I giggled, happy to see Henri’s huge smile when Erik was done. The entire room erupted in applause, and I got up on tiptoes to whisper in his ear.

“Good, good.”

He beamed. “Good, good?”

I nodded.

“Your Highness, this is an extraordinary complication in the Selection process,” Gavril gasped. “How do you manage?”

“Right now, with two things: patience and Erik.”

There was a smattering of laughter across the room.

“But how could this work? At some point it would have to change.”

This was the first time in my life that I’d ever wanted to run over, grab my chair, and fling it across the room at Gavril Fadaye.

“Yes, probably, but there are certainly worse things than a language barrier.”

“Could you give us some examples?”

I motioned for Henri and Erik to go sit down, and worked very hard not to laugh at how quickly Erik moved. Henri gave me an affectionate smile as he left, and that inspired me.

“Well, since this began with Henri, let me use him as an example. We have to work hard to communicate, but he’s an incredibly kind person. Whereas Jack and Burke spoke perfect English but behaved rather poorly.”

“Yes, we all saw the story of Burke’s fight, and let me say, I’m happy to see you were unharmed by that outburst.”

Uninjured? Sure. Unharmed? That was questionable. But no one would want to hear about that.

“Yes, but they seem to be the exception, not the rule. There are so many candidates I could brag about.”

“Oh? Well, don’t let me stop you!”

I smiled and peeked back to the boys. “Sir Hale has incredible taste and works as a tailor. I would not be surprised to see all of Illéa covered in his designs one day.”

“I love that dress!” he called.

“I made it!” I yelled back, unable to contain my pride.

“Perfection.”

“See,” I said, turning back to Gavril. “Told you he had good taste.” I looked around again. “Of course, I’ve already mentioned Sir Baden’s musical skills, but they’re worth bringing up again. He’s so talented.”

Baden gave a quick nod, and, if he was still irritated, he was covering it well.

“Sir Henri, I’ve discovered, is an amazing cook. And it takes a lot to impress me in that department because, as you know, the palace chefs could rival anyone in the world. So trust me when I say you’re jealous of me because I’ve gotten to taste his food.”

More laughter filled the studio, and I caught a glimpse of Dad in a monitor looking so, so delighted.

“Sir Fox . . . now, some might not be aware of what a valuable skill this is, but he has the ability to make the best out of any situation. The Selection can be stressful, and yet he is always looking at the bright side. He’s a pleasure to be around.”

I shared a gaze with Fox, and, even with the gash on his head and his bruised eye showing slightly through the makeup, he looked as far from menacing as possible. I was glad I’d let him stay.

“Anyone else?” Gavril questioned, and I scanned the boys. Yes, there was one more.

“Most people have a hard time believing that I don’t know Sir Kile backward and forward because we’ve lived in the same place our whole lives, but it’s true. The Selection has allowed me to get to know him much better, and I’ve now learned that he’s a very promising architect. If we ever needed a second palace built, he’s the first person I’d call.”

There were some sweet sighs around the room at the idea of childhood friends finally becoming possible lovers.

“Although, I can confirm, he needs help in the hygiene department,” I added, sending the room into laughs again.

“It sounds like these are some truly amazing young men!” Gavril called, beginning another round of applause for them.

“Absolutely.”

“So, if you’re so impressed, I have to ask: has anyone got a special place in your heart just yet?”

I found myself fiddling with my hair. “I don’t know.”

“Oh, ho!”

I giggled, looking down. This wasn’t real . . . was it?

“Does it happen to be anyone you mentioned?”

I slapped his arm playfully. “Oh, my gosh, Gavril!”

He snickered, as did most of the room. I fanned myself with a hand and turned back to him.

“The truth is, it’s still difficult to talk about this so publicly, but I’m hoping to have more to say in the future.”

“That’s wonderful news, Your Highness. Let me join all of Illéa in wishing you luck as you look for your partner.”

“Thank you.” I nodded my head modestly and casually peeked over at Dad.

The expression on his face was one of disbelief, almost as if he was optimistic. It was bittersweet for me, to feel so unsure about the whole thing but to see that even the slightest glimmer of possibility took so much worry out of his eyes.

For now, that would be enough.

CHAPTER 27

“IT’S BAD.”

I lay on Ahren’s bed, curled in a ball while he sat upright, telling me everything Mom and Dad didn’t want to.

“Just say it.”

He swallowed. “It always seems to start in the poorer provinces. They’re not rebelling, not like when Mom and Dad were kids. . . . It’s more like they’re uprising.”

“What does that mean exactly?”

“They’re rallying to end the monarchy. No one is getting what they want out of the caste dissolution, and they think we don’t care.”