Page 15 of Once Upon a Royal Summer
CHAPTER FIVE
It’s Raining Peas
Spoiler alert: Once Upon A Time’s very important visitor wasn’t a Broadway producer. Nor was it a glamorous-yet-relatable romcom star. It was, in fact, someone Lacey and her roommate never expected.
“Wait a minute.” Lacey paused from sliding on one of her white satin gloves the following morning in the dressing room of Ever After Castle. “You’re saying a prince is coming? As in actual royalty?”
Lacey had been playing the part of fairy-tale princess for so long, she’d almost forgotten that being royal was a real job. Not so much a job as a birthright, in the case of genuine royalty. Either way, it was a thing.
And according to word on the cobblestone streets of Once Upon A Time, it was coming to Florida.
Big Bad Wolf—whose real name was John, but he seemed to enjoy going by Wolf—nodded and leaned against the makeup table, where Lacey and Ava were busy getting ready for their shifts. Wolf was always ready early. There were certain advantages to simply having to crawl into a furry lupine ensemble as opposed to applying princess makeup and styling an updo around a massive tiara.
“Yes! Prince Henry of Bella-Moritz. You’ve heard of him, right?” Wolf’s gaze swiveled back and forth between Lacey and Ava.
Ava nodded. “Of course. He’s the third most eligible bachelor in Europe.”
Lacey laughed. “Says who?”
“The internet, obviously.” Ava dabbed at her Riding Hood-red lips with a tissue. “And the world at large. Don’t tell me you don’t know who he is.”
“The name sounds vaguely familiar,” Lacey said. As usual, Ava was one step ahead of her in the news department.
“He’s a pretty big deal,” Wolf said. “Not as well-known as the British royals, because Bella-Moritz is so tiny. But he’s going to be a king someday. Right now, his mother is the reigning monarch.”
“He’s got the cutest little girl.” Ava pressed her hand to her heart. “Princess Caitriona. Her mother died when she was just a tiny baby.”
“Oh, wait. I think I remember that.” Lacey paused from jamming a last-minute bobby pin into her hair.
Hadn’t there been a photo of the widowed prince, holding his tiny infant princess, splashed on the covers of all the grocery store magazines? The prince’s head had been bowed, and something about his posture as he’d stood in a blue shaft of light beneath a stained-glass window in the grand cathedral where his wife’s funeral had taken place had tugged hard at Lacey’s heart.
He’d looked so alone. So human, despite the loftiness of his position. Lacey had gotten tears in her eyes thinking about his baby girl. She knew what it was like to lose a parent at such a young, tender age. All the wealth and power in the world couldn’t replace a mother’s love.
“That had to be six or seven years ago,” Lacey said, doing the math. “Is his daughter coming too?”
Wolf nodded, and his furry wolf snout slid in front of his eyes. He pushed it out of the way. “Yep. According to Charles, the trip is to celebrate Princess Caitriona’s birthday.”
Ava stood and tied her red hood in place. “I’ll bet Charles is beside himself, the lucky duck. This could be the biggest VIP tour Once Upon A Time has ever seen.”
“I’ve never seen him so happy,” Wolf said. “You ready? We can walk to our meet-and-greet together.”
“Sure, let’s go.” Ava gave Lacey’s shoulder a squeeze. “Have a great tea party this morning! Don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled for the prince.”
Lacey grinned.
A real prince…
She wondered if she’d recognize him. Doubtful, seeing as he probably wouldn’t be walking around the theme park with a crown and scepter. He’d seemed so sensitive in those famous pictures. Vulnerable, almost. Lacey couldn’t imagine him being anything but kind and gracious. A true Prince Charming—the very opposite of Grumpy Baseball Cap.
Sure, he’d been a great dancer, but Lacey had spotted the undeniably smug gleam in his eye when he’d dipped her low and then twirled her back into a waltz hold. He’d been so pleased to prove her wrong.
Granted, she’d made some pretty big assumptions about his waltzing abilities. But how could she not, after all his eye-rolling during her dance with Charming, and his third degree about her rules of proper princessing and her enchanted footman?
Today, she’d select a sweet, innocent child to dance with. No more cranky dads, period.
Lacey took a final glance in the mirror, puffed up her tulle skirts, and headed down the hidden castle hallway to the ballroom’s secret entrance. Her tea party progressed in a blessedly normal fashion this time. The nine-year-old little boy she chose as her dancing partner grinned from ear-to-ear for the duration of their waltz. When the clock struck twelve, Lacey dashed out of the ballroom, feeling much more tranquil than the day before.
She really shouldn’t have let Grumpy Baseball Cap rattle her so much yesterday. Frankly, it wasn’t like her. She’d been mocked plenty of times during her tenure as Princess Sweet Pea. People who dressed like a cake topper for work every day developed a surprisingly thick skin.
