A/N: Hey, it's me. Um….Wednesday, May 27th. Kudos to real-life Jaeda Casas for helping me with this first POV. Important info at the bottom.

Jaeda's POV

I didn't mind one bit that I was working with Sage. Sure, others thought that she wasn't smart, but I figured that she would make it up with creativity. She is a baker, after all.

It seemed that we were more successful than the other group, who seemed to be arguing.

"I don't think that we should put Queen Noella beside Lady Jemma," said Sage thoughtfully.

"Why not?" I demanded. It had been my idea, and I thought it would work fine.

"Because that would immediately give Jemma an advantage over us. Don't you think that the Queen should be seated by someone foreign? A guest, perhaps?"

"Perhaps, but I still think that the two should be seated next to each other," I said quickly. "I think that seating Jemma next to the Queen would merely be a sign of confidence and a chance to let the other team know that we are quite confident of our position."

Sage shrugged. "I guess it's okay, but I figured that it might make more sense for the Queen to sit beside a visitor."

"She doesn't know Jemma, so she's just as good as a visitor," I told her, and Sage shrugged once more.

"Look, Jaeda, I just want us to succeed, okay? You don't have to get so defensive."

"I'm not being defensive!"

Sage just raised her eyebrows and I blushed a little. I wasn't usually defensive; it just depended on my mood. And, everyone kind of hates being proven wrong...but I suppose it is better to fix the mistake than to learn it the hard way. I nearly groaned. If I could get rid of my bad habits, I could totally be the next queen.

Simara's POV

I was barely conscious. My mind kept replaying the car accident, again and again and again.

_Flashback_

I sat, Manda on my right, and Will on my left, something didn't feel right. Another limo, another time, another family.

"Stop the car!" I burst out, and Will looked at me weirdly. "Stop the damn car!"

The driver pressed on the gas, and I wrenched myself away from Will's grip. I launched myself forward, and got a hold on the steering wheel.

Memories were surfacing, and one thought kept me going. This can't end like last time. No one should die.

I felt Will beside me, grabbing the driver, and I heard Manda's screams.

Praying for the best, I turned the steering wheel, and we drove right off the road, into the ditch.

A minute later, I opened my eyes, very cautiously, and saw weeds out the front window. We must have tipped…

I tried to move, but I was wedged awkwardly in between the front seats. It was quite uncomfortable. My neck was twisted and was hurting a slight bit, but my leg hurt a lot more.

I bit my tongue and tried not to think about it. I didn't have enough strength to look around, and soon enough, I blacked out.

_End of flashback_

They told me that a random person had discovered the tipped car, and had notified the police. When I became conscious again, we were in a nearby hospital. The nurses wouldn't tell me anything, and it scared me for the little time I was awake.

Now, two days later, I had discovered a little more information.

Detectives had discovered that the man's name was Gage Espinoza, and he belonged to a group called the "Liberators". Apparently, the "Liberators" wished to eliminate every single person with a royal title or royal blood.

Gage Espinoza had died in the crash, much to my relief. It was perhaps a little cruel for me to think this, but I was immensely glad that he would not be following me.

That was about as much as I had learned. The detectives wouldn't tell me any more, and the nurses wouldn't say anything about Will or his mother. I told them that I could walk with my crutches fine, but they still made me lay in bed, claiming that I still needed to recover.

Sameer had visited very briefly yesterday, and he'd been quite emotional. In different circumstances, I would have laughed outright. However, I'd remained very calm, and by the end, I'd convinced him to go ask the nurses if I could see Will. The nurses hadn't given me a response yet.

So I lay there, clinging to every shred of hope I had.

Monday, June 1st

Jemma's POV

I wrung my hands nervously and stared at my surroundings. Siera, Calla, and I had barely finished the preparations for the ball in time, and I wasn't sure how well it would go.

I had arranged chairs on the sides of the room, and buffet tables with long cream table clothes. Siera had chosen the wine glasses, Calla, the plates, and me, the cutlery.

Siera had picked all the music, which concerned me. It was a ball, and I wasn't sure whether she had picked the proper classical music, or her own pop music. I suppose that I'd see.

Calla had done the menu, with some help from us. There were fancy wines, appetizers, exotic courses, and desserts.

I just hoped that it would all be okay.

"You ready? We have fifteen minutes," Siera said, approaching me. I turned, and was shocked to find that she'd cut and dyed her hair.

"Your hair!" I exclaimed. "It's brown!"

