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She frowned. “Rid mean.”
Apparently, Riddick’s name was harder for her to say, so she shortened it.
“No, he’s trying to keep you safe,” I explained. “Remember, it’s important to stay with your guard, okay? All princesses have to stay with their guards.”
She puffed out her cheeks as she nodded. “Okay.”
“Come on, let’s go eat,” Caleb said.
“Nuggets?” she asked.
“I’m not sure,” he replied. “We have to go sit down first.”
She made grabby hands at Caleb and his eyes widened, but he immediately took her from my arms. “You’re guard, too?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yes, I am one of your guards as well.”
She smiled and kicked her legs on either side of him. “Yay.”
He returned her smile and finally, relaxed. “Do you think we’ll get dessert?” he asked her conspiratorially.
“Yes, please!” she shouted, getting a few looks from others.
Caleb laughed. “Well, we have to eat our meat first, remember?”
She nodded. “Meat then sweets!”
“That’s right,” he said and nodded.
“May I escort you?” Riddick asked and held out his bent elbow.
I slipped my hand through and smiled wide. “I would love that. Thank you.”
“You look stunning in that dress,” he commented as we walked. “And your crown definitely suits you.”
“Thank you. I quite enjoy seeing you in a suit,” I said and stroked a hand down his lapel.
His chest rumbled beneath my fingers as he purred. “Are you suggesting we should dress up more often?”
“I wouldn’t be against it,” I replied, which made him laugh.
Since there were six of us, we got an entire table to ourselves. Lily sat between Caleb and Branson, doing a little happy dance as she ate a buttered piece of bread. I sat between Caleb and Triston, though I was curious how they’d decided who would sit on either side of me. I’d asked once and they refused to tell me.
Triston buttered a piece and put it on my plate.
“Thank you,” I said and had to refrain from shoving the entire thing into my mouth as I was suddenly starving.
Riddick reached across Triston, grabbed my water glass, and filled it.
Being taken care of by them made me smile and allowed me time to look around the room.
Most were talking amongst themselves, but there were a handful of people staring right at our table that had me on edge.
Caleb sat a hand atop my leg and patted. With the dress, he couldn’t touch my skin, but the touch put me at ease anyway.
The food came and much to Lily’s disappointment, it was not nuggets. It was delicious, and she ended up eating her entire plate without us needing to intervene. Her eyes lit up when she saw them bringing out large pieces of chocolate cake and as she put the first bite into her mouth, she did her happy food dance in her chair again.
I expected us to leave after food or mingle, but they asked everyone to return to the previous room where the daises had been removed, allowing for more room to dance. A small band was positioned in the corner, playing music.
