quickly.
âOf course!â she said. âHow silly of me. I guess I owe him my thanks as well.â She knelt down and scruffed his fur, and while he bristled at first, soon he was happily licking her hand.
The princess turned her attention back to Aunt Em and Uncle Henry.
âWe have rooms for all of you, and the finest clothes in the city,â she said. âI want you to know that, for as long as youâre here, you can make full use of everything in the palace. My servants are yours to command.â
âThat wonât be necessary,â Uncle Henry said hesitantly. âWeâre not planning on staying long . â
Ozma tilted her head in concern. âOh?â
âUncle Henry . . . ,â I started. âWe only just got here.â
âWe need to get home,â Aunt Em explained apologetically to Ozma. âYou have a beautiful kingdom, but weâre not the magical types. We have a farm back home, you see, and responsibilities.â
Ozma waved her scepter with an air of dismissal. âOf course! Iâve heard such things about Kansas; I donât doubt that youâre eager to get back there. But Iâve waited so long to meet Dorothy; surely you can stay for a bit .â
Ozma called out: âJellia! Show the Gales to their quarters, please. And please make sure their every need is attended to.â
Before they could protest, a round, cheery-faced maid with blonde hair and a green uniform emerged from the main building and led Aunt Em and Uncle Henry up the stairs inside. They glanced back at me over their shoulders as they stepped through the entrance, a look of trepidation on their faces. âToto,â I said, feeling almost guilty when I saw how out of their element they looked. âWhy donât you keep them company?â With a sharp bark, he went bounding after them.
Ozma moved her attention to the Scarecrow, who hadnât said a word since weâd arrived. âIâm so pleased you came today,â she said. âThereâs a delegation here from Gillikin Country and I could really use someone with brains in the room when it comes to dealing with them.â
She looked at me with an air of wry conspiracy. âKeeping everyone in Oz happy is no small feat,â she said. âEvery day thereâs a new visitor with a new list of requests. Easily met, most of them, but you have no idea how dull it can be, sitting in those meetings.â
The Scarecrow bowed. âI am at your service, Princess.â
âOh, stop that,â she said, rolling her eyes. âYou know bowing makes me uncomfortable.â
âOf course,â he said.
âThe delegation is in the reception room,â Ozma said. âThey shouldnât give you too much trouble, but you know how the Gillikins areâalways bickering amongst themselves and forgetting what they even want in the first place. It could take some time.â
âWell, then itâs a good thing I donât require sleep.â The Scarecrow leaned in to give me a peck on the cheek, and as he did, he whispered: âRemember. Be careful. And not a word about the shoes.â
As I watched him go, Ozma grabbed me by the elbow. âCome inside the castle. Let me show you what Iâve done.â
The main hall of the palace was magnificent, but there was a surprising coziness to it, tooâyou could tell someone actually lived here. Ozma had lined the walls with damask wallpaper, and filled the space with plush velvet couches overflowing with throw pillows and ornate end tables and carved oak chairs upholstered in leather. From the diamond-shaped black-and-white tiles on the floor to the crystal chandeliers to the lush, exotic-looking plants sprouting from every corner of the room, it felt stately and elegant but warm and welcoming, too.
âWhat do you think?â Ozma asked, almost nervously, as we walked past a dramatic, sweeping staircase. It
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