After reaching that blessed day of the selection, or as I liked to call it, the day of my sacrifice, I started sweating bullets when my mom came up to me and said she would be the one to take me, not my dad. His response was that my dad could soften up and end up giving in at the last minute.

After that, my mother practically skinned me alive to take a shower and forced me to dress like a 'three,' something I didn't like. After all, I was pretending to be someone I wasn't, and that was enough to make me uncomfortable. Finally, the three of us got into dad's old pickup truck and headed to the selection, packed like sardines in a tight can.

"Did something happen between you two? Don't tell me you argued again"

Layla asked, not taking her eyes off the road but noticing the tension between the siblings.

After my mom asked the question, both Laxus and I decided to remain silent, a silence that lingered in the car for long and painful five minutes. Until my brother decided to break the silence.

"The problem is that 'some people' don't know when to stop talking and always end up talking too much"

Laxus replied, still with a serious face, throwing that indirect at me but not taking his eyes off the window.

"Sometimes, these things happen, and 'some people' end up regretting what they say"

Lucy retorted, giving in. She knew very well that her brother was right in throwing those truths in her face, and he also knew that it was as close to an apology as he would get. After all, he knew very well that Heartfilia women didn't give in when it came to apologizing.

My brother, who was beside me, turned to me and, while looking at me with a calm expression, said:

"I know, but sometimes these 'some people' should try to stop talking so much."

My brother gave me a weak flick on the forehead and then released a small smile, as if saying he had accepted my apology.

"This time you're forgiven, but next time I won't let this pass, understand?"

Laxus asked, now looking at me more seriously.

"Yes, Dad. I understand"

Lucy replied, in a somewhat provocative tone to her brother, trying to dispel the bad atmosphere that had been in the air a few minutes ago.

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My mother, who saw all that at a glance, let out a small satisfied smile at seeing my brother and me getting along. My brother, who was beside me, decided to rest his head on my shoulder. I looked at it confused but decided not to say anything to avoid more confusion.

"You smell like strawberries"

My brother commented with a somewhat sleepy voice, falling asleep right there on my shoulder.

I decided not to answer my brother's question and let him take a nap on my shoulder until we reached the department, as the journey would take a while.

I knew I wasn't the only one, and definitely not the only ones wanting to submit the application for the selection. After almost 1 hour of travel, we finally arrived.

(I knew this place would be crowded. But this is just ridiculous.)

Lucy thought, almost screaming inside as she looked at the street in front of the tea village department with that crowd of women hungry for the selection.

In that huge line, among those man-eaters, there were girls from all over, patiently waiting to enter. The line was huge, and just for you to have an idea, next to each of them, there were three more and so on. The line was already so long that it reached the other side of the block.

I knew I would never win that selection, after all, all the women in the province with the prince's age were there in line to register for the selection. I had accepted that I wouldn't win, but I didn't know if I was scared or relieved by all that.

As I observed the crowd of women in line, Lucy couldn't contain her dismay. The length of the line was a clear sign of how competitive the selection would be. She sighed, thinking to herself:

(I don't even know what to think anymore. And today I won't leave here.)

The line, full of women eager for the opportunity to participate in the selection, extended to the other side of the block. Lucy understood that her chances were practically nil, considering the massive presence of competitors.

But one thing was certain; I didn't care if I would win or lose, after all, I was only signing up for this damn selection because of Gray's demand. But I had a little problem; I was very competitive, and seeing all those girls in line made my competitive heart palpitate.

After I took a brief look at my competition and examined everything, I was almost sure.

(I'm not someone to be ignored.)

Lucy thought, boosting her self-esteem up there.

"Layla!"

Called an until then unknown voice, almost shouting my mom's name. After that, both my brother and I and my mom turned to see who was calling her.

The person who had called my mother was Mrs. Ur Fullbuster, who was walking towards us calmly and elegantly - after all, she was a 'two' and that showed wherever she went, whether it was in her refined clothes or her model-like gait.

But she wasn't alone, on one side was the Macao soldier escorting her and right behind her with softer, more tired strides. There was my friend Levy with the face of someone who already knew that she didn't want to be there at all.

Levy looked beautiful in that Royal Blue dress with its light movement and low cut; she was a real lady Fullbuster. But to be honest, there was nothing that didn't look beautiful on Levy's body; she was perfect, everything she wore not only emphasized her beauty even more, but for some reason the clothes fit her harmoniously.

RECOGNITION TO MEMBERS:

Matthew Jimenez🤝 - THANK YOU FOR ACTIVATING THE DOMAIN EXPANSION "MAHAYANA PRISON".

Gkiller ⛩️ - THANK YOU FOR ACTIVATING THE DOMAIN EXPANSION "MALEVOLENT SANCTUARY".