Siera laughed. "Hurry up and go get ready. I'll look over everything. Be down in fifteen to greet guests."

Nodding, I hurried off to get dressed, and was relieved to find that my maid was waiting for me.

"Lady Jemma!" she cried. "We have only fifteen minutes!"

I nodded and rushed to get into my dress. All three of us had decided to wear silver gowns, and my maid had made a lovely flowing gown with one thick strap.

Next, I threw on my sandals and quickly put in my earrings, then flung myself onto a chair so that my maid could do my hair and makeup.

"Ten minutes," she said, already brushing my hair. She quickly curled it, and then put it in a half up, half down style, which was my favourite. "The curling job isn't the best, but it'll do. A little less than five minutes left."

Next, she applied some makeup. She put on more than usual, seeing as it was a ball, and when she was done, she gave a sigh of relief. "Finished just in time. My lady, I'm afraid you'll have to run downstairs to make it."

I nodded, thanked her, and did as told, running all the way to the door, where Calla and Siera were already waiting.

"It's okay, Jemma. No one's here yet," Calla said kindly, eyeing me up and down.

We didn't have time for any further conversation, as guests began to arrive. We greeted them graciously, pointing out where they needed to go and assuring them that the royals would be down soon.

Oliver's POV

I nervously straightened my tie. Simara's accident was constantly on my mind, and I was worried that there might be some "liberators" here at the party. Mother assured me that she had chosen the guest list, and that guests had to present their invitation to get in. I was still worried a little, though.

I was also quite excited, as we hadn't had a ball in a long while. I was kind of looking forward to see how the girls had done, and I was going to stick by my mother to see what she thought of their choices. She was a Queen, and knew the duties of a Queen.

"Oliver, let's go," Mother said, poking her head through the doorway, and I nodded, and followed her out, until we stood in front of a set of doors.

"Alright, men," my father said. "Open the doors for Jack and Nicola. They'll go first."

The men did as told. "They go first because they're least important," my mind told me. "If there are any liberators out there, it's okay if if Jack and Nicola are shot, because they're not the heirs," my mind said bitterly.

"Oliver, go now," my mother said, pushing me out, and I descended the stairs, eyes downcast.

As soon as my foot landed on the dance floor, I turned to see that my parents were about half-way down, and then I went to go find someone that I knew.

"Your Highness!" someone exclaimed as they bumped into me.

"Lady Jaeda," I smiled, bowing slightly, and she grinned. "You look absolutely lovely this evening."

She blushed and took my offered arm. "Thank you. You look quite handsome yourself."

I immediately relaxed. I was quite comfortable around Jaeda.

"Perhaps we will have to do our acting session again."

Jaeda chuckled. "Indeed. I quite enjoyed last time."

We talked for a while, danced, until I knew that I'd stayed with her too long. As a prince, my duty was to greet all the guests.

"Lady Jaeda?"

"Hmm?" she asked, looking up at me from the drink she had in hand.

"I must leave, you know, greet other guests. Really, though, we should do this again soon."

She nodded, and lowered her glass. "I'd like that. A lot."

I smiled and joined my mother. "So?"

She looked up at me briefly, smiling. "Fairly good for a first try, though there were three of them. Not perfect, of course. I don't particularly like the decorations…"

"Mother, the decorations consist of pretty much tablecloths and centrepieces."

"Tell me what you think of these girls. Siera, Calla, and Jemma. You have to pick in between them. You have to eliminate one of them. Which one could you live without?"

"Mother," I protested.

"No, Oliver. Imagine it. Which girl? You will have to pick eventually. Don't be polite. Either you end up with a girl you like, or a girl you don't."

"Mother," I protested once more. "Lower your voice, please. We're being rude."

"Answer the question, Oliver," she said in a sing-song voice.

There was a moment of silence, in which I thought. "Jemma, perhaps, perhaps Siera."

I looked over to see the smug expression on my mother's face. "Alright. Now, why is it that you would be able to live without these people?"

"Well, with Jemma, her and I don't have very much in common. Plus, I don't like her attitude some of the time. She seems very self-involved. With Siera, I'm not sure how well we'd get along. We're opposites."

My mother nodded. "There you go, Oliver," she said, and then she disappeared.

Her voice rang in my head. There you go, Oliver. There you go, Oliver. There you go, Oliver.

"There you go, Oliver," I whispered. "You know what to do."

Calla's POV

I was immensely relieved when the last guest had left. I heard Siera breathe a sigh of relief, and I giggled.

