It had been a week since our last meeting.

Shadow would probably be meeting with other nominees and shortlisting them for the final round.

But my life did not have the time to spend thinking about him.

Right now I was sitting at the dining table, being invited for the first time after Dad allowed me to leave my room to have a dinner with my complete family.

I couldn't even remember the last time we sat together around the table - Dad, Mom, Uncle Richmund, Rowena all talking merrily with each other like one happy little family.

Although Rowena was not a part of our actual family, having been present with my grandparents and being the mother figure in my Dad's life, I considered her as the grandmother which I never had.

Looking at the table a feast sat before me. A feast for both my eyes and my tummy.

Starting off with salads of vegetables and fruits there were mashed potatoes, garlic breads and steaming hot tomato soup.

For the main course there sat a huge lemon chicken at the centre surrounded with vegetable curry, steamed rice, more breads - my mouth was watering at this point - also including spaghetti with meatballs.

Finishing this feast consisted of indulging in the soft and moist chocolate lava cake, lemon tart and fudgy chewy brownies.

And the occasion for this feast was none other than I being selected for the third round too.

Wow! Note the sarcasm.

"Let the feast begin," Raising his cup of wine, Dad announced to all the persons sitting at the table.

Without wasting any further seconds, I indulged in the sea of spices and flavours with the river of sweetness floating in my mouth.

As the dinner was coming to an end Uncle Richmund spoke since it wasn't allowed to talk while eating.

"You've been doing great Bridget. Up until now we've received your praises from the King and Queen of Hanor themselves. This itself shows your talent."

"Bridget, your work isn't over yet. You've to win this hunt for the glory of our kingdom depends on you,"
Rowena too joined in to say her words; words with which I didn't agree.

So I presented my views too, "But Rowena, what if I'm not interested in this hunt? What if I don't want to marry Callan?"

"And why wouldn't you want too? Pray tell me Bridget," Rowena inquired.

"I don't know him enough to get married to him. A person must at least be a friend to be even considered as someone to spend one's whole life with. What do I know about him? And without knowing any tiny piece of information, how can I declare that he's the one for me? He could be anyone with his unknown personality. How do we know who's he as a person? And forget about that I don't even know how he looks!"

I took in a long breath as my chest went tight with the lack of air.

The people on the table were all now staring at me.

Everyone.

After few minutes of silence and simple staring Dad was the one to break it.

"Well we certainly don't know anything about the Shadow. But you could be asking to him personally in your meeting with him tomorrow. Also there'll be the other top two selected nominees. You can also talk with them."

"And who are these other two, Dad?"

"Our sources have told us that they are the Princess of Wolin, Princess Audrey and the Princess of Maus, Princess Makayla. Both are exceptionally talented young women and I hope you'll be able to be friends with them."

Audrey and Makayla... I'd had to see who they were tomorrow.

~×~×~×~

I was back in my room, sitting at the window sill as the cold breeze flowed through my hair enveloping my body in it.

It was the perfect help to calm my mind as it now had begun to wander with the thoughts of tomorrow's meeting.

I'd be finally seeing Callan's face. After all these years of waiting.

But how would his facial features be like?

His face seemed kind of satisfactory to look at with the mask. But what if he looked really different without the mask? Oh that'd be such a problem. 

Would I'd had wasted my 10 years of life with no contact with outside world and rigorous training for a person who wasn't even good looking?

Oh God! What was I supposed to do then?

Will he choose me?

But why would he choose me?

Why wouldn't he choose you Bridget?

At this point I decided that I was going crazy with my thoughts and headed over to the bed.

What about Audrey and Makayla?
What kind of girls were they? How had their childhood been?

Would they be friends with me?

Would I be getting an actual friend instead of just my shadow?

My brain wasn't able to sleep until late as random thoughts entered and exited my room of thoughts without any permissions.

Thoughts of Callan were the ones which I remembered entering my room of thoughts before my eyes closed and darkness surrounded me.