The Rescue Princesses #2: Wishing Pearl Read Free Page B

protested Lulu.
    “He was in the wildlife zone,” Clarabel added.
    “Nonsense!” snapped Queen Trudy. “My Samuel would never do such a thing. And just look at your hair and your clothes, Clarabel. You have clearly been doing something very unbecoming for a princess.”
    “Mother?” came a whiny voice from above, and Prince Samuel came down the grand staircase dressed neatly in a shirt, matching pants, and an orange vest. He looked like he was ready for a banquet. There wasn’t a single speck of sand on him anywhere.
    “You see!” Queen Trudy burst out. “Samuel’s completely clean, unlike you girls. I will be keeping an eye on all of you from now on, and checking for inappropriate princess behavior!”
    She swept out into the courtyard with her nose held high.
    Prince Samuel followed his mom with a smirk.
    “He’s definitely up to something,” said Clarabel, pushing back her tangled blond hair.
    “It can’t be anything good,” agreed Lulu.
    “We have to find out what it is,” said Jaminta. “Maybe we should search his room later. But let’s make sure he’s out of the way first.”
    “We’ll have to get in and out of there without anyone seeing us,” said Emily, her eyes lighting up.
    Clarabel grinned. “Fantastic! We can use ninja moves. I was hoping we could do that again!”

The princesses hurried up to Clarabel’s bedroom. A huge four-poster bed filled one corner of the room and wispy curtains flapped in the breeze from the arched windows.
    Clarabel rummaged in her suitcase and pulled out light-blue binoculars decorated with the royal crest of Winteria, which featured an Arctic fox.
    “Should we check Samuel’s room right now?” suggested Emily, glancing through the window. “I can see him down in the courtyard, so his room must be empty.”
    “Wait!” Clarabel said. “I have something amazing to tell you.”
    She showed them the pearl, gleaming white with the tiny hint of a rainbow. It was just as beautiful now as when the dolphin had found it for her.
    Emily, Lulu, and Jaminta crowded around for a closer look.
    “Wow! You don’t get many pearls as perfect as that,” said Jaminta.
    “It all happened when I was looking for seashells.” Clarabel’s blue eyes shone. “I heard a sound calling me and I followed it. There’s a lagoon behind the sand dunes. I swam with a dolphin there and he found this pearl for me.”
    “You mean that gem came from the bottom of a lagoon?” said Lulu.
    “Yes, the dolphin showed me where it was,” replied Clarabel.
    There was a knock on the door and Emily’s maid, Ally, came in. “I brought you something to eat, Your Majesties.”
    She set a tray down on the table with a jug of pink lemonade and a plate of brownies. Then she began tidying up Clarabel’s clothes.
    “Thank you, Ally,” said the princesses.
    Jaminta picked up the gem to have a closer look. “It’s such a great pearl,” she said, pulling a little jewelry cloth out of her pocket and giving it a polish.
    “But there’s a sad part.” Clarabel’s face fell. “The dolphin had a deep cut on his side and he seemed very weak. I promised him I would take him some fish to help him build up his strength.”
    “You make it sound like he talked to you,” said Lulu.
    “I think he really understood me,” explained Clarabel. “Just from the way he looked and the noises he made.”
    “I’ve always wanted to meet a dolphin,” said Emily, pushing back her red curls. “I’ve read that they’re really smart creatures. I wonder how he got hurt, though. Did you say the cut was on his side?”
    Clarabel nodded. “I’m worried that it won’t heal very quickly.”
    Ally put down Clarabel’s clothes and cleared her throat. “It could be that the dolphin was struck by a boat, maybe by a speedboat that was going too fast. That’s why the empress doesn’t like having speedboats near the island.”
    “The poor thing!” cried Clarabel.
    “At least the dolphin’s safe in the wildlife