The journey to Lumba had been a silent one since Ben had pretended to be asleep in order to avoid any form of conversation with Dan, and Dan, on the other hand, had been busy with his thoughts.
By the time they arrived at Lumba, it was late in the evening, and all Ben wanted was to be shown to his bedroom so he could get out off the clothes.
As soon as they got out of the car, they saw King Williams, Queen Claire, and Lady Nicole, the King's niece who was Dan's favorite cousin, standing outside, each with a smile of their own, waiting to welcome them.
Ben was glad that Joan had chosen low-heeled shoes for this trip. He had no idea how he would have managed to walk gracefully from the car to where the group stood had he been wearing a high-heeled stiletto.
As the King and Queen waited for Dan and Princess Bella to walk up to them, Nicole ran out to greet them.
"Dan!" She called excitedly as she threw herself against Dan for a hug.
