CHAPTER 10: A Seaside Seashell Party

The Marina, Cordonia. Tuesday, April 4th, 2018

Following the regatta's conclusion, Ridley, Maxwell, Marcella, and Hana walked along the docks, towards the beach towards the party that would be there.

"Ready for the beach extravangaza, Ridley?" Asked Maxwell.

Ridley blinked and glanced down at his outfit. "I...think so. Why? Is there something I should have prepped? Will the press be there?"

"Nope!" said Marcella. "It's just a fun party on one of the most gorgeous private beaches in the nation."

Hana sighed dreamily. "That sounds amazing, and the water's so unbelievably beautiful..." She ran a finger down her dress sleeve. "I can't wait to get out of this dress and into my bikini!"

Maxwell slapped his forehead "I knew I was forgetting something! Ridley, you didn't happen to bring swimwear with you, did you?"

Before Ridley tried to speak up, Marcella cut in. "It doesn't matter, we can buy one on our way there."

Ridley shrugged. "Whatever you say." he turned to Hana. "You can go on ahead, Hana. We'll see you there!"

"See you!" she said brightly.

Maxwell and Marcella directed Ridley to a nearby clothing store, where they ducked inside to find some swimwear. After a while, Maxwell gestured to a pair of trunks he found. "Looks like they only have one pair that's your size."

"Let's let me try it." said Ridley.

He did so, taking along a black long sleeved underarmor shirt and a white, red and blue Hawaiian shirt. He came out of the dressing room, and Maxwell and Marcella gazed at him for a long while.

"That...looks good on you." Said Maxwell in shock.

Marcella shook her head. "Good? He looks handsome!"

Ridley chuckled. "Thanks, you two."

"Come on, let's get you to the party before we miss all the fun!" Said Marcella.

"Lead the way." Said Ridley.

A short while later, he arrived at the beach with Maxwell and Marcella. The latter was wearing her own bikini under her dress.

Ridley glanced around. "Where's Lisette?"

Marcella shrugged. "Looks like she's tired up with the Queen and Gilderoy right now."

"Should I make a move?" He asked.

"No." she replied. "It's better to bide your time. You'll likely only get one shot at spending time with her today. Best to make to move when Queen Regina's not around. In the meantime, let's eat!"

They made their way to a beach buffet, that was set up on the sandy beach. Ridley lingered around, looking for the plates, as Hana came up to him.

"Have you tried the appetizers?" she asked, chipper as always.

"What are they?" asked Maxwell.

"She shrugged. "Some kind of avant-garde gourmet seafood thing..."

"Ridley found them on the table, and balked sightly at the sight of them. "They seem quite fishy...literally."

"It's a bit high end for your taste." noted Hana. "But we should give it a try."

Ridley's eyes remained on the appetizers in question as he reached a hand for one. Suddenly, they bulged wider than a pair of dinner plates. "I'm pretty sure that one's still moving..." He groaned. "I think it just wriggled!"

"That means it's fresh." asked Hana, nonplussed.

"True." Admitted Ridley. "Well, I am pretty adventurous. here goes..."

He, Marcella and Maxwell all tried the appetizer.

"Mmm, squishy." said Maxwell.

"Well, it tastes like caviar... and very expensive caviar, at that."

Ridley ran his tongue across his front teeth. "Kind of like a fresh, salty, sea Jell-O..."

Over by the picnic area further down the beachhead, Diana stood by a table loaded with other foods. She waved them over as they arrived. "I hope you're all hungry because the real food has arrived." she said.

"So much of it..." Said Marcella hungrily.

Hana examined the table, as did Ridley. He guessed it featured the 'main course', if he could call it that.

Hana pointed to the items on the table; all of which were different varieties of barbecued meat. "Is that...Barbecue?" she asked.

Diana smirked. "Oh, yes." She gestured to each platter. "You've got your pulled pork, chicken kebabs, brisket, ribs, vegetables, and sauces from all around the world. Oh, and you can't forget the classic sloppy joe!"

Hana cocked her head in confusion. "A...what?

"Seasoned ground beef with onions, tomato sauce, and whatever else you feel like throwing in there."

Maxwell chuckled. "You had me at 'not fish'."

Hana stared at the Sloppy Joe Sandwiches, which sat on a rectangular platter. "It looks messy...but intriguing."

