Chapter 4~

After breakfast in bed, Rose has to go some royal queen stuff, so I decide to take a walk around the palace, explore a little bit. I'm not gonna lie. I'm sort of hoping to run into Armando again. I even put on one of the dresses Mr. Elegante designed, instead of throwing on my usual uniform of jeans and a t-shirt. It's a bright coral color, strapless with a high waist and skirt that goes almost all the way down to my ankles. I feel like a Grecian princess.

The weather outside is a perfect mix of hot and cold. A cool breeze blows across the second floor as I walk across the open corridor, watching the tall palm trees sway in the wind and the tropical birds dive off of the palace roof towards the distant shore.

Downstairs, the kitchen traffic spills into the courtyard, all the cooks pushing carts around and arguing loudly in Portuguese. My growling stomach draws me into the Dining Hall.

It's almost silent inside, in stark contrast to dinner last night where Rosie introduced Ed and me as her honored guests. It seemed like the whole country was there, but Rosie swore it was just her staff and trusted board of advisors. Armando was there too, of course. We kept making eye contact across the room, but I never got an opportunity to talk to him.

"Get a little lost on your way to the pool, Principessa?" A rich voice tinted with an Italian accent sends shivers down my spine.

I spin around to find Armando smirking at me. He looks nice in slacks and a polo shirt, but I can't help wishing he was shirtless again.

"I'm sorry." I feel my face heat up. "I got hungry and I wasn't sure when lunch was."

"Lunch is in an hour," Armando says, looking me over with that same amused smirk on his face and twinkle in his delicious chocolate brown eyes. "But I happen to know there's gelato here twenty four hours a day. Care to join me?"

He offers me his arm and I accept, feeling a little silly and overly formal, but maybe that's just the way they do things in Costa Luna. We glide across the stone floor over to the gelato machine in the corner of the room.

"Chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, strawberry or café latte?" he asks.

"Which is the best?" I reply, "…in your opinion."

"Café latte." He starts to fill a bowl with it. "With chocolate." Armando fills the rest of the bowl with chocolate gelato, then slips in a metal spoon and hands it to me.

"I'm Armando, by the way," he shakes my hand, holding my gaze in his.

"Carter," I reply. "Carter Mason." Gosh, I hope I'm not blushing. He has such strong hands. I wish he would hold my hand like this forever. "Friend of Queen Rosi – er – Rosalinda."

"I know who you are," Armando smiles. "I make it my business to know the names of all the pretty girls in the palace."

Okay, now I know I'm blushing. I look away and slip a spoon of gelato into my mouth. He makes himself a bowl of gelato as if he doesn't notice my lame attempt to hide my emotions.

"You were right," I say. "These two are perfect together."

"Light and dark," Armando muses. "Subtlety and power."

He walks outside and I follow him into the courtyard. The sun is high in the sky. It gleams off of Armando's perfect black hair.

"Hey," he says as we finish our gelato. "Wanna get out of here?"

"Don't you have a pool to clean?" I arch a skeptical eyebrow.

"Not until after lunch," he assures me. "And I have a feeling you haven't been outside of the palace walls yet."

"Guilty as charged," I admit.

"Wait here," he says. "I'll be right back."

He takes my bowl and spoon and disappears into the Dining Hall. He reemerges a couple minutes later holding two white helmets.

"How do you feel about Vespas?"

By the time Armando and I return to the palace an hour later, I feel like I've known him my entire life. He was born and raised in Costa Luna. His dad was in charge of cleaning the palace pool and taught Armando, who took over the job as soon as he entered high school. He doesn't plan on being a pool boy forever, though. He's studying hard to get into Costa Luna University in the fall. He wants to be a doctor someday.

Armando parks his Vespa around the back and helps me off.

"I hope you enjoyed our little tour," he says.

"I had a great time," I smile. "Thank you, Armando."

"Di niente," he replies. "I wish we could have stayed out longer, but I've got to get to work. Lunch should be over soon, so you should be able to find your friends in the Dining Hall."

He leans in and kisses my cheek. His lips burn like white hot embers on my cheek and I know I'm bright red.

"Ciao bella," Armando says. "See you soon, Carter."

"Yeah, you too," is all I can think of to say back. It feels like a dream. I spent eight years trying to get Donny, the cute popular boy back home, to notice me the way Armando did right away. Someone pinch me. Wait, don't. If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up.

I take the stairs two at a time, too excited to be all prim and proper and princess-y, the way I normally try to be in the palace. I can't wait to tell Rose all the juicy details of my first date with Armando. I walk into the courtyard and realize all I can hear is the echo of my own name.

"Carter? Carter? Carter?" It bounces off of the palace walls and fills the air.

"I'm right here." I race into the dining hall.

Rose's mom, Doña Sophia Montoya is in the middle of the room, directing the search. She seems relieved to see me.

"Rosalinda, we found her!" Doña Sophia calls out, before turning her attention to me. "Where have you been?"

Rose bursts in before I have a chance to reply.

"Carter! Where were you?" Rose nearly shouts as she runs up to me. "We were worried sick."

I want to tell Rosie all about my adventures with Armando, how it felt flying through the city on the back of his Vespa or how he taught me all about Costa Lunan cuisine and bought me an amazing lunch from a local vendor or how he almost kissed me under that big tree on the edge of the city, but I have a feeling now is not the time.

"Never mind." Rose shakes her head and grabs my arms. "We need to go."

"Go where?" I ask as Rose practically drags me up the stairs.

"The Princess Protection Program has been calling all day," Rose hisses.

My heart drops. "My dad?"

"I don't know. They won't talk to me with you," Rose replies.

There are few times I've ever seen Rosie lose her cool, but she looks so angry right now, I'm honestly afraid of what's coming next. If anything happened to Dad, I don't know what I'd do. He's got to be okay. He just has to.