new to me. I was forced to marry a stranger and my brother put a gun to my head…it was difficult. It was still difficult, but easier. A lot easier. I was actually enjoying myself.
Later, when Mona brought us food, it looked amazing and delicious as always, but…
“I miss pancakes,” I said. We were just about to eat, neither of us had started eating yet.
“Oh!” the prince said, “I don’t know if my mother knows how to make them or not, but I could have Mona ask her to make you some. She’ll figure it out.”
“No, no, it’s okay,” I smiled, but then thought for a moment. “Uh, can I make some?”
“Pancakes?”
I nodded.
“Yourself?”
I nodded again, smiling widely.
“Now?”
I had to chuckle. “Yeah, I really want some.”
“Isn’t it an American breakfast?”
“Um…it’s morning in America,” I grinned.
The prince chuckled and it was music to my ears, shaking his head. “I don’t know, Princess.”
“Is it breaking a rule? Because I assure you, I’ve been ‘spoiled rotten’ enough since I got here,” I tried.
“I don’t mind at all, Princess, but you have to convince Mona. She won’t be happy with you getting your hands dirty during your first week of marriage, no matter what,” the prince grinned.
“I know how to be convincing,” I said with a smug look on my face, making the prince chuckle again, and then we went to the kitchen–me, readying myself for a big argument with Mona.
“It is not appropriate, Princess,” Mona said with wide eyes and shock as if I just told her I’d be torturing puppies, not making pancakes.
“Oh, please! It’ll only take ten minutes,” I said.
“You tell me how to do it, Princess, and I’ll do it with pleasure,” Mona offered.
“Five minutes,” I tried, desperate.
“I promise I’ll try my best, Princess, just tell me how.” Mona was just as desperate.
I looked over at the prince who was leaning his shoulder against the door frame, hands in his pockets, watching us as he tried to stifle his laughter. “Aren’t you gonna help me out here?”
He raised his hands in front of him in surrender. “It’s your war, Stubborn Princess.”
I narrowed my eyes at him playfully, and he chuckled, and then I had to beg Mona some more. I almost thought of bribing her with more hair brushing or something, but thought that would be very silly of me.
Eventually, Mona gave up and let me do it, but all the while she kept asking if she could do this or that herself. I let her help a little only to put her mind at some kind of ease, and she was really happy about it. Rolling up my sleeves for me neatly seemed like some kind of pleasure to her; it was sort of funny, she was just too nice.
To my surprise, the prince wanted to help, as well. Mona didn’t object at all, which I told her was so lame of her. She just smiled and then even laughed at how clumsy he was. He had the cutest smudge of flour on his nose, and both Mona and I snickered at the sight of him.
“What?” he asked, completely unaware of the reason why we were grinning so much.
“You have flour on your nose,” I giggled.
He quickly rubbed it off, but only managed to put more flour all over his nose and cheeks. It was seriously the most adorable thing I’d ever seen; he was a know-nothing, whether it came to cooking or rubbing off flour.
“All gone?” he asked.
“Perfect,” I gave him a thumb up, and Mona turned her back on him so she could hide her laughter.
“It’s all over my face, huh?”
I nodded, bursting out laughing at his reaction, and completely loving how easy spending a day in the kingdom had become, wishing I’d learned I could smile and laugh earlier than that. It would’ve saved me so much heartache.
Mona was really touched when I made her a plate. It made me smile to see how little things meant so much to her, and I kept it in mind to do more nice things for her later. She was such a sweet person.
What I enjoyed the most were the prince’s pleased humming as he ate the pancakes I’d made. I smiled with pride as he kept going on and on about how delicious they tasted, telling me that the ones he’d eaten in the UK weren’t at all the same, stroking my ego just the right way. I loved it.
We were sitting on the couch in our bedroom. I