“You’re right, Delancy,” Blair said softly. “Scrubbing teaches patience. And patience teaches you who your real friends are.”
She smiled. Tomorrow, the Royal Debut would choose a new princess. The court said the crown went to the most graceful, the most polished, the most born for it.
“Watch me.”
But Blair touched the rose at her collar and whispered to the dark:
She walked past them, not with a servant’s shuffle, but with her shoulders back. The brooch pressed warm against her heart. barbie princess charm school
She paused on the cobblestone path, running her thumb over the small, tarnished brooch pinned to her apron. It was shaped like a blooming rose, its silver dulled by age. Her mother had worn it. Her grandmother, too. And now, a waitress who poured tea for princesses-in-training wore it hidden beneath her uniform.
The Heirloom Pin
For Blair Willows, it was still a miracle.