A Dove's Tale

Chapter 78

Prince Chevalier wasn't there in the morning, which was strange, especially given my weird dream from the night before. I could only remember bits and pieces of it. Something about Prince Gilbert, and I was giggling about being tortured, and Prince Chevalier might have been there, too. It made no sense, but at least it wasn't a nightmare.

Probably all the medicine. It couldn't have been real. Because if it were real, that would mean Prince Gilbert snuck into my room.

It couldn't have been real.

"Did you give me extra medicine last night?" I asked the doctor.

"Yes, I did. Prince Chevalier told me you have active nightmares, and I don't want you hurting yourself in your sleep." He fixed me with a stern glare. "If you'd been sleeping, you wouldn't have noticed."

"I was sleeping. I just had an odd dream, that's all," I said quickly. "Where is Prince Chevalier?"

The doctor's mustache twitched, which I knew meant he was fighting a smile. I suddenly realized how that sounded, that he probably thought I had a dream about Prince Chevalier, and I was once again glad for the bruises that hid my blush. I didn't have a dream about him. He was in it, but it wasn't about him. And why shouldn't I dream about him, after all he'd done for me? What was wrong with that?

Great. Now I was justifying my dreams to myself.

"Sleeping in, I expect," the doctor said, interrupting my rapidly spiraling thoughts. "The guards told me he was up late greeting our newest arrivals. I believe he mentioned them to you yesterday?"

"Yes, he said Prince Clavis and Belle were coming, but I thought they wouldn't be here until today."

"They came early," the doctor said cheerfully. "Who would you like to see first after breakfast? Assuming you're feeling up to it, of course."

Embarrassment gave way to excitement welling up in my chest. "Can I see them both?"

He chuckled. "Prince Clavis is a handful on his own. I don't want you overexerting yourself."

"How could I do that? I'm just lying in bed. Please?"

"I'm afraid that won't work on me, young lady," he said, his mustache twitching again. "You may have one visitor. One. And, after you've rested from that, you may have another visitor. I will supervise closely, of course, and I reserve the right to bring visiting to an end. These are the rules."

"Well, that's not very fair," I said, trying a different angle. "Prince Chevalier comes whenever he wants, and you don't have to supervise him."

"Prince Chevalier makes the rules," the doctor reminded me, his gray eyes twinkling behind his glasses. "Now, who do you want to see first?"

I sighed, defeated but not upset. "Surprise me."

He opened the door to take my empty breakfast tray away, and we were both surprised when a crowd of people bounded into the room, knocking the tray over and nearly upending the poor doctor. It wasn't just Prince Clavis and Belle. Rio and Theresa were here, too, and they all exclaimed my name in unison.

"Ivetta!"

"No, no, no!" the doctor shrieked, abandoning the mess in the doorway to interpose himself between them and me. "One at a time. One! The rest of you, out!"

"I'm first! I'm first!" Belle squealed, raising her hand and jumping up and down.

"As the only prince in this room, my rank says I go first," Prince Clavis said, smoothing his violet hair with smug assurance.

"Well, I need to clean that mess up," Theresa argued.

"I'm staying with Belle," Rio volunteered.

"Do I need to call the guards?" the doctor asked sternly, putting his hands on his hips. "Or Prince Chevalier?"