"I think we did very well," I breathed.

Siera laughed. "See you later! I'm exhausted, and going to bed!"

Jemma smiled as Siera practically ran to her room.

Smiling triumphantly, Jemma and I just stood there, and we didn't even hear the footsteps approaching.

"Hello, ladies."

We jumped and turned to see Prince Oliver.

"Terribly sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. The ball was wonderful."

I smiled. "Thank you. Jemma and I were quite nervous."

"No," Jemma said quickly. "I was fine."

My smile faltered slightly, and Oliver turned his gaze to me. "Calla-Lady Calla, would you mind giving Lady Jemma and I a moment?"

I was confused, but tried not to show it. The Prince had his own reasons, of course.

I sent a brief smile at Jemma, and curtsied quickly.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Good night."

I hurried off, but Oliver stopped me right before I could exit the door.

"Lady Calla?"

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"Please refrain from calling me "Your Highness". It's far too formal. I would much prefer Oliver, Prince Oliver, if you must."

"Yes Your Highness. Pardon, Oliver."

Simara's POV

I breathed a sigh of relief as we walked into Will's palace. Well, I kind of hobbled, considering my crutches. Will had his broken arm, and Manda was in a wheelchair, hopefully temporarily, but we were finally safe.

"Manda! William!" a voice called, and Will's father, King Hugh came running into the room. He embraced his son, and planted a kiss on his wife's cheek. "I'm so glad to see that you're alright!" he said, then turned slowly to me. "You must be William's fiancée."

I blushed slightly. "Indeed. I'm Simara. Simara Singh Rathore." I adjusted myself so that I was leaning on Will's good side, and extended my hand. King Hugh came up, and instead of shaking my hand, he gently kissed it.

"I have heard much about you, Lady Simara. I would like to thank you for helping with that car crash."

I blushed once more and stood up straight.

Manda groaned. "That car crash! Most stupid thing in my life, I say!" she exclaimed, and her husband sent her a confused look. "The wedding!" she cried. "Simara can't walk down an aisle with a broken leg, and William cannot have a broken arm! The wedding has to be put off!"

"It will be alright, Manda," her husband soothed. "They will get married eventually."

"I've been waiting for so long! I don't want to wait much longer!"

"Think of it this way, Your Highness," I interrupted. "It will take roughly six weeks for us to heal, possibly faster if we take good care of it. We'll use the time to make a wonderful wedding instead of a rushed one."

Manda seemed to consider this. "Alright," she agreed finally. "Although, in return, I want a grandchild soon."

I grinned. "Sorry. I promised that I wouldn't come to Christmas pregnant."

Manda rolled her eyes. "You didn't promise a single thing. This time next year, I want a grandchild to be on its way! The people want an heir!"

Will chuckled. "Don't bring the people into this, Mother."

I laughed too, and I stood there thinking of the future. I knew that I'd have a happy ending.

Jemma's POV

I hoped that whatever Prince Oliver wanted to say to me was something good. I wasn't too sure, though, and so I simply stood there, unmoving.

After a moment, Prince Oliver coughed slowly. "It was lovely. The ball."

"Oh," I said. "That's good. Thanks…"

Prince Oliver tried to smile encouragingly, and then he took a deep breath. "Jemma, I've decided to eliminate you."

His words hung in the air, and I stiffened.

"I like you very much, don't get me wrong," said the Prince quickly.

"No, Your Majesty, I understand," I forced out, and he smiled gratefully.

"Lady Jemma, you may depart in the morning."

"Thank you, Your Highness," I said slowly, and left the room.

I didn't want to go back home. What to do? I'm sure I'd figure it out...but for the moment, I was incredibly exhausted.

Oliver's POV

I watched her go a little sadly. I didn't like hurting anyone's feelings when they left, but I supposed that it had to be done.

"Prince Oliver?"

I looked over at James.

"A wedding invitation has come from King Maxon and Lady America."

I smiled, happy that the two were finally getting married. "Thank you, James. I will reply tomorrow. In the meanwhile, I'll go to sleep. I've had enough stress for one day."

A/N: Only a couple more chapters left, I think. I have eliminated Jemma, as you all asked, and therefore, I will be starting a NEW POLL. Please vote.

Also, I'll just give you a quick breakdown of what is going to happen next chapter...we will briefly see Jemma, and then see how Sage and Jaeda's event turned out. There will also be another elimination.

Oh, and outfits are on my page.