Ridley folded his arms. "Diana...I'm being served this? I'm competing to be the future king consort of Cordonia, and I'm being served sloppy joes?!

Diana shrugged. "Fine. More for me, then. Hop you enjoy caviar mollusk."

Ridley's face went red. "CAVIAR MOLLUSK?!"

Diana held up her hands. "Whoa, there! No need to blow a blood vessel! If you don't like sloppy-"

Ridley was practically in her face. "LIKE?! I DON'T LIKE THEM!" Suddenly, he smiled broadly, grabbed a sandwich and put it on his plate. "I love them! I had barbecue like this all the time during middle school, thanks to the fundraisers and cookouts they would host."

Diana was standing there in shock; it took several minutes for her to speak. "I thought you said-"

Ridley waved a finger, "You thought, but I never said. There's a difference, my lady."

Diana's shock gave way to anger, then to a smile. "Thank you, Knightley. Finally someone else around her can appreciate a simple dish.

Hana was still staring at the spread. "It does seem a little strange to have such causal food there."

"Lisette thought Knightley would appreciate it. A little taste of home."

Ridley blinked. "This was her idea?"

Diana nodded. "Mostly. From a purely selfish angle, I'm not exactly a caviar and oysters kind of girl, so..."

"Got it."

Diana waved a dismissive hand. "Anyway, let's dig in. I love a good barbecue. It reminds me of cookouts on the lawn or summers with my family."

Ridley smiled. "Aww, Diana. THat's actually kind of sweet."

Diana rolled her eyes. "...And the mood is souring anew. Now, are you here to talk or eat?"

Ridley folds his arms and held his sandwich out towards a nearby trash bin. "Let's talk about what happened to the real Diana. You're being awfully nice. Sharing food with us...talking about family cookouts...Is there a frown I'm not seeing? Because I know something's off."

Diana scowled. "…Happy?"

Ridley held his sandwich over the bin. "Yes. But unfortunately for you, I just lost my appetite." He dropped the sandwich into the bin; which sent Diana into shock.

"You Idiot! You just wasted a perfectly good sloppy joe!"

Ridley put two chicken kebabs on his plate. "If I'm hungry for one later, I'll get one."

Diana fumed. "Not if they're all gone by the time you're done."

Ridley smirked. How mildly amusing…I'm keeping my eye on you."

"Don't strain yourself, Knightley." retorted Diana.

Ridley shrugged her off, added some veggies to his plate, sat on the sand and dug into his food, as did the others with their own plates of barbecue.

Hana stared down at her plate, which contained a sloppy joe sandwich. "So…how does one eat a 'sloppy joe'? Utensils or hands?"

Diana sat beside her and shrugged. "It's your choice."

Hana's surprise froze on her face. "There's no protocol? How are you supposed to elegantly eat at social gatherings?"

"It's a sloppy joe, Hana." Said Diana. "Thee's not going to be anything elegant about it."

"Oh, my…" sighed Hana.

"Marcella rubbed her arm. "You just have to stop caring about what everyone thinks, Hana. Like this."

Marcella grabbed her sandwich from her plate and took a big bite.

"Now you're getting it, Marcella." Said Diana. "It's that easy, Hana.

Hana glanced nervously at Marcella's plate. "I think my parents would murder me if they saw me doing that." She took a fork and knife from the table, cut off a piece and ate it. After swallowing, she gasped. "Oh, this is delicious."

Maxwell followed suit, but with not dinnerware. "Mmm, rich, tangy, sweet…and soooooo good!"

Diana mockingly held out her hand. "I accept tokens of appreciation in cash, credit or check."

Ridley's eyes lingered on Hana when she smiled at him, her lips were covered in barbecue sauce, even if she didn't see it.

Hana caught Ridley's eye. "…What?"

Ridley pointed at her lips. "You, uh…you're looking pretty saucy there, Hana…"

Hana saw the sauce on her chin, she release a high pitched yelp and threw her hand to her face, accidentally smearing more sauce over her cheek!

"Oh my gosh!" she yelped again.

Ridley smiled, despite the situation. "Don't worry, Barbecue sauce is a gold look for you."

Hana blushed, "This may not be quite as embarrassing as the time I accidentally applied blush instead of powder to half my face." Ridley handed her a napkin, which she used to wipe her face and lips.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed." Said Maxwell. "Getting messy is half the point."

