Striding through the halls of the castle, Orion and Bernard kept a steady pace. Neither spoke, as by now, there wasn’t much more to say. The Prince still couldn’t believe that his long-time friend and attendant had so fervently denied enjoying the view of Cassiopeia’s shapely bottom.  He witnessed firsthand Bernard glancing her way at least three times, perhaps even five! Of course, the Prince wasn’t in any way, shape, or form keeping track of the number of his stolen glimpses directed toward the Princess.<br/><br/>Mother smiled warmly as the pair came into view of the parents, and Cassiopeia. Surprise, surprise. Orion shook his head at his stupidity in not recalling her head-start and his holding Shade back from another race, or at least trying to keep up. He felt a sense of deflation upon seeing she had changed back into her dress. And if he noticed this major (minor to others) detail, then he damn well knew Bernard was also aware of the latest fashion change. A sad moment, indeed.<br/><br/>Prior to Mother’s verbal barrage, Orion thought that if he had been in charge of doling out riding gear for the Princess, her pants would have been one size smaller. A shrinkage of two sizes was just plain greedy.<br/><br/>“How was your ride with Cassiopeia, darling?” Mother inquired. “It was fun, Mother,” he said. The Prince leaned in for a warm embrace while also planting a soft kiss on her cheek, which seemed to surprise her. As he did so, eye contact was established with Cassiopeia, and Orion winked at her with a smile. He then concluded with Mother, “Just as much fun as I thought it would be.”