Beyond Her Beauty

CHAPTER 2 (Wedding plan √)

“Usually the bride and groom have three bridesmaids. So, Miss Swift, what are your plans for your featured wedding?” Queen Karmilla inquired of Liezel.

“Your highness, I only want two.”

“Is it a two?” Queen Karmilla responded by laughing.

“I only want two bridesmaids, and they have to be my sisters.” Liezel was already staring at me as she told the Queen about her wedding plans.

Before I arrived at the palace, I assumed that because this was such a high-stakes competition, none of the girls, including my sister, would be friendly. The first time we met here at Milléa, Liezel embraced me. Surprisingly, we didn't even realize we were both here, and we'd been there for each other ever since. With one near-exception, we'd never even had an argument because we love each other so much.

Liezel had mentioned a few weeks ago that she didn't think she wanted to be with Kaden — obviously, she didn't. When I pressed her for an explanation.

I also knew that she not hungry to achieve this thing.

“I want seven bridesmaids,” Selena said. “I mean, if Kaden chooses me and I get to have a big wedding. Oh, I changed my mind.”

“Well, I won’t have bridesmaids, period.”

“They’re just distracting viewers. And since it would be televised, I want all eyes on me. Wearing a long white gown with a touch of pastel purple at the end.”

I smirked. It was rare that we all got to sit and talk with beautiful Queen Karmilla, and here Selena was, being a brat and ruining the moment.

“I’d want to incorporate some of my culture’s traditions into my wedding,” Elise added quietly.

“Girls back in Asian ways use a lot of red in their ceremonies, and the groom has to bring gifts to the bride’s family to reward them for letting her marry him.”

Keisha piped up. “Remind me to be at your wedding party. I love presents!”

“Me, too!” Liezel exclaimed.

“Lady Lily the silent one, you’ve been awfully quiet since the time I got here,” Queen Karmilla said. “What do you want at your wedding?”

I blushed because I was completely unprepared to answer. I have no idea how to prepare such a wedding day, since we live in the woods, we live in a peaceful place near the beautiful white river.

There's only one wedding I'd ever imagined, and it was going to be at in Mellow Woods. I wanted to be nature friendly, so I had a lot of flowers and bouquets at each of our guests' tables, as well as some fresh air filled by the tree.

“Well, one thing I've considered is having my father give me away. And isn't having a perfectly normal wedding with a bouquet of flowers at each round table simple but relaxing? I've always loved nature, so that's the only part I've ever wanted.” Embarrassingly, it was right. But I can't say everything I wanted to say because I can't express myself clearly enough — poor me.

“But everyone does that, duh!” Selena complained. “That’s not even original right girls?”

"Except that she chose nature.” my sister said.

I should have been mad that she called me out, but I merely shrugged. “I want to know that my dad completely approves of my choice on the day it really matters. Since that day it's meant a lot for me, it's not just a joke you know?”

“That’s nice,” Natalie said, sipping her green tea and looking out the large opened window.

Queen Karmilla laughed lightly. “I certainly hope your Dad approves. No matter who it is.” Queen Karmilla commented.

I wondered if she thought that, if Kaden had told her about us, but of course! He wouldn't do that.

After 'chit chat' the wedding talk died down, and the queen left to rest in her room. Selena parked herself in front of the large flat screen embedded in the wall, and the

others started a bet game.

“That was exciting,” Liezel said as we settled in at a table together. “I’m not sure I’ve ever heard the queen talk so much to us.”

I also noticed that.

“She’s getting excited, I think.”

Queen Karmilla wants a pretty baby girl — but sadly, she can't carry a new womb.

“Okay, you have to tell me: Do you honestly not have any other plans for your big day or did you just not want to share… hmmm?”

“I really don’t, Liezel.” I promised. “I have a hard time picturing a big wedding, you know?"

Liezel shook her head. “You were a Five. You’re a Three now.”

I disagree, I'm always at the bottom. People hate me for no reason. I'm the bottom of our group of elites.

5 elite age is only 19 or 20 while Prince Kaden is now 20-year-old. I'm 19 and my sister is also 19.

“Right,” I said, remembering my new label, but to think, it wasn't permanent.

“Stop stressing,” Liezel said, reading my face, she already knew if I have a stressful problem.

“You don’t have anything to worry about yet, Lily.”

I was about to protest but was interrupted by a loud cry from Selena.

“Come on!” she yelled, slamming the white remote against the white couch before pointing it at the flat screen again. “Ugh!”

“Is it just me or is she getting worse?” I whispered to Liezel. “And actually, she's being a Diva.”

We watched Selena hit the remote over and over before giving up and going to change the chMariel manually. She kept crashing everything except the expensive base.