"Exactly." Said Diana. "Well, Maxwell, it looks like a sauce container exploded on you, so mission accomplished."

"Who says it only happened to him." Said Marcella, cheekily pointing to her own sauce stained face.

They continued eating, oblivious to their sauce stained faces. Maxwell, Marcella, Diana and Ridley enjoyed the sloppy joes and chicken kebabs, while Hana enjoyed the other stuff.

A short while later, everyone was sitting around the table. The table full of barbecue almost empty.

"I'll say it again. That was soooooo good." Said Maxwell.

"I'll have to ask the chefs back home to add barbecued chicken to the rotation…" Said Hana.

Marcella glanced over the table. "Would it be to forward to ask for a takeout container so I can take home any leftovers?"

Diana shrugged. "Have all you want! If anyone asks, I'll make an excuse."

Marcella found some plastic containers under the table and began slidling food into one of them.

"I don't know about you all, but I'm ready for the water." said Diana.

"Maxwell stretched his arms. "I'm ready to stretch out like a beached whale."

Diana shrugged. "Suit yourself." He turned to Ridley and Hana. "You coming with me, Knightley? What about you, Hana?"

"I'm there." Said Ridley.

"Me too!" Said Marcella.

"Hang on." Said Hana urgently. "We need to apply sunscreen before we go."

"Do we really?" asked Diana.

Ridley smiled pointedly at Diana. "I would love some sunscreen."

Hana dug into her bag and pulled out bottles of sunscreen. ""Luckily, I brought enough for everyone." She grabbed the hem of her dress, pulled it over her head and onto the sand, revealing a white bikini. Diana followed suit, revealing a black and red bikini. Hana tossed a bottle of sunscreen to Ridley. "Can you please give me a hand?"

"I could use one too." Said Diana.

Ridley glanced over to Marcella, but her fiance was already helping her. He nodded and stepped forward as Diana sat on her knees. He squeezed a healthy amount onto his hand and rubbed it slowly over her back and arms; he was surprised by the softness of her skin that contrasted with her prickly attitude. "Good enough?" he asked when finished.

"Yeah." she said. "That's good enough. I'll see you down by the water." She stood and walked down to the shoreline.

"Sure thing."

"Hey, Ridley." said Hana. "You did so great with her. Wanna help me out? I can't reach my back.

"Sure thing." Ridley glanced over at her; she looked hopeful. Ridley swallowed a sigh, nodded, and walked over behind her. "You rub my back, I'll rub yours."

"Bless you." She turned her back to him and allowed him to repeat the same motions he did for Diana. this time, starting with the shoulders to the back. Her skin again feeling soft beneath his fingers. "Thanks for the help."

"What kind of a man would I be if I let you burn."

Hana put an arm on Ridley's back from where she was. "Turn around, It's your turn. I don't want to be a bad friend either." She noticed his under armor shirt under his Hawaiian shirt and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Are you going to take that off?"

Ridley glanced down at the shirt, and shook his head. "You can just put some on my face and neck."

Hana gave him a look of worry. "What's wrong, Ridley?"

Before he could answer, Diana called to them from the shoreline. "Hey, Lord and Lady PDA. You two coming or what?"

Hana shook her head and applied a fingertip sized amount of sunscreen to Ridley's neck and face. "Alright, you're all set."

Ridley stood. "Great, now let's find our wayward Diana."

Diana waited for them on the shoreline. The water rushing around her feet. "Come on in! The water's great."

Hana glanced at Ridley, Maxwell and Marcella. "I don't see why she should have all the fun. I'm going in. You coming, Ridley?"

Ridley threw off his Hawaiian shirt and set it on a rock. "Let's do this!"

Diana ran into the water with Him and Hana on her tail.

Hana went up to her upper calves. "It's colder than I thought." she shrieked softly.

Diana looked back and chuckled. "You just need to adjust. Come here, I'll help you." She splashed Hana with a wave of water, which splashed onto her face.

"Hana shook her wet head. "That was a cheap shot." And with that, she returned fire at Diana.

"That's better." Said Lisette's right hand girl. She attempted to fire at Ridley, but fell short.

"He's declaring war." said Hana, glancing at Ridley.

"Just a warning shot." Said Diana.

Ridley glanced over at Diana. "Well, I have one for you." He wound up his arm and, splashed Diana with a big wave. Diana fell into the water at the point of impact.

