The moment the boat returned to the royal private island, I rushed off of it in search of Elva. I found her on the beach, building sandcastles with Veronica.
Elva looked up at me and scrunched her nose. “Why are you so dirty, Mommy?”
I rushed to her side. I so desperately wanted to hug her, but, looking down, I was still covered in a thick layer of grime.
She didn’t seem overly concerned with seeing me again, aside from my unclean appearance.
I glanced at Veronica in confusion. Veronica dipped her head back, indicating she wanted to speak privately.
Elva continued to stare at me in question.
“I… uh… fell in a puddle,” I said.
Elva nodded, like that was a perfectly reasonable way to be this dirty. “You should change.”
“I will, sweetheart.” I still leaned in and kissed the top of h
