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Nolan lookedhotas Prince Beastly. So elegant, so regal… So sophisticated. Not at all like the sweet and down-to-earth silly goof she knew him to be. But he looked like something from her dreams—her old dreams of what a happy future might look like. The voluminous blonde wig was smoother than his usual shaggy hair and made him lookolder.
He locked eyes with her and grinned. “A moment, please, my lady,” he said to Cheryl, bringing her gloved hands to his lips, then quickly dropping them so she could wrap a waiting child in a half-embrace.
Prince Beastly tapped the shoulders of kids shouting out his name as he made his way across the ballroom floor. Lilac stood there, shell-shocked, as he approached and Nolan grabbed for her hand, pressing his lips to her knuckles. “My lady tells me we have you to thank for this evening of merriment,” he said, every syllable resounding. Lilac had never heard him speak in character—any character—before.
Lilac tried not to laugh. “A gift for my queen and her consort,” she said. “And the many children and animals who live in herlands.”
Prince Beastly moved her hand to the side and wrapped his other hand around her waist. Lilac worried about the kids seeing him dance with anyone but the queen, but she was taking pictures now. DeShawn was staring straight at them,nodding.
“Looks like the prince has begun the dance!” he shouted, looking over his shoulders to get the kids excited. He twirled his hand above him as if holding a lasso and within ten seconds, the music started once more. “Let’s dance!” Willow and Bev appeared beside him, Bev taking DeShawn’s and Willow’s hands in hers. Lilac quickly took note of the resemblance between Nolan’s supervisor and Willow’s littlefriend.
Kids all over the Ballroom started shimmying and as Prince Beastly whirled her around the room, Lilac caught sight of Landon dancing with Tanya and some other boys near the crafttable.
“When did you learn to dance?” asked Lilac, amazed at how light on his feet Nolanwas.
“My mother and father had me instructed,” he said, his voice still halting and stiff. “As a mere lad. In anticipation of my royalcourtship.”
Chuckling, Lilac resisted the urge to put her cheek to his. The kids were dancing, but she wouldn’t risk any of them catching sight of Prince Beastly making romantic gestures to another woman. Still, she chanced a small movement to lean her lips closer to hisear.
“You know you’re going to have to take me dancing again now,” she said. “This time without this costume betweenus.”
Nolan’s lips twitched just slightly. “Prince Beastly doesn’t dance in the nude,” he said, his voicelow.
Lilac snickered. That wasn’t what she’d meant and he knewit.
“But Nolan Gregosky does,” he said, his voice no more than awhisper.
