“Princess Bella! A photo for the Daily Crystal?” a man with a camera asked Bella with a smile.

“Sure!” Bella said. The security guards moved off to the sides, and Bella smiled at the camera.

More flashbulbs popped as other reporters crowded in to catch a shot of Bella. She stood for a moment to let everyone get a photograph. Bella jutted out a hip, putting her hand on her side, and grinned.

“Thank you, Princess,” the reporter from the Daily Crystal said.

Bella nodded. “Of course! I hope you got a good picture!” She may have spent her life growing up as a royal, but her parents had always been fiercely protective of her in the media. Until today, most of the media coverage centered on her parents.

The reporters laughed. “It’s your birthday,” a woman said, adjusting the lens on her camera. “Pictures always come out good on someone’s birthday.”

Bella looked at everyone, taking it all in. The Daily Crystal was on the breakfast table every morning, and usually the only royals in the paper were her parents. Now it was Bella’s turn.

“A quick question, Princess?” the Daily Crystal reporter asked. He let his camera hang around his neck and pulled out a small notepad. “My name is Dan, by the way.”

“Sure,” Bella said. “Pleased to meet you, Dan.”

Inside, she smiled. Her parents would be so proud of her manners if they were here.

“First, I would like to wish you a happy eighth birthday,” Dan said. “Second, I would like to know, what is your favorite part of this birthday?”

Other reporters scrambled to get out their gadgets to catch Bella’s answer. Many of them pressed the bridge of their frameless glasses, and with the blink of a blue light, the glasses started recording wherever the reporter looked.

“My favorite part is having no school,” Bella said. “So that I can spend the day with my best friends and family!”

Someone tapped Bella on the shoulder, and she turned around. Bella grinned when she saw who they were.

“You guys are here!” she said happily.

Ivy and Clara had been escorted to Bella. The girls all hugged as cameras clicked and flashes went off, but Bella ignored the lights.

“Your dress!” Clara said, her blue-green eyes wide.

“It’s so pretty!” Ivy added.

“Thank you! You both look like princesses!” Bella told her friends.

She said a silent thank-you to Queen Katherine. Only the queen would be able to get beautiful dresses for Bella’s best friends and make sure the girls could accompany Bella on her royal float.

“Can we talk to you for a minute?” Ivy asked.

“Please,” Clara added. “We know you’re busy, but we have to talk to you.”

Bella nodded and took Ivy and Clara by their elbows and led them away from the crowd. She pulled them into a clear tent—it had been concocted with a sunshield spell. They could see out of the walls, but no one could see in. The sunshield spell gave the people a break from the sun if they entered.

Ivy and Clara hung their heads.

“Bella,” Ivy said. “Clara and I are so sorry for what we said to you at lunch.”

Clara nodded. “Ivy and I know that you’re a princess and it would be silly of us to think you could change a tradition that has been in place for hundreds of years.”

“But you did,” Ivy said. “Your mom called our moms and told them how you wouldn’t have a good birthday without your best friends.”

Bella blinked fast, holding back tears. “I couldn’t imagine spending today with you two mad at me and not in the parade or coming to my party tonight.”

“Ivy and I were awful to you,” Clara admitted. “But you and your mom not only got invites for us to be in the parade, but your mom also got us these amazing dresses.”

“My mom did the whole thing,” Bella said. “She told me at the last minute that you two were coming and asked if I wanted to help choose your dresses. At first, I thought she was kidding! You both were so mad at me that I didn’t think you’d even want to come to the parade.”

“We acted like spoiled brats,” Ivy said. “We always wanted to be with you on your birthday.” She smiled. “Especially in dresses like these!”

“Ivy,” Bella said, “I chose that emerald dress just for you because I know it’s your favorite color.”

Ivy’s mouth opened and closed.

Bella turned to Clara. “I picked plum for you because it’s your favorite fruit. I wanted to have a rose on the neckline because you love roses so much.”

“I love my dress,” Ivy said softly. “And I’m so sorry.”

“Me too,” Clara said.

“Though I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t like either of us right now,” Ivy interjected.

Bella half smiled and shook her head. “That’s silly. Of course I still like you both. You’re my best friends.”

“We didn’t act like it,” Ivy said. “This is your day, Bella, and I’m so sorry I did something to make it less special.”

“I’m sorry, Bella,” Clara said. “Really sorry—I’m glad one of my best friends is a princess. I’m okay that I’m not one. But like the type of friend you are, you found a way to make Ivy and me feel like princesses too.”

Bella’s friends lowered their eyes and stared at the stones beneath their feet. Even though she was still a little hurt, Bella didn’t want them fighting, and she certainly didn’t want anything to be off with the three of them for the rest of her birthday.

“Hugs, already!” Bella said. She opened her arms.

Clara and Ivy looked up at Bella, their eyes wide. Squealing, they almost knocked her over with a giant bear hug. They pulled apart and smiled at each other.

“I need bestie power right now,” Bella said. “All I can think about is the Unicorn Pairing Ceremony.”

“You’ve got it,” Clara said. “But are you sure that you still want us to come over?” She fidgeted with the front of her dress.

“Yes, are you sure?” Ivy asked. “Clara and I talked about it on the ride over. You know that we are a million percent happy for you, right? We know we’re not princesses, but we’re not jealous of you, Bella. We would never be. You’re our BFF, and we really want to come to the castle and party with you!”

Tears filled Bella’s eyes. She didn’t want her nose to turn red, like it always did when she cried, but she couldn’t stop a tear from falling.

“Bella! Don’t cry!” Clara said. “Is something else wrong?”

“Nothing—everything is so perfect,” Bella said. “I knew you guys wouldn’t be jealous, but a tiny part of me was scared that you would be. I don’t want to lose you as my best friends just because of this silly princess thing.”

“Never!” Ivy and Clara said at the same time.

All three girls laughed.

“You’re stuck with us,” Clara said.

“Forever,” Ivy added.

Giggling, the three girls hugged again.