"Get her!" cheered Hana. Soon, she joined in and the two of them were soon bombarding him from both sides.

Diana struggled to stay upright in the waves, but it was an effort. "Okay…!" she coughed. "I get it!"

"Don't mess with these water cannons!" taunted Ridley.

When they stopped, Diana fixed Ridley with a competitive stare. "Now that we're having competitions, let's race, Knightley!"

Ridley rolled his eyes. "Clearly, you're a glutton for punishment today."

"Less talk, more swimming!" Diana suddenly noticed Ridley's under armor shirt. "But first, lose the shirt."

Ridley shook his head. "No shirt, no race. Take it or leave it."

Diana stared at him for several moments, then shrugged. "Fine. Now, let's see how scary you are without Hana at your side. We'll swim to the end of the beach and back to these rocks." As she said this, she gestured to the end of the beach and to a cluster of rocks on the shoreline.

Ridley and Diana lined up near the rocks, ready to swim.

Hana stood ahead of them. "Ready, set…channel your inner mermaid!"

A flurry of splashes erupted as Ridley and Diana took off. Diana started off the race in an early lead, leaving Ridley to work his limbs into overtime to catch up. He diverted more strength into his fluid swimming motions, which made him go faster. He soon reached the far end of the beach, and was swimming close enough that Diana's feet were within his reach. He reached out with one stroke, and grabbed Diana's ankle, briefly stunting her focus.

"Hey! She exclaimed. "What was that?"

"Seaweed?" said Ridley, in between splashes.

Diana slowed down long enough to realize, much too late, that she had been tricked, and Ridley swam back for the rocks back at the shoreline, leaving them neck and neck.

"I hope you're ready to lose, Diana." He called to her.

Soon they were closing in on the shoreline; unfortunately, Ridley's arm muscles began to burn from all that swimming; Ridley hadn't swam that much since high school, and it had been a long time since he had swam at all. However, he knew whom he was competing against, and knew how intensely humiliating it would be to loose against her. With that, he gritted his teeth and pushed ahead through the fire raged through all his limbs. within minutes, the finish line was within reach. Suddenly, Diana's pace began to slow….which meant that Ridley was able to overtake him! He pushed harder an harder until…

"Ridley wins it all!" Cheered Hana.

Ridley smiled with satisfaction as he eased off his muscles and stood on the shore line. "The checkered flag is mine!" he said.

Diana rose of the water herself, spluttering and shaking water from her hair. "I seriously thought I had it." she said morosely.

Hana hugged Ridley, who was dripping water from every inch of his body. "Ridley, in celebration of your victory, I want to give you something."

Ridley grinned. "Is it a Pearl? a Kiss? Ooh, maybe a treasure chest?"

Diana waved her hands. "Whoa, settle down there, Knightely!"

Hana ignored her. "You'll have to wait and see!"

Ridley sighed. "You should always get what you asked for

Hana dove beneath the surface. Through the clear water, Ridley could see her swim to the bottom of the shallows. She then resurfaced, with a brightly colored seashell in her hand.

Ridley blinked upon seeing it. "Wow…"

"Surprised?" smiled Hana Sweetly.

Ridley took it and turned it over in his hand. "How did you find it?"

She pointed to the water beneath her. "I saw it sitting at the bottom while you were racing. They're quite common in the area."

The shell sparkled in Ridley's hand. "It's so pretty."

"Also..." she gave Ridley a quick kiss on the cheek. Which took him completely off guard. He wanted to say taht it was wrong, but he couldn't. Not because he wanted to, but because Diana was shouting in response.

"Hey! How come I get nothing?" Said Diana petulantly.

"You Should've swam faster." retorted Ridley, shrugging.

"Oh, I know." said Hana. she dived back under the sea and re-emerged with a sand dollar, giving it to Diana. "For you."

Diana stared at him. "What am I supposed to do with it?"

Ridley shrugged. Whatever you think you should do. Let it go, eat it, wear it as a hat…"

Diana let it drop onto the shoreline and left it drift into the seafloor. "Stupid…sand dollar."

Hana shivered from the cold water around her. "I'm starting to feel cold, so I think it's time for some sunbathing."

Diana finished shaking the loose water off of her. "Yeah. I'm feeling pretty done here myself."

"It was nice to get in the water for a bit though." Said Ridley. He swam ashore, his red hair shining and glistening in the bright sunlight, making it appear as though it was on fire.

