Chapter 10

Jellal was about to go into a meeting with the main advisors as well as those who were closely assisting him in organising the ball. They had come up with a simple name for the event 'A Historic Ball' since it would also be his first big public move after his coming to power. It was somewhat surprising that he hadn't held an event like this yet since he'd been King for about two years, but they were two hectic years. He was actually looking forward to the ball itself, although unsure of how it would turn out since he had never been to one. His coronation was a rather small event considering the gravity of what was happening, mostly only the palace staff, some old friends and advisors that he actually trusted in attendance. It had been announced to the people, but there wasn't a big city-wide event to celebrate it.

As he entered the room, everyone stood and greeted him, and he thanked them for their attendance and they all sat down together. Coco was on his left, and Briyana was floating around, making sure that everyone had a drink, either water, coffee or tea, depending on their preferences. They all had papers in front of them, in order of what they were going to discuss. Each person that was organising a particular part of the ball had provided their report on the preparations.

"Thank you for coming, everyone. I don't intend on keeping you too long, since we all have somewhere to be shortly. On that note, let's all present our reports. Any problems or things you need to run by me can be done at another time." Jellal began the meeting, and left everyone in suspense at the time limit they had.

"Ollias, how is the catering going?" The King asked, looking towards the man.

Ollias was quite young for an advisor, but that was one of the good things about him. Having Edolas run by old men, out of touch with everyone's concerns but their own was how Edolas became how it was in the first place. Ollias had reddish-brown hair, brown eyes, and rather high cheekbones for a man, but a strong jaw, giving him a somewhat square shaped face. His voice was somewhat raspy.

"Everything is going well. As you requested, I have been in contact with some of the bakeries in the city to organise catering for desserts, and we have also asked some of the larger restaurants to assist in food preparation as well. They will be given access to the palace kitchens, and we have requested that they source their ingredients from some of the local forms as well, which most were already doing." Ollias gave his brief report, and gave the King a smile.

"Thank you. Trin, what about the guest list? How many have replied?" He turned to the next person to Ollias.

Trin was a woman in her late fifties, who had worked in the palace her whole life. Most of her work involved organising visitors coming in and out of the palaces, including political figures from outside of the Royal City, and any delegates. Part of her job was to also schedule meetings involving these visitors and the King. She was perfect to put in charge of the guest list since she knew most of the people and their families personally. Her greyed curly hair was short and in tight ringlets against her scalp, almost like wool. No matter the day, at least one part of her outfit was coloured in a sky blue, and today it was her skirt. He even remembered her wearing the colour when he was a child. Her eyes were almond shaped, and behind round silver glasses.

"We have 90 people that have accepted the invitation so far. There are a few people sending other family members in their stead if they personally cannot attend. The Uklian family patriarch is quite unwell and sent his apologies, but he has also sent a sizable donation along with it. Ten thousand to be exact." Trin flashed the letter and Briyana took it to hand it to him, and he nodded and he glanced over it.

"Excellent! We haven't even had the ball yet." He joked and everyone shared a chuckle before they continued. "Shelban, how are the ballroom preparations going?"

Shelban had a similar tenure to Trin, being there almost his whole life as well. He had started his career in the military, and worked his way up to a high command role, but found that his passion was not being in the army. He had been accepted to work in the palace as a decorator, but he also did some external work, in art dealing, and had a good relationship with a few different museums and galleries, so that they could rotate things from the palace to a public place for viewing. All of the remodelling work in the palace, choice of paint on the walls, down to the cutlery was chosen by him. Shelban's blond hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and he was always seen in a suit jacket and slacks. His immaculate presentation of himself and the work ethic he held was the reason he had been employed in the palace for such a long time.

"Your Grace, the ballroom is going to look incredible. I have asked to rent some other historical pieces from the same time period as the construction of Veruze so we can display them at the ball. I thought this would create some more awareness of how important the restoration is." Shelban nodded and pulled out a large sheet of paper with a drawing on it. It looked rough, like a draft, but it was easy enough to see what it was.

"I have also taken it upon myself to ask Mr. Lulfe to create a beautiful marble model to give to the person who makes the largest donation to show our appreciation. There will also be a few smaller versions for some of the other large donations as well. These will all be done with only the cost of materials." He held up the paper and moved it for all to see, and it was the drawing of the model, clearly done by Lulfe, who was a popular local sculptor.

