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Chapter 3
A Warm Summer's Afternoon
"Oh my gosh Ella! You are soooo lucky!" Sophie said as the girls drifted into the women's room after breakfast, "You have to tell us EVERYTHING when you get back. He's so dreamy! Its no fair!"
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""Yeah! I can't believe that he picked you for the first date. What did you do?" Ariana asked accusatorily, putting her hands on her hips.
"Yeah, what did you do?" Sapphire asked.
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Ella looked around at the girls congregating before her. Some of the girls had crossed their arms in frustration, other's were shooting her death glares and a few, the quieter ones were staring at her and folding in on themselves insecure in their person and wondering what it was that had made her stand out...
Valentina had stalked off to the opposite end of the room the moment breakfast was finished and was flicking violently through a magazine. Thank goodness she isn't in in this! Ella thought. She couldn't stand another conversation with that girl. Valentina had singled her out on their first day in the palace and made sure that Ella knew that girls like her - 'career girls' Valentina had called them - were beneath her.
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"I don't know!" Ella held up her hands in wonder, unable to keep the grin off off of her face. She was floating on cloud nine.
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"You could look a little less smug about it." Addison snapped. Ella's smile faltered.
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"So what if he asked her on the first date." Valentina scoffed drawing the attention of the room as she threw the magazine aside and sauntered over
"It doesn't mean anything." Valentina flicked her eyes towards Ella and smirked, "Who knows, he might spend some more time with her, and find her dull and boring. I know I would."
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"It's not her fault if the Prince hasn't looked at you twice since you met him!" Skye snapped shocking everyone in the room as she stood up, balling her hands into fists and staring Valentina squarely in the eyes.
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Skye was a quiet and reserved girl. She kept to herself most of the time, so to say that everyone was staring at her utterly gobsmacked was an understatement, "It shouldn't matter to any of you! Ella is a wonderful person and the Prince has made a good choice..."
Ella was touched. Everyone else was attacking her and here was Skye standing up to quiet possibly the most horrible girl in the Selection. Ella tried to catch her eyes but she glanced away staring down at the ground suddenly a little less brave than when she had first stood up.
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"an-and," she faltered, "we shouldn't worry about the Prince's relationship with anyone else. The only thing that any of us should worry about is his relationship with us and our relationship with him."
The girls were all a little taken back by Skye's proclamation and they started around open mouthed and confused. Then tension in the room had dissolved and more than a few of the girls started to look pretty introspective and suddenly uncertain. Why hadn't he picked them first? What did Ella have that they didn't?
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"I don't know," Viviana said, weaving amongst the girls and sitting down near Ella, a genuine smile on her face, "I think he's made a good choice too."
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Skye, Viviana and Ella all shared a smile. Maybe this competition wouldn't be so bad after all.
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~*~
A maid came to collect Ella from the women's room just after midday and she waved a giddy goodbye to Viviana and Skye.
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"Down the stairs and to the left Miss."
"Thank you," Ella breathed. She was practically jumping out of her skin.
"Oh, Miss?" The maid called as Ella Started down the stairs, "Good luck today Miss."
"Thank you."
The maid nodded, offering Ella a quick curtsy before disappearing into the thick of servants scurrying to and fro.
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Ella couldn't remember much of her first conversation with the Prince - she felt like she had blinked at it was over - but she did remembered his warm smile and the rich tone of his laugh.
"Ah-ha! There you are!" The prince crowed as Ella arrived,sweeping into a dramatic bow. Ella giggled despite herself. "I was starting to wonder if I'd have to send out a search party."
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"Oh?" Ella asked, suddenly wondering how on earth she was running late, "Am I late?"
"What? No! No!" The prince laughed, waving her off. He offered Ella his hand as she made her way down the stairs. He smiled broadly at her once she was level with him and she grinned just as broadly back.
She could have be mistaken, but he seemed just as excited as she was about spending time together.
