Chapter 9 Chapter nine

I thought the welcome party at the airport was grand enough, but I didn't expect that the avenue leading to the palace was full of people shouting blessings to the convoy.Too bad we couldn't roll down the windows and wave thanks.The guard in the front seat said to think of himself as already a peripheral member of the royal family.While there are many who love us, there are also those who wish to hurt the prince by hurting us, and thus shake up the monarchy. I was seated next to Celeste, with Ashley and Mary sitting across from us.The back seat of this car is two rows of facing seats, and the windows are all dark glass.Mary's face lit up as she looked out the window, because her name was on so many signs that her fans were too numerous to see at a glance.

Ashley's name also pops up here and there, probably in about the same number as Celeste's, and a lot more than mine.Ashley is decent, taking it easy on her fans which isn't a lot.In contrast to Celeste, she was a little annoyed. "What trick do you think she's up to?" Celeste whispered to me while Mary and Ashley were chatting about their hometown. "What do you mean?" I whispered back. "So popular. Do you think she bribed anyone?" Her cold eyes focused on Mary's face, as if she was desperately calculating Mary's worth in her mind. "She is at the fourth level, and it is impossible for her to have the ability to bribe someone." I expressed my doubts.

Celeste smacked her lips, turned her eyes out of the window and said, "Please, a girl can always find a way to get what she wants." It took me a few seconds to understand what she was implying, which made me feel uncomfortable.It's not because it's impossible for an innocent girl like Mary to sleep with someone in order to get high--and it's against the law--it's because at this moment I finally understand that life in the palace may be much more dangerous than I imagined . On the way to the palace I couldn't see very well out of the window, but it was impossible not to see those high pale yellow stucco walls.When we arrived, the gates of the palace opened immediately, and guards stood guard on the high walls on either side of the gate.After entering the gate, a long gravel path extends in, first passing a fountain, and then reaching the front gate of the palace, where some staff members are waiting to welcome us.

After a hasty greeting, two women held my arms and led me into the house. "Sorry, we have a rush, ma'am, your group has been delayed," one of them said. "Oh, that must have been me, I was talking too much at the airport." "Talk to the crowd?" another asked in surprise. They looked at each other, and I couldn't understand what that expression meant.Then, they gave us a brief introduction every time they passed by: the restaurant is on the right hand side, and the main house is on the left hand side.When I glimpsed the vast garden beyond the glass door, I wished I could stop there.But before I figured out where I was going, they had already led me into a room where many people were busy.

A group of people went out.I saw rows of mirrors in the room, and some people were doing hair and nails for the girls sitting in front of the mirrors. The hangers were full of clothes, and people kept shouting: "I found hair dye!" "This will make her look fat." "They're here!" A woman walked towards us, obviously the person in charge here, "I'm Sylvia, I called you." After she said this, she acted as a self-introduction, and immediately Get to work, "First thing, we're going to do a 'before' photoshoot. Come over here," she said firmly, pointing to a chair in front of a backdrop in the corner, "Ladies, no Mind the cameras. We're going to do a show about remodeling, and every girl in Ilia wants to see our remake of you."

A team of people with video cameras, of course, walks around the room, focusing on the girls' shoes and interviewing them.After the photo was taken, Sylvia ordered loudly: "Take Ms. Celeste to workbench No. 4, and Ms. Ashley to No. 5... It seems that the work on No. 10 has just been completed, so take Ms. Mary there." Come on, Ms. America to number six." "Here's the thing," said a short, dark-haired man, pulling me into a chair with the number six on it, "we need to discuss your image." Business-like. "My image?" Am I not myself?Wasn't it the image that brought me here?

"What image should we make of you? Your red hair can easily be made into a sexy girl. However, if you don't want to be sexy, we can also make it in other directions." He still had a business-like tone . "I won't change myself to cater to a man I don't know at all." I added another sentence in my heart: besides, I don't like this man either. "Oh my God. Did we meet a personality?" he exclaimed, thinking he thought I was a kid. "Don't we all have personalities?" The man smiled at me: "Well, in this case, we will not change your image, only improve it. I need to polish you, but your aversion to all fake things is probably your The biggest advantage. Keep it up, baby." He patted me on the back and walked away to call a group of women over to work.

Unexpectedly, the "sanding" he said was serious. These women actually scrubbed my body, as if it was impossible for me to wash myself clean.Every inch of my skin was then lathered with various body lotions and oils, leaving me smelling like vanilla.The girl who rubbed me the oil said it was one of McKesson's favorite scents. After they've gone all out to get my skin soft and smooth, the attention turns to my nails.I watched as my nails were manicured and even the little crusts on the edges were miraculously worn away.I told them I didn't want nail polish and they were disappointed, so I just said toenails.One of the girls picked a nice neutral color to paint, so it's not bad.

