Pre- preparations

(Isabelle Pov)

I was awoken by Clars tapping on my shoulders, " You need to get in bed; Princess Jumanné and Lenora decided to stay with us " she stated. "Right, right, I'll go get them" I answered before yawning and getting up of the sofa. I checked the time, and it was around eleven O clock. As expected, there was a different guard on my balcony. I turned around and walked towards my door brushing the sleep from my tired eyes. Opening the door, slowly, I came face to face with two other guards. I internally leaped to the other side of my room but calmly took a deep breath before acknowledging them.

I then informed them I was going to the first guest room on the right of my bedroom, and they decided to escort me which was unnecessary. I realized that two persons were also guarding the room that Princess Jumanné and Lenora were staying in. I acknowledged the two guards before tapping lightly on the door. A few seconds passed before the door was opened by Lenora. After greeting her once more, I reminded her of the plan. She then reminded Jumanné who was sitting on the sofa in her night gown, and we had the guards move their belongings to my bedroom. We re-entered my bedroom a few minutes later, where there were now two guards on my balcony, and four at my bedroom door. We then discussed sleeping arrangements for a short while before getting ready for bed. The last thing I remember is hearing Clars and Lenora chatting on the other bed and clapping once to turn off the light with a sleeping Jumanné beside me.

(End of Isa's Pov)

The curtains were drawn by Leo and the sunlight pierced through the windows in Princess Isabelle's room. " I was given direct orders to wake the Princesses" he said smiling cheekily. Princess Isabelle and Jumanné woke up and sat in the bed. Princess Isabelle turned to Clara realizing that Clara was mouthing something to her. " Aren't we excited for the day's proceedings that will lead up to the big event tomorrow?" he asked beaming with excitement. Princess Isabelle sat there wondering what Leo was talking about. She then turned to Clara again and that's when she realized what Clara was trying to tell her. " Oh, uh, of course, Princess Jumanné and I are looking forward to finish planning and finally executing the annual ball" she finished smiling guilty. She was ashamed that she forgot about the ball, firstly, and to make matters worse, she forgot that it was the future Queens' responsibility to finish planning it.

This tradition symbolized leadership in their Kingdoms. Just like they would have to continue their parents' legacy in being Queens. The Princesses had to showcase their leadership skills by taking over the final preparations for the ball and it was their responsibility that everything ran smoothly. "Well then, I'll leave you to get dressed and you will have breakfast using the smaller outdoor dining table. You will be meeting with the grand council to get your final opinions on the concept for the ball. As for you two, their attires should be ready for the Royal Family's approval by eight tonight. Remember it is a Masquerade ball so they will need a fitting mask to go with the attire. I'll leave you to get to it. Princesses Isabelle and Jumanné, you are expected to arrive for breakfast in the next hour, thank you" he finished while bowing before exiting the room.

" No pressure" answered Lenora; everyone chuckled. Lenora had drawn the layout of Princess Jumanné's attire, and she had brought all the necessary materials to bring it to life. Clara had also made some sketches and had an idea of how she wanted Isabelle to look. The two designers got up and went in the dressing room to choose an outfit for the Princesses to wear throughout the day. It had to be something comfortable as they would be doing a lot of walking and work so changing would be entirely out of the question. Clara settled on a casual pink and white Bouffant dress with white ballet flats and a silver tiara while Princess Isabelle took her bath. She had informed Señor Kenny that his services were no longer needed by Isabelle for the time being.

After Princess Isabelle emerged from the bathroom, Princess Jumanné went to take her bath. Lenora took the time to pick out a Baby blue sundress with white flat boots and a golden tiara. Princess Isabelle got dressed and was now sitting patiently as Clara did her hair up in a ponytail. Princess Jumanné came out of the bathroom and got dressed. Soon after her hair was braided in two and they had a couple minutes to spare. " Well, you're all set. I can only imagine the amount of work that the two of you have to do" said Clara with genuine care. "If only we could help", finished Lenora. "There might be a way that you can", answered Princess Isabelle smiling at Jumanné. Princess Jumanné returned the smile as they were thinking along the same lines. "If we appoint the two of you as our assistance, you could assist with the planning of the Masquerade ball ", she stated. "I agree, but only if you're up for it", said Princess Isabelle turning towards Clara and Lenora.

