Wonderful tugged at Beautiful’s dress, eyes wide with pleading. “I want a guinea pig, Mama. Can I have a guinea pig?”
“Mm-hmm,” Beautiful murmured, distracted. Then the words sank in. “Go ask your daddy.” A guinea pig? Where in the world did she think they’d find a guinea pig here? And how did she even know about guinea pigs, anyway?
Wonderful burst into the next room, hair flying. “Daddy! Daddy! Mama said I can have a guinea pig. Can I? Can I, please?”
“What would you even do with a guinea pig, Wonderful?” Seeker asked.
Beautiful peeked in through the doorway as Wonderful scrambled onto his lap and wrapped her arms tight around his neck.
“I’m gonna take him on walks! And feed him! And give him baths!”
“Can you even do that with…” Seeker wrinkled his nose “guinea pigs?”
Wonderful tossed her head back, giggling. “Daddy, do you even know what guinea pigs are?”
Seeker laughed with her. “You got me, Wonderful.”
Beautiful couldn’t help but smile.
“And just where are you going to find a guinea pig?”
“Just believe, Daddy.” She slid off his lap and bolted toward the palace entrance.
An hour slipped by with no sign of Wonderful. Too quiet—that always meant trouble. Beautiful sighed and rose, heading out to look for her.
Just outside the palace, Wonderful stood holding up a puppy, proudly displaying him to Bright. His eyes went wide.
“That’s not a guinea pig, Wonderful!” he exclaimed.
The puppy was small and impossibly cute, his brown fur offset by a black muzzle and nose. But it was his ears that caught Beautiful’s breath—huge, upright, and far too large for his tiny body.
Beautiful hurried over, reaching Wonderful just as Seeker leaned out the palace doorway. “Where did you find that puppy?” she asked.
“Not telling.” She lifted her chin, nose tilted high. “It’s a secret. And his name is Prince William Faithful Great-Heart.”
“Ridiculous,” scoffed Beautiful.
But Wonderful plopped the puppy into her hands. His soft brown eyes lifted to hers, and a tiny pink tongue darted out to lick her finger. Beautiful’s lips curved despite herself. Her heart was lost.
“We’ll call him Merry.”
Wonderful stomped her foot. “I didn’t want a Merry—I wanted a guinea pig!”
Laughter burst from them all, and Merry only wagged his tail harder.
