The Daughter of Illéa [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter Twenty

Walking into the food hall, Jess immediately feels something is off. Scanning the table with her suitors, she notices Jack Lee isn't there.

Jess eats her luxurious breakfast, feeling unsettled about everyone looking at her weirdly - if at all. Even Cole looks away.

"Dad?" Jess says, watching everyone avoid her eye contact. "Why is nobody looking at me? Did I do something wrong?"

King Maxon purses his lips and glances at his wife. "You... haven't seen the paper... have you?"

Jess feels her blood run cold. "No... why?"

Stone-faced, Maxon reaches along the table and gets the large sheets of paper.

Jess doesn't even need to open it.

Plastered on the front cover, is a massive picture of her and Jack Lee pressed up against each other on his bed, through the crack of his door.

'There was no competition from the start. Our Future Queen and a Handsome Stranger. More on page 2.' Reads the title.

Jess sinks down into her chair and flicks to the second page.

'Over the past few months, our Princess Jessica has been visiting one of her suitors, Jack Lee from Zuni, in his room nearly every night. When asked what they were doing, Lee subtly changed the subject. As seen in the photos taken, it is obvious as to why he avoided telling the general public what they were doing. It's a tender subject, lust, but these two scandalous young adults - no less a future queen - have no shame in it.

His fellow suitors were interviewed, and they were completely oblivious as to what was going on behind closed doors.

Alejandro Perez, from Bonita, claims that Jessica Schreave would never do something so preposterous, but other anonymous suitors said that, frankly, they weren't surprised.

Jess puts the newspaper down with shaky hands. She looks desperately at her parents. "You don't really... you don't believe that, do you?"

Maxon sighs and scratches his head. "I know my daughter, but I don't know him, Jess. Even I've found myself wondering where you go every night."

Jess holds her head in her hands. All of her subjects believe that she's been sleeping with a stranger since her Selection started. "They're never going to trust me," she groans, true panic settling in. "I just look like an immature teenager who can get what she wants when she wants. They'll never want me as Queen!!"

Later, Jess knocks urgently on Cole's door.

He opens it cheerfully, but his smile fades when he realises who's there. "Oh. Hi, Jess."

"Please, Cole," Jess begs. "You don't actually believe the paper, do you?!"

Cole sighs and leans against the doorframe.

"Come on, Cole, you know me!" Jess pleads.

Cole looks sadly into her eyes. "I thought I did, too. I thought we... where did I go wrong?"

Jess opens her mouth, but Cole holds up a finger. "I'm sorry, Your Highness."

Jess starts to shake her head. "Cole, please-"

He shuts the door.

Jess covers her mouth with a hand and walks backwards. Her face becomes soaked with moisture. She runs back to her room and collapses on the bed.

The fact that her maids don't ask what's wrong proves that they know exactly what is wrong, and they know that absolutely no one can fix it.