Mandy, Vinnie, and Gildong stood outside the nobleman's house, listening.
"Where is the music coming from?" wondered Mandy.
She pointed toward a group of houses.
"Maybe it's coming from over there."
"No." Gildong shook his head.
"It's coming from over there."
Just then a girl raced toward them.
She slammed into Gildong, knocking him down.
"Oh!" cried the girl, falling too.
Gildong stood and rubbed his arm.
"Aren't you going to say sorry?" he snapped.
"For what?" The girl dusted off her skirt.
"You were in my way."
Mandy stepped in between them.
"My name is Mandy," she said to the girl.
"What's yours?"
"I'm . . . uh . . . well . . ." The girl's cheeks turned pink.
"It's a secret," she said finally.
At that Gildong finally smiled.
"That's your name—'a secret'?" he said with a grin.
"No!" said the girl.
But she was smiling too.
"What's that?" she asked suddenly.
She could also hear music now.
"I've never heard anything like that before."
Gildong looked at her strangely.
"Well, then let's go!"
he said, running toward the sound.
The others raced after him.
"Look!" cried Mandy.
A group of men were playing instruments and dancing in a large circle.
The girl was amazed.
"What is this?" she asked.
"You don't know?" Gildong looked at her, surprised.
"It's a peasant band!" he said.
"They are celebrating the harvest."
"Everyone is having so much fun," said Mandy.
"Wow!" said Vinnie when one man began twirling wildly.
"Look at that!"
Some people danced to the beat while the crowd cheered for the performers.
Mandy listened to a musician play a small horn.
"Oh! He's really good!" she said.
The girl watched with a huge smile.
But when the band stopped playing, she stepped away from the crowd.
There was an odd look on her face.
"What's wrong?" Mandy asked her.
"I think I’m lost . . . ," the girl said.
"My home is far from here."
Then she looked nervously at Gildong.
"Do you know how to get to the palace?"
"The palace!" Gildong burst out.
"Why do you need to go to the palace?"
The girl stepped closer to them.
"Can you keep a secret?" she whispered.
"Yes," said Vinnie.
"Of course!" answered Mandy.
"The palace is my home," the girl said.
"I am a princess."
The children stared at the girl in surprise.
"What?" cried Mandy. "You're a princess?"
"What are you doing here?" asked Gildong.
"I wanted to see the world outside the palace," the girl explained.
"So I put on my servant's clothing and I escaped."