"I hadn't thought of that. Thank you for such a great idea and contribution Shelban. Please ensure that Lufle is invited to the ball as well." Jellal was smiling, pleased to hear that everything was going so well.

"Erza, what have you got in mind for security?" Turning to his red-haired head of security, her expression was serious as she spoke.

"We will have two guards posted at each point of entry and exit as well as extra guards posted around the palace and throughout public areas. The main entrance will have six guards, one of them myself to check invitations. I do suggest restricting access to most parts of the palace with barriers and I will post guards at them. I believe guests will only need access to the entry hall, ballroom, bathrooms, balcony, and we will close all doors leading to other areas. There will also be a few guards in ball attire amongst the crowd." Her report was swift and to the point, as usual.

"Perfect. I am more than happy to restrict access and post guards around. We can keep all main doors closed and that will hopefully prevent wanderers. Thank you Erza." Jellal gave her a nod, and turned to the right hand side of the table towards the next staff to present. "Draeme, will we have enough staff for the night?"

Draeme Vicealle Sigi Stragnar was from a very old line of noble families that had come into the palace service and had naturally become the King's right hand over a hundred years ago. Thus he had a few generations in palace service before him. Unfortunately, he had played along with Faust a bit more than Jellal would have liked, but he didn't quite distrust him. He had made him Chief of Staff instead, and the role suited him quite well. Slowly, he had been gaining Jellal's trust, proving that he had gone along with his King's orders out of fear. Draeme was an ordinary looking man, with deep brown hair, and somewhat tanned skin with no identifying characteristics. He always wore an heirloom brooch, with his family's crest upon it. Despite being technically demoted, he didn't lose much of his power, as he was still in charge of all staff and workers at the palace. He was an incredibly well mannered and well spoken man, with a deep, soft voice that was firm, but calm.

"Your Grace, the staff will be impeccably dressed and have all been given strict instruction on their conduct. All kitchen staff will be in attendance, and will be assisting the visiting chefs. There will be twenty staff ready to serve drinks, and another twenty that will be taking around food to the guests in the ballroom. We will also have a tailor and a few laundry staff available in case of any ripped dresses, and spilled food on suits. There will also be some staff working as valets to assist guests to and from their transports. The staff from the stables will be working to look after any mounts as well." Draeme spoke elegantly, as always.

"You've thought of everything, as usual. Thank you."

The last person to check in with was Dreyer, who had been quite surprised to be asked for his involvement in the event. However, since part of this was to create awareness of Edolas' history and culture, his role as palace historian was incredibly important.

"Dreyer." Jellal wasn't quite sure how to phrase his question, as the older man had simply said to leave it to him after he had asked for his help. He briefly flicked through what Dreyer had on his report and was immediately impressed.

"I have organised for the volunteering of a few friends, as well as the Veruze curator to assist in the education of the guests regarding the site and its importance. With each of the pieces that Shelban has asked for, there will be someone standing by it to discuss what it is and its relevance to the site and time period. We also have some leaflets to hand to guests upon entry which explains the reason for raising the funds with a bit of information about the site. I will also be there to recommend source material for anyone who wishes to learn more about the site itself, or the historical period. I've also confirmed that our architect will be attending as well, so he can also answer any questions about the restoration too." Dreyer showed an example of the leaflet to everyone as he spoke about it.

"Thank you Dreyer. You knew exactly what I wanted." Jellal was still smiling and he felt much less stressed about the ball after hearing the reports. "Regarding my own efforts, I have drafted a thank you letter to send to every guest, and also to thank the external staff who are coming into the palace for the night and those contributing. I will also be announcing on the night that we will be holding a reopening of Veruze with a viewing party when it's ready so that we can continue this appreciation for our historical sites and education of our people."

"Thank you everyone. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your efforts, and I do hope that you'll all be able to relax and enjoy the ball yourselves on the night. You all deserve to have a good time too. For now, I have organised for the kitchen staff to prepare a special meal in the dining hall for us to enjoy. Shall we?" He stood and they all did the same and filed out, taking anything they needed with them, and heading toward the dining hall.

