CHAPTER 34
A s the sunrise spilled over Vailgate Castle, it illuminated a flurry of activity.
Vendor vans from Icescape Catering, Skydovia Christmas Tree Farm, Gary’s Lighting, and Finn’s Floral filled the driveway as a steady stream of workers hurried in and out of the castle, preparing for the day ahead.
Inside the Grand Hall, Ava felt surprisingly at ease in jeans and a red flannel shirt as she supervised one crew hauling out the remains of the demolished Christmas tree while another brought in a new one, an even taller and more magnificent thirty-foot Douglas fir.
Delivery workers followed, carrying in new boxes of ornaments and lights, life-size nutcrackers, wreaths, and every other festive touch imaginable.
One of the nutcracker designers nervously approached Ava.
Ava smiled. “Yes, can I help you?”
The designer nodded. “Yes, Your Royal Highness. Thank you. Where would you like the new nutcrackers to go? I know they’re a little larger than the original ones, so would you like them here, or closer to the tree?”
Ava studied the new, stunning vintage nutcrackers. “What do you think?”
The designer blinked, surprised. “Me?”
“Yes,” Ava said. “You’re the expert. Where do you think they would look best?”
The designer relaxed and smiled. “I think they would look wonderful closer to the tree.”
“Great, then let’s do that,” Ava said.
They shared a smile, and then the designer got back to work.
Next, Ava turned her attention to her rotating wreath display, which she had managed to put back together.
The crashing tree had taken out all the hanging wires and wreaths, but the mechanism she had invented remained intact.
It hadn’t taken her long to string up new wires, add fresh wreaths, and restore everything to look as good as new.
She was smiling, adjusting one of the wreaths’ bows, when Edgar walked up. He looked around, impressed.
“I can’t believe you’ve been able to do all this so fast,” he said. “Dare I say everything looks even better than before?”
Ava gave him a grateful look. “Thank you, Edgar. That means a lot, coming from you. I know you’ve seen a lot of parties in here.”
“Dozens,” Edgar agreed. “But what you’ve done for this party will make it the most magnificent one we’ve ever seen. I know your father would be very proud of you.”
“I didn’t do this alone. It has been a team effort. Mother and I were up all night calling people, asking for help. Justin was right.”
“About?”
“He said if we ever needed help, we should ask for it, and that we’d be surprised by how many people would show up for us. You know that’s not how we usually operate.”
Edgar nodded.
“We’re not takers, we’re givers,” Ava continued. “But this time, in order to give this Christmas party to everyone, we needed help, and everyone came through. It’s really unbelievable. I’m so grateful.”
Edgar smiled. “So, you and Justin…”
For a moment, the question hung in the air.
Finally, Ava answered. “There is no Justin and me.”
“But you’d like there to be,” Edgar said. “And before you try and deny it, remember I’ve known you since you were born.” He gave her a pointed look.
Ava blushed. She picked up an angel ornament out of the box of decorations and walked over to the new Christmas tree.
Edgar followed her. “Justin seems like a very upstanding young man. I know your mother has worked with him over the years with her animal shelter charities. She thinks very highly of him.”
Instead of facing Edgar, she concentrated on finding the perfect place to put the angel ornament on the tree.
“Yes, Mother has told me,” Ava said.
“And you don’t agree?” Edgar asked.
“I’ve never met anyone like him.” Ava chose her words carefully.
“He’s driven, dedicated, smart, and kind.
He’s passionate about what he does. He always seems to find a way to make things better, and he always finds a way to make me laugh…
” She smiled as she hung the angel. “But what I like best is that he doesn’t care that I’m a princess.
He sees the real me, not just the tiara. ”
Edgar smiled and nodded. “Those are all very admirable traits, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Yes,” Ava said. “They are.” She turned to face Edgar. “I know what you’re doing.”
“But do you know what you’re doing?” Edgar asked. “I think you two would make a great team.”
Ava took a deep breath and gave in. “Edgar, how I feel doesn’t matter. Justin lives in a different world, a different country. Once he’s done training Stormy, he’s going back to New York, to work with his father.”
Saying the words out loud made it real. The weight of it hit Ava hard, making her heart ache.
