As always, Clyde gave the Princess his chocolate milk. He no longer even thought about it—it was as automatic as breathing. She handed him her orange juice in return, and the two sat alone at the table closest to the teachers, just like they always did. Today everything seemed like it was going as usual—except it wasn’t. Normally, Clyde felt like he was the one looking out for Princess. Today, the roles were reversed.
Clyde was hurting.
“Why is your mom gone again? I don’t quite understand.”
“It’s because the dragon stole her ring last week. I couldn’t tell her it was the dragon because then…” He hesitated. If either of his parents ever caught wind that the ring disappeared while he was playing with Princess, it could mean the end of Princess in his life.
“What did you tell her?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why did she leave?”
“She thinks my dad sold it for gambling because he is always doing that stuff. But he would never do it with her wedding ring.”
“Why didn’t he tell her?”
“She didn’t believe him. She left him. She left the house. She left me.”
“You did that for me?”
“Huh?” Clyde asked, confused. Princess rarely read between the lines, but this time she had—and it left him staring at her in silence for a few moments.
“We can go back and get the ring from the dragon beast’s cave,” she said.
The thought had never occurred to him. Could it really be that simple to fix things? He doubted it—but wasn’t it worth a shot?
“Or we could have your dad marry my queen, and then you would be my Prince. It’s what you always wanted.”
Clyde heard her, and he tried to pretend he didn’t—but the words couldn’t be unheard. He loved his mom, even though she was hard on him, and he wanted her back. Still, there was something about the thought of living with Princess and having her right there all the time.
The queen always seemed nice. Maybe his dad would like her. Maybe his mom could still visit. She wouldn’t, of course—she hated Princess, and now hated his dad even worse. Still, the thought of living with Princess lingered.