Maxwell was waiting for him on the beach; he was sunbathing, and Marcella was immersed in a book she was reading.

Ridley sat in the sand between them, and took in Maxwell's outfit. "You seem a little overdressed for the beach."

Maxwell glanced up. "What?"

"Do you want to kick off your shoes?"

Maxwell nodded slowly, "I guess that's thing to do on a beach, huh?"

"Or course it is!" said Marcella. wigging her toes for emphasis. "Even babies know that."

Maxwell took off his leather loafers and socks and wiggled his toes in the sand. "Now this is feeling more like a party."

"You having a good time, Ridley?" asked Marcella.

Ridley laid back on the sand. "It's nice to take a break from competing for the Princess. I doubt I've gotten a minute of downtime since we arrived here. It's been a whirlwind of balls and social events….This is seriously nice."

'You're right." Said Marcella, strenching out her arms and legs. "It's good to rest up…"

Maxwell suddenly sat up. "Although…I do see another opportunity for you. Look over there…" He pointed to the appetizer table where Pierre stood, sullenly loading food onto his plate. Penelope sat a little ways away, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. "Looks like Pierre's having a bad day."

Ridley sighed, "Poor Pierre." He noticed his sister as well. "Looks like Penelope's not doing much better."

"This could be your big chance to get him on your side! Remember, competitors or not, you're going to need the court to think well of you if you're going to be co-ruler of Cordonia. Get over there and turn on the charm."

Ridley stood, put on his Hawaiian Shirt, and sauntered over to Pierre, only to accidentally bump into Penelope, who shrieked lightly.

"Oh," he exclaimed. "I'm sorry, Penelope."

Penelope glanced up, scowling. "I swear to god!-" Once she saw Ridley, her expression softened." Oh, it's just you, Ridley."

Pierre marched over to her. "Penny, you all-?" he stopped suddenly and saw Ridley. "Oh, it's you." he said stiffly. He wasn't scowling like Penelope was a second ago, but he still looked none too pleased.

Ridley folded his arms. "Hello to you too, Pierre. Is that any way to treat a friend?"

"We're not friends, Ridley…" but he tone changed after fully registering his words. "Are we?"

"Perhaps not technically," Admitted Ridley, "but I'd like to be friends. After all, It looks as though you're having a difficult time today."

Pierre sighed. "It was that obvious, wasn't it?" he paused for a moment. "You…weren't at the party on Olivier's yacht…right?"

"Ridley nodded. "Right. I decided to be with Hana on her yacht. Just to ensure she wouldn't have to be alone."

Pierre sighed in relief. "You didn't hear it from me, but you made the right call. I, at least, hoped there would be a promised fun time all around." he shook his head furiously. "But, of course, Olivier just had to ruin things just because you weren't there!"

"Uh…sorry?"

"Believe me, you did the right thing. Even if you don't know it"

"So what's up with you? Aside from Olivier ruining the Regatta for you."

"Honestly, the rest of the day hasn't gotten better."

"How so?"

Penelope stepped forward. "I got terribly seasick from the Regatta, and now, Pierre and I will be stuck on this beach in the sun for hours…"

"Our advisors said I only needed to look pretty at the balls and flirt with the Princess." Added Pierre. "They miscalculated, though, it hasn't gone that way at all." He gestured to Ridley. "Between you, Olivier, Kieran and Gilderoy…I haven't a chance at all. What's the point of even staying here?"

Ridley felt a bone deep twang of sympathy for the young Cordonian Lord. "You know there's more to this than just the Princess; right, Pierre?"

A look of surprise clouded Pierre's normally plain features. "Huh? Like what?"

"Like forming friendships and bonds with other gentlemen here…" replied Ridley hopefully.

Confusion and uneasiness warred for attention on Pierre's face, and he glanced over at Penelope for direction. She stepped back, which told Pierre this was his conversation to have. He sighed. "I don't know…"

Ridley rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know that to you and the others, we're competitors, no more, no less." said Ridley carefully. "But it won't always be that way. One of us will marry the Princess, and then it all ends…We should at least try to get something more out of it, don't you think?"

Pierre's face softened as he processed Ridley's offer. "That sounds about right…but I…"

Penelope suddenly shrieked; she shrieked so hard that Pierre accidentally dropped his plate of appetizers onto the table, scattering them across it.

"Penny?" cried Pierre.

