The Royal Heir - Dancing with my eyes closed

Dance again

For tonight's big event, we're not in the main ballroom, thank god. I'm really not relishing having to go back in there someday. Rick's put this event on in the smaller ballroom in the east wing. He's a good friend to me, I guess. He's even put me in the opposite wing of the palace to where we always used to stay, so I haven't got to walk past the room where Bella was born. Although I kind of feel like I do want to go back in there someday. Not to relive the most horrendous experience I'll ever live through, but to feel close to Jen.

Not tonight though. The ballroom below us will be filling up with nobles and guests, so we haven't got long. Following a diaper change that could only be described as traumatic, I've freshened up and put on my new suit, and it's now time for the guest of honour to bling up.

"Hey there little bean," I call across the bedroom as I shuffle towards the travel cot. "Time to get ready for your big night."

She smiles and reaches an arm out for me as I peek over the edge. Feeling a rush of love, I lift her up high and kiss her on the forehead, and now she's chuckling like a little baby chick.

"Sounds like someone's excited for her big moment. And yeah, I get it Bella. I'd be excited too if I was the most beautiful wonderful princess in all the land. You know who else would be excited, your momma." I lift Bella onto the bed, where her special outfit is laid out. "There's nothing cuter than parents matching their baby, right? Now I was told I couldn't put you in a squid suit, and that you had to wear red to the red apple gala, so.. daddy has to wear red too. What'dya think? Am I channelling my inner Nevrakis?"

I do a little spin for her, so she can see my new black suit with red flowers in all its glory. I don't actually hate it. It's the first new thing I've worn since, well, yeah. That Jen's never seen me wear. So, kind of sad. But I had to do it sometime.

After the usual tights trauma, on goes the ruffly red dress that transforms my little bean into a little apple, with matching little sparkly ruby red slippers. The palace tailors should be congratulated for their brilliance. "Well, Bella, look at you! Picture perfect! Just time for some selfies... shall we pop them on Pictagram? I don't see why not, do you?"

I don't have much look in snapping selfies of Bella and myself where she's smiling, but it must be meant to be tonight, first time lucky. "Aw yeah! Now let's post it... hmmm, hashtag Red Apple Gala, hashtag Princess Annabelle, hashtag moving on!"

Because, yeah, this is my first Pictagram post since the post I made after Jen died. I've shared a few stories since, including the Cordonian city landscape that helped me escape from Anna and Mal's clutches, but this is my first content in almost three months. People are going to know that Maxwell Beaumont Inc is back in business. And it's all because of his investment in Bella Beaumont-Jones.

"C'mon then," I say to her, bouncing her in my arms. "Let's do this. There'd better be balloons."

***

"Presenting Princess Annabelle of Cordonia, accompanied by her father, Duke Maxwell Beaumont of Valtoria."

We're announced into the ballroom, greeted by cheers and applause from the guests. There's no grand staircase in this ballroom, but we're not going to let that stop us from making a dramatic and unforgettable entrance.

"The guest of honour's here!!!" I do a triumphant twirl. "Oh, and so's Bella!"

There's cheers and applause as we make our way into the room. And, yay, there's balloons! All red, of course.

I've already been briefed on the guest list for tonight, there isn't anyone here who wasn't invited to Bella's presentation, so no surprises or people who are going to want to offer me sympathy. We're gonna keep tonight upbeat for Bella. Well. Until the final track, anyway.