Page 8 of Once Upon a Royal Summer
Then again, that was the whole point of this little adventure, wasn’t it? He’d whisked his daughter to America in search of something he’d never be able to give her in the principality where she’d one day sit on the throne. They’d only stepped off the royal jet a few short hours ago and thus far, Once Upon A Time had certainly delivered. Henry just hadn’t anticipated the experience would include such colorful commentary on princesses, crowns, and castles. Essentially, his very existence.
“They’re frogs!” Rose squealed.
Henry bit back a smile. Rose was correct. The footmen in the royal palace of Bella-Moritz did seem to possess a rather amphibian-like quality.
Still, ought he be encouraging his little princess to think of the respectable men and women in their employ as animals? Definitely not. Their escape had an expiration date. Once all of this was over, he and Rose would be going back to their very normal, very royal lives. And those lives probably shouldn’t include Rose offering up flies to the footmen for high tea.
“Rose.” He shook his head.
The effervescent Princess Sweet Pea smiled even harder at him. “I’m sure the froggy footmen love working in your castle.”
Henry could only hope so. He’d always strived to be a decent prince. A good prince—one who understood the duties and responsibilities of the position to which he’d been born.
Despite her giddy exterior, Princess Sweet Pea seemed unconvinced anyone would enjoy working for him, enchanted or otherwise. In her eyes, Henry was probably just a regular dad in a baseball cap and athletic wear who seemed to be trying to quell his daughter’s active imagination.
At least he hoped that’s what she saw when she looked at him. The park planned on assigning a special VIP escort to Henry and Rose for the duration of their visit to Once Upon A Time, but they’d arrived earlier than anticipated. He was determined to fly under the radar for a few cherished hours before word got out that actual royalty had landed in the world of fairy tales. Hence the baseball cap, a purchase from the theme park gift shop. In hopes of blending in, he’d also changed out of his usual tailored suit in favor of an outfit he’d normally wear only to the palace gym. Rose’s hair was arranged in two pigtails high on either side of her head, a hairstyle that went against royal protocol every bit as much as the athletic trainers currently on Henry’s feet.
Henry had even managed to persuade his personal protection officer to wait outside the castle while he and Rose attended the tea party. Ian had been with Henry for years and was willing to look the other way from time to time as long as Henry wasn’t in any kind of obvious danger. Since no one knew they were in America yet, the risk of something untoward happening was minimal.
“Now, about those royal rules.” The pretend princess kneeled down so she was eye level with Rose. Her dress puffed around her like dandelion fluff. “Number one: always make friends with birds and butterflies.”
Henry felt his lips twitch. Don’t laugh. It was a sweet thought. Truly, it was. But it had absolutely nothing to do with being royal.
Princess Sweet Pea continued, oozing warmth and sincerity. As crazy as it seemed, Henry was beginning to feel like her personality might not totally be an act. Impossible. No one was this nice. “Number two: reads lots of books. As many as you possibly can.”
Beauty and the Beast vibes, obviously, but solid advice, all the same.
“That’s a good one,” he heard himself say.
The princess’s eyes met his for a moment, and warmth spread through Henry’s chest.
He blinked. What was that?
It couldn’t be attraction. Again, impossible. That part of Henry had withered and died years ago.
And in the unlikely event he actually did find himself attracted to a woman, he’d hope that person would be non-fictional. Certainly not a storybook character in a fake castle dripping with so many twinkle lights that it looked like it’d been dipped in sugar.
“What’s the next rule, Princess Sweet Pea?” Rose said, as enamored as Henry had ever seen her with anyone or anything.
“The next rule is to always wear white gloves.” The princess did a little flourish with her hands, which were sheathed in completely impractical opera-style gloves. “And never take off your crown—not even in a bubble bath.”
She winked, and Rose gazed longingly at her heavily embellished rhinestone tiara, as if she’d never set eyes on the Chevalier Crown Jewels.
Henry desperately wanted to laugh. White gloves and bubble baths? This was getting absurd, even for a fairy tale. Rose would be crushed if he so much as snickered, though. This trip was for his daughter, not himself. And by all appearances, Once Upon A Time had already started working its magic on Rose. Henry should be thrilled—this was precisely what he’d wanted. Surely he could put all reason aside for the duration of a single “royal” tea party.
“Pray tell,” he said. “Are there more?”
“Just one last rule.” Princess Sweet Pea held up a single, gloved finger.
Henry braced himself for whatever hilarity was coming.
“Always, always be kind,” the princess said, and for reasons Henry couldn’t begin to understand, his heart gave an aching tug.
No wonder this place was so popular. Who wouldn’t want to live in a kingdom filled with friendly birds and butterflies, snuggly footmen and infinite kindness? Not to mention the kingdom’s book-loving, bubble bath-taking princess who seemed to be the living embodiment of joy and happiness.
If only any of it were real.
“I will,” Rose promised, and the princess gave her a tender pat on the cheek.