"Really? of course" beamed Lenora, both designers were excited. They would finally be a part of an important tradition. Princess Isabelle agreed with the decision, "be down in ten minutes, we'll do the rest", she stated while hugging them both. the Princesses exited the bedroom making their way to the outdoor dining table where they could hear laughter. They greeted everyone before taking their seats next to each other with the grand council sitting directly opposite to them. "Lovely morning Princesses, let's get down to business. What color floral arrangements would you place in the ball room?" asked Leo, the head of the grand council. " It is a lovely morning indeed. Firstly, let me just say that we appointed Clara and Lenora as our assistants. They will have a say in all decisions regarding the planning of the Masquerade ball" announced Princess Isabelle proudly. Leo's face fell, " you appointed your maids?" he asked rudely "Stylists actually" Clara stated arriving at the perfect moment with Lenora at her side.

"Take a seat here" Princess Isabelle said gesturing towards the dining table; Clara and Lenora hesitantly sat down. "Our parents have no problem with this decision, correct?" asked Princess Jumanné waiting for the royal family's approval. King Dejean, Queen Latifa, Queen Melaine and King Rafael agreed, and that was all the confirmation they needed. "Now Leo, you will treat our two assistants here with the same respect that you would use with the grand council. They are just as important, understood" enforced Princess Isabelle. It was more of a statement than a question. Leo sighed and agreed before proceeding. Clara and Lenora had breakfast with the Royal family and the grand council for the first time and they enjoyed it. They made creative suggestions and answered the questions that the grand council threw at them with ease. They were so helpful in the theoretical part of the planning and after breakfast it was time to see to that everything went as planned.

The first stop was the Royal office where Princesses Isabelle and Jumanné would sign off on all the received invitations to confirm that the guest coming were actually invited. They arrived in the office and took a seat while the grand council waited outside. To the Princesses surprise, three of the invitations were already signed for. Clara and Lenora were going to look in the records, but Leo came rushing in to verify that he had special orders to sign for the three invitations, orders from the Kings. Princess Isabelle then left the three invitations and signed for the remaining four hundred and ninety-seven with the help of Princess Jumanné. They also had to sign for the flowers, decorations and other materials before leaving the office. Upon the completion of that tiring task, they had a ten-minute break to rest which they all appreciated. They sat on a nearby sofa while Señor Kenny and two waitresses delivered bottles of water to everyone along with novelty sandwiches. After eating, the next stop was the grand kitchen where the preparation of all the edibles and refreshments would take place.

Princess Jumanné made sure that all the ingredients needed for tomorrow were there by checking with the chefs and the food manager. She ticked items off her long list as she went along. In the meantime, Princess Isabelle made sure that everything was perfect with the seating arrangement for the dinner after the Masquerade ball. The other royal families would be upfront, and the people would be seated to the back. The seating had to give enough space for the waitresses to move freely to avoid accidents.

After Princess Isabelle met back up with Princess Jumanné, they headed to the ball room where the most work awaited. Upon arrival Princesses Isabelle and Jumanné turned to Clara and Lenora the same exact time whispering with wide eyes. " The ball attires" to which the realization hit Clara and Lenora like a brick to the head. They were so caught up in helping the Princesses that they forgot that they had to finish designing the dresses. Luckily, they remembered early, it was after eleven, so they had enough time to work their magic. Clara and Lenora hugged the princesses, " you two were naturals at this but we can take it from here. Now go and do what you do best" said Princess Isabelle before letting go of them. They then ran back in the direction of the Westward region of the Kingdom before disappearing in the distance. "Why are they leaving so soon," whispered Leo sarcastically to another member of the grand council. But being as observant as they were, both Princesses heard this and turned around in sync. " Is there something you would like to say Leo" asked Princess Jumanné. " Is there? say it now or forever hold your peace.

