The Princess (The Selection)

Chapter Three

"Be quiet, Charles. No one can know that we are spying on them," I say. Charles rolls his eyes and sits down on the floor next to me. We peek between the columns at the top of the steps. You can hardly see between the few inches between the them so my brother and I are hidden well.

"What happens if we get caught?" Charles asks. I smack his hand and turn to look at him.

"Mother would join us and father wouldn't care. Who would get mad at us? The palace staff? They can't do anything to us like mother and father. I have much more to worry about than that," I say. He sighs and stands up. He begins to pace around and I raise my eyebrows at him.

"What? No one is down there to see us," he says.

"Sit down," I order. He shakes his head and continues to pace back and forth. After a few minutes I sigh and hop up to get him knowing that the final group of men would be arriving soon. I grab his wrist and right as I turn around a gaurd opens the door followed by five men. I fall to the ground, pulling my annoying younger brother down with me.

We both crawl to the railing and peek down. All of the guys are looking around taking in minor details. All accept one. He has dark brown hair and tanned skin where it obvious he has been outside for long hours. His hair is neatly cut and he appears to be freshly shaved. He is positioned in the back of the group and is staring at the second floor balcony. He squints up at the railing and flashes a pearly white smile. He looks away and listens to what the guards are saying before following them down the hallway.

"You almost got us caught!" I say once they are out of sight. He rolls his eyes nd leans his back on the railing posts.

"The guards don't care. And I think that man isn't going to care if you saw. If anything he will think that he has an advantage," Charles says.

"Whatever. Let's go find something to eat. That was the final group of guys anyways," I say.

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"So, Are you ready, Celia?" my father asks. I shake my head and take a bite of my food.

"But she did decide that she was going to spy on them today. We sat at the upstairs balcony and watched people come into the palace for at least an hour," Chalres says. I turn to look at him. He just smirks at me and smack him across the cheek with the back of my hand.

"You little-" I start.

"Celia! You apologize to your brother this instant," my mother says. I sigh. Out of the corner of my eye I can see that both of my parents are trying to contain smiles but I ignore it.

"I'm sorry you little butt brain. I should use my words and not be so violent," I say. This time my father laughs and displays a smile but my mother just raises her eyebrows at me. "I'm sorry," I sigh again.

"So, you were spying on the men?" my father asks. My parents both raise their eyebrows and plaster a mischievous grin on their faces.

"Yes. I did happen to watch them come in. But, I couldn't help it. One of them will be my future husband so I was just curious," I state.

"Well, I guess if there had to be a reason to do so that is a good one. Did any of them happen to catch your eye?" my mother asks. She leans over the table and rests her head on her hand.

"No. They all acted like guys," I say. My mother laughs and a smile finds its way to my father's face.

"That's rude," my brother yells. He tries to kick my leg but hits my chair instead. It causes the chair to tip over and I fall onto the ground. On the way down I hit my head on the table.

"That hurt you jerk-" I start. I stop when my parents raise their eyebrows at the same time again. "I mean, that hurt, Charles. What was that for?"

"You slapped me," he says. He turns away and continues to much on his food. I stand up and pick up the chair.

"Celia, how about you go to the medical wing? The spot where you hit your forehead is beginning to turn purple. If you don't hurry it will begin to swell," my mother says. I nod and walk towards the door. I open it up and step out but I trip over my dress as I close the door. A pair of strong arms catch me as I fall.

"Careful what you do, your majesty. Next time there might not be someone to catch you," a deep voice says. They help me to stand up and I get a good look at the man. He has blonde hair that is neatly brushed. His blue eyes pierce into mine. He towers over my short frame.

"Well, it appears that is so. It's the second time I've fell in the last five minutes," I say. The man plasters a smile on his face.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you do so?" he asks.

"My younger brother kicked my chair and I fell. I hit my head on the table on my way down so I'm on my way to the medical wing," I explain. He nods, the smile still not leaving his face.

"Well, I guess this isn't your night. Would you like for me to walk you there?" he asks.

"I would love to. But, can I at least have your name?" I ask. We begin to walk in the direction of the medical wing.

"I'm Ethan. Ethan Avery to be exact," he says.

"So do you like the palace so far," I ask as the door to the medical wing comes into sight.

He nods but is silent as he thinks about what to say. "It's very different than what I'm used to. I have a small bedroom at home. We weren't poor but we weren't exactly rich, either. My family were Fours before the castes were taken away," he says. I nod as we approach the door.

"Well, it was very nice talking to you. I hope you do get used to this soon. Please don't mention this to any of the other guys. We weren't supposed to meet yet," I say. He nods and walks away after we exchange goodbyes. I hurry into the medical wing so the bruise won't look so bad tomorrow.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and getting to meet one of the guys! And who was the guy that saw Celia on her spy mission? It will be in the next chapter which I am also posting tonight.

I also want to thank everyone for the kind comment. They mean so much to me and I love reading them! I never thought that my writing could ever get such positive comments (from people who aren't in my family). So, thank you all so much!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Selection, Kiera Cass does.