"I was just joking around. You're fine. Come on," he beckoned making a start in the other direction, "I said that I wanted to show you the gardens."
Ella rushed after him, her heels clicking loudly against the cobblestone path.
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"Oh sorry," Julius laughed and swinging around and walking grandly to her side, "May I?" he asked offering his arm.
"Of course," Ella laughed and slid her arm through his.
The two wandered around the gardens for awhile, passing a big pond with a beautiful willow tree, its branches swaying lazily in the warm breeze of the afternoon and a perfectly manicured hedge making a feature out of a fountain and four statues of Ancient Greek men and women.
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"What do you think?" The prince asked as they approached a red and white picnic rug beneath an oak tree.
"Oh my gosh!" Ella breathed, "This is amazing!" The young doctor didn't get a chance to spend much of her time outside and this was a dream come true. Ella wasn't sure what she had expected but it certainly wasn't this.
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"Can I get you a drink?" he asked leading her over to the cooler and producing a jug of what looked like ice tea.
"That would be great!"
The Prince gestured for her to sit at the table and he sat down beside her just a moment later, sliding her a cool glass of ice tea.
"I can't believe this," she breathed more to herself than anyone else.
"What can't you believe?" the prince asked?
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Whoops! Apparently she had said that out loud.
"Just that, 5 days ago I was busy at work and now I am here," she gestured around them, "In this amazing place, eating the most amazing food I have ever tasted, feeling more relaxed than I have in a long time and out here on this amazing day spending time with you. It's just, I've never had anyone do anything like this for me...ever."
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Ella had dated a few guys back in high school and since starting her medical studies she hadn't been on a single date. The most elaborate date that she had ever been on had consisted of dinner and a movie.
"Really?" The prince asked. "I can't believe that," he shook his head, "I've known you for 5 minutes and I figured it out in 1 that you were an amazing woman."
Ella blushed and sipped her drink suddenly uncomfortable. She wasn't used to compliments.
"I can't have been the only man to see that?"
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"I don't know." Ella shrugged, "I guess I just so caught up in my studies. The last date I went on was in high school. No has been around too notice."
"Have you done much travelling?" The prince asked. He was still wearing that amazing grin of his. Plum it! Why did that smile have to make her heart skip a beat like that?
"I was in Rome a few months ago. The coloseum was amazing! In a sucker for the beach though. I went with my parents once back when I was really little," Ella said, remembering the happiness of the vacation, "We went to sunset valley for a week. We spent every waking moment by the beach or in water. I loved it. Have you been to Sunset Valley!"
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"No." The prince shook his head and then reconsidered, "Well technically yes, but it was for political reasons and we spent the whole time in some stuffy manor."
"So politics is not your favourite reason to travel then?" Ella joked.
"No," the prince smiled around his drink, "Definitely not."
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~*~
The two spent the rest of the afternoon together, eventually drifting over to the grass when their glasses were empty and lay down to stare at the clouds together.
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Ella hadn't done something like that since she was a child and she couldn't help but find herself smiling more and more as the afternoon progressed.
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She was having - quiet possibly - the best time of her life. She even hid behind her cards a few times smiling coyly at the prince as he complemented her.
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It was well into the evening as the sun was setting over the water that Julius suggested they retire for the night.
"I hope to see you again soon," He told her pulling her into a warm embrace. Ella hugged him back enjoying the hardened feeling of his chest just a little too much.
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"Same," she breathed....
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...and walked away feeling like she had to pinch herself just to prove that she wasn't imagining this whole thing.
Yep! She was in trouble. There were feelings stirring within her heart she had never felt before and it was scary and exciting all at the same time.
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I won't lie these two made my heart melt just a little! They were so cute together! BUT, there are 17 other women who are meant to fall in love with our Prince and I can't wait to see what is in store for them :wink:
Just who will his next date be with and will one of the girls cheat the system and steal him all to herself in the late hours of the evening?
Next time on the Selection Challenge (a.k.a Chapter 4) :open_mouth:
