Three

**KELILAH'S POV**

The room buzzed with a tension so thick, it felt like we were all drowning in it. Nathan and his assistant had retreated to the corner, whispering in hushed tones. Their eyes drifted over us like vultures circling their prey, and with each glance in our direction, I felt my chest tighten. The dread simmering inside me was unbearable, and yet, I had no choice but to wait for the inevitable.

When Nathan and his assistant finally made their way back to the podium, the hall fell silent. The air seemed to crackle with anticipation. Nathan's expression was strained, and his voice cracked as he spoke.

"Believe me when I say this is not easy," Nathan began, taking a deep breath. "It hurts all of us, but it's necessary. This is the only way we can fulfill the ancient agreement."

I felt a lump in my throat. Everyone knew about the agreement, but we had always hoped it would never come to this—hoped that, somehow, the king would change his mind. But here we were.

Nathan's voice grew quieter, almost remorseful. "The selection is not personal. To the family that is chosen, you will have two months to prepare your daughter. When the king comes for the wedding, do not resist. Hand her over without struggle."

The entire hall was now tensed as everyone waited for his final decision. But he just remained silent. I wanted to scream, to tell him this was cruel and unfair. But I couldn’t. My heart felt like it was being torn apart in slow, agonizing pieces as Nathan's words hung in the air. He paused, surveying the room, and then spoke again.

"West," he said, his voice cracking slightly. For a moment, I thought he was about to say that she had been choking, and my breath hitched in my throat. But instead, he nodded toward the West family and added, "You may sit."

My head jerked up to know who he had instructed to seet, but then his gaze wad on the West girl, wasn’t it?. Was he telling her to take her seat?. Then who was going to be the bride then. Andersons?.

The relief that had washed over me for a fleeting second had now evaporated uickly when his gaze fell upon me.

"Anderson," he said, his tone final. "Your family has been chosen."

Murmurs erupted from every corner of the hall. I barely noticed them. All I could feel were the eyes of everyone in the room, pitying, watching. . I wanted to scream at Nathan and defy his order in from of the entire members present. But just as I was about to speak, I felt an arm wrapped around me. It was Loveth. She was already a crying mess, her sobs shaking my body. The realization hit me with full force—we were the ones chosen. It was our turn.

I went completely silent as tears began streaming down my eyes. It was really the Anderson's turn. It was our turn!!!.

Back at home, the weight of the decision pressed down on all of us like a heavy blanket. Mother cooked in silence, her face a mask of emotions too raw to show. Father had retreated to his room, no doubt to avoid confronting the inevitable. And Tyra, well, she was nowhere to be found.

I couldn’t sit in my room any longer. I had to check on Loveth. Opening her door, I found her wiping her eyes hastily.

"Loveth, have you been crying?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

"No... of course not," she stuttered, her voice shaky.

I sighed, walking over to sit beside her on the bed. 

"Don’t lie to me, Loveth. I can see the tears."

She stiffened. "I told you, it’s nothing."

"You're upset. I can tell," I persisted, trying to reach out to her, but her walls were firmly in place.

"Kelilah, stop." Her voice broke, and I could feel the tension in the air growing thicker. "It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault."

 I plopped In her bed, but she still remained seated with her back facing me. It was just like her to hide her tears away from me.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you”, she apologized. 

“No need to apologize, Loveth. I’m not even offended”, I

“Still. I shouldn’t have. It’s not like it’s your fault”, she said. 

“What do you think is going to happen” I asked her instead, waving off the topic. 

“We are the only daughters of king Anderson, so it has to be one of us”, she said. 

“But I think something can be done about this. Maybe we can speak to the Nathan and make him change his mind about it, maybe he can choose another family”, I said and she scoffed. 

“It doesn’t work like that Kelilah”, she said. 

“But if…”, I tried persisting, when she snapped at me again. 

“Stop it Kelilah” she said angrily and sat up again. 

“Do you think the other families want to send their daughters too. You think any of the princesses will be willing to exchange places with us”, she asked harshly. 

“We’ll never know if we don’t try” I tried to reasoning with her, but it only made her angrier. 

“Nothing can change our fate now. So It’s better If you wake up from your silly dreams and face the reality. This isn’t the same as making the Edwards sell their stupid company. This is something bigger than any of us”, she yelled as she was breathing harshly when she finally finished talking, making me to feel really hurt. 

Her words cut deep. Loveth had never spoken to me like this before, and the sting of it brought tears to my eyes. I rose from the bed, hiding my face from her, and without another word, I began walking out of her room.

“Spare, I..” she tried speaking, but I was hearing none of it as i made my way out of the door.

In the solitude of my own room, the tears I had been holding back spilled freely. How did it come to this? Why did she snap at me? All I wanted was to make things better, to find a way out. But instead, she shut me down. It felt like everything was falling apart.

I finally wiped my eyes angrily. She was the one who got me upset by losing her temper and yelling at me, so, I concluded that I wasn’t going to speak to her, until she apologized for her blow up. 

The rest of the day blurred by. I kept myself busy, rearranging my room again and again, a mindless task I often did when I was upset. Eventually, exhaustion overtook me, and I fell asleep, only to be woken by a knock on my door.

"Kelilah, dinner will be ready in thirty minutes," my mother’s voice called through the door.

I dragged myself to the bathroom, showered, and changed into my nightwear. The cold air after the shower only deepened the chill in my bones, a reflection of the icy reality we were now facing. As I sat on the edge of my bed, my phone buzzed beside me. It was Jackson.

"Hey," I greeted, trying to sound cheerful, though my heart wasn’t in it.

"Babe, I’ve been calling," he complained.

"Sorry, I was asleep. I didn’t hear it," I replied, forcing a smile he couldn’t see.

“It’s fine. So, we will see tomorrow?” he asked. 

Gently and slowly I gulped. I wasn’t sure father would let me leave the house tomorrow. But I think he won’t have a much problem with it 

“Probably. Loveth and I were supposed to set up her new office today, but with the announcement, we didn’t do it. She might be needing my help tomorrow. But I promise to see you immediately after that”, I replied 

He grunted. 

“Okay. That reminds me, has your family said anything about the selection?”, he asked 

“No. Maybe after dinner. I’ll give you the details tomorrow”, I replied 

“Okay love, good night”, he said 

“Goodbye. I love you” I said but he already hung up. 

I frowned and tossed the phone on my bed, before stepping out of my room, only to see loveth standing at her door. I wanted to smile at her, but I remembered she had scolded me, so I looked away and made my way to the dining room. 

The maids had already set the table and everyone had taken their various positions. I took my position beside mom, while Loveth sat next to me. 

I expected her to whisper her apology so all could be forgotten, but she ignored me and focused on her meal, leaving the distance between us unbridged. Well If that was what she wanted, then so be it. 

At dinner, the tension was palpable. Everyone ate in silence, no one daring to speak of the decision that loomed over us. When the dishes were cleared, Father called us into the living room. Of course he wanted to address the matter at hand

"You all know what happened today," he began, his voice stern. "But I’m not sure you girls truly understand the gravity of the situation."

Mother's voice was softer but no less serious. "One of you will be married to the King of Bazil."

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I couldn’t breathe.

"What? You can't just marry one of us off like this!" I cried out, my voice shaking with disbelief. 

“There is nothing we can do about it sweetie. It’s beyond our control” she said in a small voice. 

“So what are you going to do? Marry your daughters away?”, I yelled. 

“Not daughters. Only one of you will have to get married”, father said. 

“No. That is impossible. Nobody is going to marry the king Korvus”, I scolded. 

As the room fell into a suffocating silence, the truth became inescapable. One of us would become his bride. But who?