"Penelope?" said Ridley.

Penelope jumped at once. "Eek! Oh my goodness! Help! Something is attacking me!"

Ridley glanced at her sharply and noticed at once what was the matter. Penelope's bare foot had been seized by the claw of an all too curious sand crab. She had thrown aside any ounce of composure and had began to move it widely.

"Stay still!" ordered Ridley, jogging over to her. "I got you." She did so, but still looked panicky. Ridley grabbed the crab gently around it's mid section with one hand. "Come on, little guy. Let go, nice and easy" he used his other hand to gently grasp it's left claw, the one on Penelope's foot, and wiggled it open until it's hold was broken. Penelope instantly backed away as Ridley picked it up and flung it into the sea.

Pierre raced to his sister's side. "Penny, you alright?"

"Yes." she said, looking at Ridley. "I am now."

Ridley examined her foot; there were a few harmless pinch marks where the crab claw had grasped it. "You're alright, Penelope. just a few pinch marks. no more."

Penelope stared at him in awe. "Ridley, that was…Amazing!" She hugged him tightly, and he returned it. "You saved me; thank you!" she pulled back and stepped back a bit from him.

"Yes, thank you." Said Pierre.

"Hey, you just saved your sister from getting attacked by a vicious sand crab. I stopped him, but you did the rest. Maybe you're tougher than you look."

Pierre sighed. "Maybe. But it won't matter; I'm not going to win the Princess' heart. I'm going to leave here a failure"

Penelope shook her head at her brother's morose behavior.

"Hardly." Said Ridley. "You can still use your time here to your best possible advantage."

"And what's that?" asked Pierre, cocking his head.

"By making allies. Help me get the court to see me favorably, and if I become King Consort, I'll remember you were there for me."

Pierre rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and traded a glance with Penelope. "I suppose I could put in a good word for you here and there."

"Especially if you were willing to do the same for Pierre if the time came." Said Penelope.

Ridley nodded. "If the opportunity comes, I'll take it."

"Excellent." Said Pierre. "That means a lot, Ridley.

Penelope gave Ridley a peck on the cheek. "It does indeed. You definitely are better than Olivier gives you credit for."

"Thank you." Said Ridley. They nodded at each other and parted ways. Ridley smiled a smile of success and and walked away to rejoin Maxwell, Marcella, Diana and Hana, when he accidentally collided with a woman. "Oh, my god! My sincerest apologies." He looked at saw that it was Lisette!

The Princess was smiling broadly. "Ridley; there you are!"

Ridley was still shaken by the encounter, but he shook it off and smiled. "You were looking for me? Just me?"

She nodded and gestured to the glass of mint lemonade she was holding. "Yes, I brought you a drink…It was hot out, so I thought you'd love something refreshing…"

Ridley took the lemonade glass and sipped it, savoring the taste on his tongue. "Nice. Tart and sugary."

"Just like you." said Lisette.

Ridley blinked. "I'm 'tart'?"

"In a way. You certainly have an interesting way of letting your opinions be known…"

Ridley nodded slowly. "Uh-huh. Am I to guess there's a compliment coming?"

Lisette shuffled her feet briefly. "…and you're incredibly sweet?" she said hopefully.

Ridley sighed. "Thanks, that means a lot." he sipped it again. Then faced her seriously. "Now, can you please get to the point of your visit? I can't believe you'd come solar to see me just to offer me the drink…"

She smiled coyly… "What if I did? It's all part of the royal service…"

Ridley folded his arms and smiled, though his tone showed how unimpressed he was. "Oh, really? What about services can I expect from the Crown Princess of Cordonia?"

Lisette shuffled her feet again. "Well…you're right, I did have a particular reason for my presence. I was looking for you because I want to take you somewhere. You see, I know of a special place called the Forgotten Falls…it's a short hike from here, but believe me when I say it's absolutely gorgeous."

"Is it the next stop today for the suitors?"

"Well, no...not for all the suitors. I used to go there often as a young girl. It's a special place to me; and, as such, I don't want to share it just anyone…" Her thin smile widened suddenly. "But it would mean so much to me to share it with you. If you're up for it, we can leave for there right now…"

"I suppose this is all to get some alone time with me?" said Ridley.

