Page 24 of A Royal Arrangement
“Your Majesty?”
Rosalie turned around and was greeted by Luna, Addie’s nanny.
“Yes?”
“Princess Adelaide has requested your assistance getting ready for tonight’s royal ball. Do you mind?”
Her heart warmed. “I would love to help.”
Rosalie followed her up a staircase to a room just down the hall from hers and Colin’s.
When Luna opened the door for her, Rosalie was greeted by an explosion of purple, from the lilac walls to the violet rugs and the lavender comforter. Addie’s bed was nestled inside a giant white castle, complete with turrets and stairs that led up to a slide into a fake moat. And there were unicornseverywhere.
“Wosie!” Addie ran over and threw her arms around Rosalie’s legs, hugging tightly.
“Hey, sweet girl.” She got down on her knees so she could hug Addie on her level. “I heard you wanted some help getting ready for the ball?”
Addie nodded her head emphatically. “You can pick my dwess and do my hair.”
She reached her hand out, and Addie quickly took it, pulling Rosalie over to her giant walk-in closet. Everything was organized by color, making the room even more aesthetically pleasing.
“What color dwess are you weawing, Wosie?”
“My dress is light blue.”
“Like the one I wore for the pawade?”
“Exactly.” Rosalie booped her on the nose. “What color do you want to wear?”
Addie scrunched her lips and placed her hands on her hips. Finally, she responded, “I wanna wear puwple.”
“An excellent choice.” Rosalie walked over to the section of purple dresses, shuffling through them. When she spotted a periwinkle dress decorated with jewels that sparkled in the light, she pulled it off the rack. “What do you think about this one? It has some embroidery on the top that looks a bit like my dress.”
“Yes, I love sparkles!” Addie shouted and spun in a circle.
She carried the dress back into the bedroom, and Addie sat at her mini vanity.
Rosalie walked over and started brushing the little girl’s hair. “Do you want your hair up or down?”
“I wanna match you.” Addie looked at her in the mirror with adoring eyes.
“We can both do cute updos.” Rosalie smiled back at her before getting to work on crafting a hairstyle for her new stepdaughter.
When she finished, perfect ringlets framed Addie’s face while the rest of her hair was twisted back into a cute bun. Rosalie helped zip her into the purple dress and then got down on her knees, looking right into Addie’s eyes.
“You look so beautiful. Thank you for letting me help you get ready.”
Addie wrapped her arms around her neck, nuzzling into her.
Once she pulled back, Rosalie stood. “I have to go get ready now. I’ll see you at the ball, okay?”
Addie nodded along and waved goodbye. Once she was back in her room, Rosalie hurried to add a few twists and braids into her hair before pulling it into a messy, low bun, curling the pieces of hair around her face. She’d told the royal hairstylist that she wouldn’t require her services today. After not having a hairstylist in Findorra, she was used to doing her own hair. Although, she usually had a bit more time than this.
But, honestly, she didn’t even care that she had minimal time to get ready. It meant more than anything for her to feel wanted and needed by Addie. By anybody at all, really.
Rosalie was the middle child who had always been forgotten in the mix.
Her older brother, Leo, was the golden child of the family. He was the perfect son, who married the perfect girl, and had the most perfect baby boy of his own to take the throne after him. Then there was her younger sister, Ariana. She was the adored child. Her parents and the Findorran people all fawned over her.