“And you know very few people can handle our royal life,” Ava continued. “And Justin, he’s more of a rule breaker than a royal rule follower. I don’t see how it could work, even if I wanted it to. I’m afraid there’s no fairy-tale ending in our story.
“You’re an inventor,” Edgar said. “Use the brilliant imagination of yours and I’m sure you can figure out something. We all write our own stories, how yours ends is up to you…”
Ava twisted her watch around her wrist, thinking about how her whole life had felt like a story already written.
Duty had dictated her path, and following it had always given her a sense of security.
But stepping off that path into the unknown, where nothing was guaranteed?
That scared her more than she wanted to admit.
“I’m sorry if I overstepped,” Edgar said. “We just all want you to be happy.”
“It’s okay, Edgar. I appreciate your concern,” Ava said. “I’ve just never put my happiness first or really thought about what would make me happy.”
She gave him a quick hug. “Thank you for always being here for me.” When she stepped back she looked around the room.
“Now, I need to focus on making sure our Christmas Eve party is a success because a lot of charities are counting on us That’s what my father wanted, and I’m going to do everything I can to make that happen. ”
? ? ?
As Ava worked side by side with her mother party planning, dealing with the different chefs, caterers, florists, and musicians, they were both surprised at how effectively and efficiently they were able to work together.
While Ava prided herself on making sure every last detail was taken care of, she had to admit she was impressed by her mother’s fresh, creative ideas—especially the way she kept their cherished royal traditions with also having some modern, magical moments.
One idea from her mother in particular felt especially brilliant.
It didn’t require extra time or money, yet it added a touch of fairy-tale elegance.
She had arranged for a beautiful photo area to be set up, featuring one of the sparkling tiaras from their royal collection, where guests could try it on and get photographed.
Ava could already imagine the joy on their faces. For a brief moment, they wouldn’t just be guests at a royal party—they’d be part of something truly special, stepping into a storybook memory they could cherish for years to come.
Ava was especially touched when her mother let her pick the tiara that would be used.
She had chosen the one that had been her favorite as a child.
It was covered with dazzling diamonds and emeralds.
It was one of the more extravagant and ornate tiaras her mother had that had belonged to her grandmother.
She also loved the story behind how it had been given to her mother at Christmas as a present from her parents.
They were just finalizing the details with the caterers when her mother brought her a glass of champagne.
“Where did you get this?” Ava asked, surprised.
“I have my connections,” her mother said with a bright smile as she clinked her glass to Ava’s. “To a job well done.”
“I’ll drink to that, and to you. You’ve been amazing to work with.”
Her mother smiled. “See what you’ve been missing all these years?”
They shared a laugh.
“But seriously, thank you for allowing me to help. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed myself so much.”
“We couldn’t have done it without you,” Ava said and meant it.
“Since we’re done here, I think we should go upstairs and start getting ready. I have a few surprises for you.”
“Really” Ava asked with a laugh. “I don’t know if I can handle any more surprises from you.”
Her mother smiled back at her. “This is a good surprise, I promise. I’ve brought you several dresses from Paris. Celine designed them just for you, for the party!”
“I had a dress I was going to wear,” Ava started, but stopped when she saw the disappointment on her mother’s face. “But who could resist a Celine original, right?”
Her mother’s face lit up with joy. “Right!”
“You go ahead, and I’ll be there in a moment,” Ava said. “I just need to get ahold of Henry.”
Her mother’s smile faded. “You still haven’t heard back from him?”
“I did,” Ava said. “He sent one quick text saying he’d talk to me tonight, but I told him I needed to talk to him before the party. It’s critical.”
When her mother arched an eyebrow but didn’t say anything, Ava knew it would be best to drop the topic. She didn’t need to give her mother even more reason to not like Henry.
She gave her mother a quick hug. “I’ll see you soon.”
? ? ?
Ava entered her bedroom and exhaled slowly. This had always been her sanctuary, her peaceful escape. For the decor, she’d chosen soothing shades of ivory for a clean, classic look that contrasted beautifully with her traditional mahogany furniture, including some priceless royal family heirlooms.
But right now, all she felt was anxious as she left Henry another voice message.
“Hi Henry, it’s Ava again. I really wanted to talk to you before the party to tell you this. I hate leaving it on a message, but you need to know…”
She took a deep breath before she continued.