Lisette nodded eagerly. "Well, yes; there's that too…"

Ridley thought for a moment, then glanced over at where Maxwell, Marcella, Diana and Hana were enjoying themselves. As tempting as the offer was, he didn't feel like going off schedule, just for the sake of Lisette solidifying the fact that he was her favorite. Plus, he felt the weariness in his legs from all that swimming he did to best Diana. "Sorry. It's a bit of a trek for me, and I'm already a little exhausted. Diana's a stronger swimmer than me, apparently; even though I beat her. Long story. Maybe one of the other suitors would be happy to oblige." He pointed to Pierre. "Go ask Pierre; he'd love that."

Lisette shook her head. "Maybe just a walk along the beach then?"

Ridley nodded. "That sounds nice-" but before they could start walking. Lisette's name was called out.

"Lisette…"

They turned and stared at whomever it was. It was the King.

Lisette was surprised. "Father. You're on the beach!"

He shrugged. "I have been known to leave the palace to grace our shores from time to time…"

"I just mean that we rarely get the honor of your presence at the beach party after the Regatta…"

"You have me there, but today, I thought it might be warranted." he cleared his throat as the Queen stepped up beside him. "I'm sure you heard my announcement earlier about my, ah, retirement…"

"I did."

"I feel like a owe you an explanation. Lord Ridley, please pardon us, but I'd like to have a moment alone with my daughter."

Ridley nodded in surprise. "Of course, your highness."

"We'll meet up later." Said Lisette as they walked off together.

Ridley bowed and walked over to Maxwell and the other as King, Queen and Princess walked away. He saw how troubled the King looked and hoped all was well.

A short time later, the party ended and he and the others, Maxwell and Marcella, were back in the limo with Bertrand. Ridley was the last in enter.

"Look who finally made it." Commented Maxwell.

"I'm sure my absence was absolutely heart-wrenching for you." Said Bertrand dryly.

"Aren't you sad you missed out, Bertrand?" asked Ridley.

"Roasting in the sun while watching little boats go by is hardly what I'd consider stimulating." Sniffed the Duke. "In fact, I wouldn't even be here right now if I thought Maxwell could handle this on his own."

"I can handle it…" Maxwell Protested weakly. "Probably…"

Bertrand's scowl deepened. "Between forgetting to teach her the Cordonian Waltz and not warning her that she'd swim attire, I'm starting to wonder if I can trust you with even the simplest tasks!"

Maxwell balked. "How did you even know about the swimsuit thing?"

'I have my ways!" snapped the Duke.

Marcella spoke up boldly. "Maxwell didn't teach Ridley the dance because Hana Did. I volunteered myself, but he let Hana do it; due to her having more experience as a dancer."

Bertrand was stunned for a moment, then laughed scornfully. "You?! Good heavens, Maxwell; Are you trying to push your 'wife' onto Ridley when the only woman he should be gunning for is the Princess!"

"Bertrand!" Snapped Marcella, offended.

"Take that back!" Ordered Ridley. "They did no such thing! I'm not even attracted to her!"

"Heaven forbid that should happen." Bertrand growled to himself. "They aren't even married."

Ridley's jaw would've dropped to the floor, but he remembered to shut it just in time. Maxwell and Marcella weren't married? He had that feeling due to the inconsistencies in their story, but he believed their love, charm and chemistry enough that he believed the inconsistencies were no more than a slip of the tongue. Hearing Bertrand say it, however, changed everything.

The Duke stared into Ridley's eyes as he continued. "And I'll be keeping a closer eye on Ridley, even if it means neglecting our estate. So clear your calendars, all of you…we need to prepare for the next event."

Maxwell flashed a hopeful smile. "Can't we at least take tonight off? It's been such a long day…we all deserve some rest!"

Bertrand's scowl reddened once again; but this time his tone was calm, yet no less laced with a firm finality. "You can rest as long as you like when Ridley and the Princess are Queen and King Consort…And from where we're standing, that's not going to be anytime soon!"

Maxwell cleared her throat. "Right, sorry…" he said meekly. "What I mean is…that we want to stay up all night to train and prepare Ridley for the next event."

Bertrand's scowl evaporated. "I'm glad we're all in agreement. Now then…Lord Ridley, the next event in question that we're talking about is…the Apple Blossom Festival!"

Ridley smiled. "Great!" then a moment later, her smile faded in confusion. "…What is that?"

"It's kind of what it sounds like." Said Marcella. "I hope you like apples…because this festival's got a lot of them!"