The team that did my nails handed me off to another girl, and I sat in a chair for the next round of facials.A team of photographers passed by and panned the camera to my nails. "Don't move," the woman said commandingly, squinting at my hands, "do you have anything painted on your nails?" "No." She sighed, took the shot she wanted and left. I let out a long breath, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw some strange movements on the right side.Looking over there, there was a girl covered in a big robe, her legs dangling dully. I asked her, "Are you okay?"

Shocked by my voice, she sighed. "They wanted to dye my hair blond. They said blond would go with my complexion. I guess I was a little nervous." She smiled at me reluctantly, and I smiled back. "You're Suzie, aren't you?" "Yeah." This time she smiled more sincerely, "Are you America?" I nodded, "I heard you came with that Celeste, she is really annoying!" I rolled my eyes.Every few minutes since we've been here, Celeste can be heard yelling at the poor maids, telling them to fetch things, or just tell them to fuck off. "You can't imagine." I muttered something, and then we both laughed, "Listen, I think your hair is already very beautiful." It is true, her hair color is neither dark nor light, The gloss is very full.

"thanks." "If you don't want to stain, there's no need to do that." Suzy smiled, but I could tell she wasn't quite sure if I meant well or was trying to trip her up.Before she could speak, the group rushed to work again, and their loud discussions made it impossible for us to continue talking. They wash, condition, moisturize, and comb my hair.All my hair was the same length when I came in - the guy who cut my hair was my mom and all she could do was cut it straight - but after these guys did it, my hair was a few inches shorter, And there are layers.I love it, the layers give my hair a nice look in the light. Some girls do what they call highlights, others, like Suzie, just change the color of their hair completely.My hairdresser and I don't think I need to make any changes in this area at all. A very good looking girl did my makeup.I asked her to only wear light makeup, so it worked out fine.After putting on makeup, many girls either look more mature, younger, or more refined.And after I put on makeup, I still look like myself.Of course, Celeste is like herself, too, in that she insists on doing her own make-up. I did this whole remodeling process in a bathrobe.Finally, I was led to rows of clothes.A sign with my name on it hangs on a hanger with seven skirts, and it looks like we won't have much chance to wear trousers. In the end, I chose a creamy off-the-shoulder dress with a close-fitting waist that just reached the knees.The girl who helped me dress me called this dress the little everyday dress, and she told me that the evening dresses are already in my room, and that the little dress with my name on it will get to me later Room.She fastened a silver pin with my name on it to my chest, finished off with a pair of mid-heeled shoes, and sent me back to the corner where I started for the "after" photo shoot. There I was assigned to four booths against the walls, each with its own backdrop and camera. I obeyed the command and sat down to wait.A woman came over with a folder in her hand and asked me to wait while she looked for information about me in the file. "What is this for?" I asked. "Remodeling special. Tonight we will air your arrival, Remodeling will be on Wednesday, and then we will have your first interview on Friday. People have seen your pictures and read your writing The information on the application form." She found my profile page, pulled it out and put it on the top, then crossed her hands, and continued: "It is impossible for people to really like you until they really know you. We Today is just a short interview. In the follow-up reports, you can do your best. And, you don’t have to feel embarrassed to see us in the palace. Although we won’t be there every day, it is inevitable that we often meet .” "Okay." I said obediently.I really don't want to talk to the camera, how all this is so off-putting. "Okay, America Singer, is it?" she asked in an interview tone as the red dot on the camera came on. "Yes." I tried my best to sound less nervous. "I have to be honest, you don't look like you've changed much. Can you tell us about today's remodel?" I thought about it: "They gave my hair layers and I love it." I run my fingers through my hair and feel how professionally conditioned each strand feels to the touch: “They slathered me in vanilla-scented body lotion and now I smell like a dessert Same." I sniffed my arm. She smiled: "It's so cute. This little dress suits you too." "Thank you," I looked down at the new dress on my body. "I don't usually wear dresses very much. It really takes time to get used to it." "By the way," the interviewer reacted, "you are one of three fifth-level girls selected, how has the experience been so far?" I thought hard, trying to find the words to describe all the feelings I have today.From the disappointment of the square, to the excitement of flying, and the comfort Mary gave me. "Surprised." I said. "I believe there will be more surprises in the days to come," she commented. "I hope it's at least a little calmer than today." I sigh. "How do you see your competitors so far?" I swallowed: "The girls are all very good." Except for a certain young lady. "Yeah." She replied meaningfully, as if she had read my mind, "Are you satisfied with your new look? Does anyone else's new look make you feel pressured?" I thought about it, and it would