“It’s the stress, I think, but yeah, she always likes that from the very beginning.” Liezel commented.

“Have you noticed that Natalie’s getting, I don’t know … more great?”

I nodded, and we both looked over to the trio of girls playing their card game. Kriesha was smiling as she shuffled, but Natalie was examining the ends of her hair, occasionally pulling out a strand she didn’t seem to like. Her expression was distracted. I don't know what I should expect.

“I think we’re all starting to feel the burning fire of the competition,” I confessed. “It’s harder to sit back and enjoy the palace now since we were down from big to small groups.”

I felt that.

Selena grunted, and we peeked over at her but quickly averted our eyes when she caught us looking.

“Wait for a moment,” Liezel said, shifting in her seat. “Uhm, I think I’m going to go to the bathroom. ”

“I was just thinking the same thing. Do you want to go together?” I offered.

Smiling, she shook her head. “You go ahead. I’ll finish my tea first.”

I felt strange. I think she's hiding something from me.

“Okay. BRB.”

I left the Elite Room, taking my time walking down the gorgeous white and gold hallway. I wasn’t sure I would ever get over how spectacular it was here. I was so distracted that I ran smack into a guard as I turned the corner. My tip on my heels brushing the nobles floor. That's insane.

“Oh!” I said.

“Pardon me, miss. Hope I didn’t startle you.” He held me by my elbows, helping me regain my footing.

“No,” I said, giggling. “It’s fine. I should have been watching where I was going. Thanks for catching me. Officer …”

“Woodwork,” he answered, giving me a quick bow.

“I’m Swift," I used my last name instead.

“I know.”

I smiled and rolled my eyes. Of course he knew.

“Well, I hope the next time I run into you, it won’t be quite so literal,” I joked.

He chuckled. “Agreed. Have a nice day, miss.”

“You, too.”

I told Liezel about my embarrassing run-in when I got back and warned her to watch her step. She laughed at me and shook her head.

We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting by the windows, chatting about home and the other girls as we drank in the sunshine. I like the touch of that yellow sunlight into my white porcelain skin.

It was sad to think about the future just then. Eventually the Selection would be over, and while I knew Liezel and I would still be close, I would miss talking to her every day. She was the first real friend I’d ever made, and I wished I could keep her beside me all the time.

As I tried to stay in the moment, Liezel gazed dreamily out the window. I wondered what she was thinking about; but everything was so peaceful, I didn’t ask.

The wide doors of my balcony were open, as well as the one to the hallway, and my room was filled with the warm, sweet air blowing in from the gardens. I had hoped the soft breezes would be a consolation for the fact that I had so much work to do. Instead they distracted me, making me ache to be anywhere but stuck at my desk.

I sighed and reclined in my seat, letting my head drape over the back of the chair. “Marie,” I called.

“Yes, miss?” my head maid answered from the corner where she was sewing. Without looking, I knew that Mary and Lucy, my other two maids, had perked up, waiting to see if they could serve me as well.

“I command you to figure out what this report means,” I said, pointing a lazy arm at the detailed account on military statistics that sat in front of me. It was a task that all the Elite would be tested on, but I couldn’t bring myself to focus on it.

My three maids laughed, probably from both the ridiculousness of my demand and the fact that I’d issued one at all. I wouldn’t have called leadership one of my strong suits.

“I’m sorry, my lady, but I think that might be overstepping my boundaries,” Marie answered. Even though my request was a joke and her answer was, too, I could hear the genuine apology in her voice for not being able to help me.

“Fine.” I moaned, heaving myself into an upright position. “I’ll simply have to do it myself. The whole lot of you are worthless. I’m getting new maids tomorrow. This time I mean it.”

They all chuckled again, and I focused on the numbers one more time. I was getting the impression that this was a bad report, but I couldn’t be sure. I reread paragraphs and charts, furrowing my brow and biting the back of my pen as I tried to concentrate.

I heard Lucy laugh quietly, and I looked up to see what she was so amused by, following her eyes to the door. There, leaning against the frame, was Kadrn.

“You gave me away!” he complained to Lucy, who continued to snicker.

I pushed back my chair in a rush and ran into his arms. “You read my mind!”

“Did I?”

“Please tell me we can go outside. Just for a little while?”

He smiled. “I have twenty minutes before I have to be back.”

I pulled him down the hall, the excited chatter of my maids fading behind us.

There was no denying the gardens had become our place. Almost every chance we got to be alone, we came out here. It was such a stark contrast to how I used to spend my time with Bridger: holed up in the tiny tree house in my backyard, the only place we could be together safely.

Suddenly I wondered if Bridger was around somewhere, indistinguishable from the numerous guards in the palace, watching as Kaden held my hand.