I checked over my words after speaking them, one had to be very careful not to slip up.

"Potentially?" Robbie questioned raising his right eyebrow to the cameras. I cursed myself for my small mistake in my wording.

"Potentially meaning if I do not fall in love, I will not force my feelings and I will not marry."

"So are you saying this selection is pointless? The boys are competing for a hand that may never even be won?"

I let out a slow breath in attempt to calm my emotions. He was twisting my words completely. I glanced over at my parents for guidance before cursing myself. I needed to learn how to regain control by myself because one day I wouldn't be able to look at my parents for guidance. 

Instead of getting angry I let out a small laugh. "Now, Robbie, you know that's not what I meant. Let me ask you something, would you really want to be trapped in a loveless marriage for the sake of appearances?" There was silence. "Shall we look at the selected then?" I asked diverting the awkwardness.

"Right, so our princess has yet to look at her candidates, am I correct?"

"Yes, you are correct." This time I wanted to add, but I refrained myself and kept up my princess like poise.

The cameras, Robbie Carswell and I all looked up the overhead screen where the boys would appear displaying their picture, name and small details they included in their applications. Once there would've been a caste included but the castes had finally been abolished under my parents' reign. The post-caste trauma that had inevitably followed would be left for me when I assume the throne, it would be no easy feat but hopefully the selection could provide enough distraction for the time being.

As the names were read aloud I held my smile not wanting to show a favourite to any candidate. Truth be told none of them had caught my eye, not until Oliver Bell. As soon as his picture flashed up on the screen I let slip a small gasp and leant forward to study his face, he was the spitting image of my late brother. I drew my poker face back up as quickly as I'd let it slip praying the cameras hadn't caught my mishap.

A few more names and pictures were rattled off. Joseph Medway. James Oxbridge. Oak Wright. Wyatt Hones. Micheal Cambridge. Angus Adams. Alfie Redrow.

The Angeles candidate was the last to be shown. I felt my muscles tense as I leant forward waiting for the candidate's name to be announced.

What if it wasn't Liam? Would I be heartbroken? But what if it was?

Would I automatically pick Liam? That wouldn't be fair on the other candidates. What if I was forced to pretend not to know who he was was and fake a love story for the cameras?

I guess in my mind I had already let go of him knowing that what we had couldn't last anyway. Not with me being the Heir and him being a kitchen boy. I shook away my nerves, for what could be the chances of me picking his name out of hundreds? 

"Liam Young," Robbie announced in exactly the same tone he used for the others. But my heart was pounding, pounding so loud I was immune to all other sounds in the room. He had been chosen.

Was this fate? If it was fate, should I listen to its calling?

Liam's details flew across the screen announcing his hobbies, his likes, his dislikes. His profile was void of any mention of his position in the palace. As far as the rest of the world knew Liam Young was just another ordinary boy from Angeles whom had been selected for the competition of a lifetime. 

"So anyone piped your interest, your highness?" Robbie asked his voice breaking through my thoughts. 

"Oh I couldn't say," I laughed accentuating my girlish giggle to add interest for the public. 

"We caught your reaction to a Mr Oliver Bell, a potential lover?" The audience whistled along with Robbie's banter. I jokingly held my head in my hands as the cameras played a slo-mo of my reaction from earlier. 

"Potentially," I giggled ignoring the pain that hit my head at the thought of my dead brother. 

 -

"You put your name in the Selection?" My voice came out a quiet and broken but luckily it echoed down the empty hallway until it caused the boy to stop. 

Liam's cheeky grin met my eyes as he rotated to the sound of my voice. My heels clacked against the marble flooring the frequency increasing as I increased the pace until I found myself in his arms. 

"You're not mad?" He asked situating me back onto my two feet.

"Why would I be mad?"

"Because I told you to move on without me, it was quite a dick move." I flinched at his curse. I had never heard anyone curse before and only hearing it made me feel a bit rebellious. 

"I'm glad you did enter, and fate brought us together," I whispered wistfully before capturing his lips with mine. I had never been the one to take control of the kiss before, but this felt right. Everything felt right with him. 

"Yeah, fate," he coughed as we pulled away suddenly finding his shoes very interesting. 

I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion pulling out from his embrace. I questioned him on what that was supposed to mean. 

"When you pulled the envelopes out, I may or may not have switched the Angeles candidate's envelope for my application. I'm sorry but I had to ensure that we'd be together." 

I instantly retracted, a spike of betrayal hitting my head causing me to clutch it in agony. Liam stepped forward to comfort me but I backed away quickly. How could he?

"Get away from me." 

"Wait, you're mad at me?"

"Of course I'm mad at you! You cheated your way into the Selection. Here was me believing that fate wanted us to be together but no, it was just you!" I was practically screaming at this point tears running down my cheeks. "No, you don't get to touch me anymore. You are out as soon as the Selection begins, I don't ever want to see you again." 

He tried again to reach out to me his tear-stained cheeks matching mine. I shook him away.

"Get out!"