Erza walked on his left, and Coco on his right, and he chatted quietly with Erza as they made their way to their destination. It was a minute walk, but on an upper level, so they ascended the stairs and rounded to the right, where the kitchen staff were waiting for them. Taking his seat at the head of the table, everyone looked pleased as they were seated at the large table. He wanted to do something to show his appreciation, and aside from the meal, he had also asked a metal worker in the city to create some pins in the image of Veruze to give to those who had a contribution to the project and the ball, and he would be presenting them on the night.

The meal itself was incredible, with something to satisfy any taste. Draeme was a vegetarian, so Jellal had ensured that there were some tasty options for him, and Dreyer was allergic to shellfish, so he made sure that there was no shellfish in the dishes. Trin had quite a sweet tooth, and the desserts would definitely make her happy. Erza seemed to enjoy spicy food, so there was a spicy dish for her to eat. Neither Ollias and Shelban were picky, so they were easy to please. He hoped that everyone liked the food, and they all chatted happily as they ate, drinking a rare vintage wine that Faust had kept in the wine cellar for no other reason than it gathering dust, instead of it being enjoyed. Not that he knew much about wine anyway; he just knew it was old and worth a lot of money.

As they all finished eating, they were brought coffee and tea, and continued their conversations. Eventually, everyone had to return to their duties, as well as himself, and he made sure to thank everyone personally as they left the dining hall. Erza and Coco stayed behind, Briyana escorting everyone who was leaving the palace to the gates.

Now was probably the best time for him to ask as he rarely got a quiet moment with them both. "Erza, Coco. I need to ask for some advice about a somewhat personal issue."

They both turned to him and waited patiently as he tried to figure out how to word what he wanted to say.

"So, firstly I wanted to ask if I should get someone to accompany me at the ball." He said and Erza spoke first.

"Do you mean as a date or just someone to accompany you as a friend?"

"As a date." He answered with a somewhat shy tone, not surprised that Erza had figured him out.

"I think that's quite appropriate, however, it would also depend on who you wanted to take. Is it who I'm thinking of?" Coco asked with narrowed eyes, and watched him carefully.

"Who are you thinking of?" Erza asked Coco, clearly not up on the gossip since she'd been away.

"Serana, from the Fairy Tail guild. They've been having afternoon tea in the library sometimes. He's had a crush on her for ages." Coco answered, as if he wasn't there to answer himself. They both looked at him to get his confirmation and he nodded bashfully. "I knew it."

"Crush?" Erza asked in confusion, unsure of the colloquial term's meaning.

"Someone you like and are developing romantic feelings for." Coco responded, which also answered the question for Jellal too.

"I've been wanting to ask her on a date or something like that for a while, but I've been too busy. I also don't know what or how to do it. Hence, I thought it would be wise to ask the smartest women I know for advice." He was more than happy to flatter them in return for their help, and even Erza chuckled at him. Coco smirked.

"Why don't you ask her and see if she wants to go to the ball? Maybe she would feel awkward going on a first date with you at a ball where you've got to do all your Kingly stuff. Maybe she'd like something a little more…low-key? She may be on a job for the guild and can't come." Coco suggested with a shrug and Jellal nodded in understanding and consideration.

"Good point. It might be a bit overwhelming for a first date. I also won't get to spend much time with her either. Okay. I should probably ask her on a normal date instead." He ran his hand through his hair as he thought about what they could do on a first date.

Unfortunately he had pretty much no experience about this stuff, so he would need as much help as he could get. Maybe he could just see how she felt about coming to the ball and go from there. He still did want to make sure she was aware of how he felt, however it may be beneficial to get an idea of how she felt about him too.

"The ball is a few weeks away. She might be happy to come, but maybe not for a first date." Coco advised sagely and he placed a hand on Erza's shoulder and the other on Coco's with a smile.

"Thank you for your advice. I'll go and ask her now if she'd like to come just for fun." Jellal took a deep breath and gave them a nod before he turned away.

"Not that you need it, but good luck!" Coco called after him as he headed out of the dining hall, and he waved over his shoulder.

Quickly heading back towards his chambers, he put on something more subtle and less 'royal family' so he could blend in better, and then went towards the palace entrance. One of the guards offered to escort him since he was leaving the palace, but he declined and thanked them for their hard work before going on his way…