Picture is of Amber's dress

I walk down the hall, my cheeks still warm from my embarrassing encounter with the royal family. I made a total fool of myself! 

When I walk by a large set of double doors, a hand suddenly pulls me in.

"Oh!" I exclaim.

"There you are, Miss! Come on! Dinner is at seven, and that's in three hours!" A small girl with pixie-cut brown hair and gray eyes exclaims.

I nod numbly, as she pulls me into a salon stall with two other girls.

"We'll be your maids for your entire stay! I'm Emma," the small girl who pulled me in chirps.

"H-hi."

"I'm Alexa, but I go by Alex," a tall girl with blonde hair and green eyes says.

"And I'm Alice," a girl with short black hair and blue eyes says.

"Um, hello. So, what do you need to do exactly?" I ask them nervously.

"Hmm, well, you're quite groomed. I think just a basic sprucing up is in order!" Emma claps, giggling.

Alice quietly goes off, gathering supplies. 

Let the makeover begin.

Time skip to after the makeover because that's boring...

"All done!" Emma chirps, spinning me around.

I grin. They put some light amber highlights in my hair, even giving me a hidden purple streak. On my lips is a lip-gloss that tastes like vanilla. They didn't put much makeup on me, because I told them I prefer a more natural look.

They also put me in a light lavender dress that flows down to my ankles. It's smooth against my skin, and it makes me feel like I'm someone special. It's definitely a strange feeling to feel important.

"Come on, Miss Amber! We need to get you to dinner!" Alex pipes up, pulling me lightly by the arm out the door.

We walk down the halls, occasionally passing other maids and guards. When we arrive at a set of dark oak double doors, I feel myself start to panic. What if I make a fool of myself again? What if they send me home? What if I get too much attention and say something dumb?

"Hey, calm down, Miss. You'll be fine," Alice softly comforts me.

I nod, inhaling, before exhaling deeply.

"Okay. Bye, guys. I'll see you in my room, I guess," I mumble, before the guards on each side of the doors open them, allowing to see the dining hall.

It's so huge! A long table rests in the middle, five chandeliers hanging in intervals above the table. Tall and wide windows are open along the walls, allowing the last rays of sun to filter in, making all the glass silverware and cups sparkle. Flowers sit on the table as well: big bouquets of roses, buttercups, carnations, lilies, daisies,  and more flowers I don't know the name of.

As I walk in, the girls and the royal family all turn to me. A few empty seats are still present, so I know I'm not the last one.

Feeling heated and heavy stares, I blush, looking down at my flat-clad feet. Arriving at the table, I notice my sister's spot. I guess it goes by last name, because Kiara's seat is second from the royal family. A seat is across from her and another girl with brown hair and blue eyes. Sadly, that seat is not only mine, but it's also right next to the royal family. The table itself is situated with round ends, and the last names must go by starting from the right, then the next on the left, then so on so forth. That's why my seat is across from her's and the other girls; I'm second on the list. 

Next to me, is actually Annabelle. I sit down next to her, smiling softly.

"Amber! You made it! You look stunning!" Annabelle giggles, touching my hair. 

I notice she got some light caramel highlights, and her makeup is light, but enough present to enhance her natural beauty. 

"You do too."

"Thanks."

A minute later, the doors open again, for Brittany and some other girl - obviously another model - with brown hair and eyes. Both of their makeup is heavy, yet still gorgeous, and their dresses show just a bit too much cleavage for my tastes. They sit down, and I notice they were the last ones.

The sound of metal hitting class sounds through the hall.

"Attention, Ladies. It is my honor to welcome you to the Selection! Tomorrow, some of you might be going home, so I suggest you give your best impression tonight. Both princes will be pulling girls away to have a short talk. For now, enjoy your meal!" The King says, grinning.

He sits down, and waiters come in with dinner. The dinner looks mouth-watering, except for the lamb chops. I push those away a bit, feeling sick to my stomach. I'm vegetarian, so eating meat is something I obviously don't do. 