They are leaving now, but they will return as official members of the grand council. We will vote on it when we are through here" stated Princess Isabelle. The displeasure was showcased on Leo's face while the other members of the grand council were pleased with Isabelle's decision. They all entered the ball room and looked around, there were roughly forty persons already in, awaiting the Princesses orders. There were twelve members of the grand council if Lenora and Clara were counted. Princess Isabelle divided the persons in groups of five with herself and Princess Jumanné being a pair. She assigned different tasks to each group, such as cleaning, decorations- placing the banner, repainting walls to match the theme, floral arrangements, creative decorations, replacing the carpet, checking security, lighting arrangements, and arrangements with the assigned musicians. Princesses Isabelle and Jumanné took it up on themselves to deal with the seating on the grand stage for the Royal families while everyone else went to work.

"Fifty seats can be placed here, after all everyone will be dancing. The seats are for resting afterwards" said Princess Jumanné to which Princess Isabelle agreed. They started out with the set up and spacing; three hours later they placed the last Royal chair. "Phew, I wonder how Clara and Lenora are holding up" asked Princess Isabelle. " The rate at which those two work, I think they finished a long time ago and are just relaxing" said Princess Jumanné chuckling. "Relaxing, and you guys are here, never" said Clara, again walking towards Isabelle at the perfect moment. "Don't even ask, you won't see them until you're getting dressed tomorrow", said Lenora smiling widely. "Well fair enough, I'm just glad that you guys are here" said Princess Isabelle tiredly. They all used the stairs to leave the grand stage and were in the center of the room once again. Leo walked over to where they were standing holding up a black and white bow as in one hand and a red rose in the other.

"Princesses, Bows or Roses" he asked, Clara answered, " The Roses look more mystical which ties in with the theme. You can alternate between the black, red and white rose with the cloth that you're going to use as decoration. You can also make the background of this whole place based on like a night in a mystical forest with the lighting and some special effects", she finished. Lenora agreed, " That would be perfect, and the tablecloth used could also be black or grey to bring of the shady look. The floral arrangements that will be placed on the tables can also be black, red and white roses alternatively" she said looking around. "The Princesses!" Leo emphasized rudely, " What they said" answered Princess Isabelle gesturing towards Clara and Lenora. Leo bowed and walked off with a scowl knowing that he was not allowed to argue with the decision.

Four hours later a tired looking Clara, Lenora, Princess Isabelle and Jumanné exited the ball room with the grand council and the other assistants following suit. It was now after seven and they finally wrapped up feeling pleased with what they had achieved. The team completed the more tiring task leaving the easiest ones for tomorrow morning. After bidding their fair wells they started walking back to where the outdoor dining room was. They greeted the guards and entered the palace making their way up to Princess Isabelle's bedroom. After entering Isabelle and Jumanné went straight to the bathroom. In the meantime, Clara and Lenora picked out their night gowns and bed slippers before leaving to meet with the Royal family. The Royal family was seated in the living room awaiting their arrival. They entered the room and showcased their pieces with dignity, everyone was in awe as expected. Clara and Lenora were on point with the theme, accurate in their measurements and creative with their designs as always. Every member of the Royal family approved of both attires and Señor Kenny took them to hang in the dressing room.

After the Royal family finished praising Clara and Lenora, they returned to Princess Isabelle's bedroom to find them sound asleep. They smiled and covered them with the blankets. "About Luke and Alejandro" Clara said before being interrupted by Lenora. "Yeah I find them sketchy too", " ok great just wanted to make sure we were on the same page" finished Clara. Queen Melaine knocked lightly before entering; "Oh they are out cold, must have been a long day" she said. "Yeah it was, but you aren't supposed to be concerned about it your highness. You shouldn't even see them until they are dressed tomorrow" said Clara smiling. "Well, this will be our little secret, nobody has to know" she said whispering causing both Clara and Lenora to chuckle. Queen Melaine wished them a good night before exiting the room. Clara and Lenora then got ready for bed.

Leo's (Pov)

I answered an unknown number, "Look Lee yang, I'll get......", "Woah Leo take it easy, I find it impressive that you know Lee Yang but I'm just here to say congratulations" replied a Raspy voice. "Ohh John, it's been a while" I said smiling forcefully as I was in the elevator with the other members of the grand council. "Cut the bullshit, Leo, you have just become a very wealthy man. Thank you for your services today and tomorrow in advance" he finished before hanging up. I came off the elevator and made my way to my assigned room, "but do the consequences outweighs the benefits" I asked myself before entering.