I tried to intervene again, "Emma, come back here, please don't..."
But she wriggled out of my grasp and darted to another guard, pointing at his earpiece. "And this thing! What does it do? Can it talk to aliens? Or maybe ghosts?"
The guard gave a nervous glance to Edward, unsure how much he could explain. Edward merely nodded slightly, a silent "let her be" gesture.
Emma leaned close to the guard, whispering dramatically, "If it talks to aliens, tell me the secrets, okay? I promise I won't tell Mr. Bunny."
By now, I was nearly in tears from equal parts embarrassment and amusement, while Sophia just stood behind me, arms crossed, watching in disbelief as she cracked up.
Finally, Edward scooped Emma up again, holding her against his chest as she continued to babble about knights, dragons, puddles, and magical earpieces.
The butler, who had been walking ahead, looked back, exhaling softly. Even he seemed slightly entertained by her innocent chaos.