A chair scrapes quietly, and I look up, only to see the girl across from me stand up and walk away with Prince Mason.

Please just be doing one side at a time, please just be doing one side at a time, please just be do-

"Hey, do you want to come with me for a little and talk?" Someone whispers in my ear.

My face goes red, but I nod, getting up and walking away with Prince Tyler.

He leads us to a quiet room with two couches facing each other. He sits in one, while I sit in the other. 

"Good evening, Lady Amber," he greets me, smiling.

"G-good evening, Your H-highness," I stutter, hiding my face in my curtain of blonde curls. 

"So, what are some things you like?" He asks softly, reaching over and tilting my head up lightly.

I almost frown. This isn't the player I've heard about. Either it's a lie, he's changed, or he's a very good player, because I can't tell whether he's being genuine or not.

"Uh, like, hobbies?"

"Sure."

"Um, I like reading, and, um, walking out in nature, and I love baking," I say, my voice lifting up when I think about baking.

"You like to read? I do too. What genres?" Tyler asks me, a light now sparking in his brilliant, green eyes.

"Really any genre. I love them all."

He smiles.

"I'll have to take you to the royal library soon, then." 

I nod, smiling softly.

"How about baking? It seems you really enjoy that? Are you good?"

"I like to think I am. My family and my best friend's family seem to think so."

"Any favorites? I myself have a bit of a sweet tooth," Tyler asks, chuckling a bit.

"Well, my favorite cookie and recipe is pumpkin cake chocolate chip cookies. I don't usually eat pumpkin stuff, but those cookies I love! Then, I like to make anything mint; from cookies, to ice cream, I love mint," I tell him, feeling my smile grow.

"Really? I love mint too," Tyler says, grinning widely.

"Yeah. I also love the color purple and ducks," I finish, sitting back a little.

"Ducks?" Tyler asks, smirking a bit.

"Mhm. I love them."

He chuckles.

"So, are you usually shy?" He suddenly asks.

"What do you mean?" 

"Well, earlier, you were extremely shy, whereas now, alone with just the two of us, you're much more comfortable and excited. Why?"

"I'm usually very shy. I can barely stand having a small crowd around me, but when it's just one other person, I feel a lot more safe. Sorry if I'm weirding you out with my strange like for ducks."

"Oh no! It's fine! I just, was curious." He smiles slightly, leaning forward a bit.

"So, Lady Amber, why did you enter the Selection?"

"I wanted to meet you," I answer honestly.

He grins, his face brightening.

"Why exactly did you want to meet me?"

"I wanted to know the real princes, not just a bunch of rumors. You know, I thought you would be much more of a player than how you seem now. You don't seem like someone who would break girl's hearts just for the fun of it," I tell him.

He sighs, frowning.

"I used to. This whole thing is supposed to help me keep that habit away. Maybe even really find someone to love."

"Oh."

He suddenly smiles again, clapping his hands together as he rises.

"Well, I believe that is it for now. We'll talk more later, Lady Amber," he tells me, walking with me back to the dinner table.

"Call me Amber, please," I tell him.

He smiles softly. I've noticed he smiles a lot, but it's cute.

"Amber it is. My brother will come to you when he does this side of the table. Good night, Amber," he tells me, before asking Annabelle to join him.

I sigh, looking down at my food. That was... fun. I felt like I was actually accepted by him.

My mood now lightened, I continue to eat until my turn with the eldest prince comes. 

Wanna know something funny? For some reason, I COULD not get past the first 24 words of this chapter for three days. I usually have a chapter already made for my next update so I have more time to work on the other, but in the beginning, I had two every time. For some weird reason, I just got stuck with writing this one. I get writer's block often, but I am usually able to pull up SOMETHING with my outline of a plan. Eh, once I started writing, I got carried away. Next thing you know, my chapter is done!

Lol

OH, TELL ME IF THERE ARE ANY TYPOS OR GRAMMAR MISTAKES PLZ, I DO LIKE IT (just be nice tho)

Comment, vote, and share plz!

-Mel