be presumptuous to say there wasn't one, but it would be too throne-hungry to say so: "I think the staff brought out every girl's charm." She smiled and said, "Okay, I think that's enough." "And that's all?" "We're going to cram thirty-five candidates into an hour and a half, so that's enough." "Okay." It's not that difficult. "Thank you for your time, please sit on the sofa over there, someone will guide you." I got up and went to the round sofa in the corner to sit down. Sitting there with me were two candidates I hadn't met yet, and they were talking softly.I was looking around the large room when someone came in to announce that the last of the girls would be arriving soon, and then there was a new round of bustle at the dressers.I was so engrossed that I didn't even notice that Mary was sitting next to me. "Mary! Your hair!" "Yeah, they got some hair extensions for me, do you think Maxon would like it?" Her expression was real concern. "Got it! What man doesn't like a blonde?" I said with a hint of sarcasm. "America, you are so kind. No wonder the people at the airport like you so much." "Oh, I just wanted to be nice. Did you interact with the people too?" I responded. "Yes, but it's really not half as much as yours." Being praised like this, I lowered my head a little embarrassedly, then turned to the two girls sitting next to me.Nobody introduced them to me, but I knew they were Imega Brass and Samantha Lowell.They looked at me with strange expressions, but before I could react, Sylvia, who had greeted us earlier, had already walked in front of us. "Okay, girls, are you ready?" She looked at her watch and looked at us expectantly, "I'm going to show you the palace, and then go to the room that has been arranged for you." Sylvia clapped her hands, and all four of us got up and followed her.She said that the room we are in is a ladies' space, usually only the queen and her maids, and a small number of female royal family members can relax and entertain here. "Get used to this place, you will spend a lot of time here. Walking in, you will pass the hall, where parties or dinners are usually held. If there are more people selected, you will have to eat in the hall, but the regular The dining room is big enough for you, so please move in." We were led to the room where the royal family usually dined.The royal family used a separate table, and we were arranged on long tables on both sides, which together resembled a rigid U-shape.Each of us has a nice name tag on our seat.I'll be sitting between Ashley and Tinny Lee, across from Chris Amber.Just now I saw Ding Ni in the women's space. We left the restaurant and headed down the stairs to the room where the weekly Ilya Capital Report was broadcast.Before coming down, Sylvia pointed to a door at the other end of the corridor and said that it was the workshop of the king and Maxson, and it was an area where we were forbidden to set foot. "The entire third floor is also forbidden. The royal family's private space is upstairs, and any violation of their space will not be tolerated. Your rooms are all on the second floor, taking up most of the guest rooms. But don't worry , we also have rooms for other visitors." "These doors lead to the back garden. Hello, Hector, Maxson." The guard guarding the door nodded to her, and it took me a while to figure out that the big arch on the right was through The side door to the hall, that is to say, the ladies' space is at the front corner.I was proud to be able to figure out the direction myself, because the palace is a luxurious maze. "Under any circumstances, you are not allowed to go outside." Sylvia continued, "We will arrange time for you to go to the garden during the day, but you must not act without authorization. This arrangement is entirely for safety reasons, although we try our best to prevent , but the rebels still sneaked in." It's really chilling. Walking around a corner, we walked up to the second floor on the wide stairwell.The carpet underfoot was so soft and luxurious, I felt my feet sink in with every step.The sun shines in through the huge windows, and the room is filled with the smell of sunshine and the fragrance of flowers.There are many oil paintings on the wall on the other side, which depict the previous kings of the country and several former leaders of the United States and Canada.Of course, I'm just guessing, since none of them wore crowns. "Your luggage has been placed in your respective rooms. If you feel that the decoration style of the room is not suitable for you, just tell your maid. There will be three maids for each of you, and they are already waiting for you in the room. They will help you clean up , to help you dress up for dinner." "Before dinner, you're going to watch the Ilia Capital Report special together in the ladies' space. Next week, you'll be able to see yourselves on the show! Tonight you'll see footage of you leaving home and arriving at the palace segment, they said it would be a very interesting broadcast. You know, Prince Maxson hasn't seen any information about you today, and he will watch the show with the whole country tonight. Then, tomorrow, you will be able to watch with him We've officially met." "The selected girls will have dinner together, and then you can get to know each other. Then, tomorrow, the competition will officially begin!" I swallowed.Too many rules, too many systems, too many people, I just want to be alone with a violin. We walked in the corridor on the second floor and sent the candidates to their rooms one by one.My room is tucked away in a small hallway next to Balie, Dinnie, and Jenna.I'm glad that my