Page 77 of Her Royal Christmas

Alex pressed her lips together. “Did your mother help you with this?”

“No, I did it,” Hyz said. “She was spiralling.”

Alex laughed. Loudly. Erin did too.

An hour later, they made their way to the courtyard, bundled in coats and scarves. Snowflakes dusted the world, swirling lazily like drifting glitter.

Vic stood by the paddock gate — clipboard tucked firmly under one arm, but otherwise startlingly calm with her ridiculous fox hat at a jaunty angle on her messy hair. Julia hovered at her side, one hand at the small of Vic’s back, steadying.

The sight warmed Alex from the inside out.

“You’re here!” Vic beamed, cheeks flushed. “Perfect timing! Phase Two is a go!”

Hyz perked up. “I concur.”

The triplets shrieked as they spotted the fenced paddock.

Inside stood the three reindeer.

Real ones. Real Christmas reindeer that had survived all the drama associated with their arrival.

They were surprisingly majestic — tall, gentle-eyed creatures with thick winter coats and breath steaming into clouds. Their antlers were lighter than Alex expected, like sculpted branches dusted with white.

It was like a scene from a fairytale.

One of them lifted its head at the sound of the children and blinked slowly.

Matilda gasped. “They arebeautiful.”

Frank froze, eyes enormous. “Are they magic?”

Florence clutched Alex’s leg. “Are they going to… talk?”

“No,” Vic said quickly. “I tried to arrange that, but apparently that’s not a real thing.”

Julia patted her arm. “Darling.”

Alex looked at Erin then — her Erin — and something in her chest clenched beautifully. Erin was watching the reindeer with a small, quiet smile. Peaceful.

Alex hardly ever saw that expression anymore.

The children crept closer. The smallest reindeer — a young one, soft eyes and shorter antlers — stepped forward slowly.

Matilda held out a hand, unsure.

The reindeer sniffed it, then nudged her palm gently.

Matilda squealed. “He likes me!”

Alex laughed softly. Erin pulled out her phone to capture the moment — triplets and Hyz, standing in falling snow, reindeer nuzzling their gloves, dogs wagging madly behind them.

Perfect.

Utterly perfect.

For a moment, Alex forgot all the drama that had happened.

This Christmas… with her family… was magic.