The Infinity Ball

Chapter 5

Rowan

"Your majesty, last night, I tried to get into the portal you told me about, but your eldest three daughters fought me and revealed my identity as a private investigator."

I stand beside my father, a private investigator, in the Norillian throne room. Dad got a job from King Peter. He was supposed to follow his daughters into a portal, but, just as what has apparently happened to the last several private investigators, the princesses stopped him using magic. My dad still had to stay the night in the palace. As a guard-in-training, I stay in the guard wing of the palace. For some reason, Dad wanted me to come with him to the throne room this morning to talk to King Peter.

"I don't know how they'd know who you are," King Peter responds. "But I suppose I have hired quite a few private investigators."

"You could hire someone else, someone of a different profession," Dad suggests. "Possibly also someone younger, someone the princesses' age."

"That's a great idea," agrees King Peter. "I'll hire someone different for tonight."

"My son Rowan is eighteen and in training to become a royal guard," Dad introduces me. "He's intelligent as well and graduated high school a year early. He also knows about magic."

I smile and stand as tall as I can to look professional for the king.

"He does?" asks King Peter.

"I do," I answer.

"With a different plan, he could go to the Infinity Ball disguised as a prince," Dad suggests. "Because of his age, the princesses would ignore him."

"Rowan can try to go to the ball tonight," King Peter agrees. "With my approval, I'll let him come up with a plan."

Felicity

Tonight, my sisters and I will go to the ball without any private investigators trying to follow us there. Last night, we finalized our plan and exposed the investigator, so hopefully, and most likely, there won't be any more private investigators. I just want a fun night at the ball without someone trying to learn information about me and my sisters. I want to not have to think about anything but my dancing and my usual dance partner, Sawyer. Sawyer and I have become friends. He's funny and attractive. Maybe he'll ask me out some night.

Before I do my hair, I need to choose a dress. I walk into my closet and turn on the lights. My closet is categorized by type of event to make it easy for me to choose clothes. I walk to the party dress section. I have party dresses in several colors, but I have the most in my favorite color, orange, which is also my royal gem color. Royals aren't required to wear the same color as their royal gem or for it to be their favorite, but it is recommended that we wear the color often so the gem blends in. Most of the citizens of Solis don't know we have magic. I look through my orange dresses. I choose one with a mermaid skirt. It'll be harder to dance in (I know because I've worn it to the Infinity Ball before), but it's pretty. I choose a pair of orange heels in the same color to wear with it. This is going to be such a fun ball! No one will follow me.

Rowan

I told King Peter I'd just go in the portal a while after the princesses did. Is that what I'm going to do? No. I would have told King Peter my real plan, but then I'd have to tell my secret. I'm not allowed to tell just anyone my secret. It is a secret. But in order to have a good foolproof plan, I need my secret.

I finish fixing my prince disguise. Before leaving my room to go upstairs, I grab a red cloak. I close my door and walk to the exit of the guard quarters. As I walk down the hallway, I put on the cloak, closing it using the broach with a minuscule design on it: the logo of the Red Hoods.