“Well, then you’d love Whites,” he said with a laugh. “I only get out when I have to.”

“Excuse me.”

Whites Boy and I turned to the newcomer. This one I knew.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness, but I was hoping I could steal you away for a moment.”

“Certainly, Holden.” I took his arm. “Nice talking to you,” I said to Whites Boy, who looked a bit forlorn.

“I hope that wasn’t too rude of me,” Holden said as we wandered away.

“Not at all.”

We moved slowly, and he seemed comfortable, like he’d walked with a princess dozens of times.

“I don’t want to keep you. I only wanted to tell you that I admired the way you cut people last week.”

I was taken aback. “Really?”

“Absolutely! I admire a woman who knows what she wants, and I like that you’re assertive. My mother is the head of a lab back in Bankston. I know how hard it is to run something that small, so the pressure you must be under is hard for me to imagine. But you do it well, and I like that. I just wanted you to know.”

I stepped back. “Thank you, Holden.” He nodded, and I walked away, lost in thought.

This entire situation only confirmed what I knew to be true: If I came in sweet and gentle, no one would take me seriously. If I had kindly tapped people on the shoulder and hugged them on their way out, would Holden have admired me less? The whole thing was—

“Oh!” I fell to the side, only missing the ground because of a pair of steady arms.

“Your Highness.” Hale clutched my arms, helping to pull me up. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you.”

I heard the click of a camera nearby and pushed my cheeks up into a smile.

“Laugh,” I said through my teeth.

“Huh?”

“Help me up and laugh it off.” I giggled, and after a moment Hale gave a few chuckles.

“What was that about?” He kept the smile on his face.

I straightened my dress as I explained. “The camera crews are watching.”

He glanced to the side.

“Don’t,” I urged, and he faced me again.

“Yikes. Are you always on the lookout like that?”

This time my laugh was genuine. “Basically.”

His smiled faded. “Is that why you ran away the other night?”

My face became serious as well. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t feeling well.”

“First you run, and then you lie.” He shook his head, disappointed.

“No.”

“Eadlyn,” he whispered. “That wasn’t easy for me. I don’t like talking about my dad dying or my mom having a hard time keeping a job or my family losing our status. That was difficult for me to share. And when we started really talking about you, you left me.”

That prickling, naked feeling came over me again.

“I sincerely apologize, Hale.”

He studied my face. “I don’t think you mean that.” I swallowed, nervous. “But I like you all the same.”

I looked up at him, mesmerized by that possibility.

“When you’re ready to talk—to really talk—I’ll be here. Unless, of course, you come in and ninja eliminate me like you did those other guys.”

I laughed awkwardly. “I don’t think that’ll happen again.”

“I hope not.” Hale stared, and I didn’t like that his eyes felt like they could dig several layers beneath my skin. “Glad your dress didn’t get stained. Would have been a pity.”

He went to leave, but I grabbed his arm. “Hey. Thank you. For being reserved on the Report.”

He grinned. “Something every day, remember?”

CHAPTER 18

“ALL RIGHT, YOUR HIGHNESS, WHENEVER you’re ready.”

The makeup girl did a last check, and I corrected my posture, reviewing the names in my head. I nodded, and the light on the camera turned red, telling me we were filming.

“You’ve seen the extravagant tea party, you heard about the delicious food, and you saw all the breathtaking fashion; but who did you think should be eliminated?

“Yes, Sir Kile looked somewhat less than manly in my tiara, and Sir Hale nearly swept me off my feet . . . in a bad way,” I concluded with a grin. “But, after much deliberation, the two Selected leaving us today are Kesley Timber from Whites and Holden Messenger from Bankston.

“How is your favorite doing? Dying to learn more about the remaining contestants? Hungry for more Selection-related news? Tune in to the Report each Friday night for updates from me and the gentlemen themselves, and don’t forget to look out for exclusive programs dedicated to the Selection exclusively on the Public Access Channel.”

I held my smile a few seconds longer.

“Cut!” the director called. “Excellent. Sounded perfect to me, but let’s do one more for good measure.”

“Sure. When will this go out?”

“They’ll edit all the footage from this afternoon’s party tonight and get it on air tomorrow, so this should be out on Monday.”

I nodded. “Great. One more time?”

“Yes, Your Highness, if you don’t mind.”

I swallowed and went over my speech again before pulling myself up into the exact same pose.

At ten past nine I heard the knock on my door, and I skipped over to answer it. Kile was there, leaning against the doorframe, tiara in hand.

“I heard you were missing this,” he said jokingly.

“Come in, loser.”

He passed through the doorway, looking around again as if I redecorated my room daily. “So am I getting cut yet?”