room is not in the central area where people come and go like Mary's room, maybe in this way, I still have a little privacy. After Sylvia left, I opened the door of my room, and I was greeted by three girls who cried out in surprise.One was sewing in the corner, and the other two were cleaning an otherwise perfect room.Immediately they ran up to me and introduced themselves as Lucy, Anne, and Mary, but immediately I couldn't tell which was which.It took me a long time to persuade them to leave. I really don't want to be indifferent to their enthusiastic help, but I also want my own space. "I just want to take a nap. I think you're tired from getting ready for the day. It's best to give me a rest now, and you too, and wake me up before you go downstairs." Then there was a series of thanks and bows, and I couldn't persuade three people to live alone, so it was useless at all.I lay in bed, trying to stretch, but every inch of my body was tense, and they wouldn't let me relax in a place that clearly wasn't for me. There's a violin in the corner, and a guitar and a nice piano, but I'm not in the mood to touch them yet.My backpack was quietly placed by the bed, but I was too tired to pack it and didn't want to touch it.I know I have something special in my closet, drawers, and bathroom, and I don't feel like digging through it. I lay on the bed, motionless.Then, what felt like a few minutes later, my maid knocked on the door.I let them in, and then, just numbly, asked them to change my clothes.They were so excited to help me that I couldn't tell them to leave. They combed my hair, fastened part of it with fancy bobby pins, and touched up my makeup.The gown on me and everything in my closet were handmade by them.Tonight I'm wearing a floor-length dark green dress, but I don't want to wear stilettos because I'm afraid of falling.Just after six o'clock, Sylvia knocked on my door and took me down with three neighbors.We waited for everyone in the foyer before heading to the women's space together.Mary saw me and walked with me. The sound of thirty-five pairs of heels striking was like an elegant marching song, with a few whispers mixed in, but most of the people remained silent.I noticed that the door to the dining room is closed, are the royals in there now?Enjoying a last supper for three alone? As their guests, we haven't met any of them, which is weird. The ladies space is completely different from what it was in the afternoon, all the dressers have been removed and now replaced with some chairs and tables, and a few comfortable looking couches.Mary looked at me and tilted her head towards one of the couches, and we sat down on it together. After we all sat down, someone turned on the TV so we could watch The Report together.It was the same routine at first, reporting on the progress of various projects, the situation of the war, another raid by the rebels on the east coast, and then there was half an hour left for Gavriel to comment on the record of our itinerary today. "This is the case of Lady Celeste Newsom saying goodbye to Claremont's supporters. It took the lovely lady a good half an hour to make her way through the crowd." Celeste looked smug when she saw herself in the picture.Sitting next to her was Valleil Pratt, with waist-length straight hair of pale blond.I really don't have any euphemisms to describe it: her breasts are so big that they almost jump out of the tube top dress, and it is impossible not to notice. Valliere was beautiful, a typical beauty, a bit like Celeste.The image of the two of them sitting together made my mind pop: keep your enemies close to each other.I believe that they will immediately see each other from the crowd and regard each other as their greatest competitors. "Other girls from the Middle East are also very popular. Ashley Bruyette's elegant demeanor immediately reveals her ladylike qualities. In the crowd, her beautiful face still has a humble look, which is similar to that of the queen. Very similar." "Mary Tans' farewell party today was exciting. She sang the national anthem for everyone with the accompaniment of the band." The scene of Mary saying goodbye to the people in her hometown flashed across the screen. She smiled and hugged many people. "Today we interviewed several people, and they all said they liked her." Mary's hand reached out and shook mine.I know, I should cheer for Mary. "Running with Ms. Tans was America Singer, one of three Fifth Class inductees. They photographed me better than I felt I could at the time, and I just remember being in the crowd constantly Looking for someone, full of sorrow.But in the episodes that are airing now, I appear mature and caring about the masses.The shot of my dad and I hugging is beautiful and touching. But those don't compare to the clips of me at the airport. "But we also know that the selection of Fei is not limited to grades. It seems that Ms. America should not be underestimated. As soon as she arrived in Los Angeles, Ms. Singh became the favorite of the crowd waiting at the airport. She kept saying They stopped to let everyone take pictures, signed a lot of photos, and even chatted with some people for a while. Ms. America Singer seemed not afraid of this scene at all. Many people think that this is the quality that the next Faye Wong must have. " Almost all the girls turned to look at me, and from their eyes, I saw the same eyes as Imega and Samantha, and I suddenly understood the meaning of that moment.It doesn't matter what I think, none of them know that I don't want to be Faye Wong at all, in their eyes, I am a threat, and they all want me to leave as soon as possible.