It took me a moment to soak in the precious heat before I registered what the inside of the castle looked like. We were standing in an arched hallway. The ceiling. must’ve been at least twenty feet high, and the walls and floors were both smooth stone. I could make out a couple of pillars in the distance and there was a large statue at one end of the hallway. Judging by the marble crown sculpted into the statue’s head, I figured it must’ve been a former king.
“Incredible, right?” Esther smiled at us, “People are always taken aback during their first visit here.”
“This castle is beautiful,” Sebastian said. E
Esther turned her an to him. “You must Sebastian,
“Yes, ma’am.”
correct?”
“And that must make you Lily,” she said, and my sister nodded.
Finally, her curious eyes settled on me. “And you’re Clark, the human.”
She didn’t say it in a mean or condescending way any other fact.
“Yeah, that’s me,” I gave her an awkward smile. Q
it was just as if she was stating
She grinned brightly and clapped her hands together. “Perfect, I’m so glad all three.
of you made it without delay. As I said outside, I will be your escort while you are here. Any questions you may have while you’re here can be directed to me. I’m sure you’re all tired from your travels.”
We nodded.
“That’s what I thought. The diplomatic hearing will not be until tomorrow, but the Alpha King is hosting an intimate dinner party tonight. He has selected a few guests to join him and he’s requested the presence of you three.”
My throat went dry.
There’s no way this lady just said we’re having dinner with the Alpha King tonight.
*”There is no such thing as fun for the whole family.” @
– Jerry Seinfeld
Before my brain could process Esther’s words, Lily let out a strangled gasp beside me and all attention turned to her.
“The Alpha King wants to dine with us?” she asked skeptically, “Like in the same room? At the same time?”
Esther’s smile didn’t fade for a moment. “Yes, Ms. Bellevue. There are more than fifty different Alpha children here from across the world. The King won’t have time. to meet with everyone, but he’s hand-selected a few Alpha children he’d like to get to know better.”
The possibility of having to sit across from the actual Alpha King and eat dinner with him – certainly didn’t help my anxiety, but it’s not like it was a total shock. I knew there’d be a possibility that I’d see the Alpha King at some point. I had just figured it would be while I was blending into the wallpaper at the diplomatic meeting, not during an intimate dinner party.
In a weird way, it helped that I wasn’t the only one anxious about dining with the king. At least Lily seemed just as freaked out as I was.
“Who else will be there?” Sebastian piped up. As usual, his face was absent of emotion, but I knew him well enough to know he wasn’t feeling comfortable with the idea either.
“The Alpha King has selected four Alpha children to join him,” Esther replied, but she didn’t elaborate beyond that. “Now that I’ve answered your questions, may I take you to your rooms?”
Deep breaths, Clark.
It’s just three days.
Without waiting for a reply, Esther turned on her heel and began leading us down the long, stone hallway. The farther we walked, the more magnificent the castle became. We passed the large marble sculpture I’d seen on the way in, and it was even more impressive up close. It was of a towering man with a long beard, a crown on his head, and a human heart in his hands.
Well…that’s an interesting artistic choice.
On the bottom of the sculpture, the inscription read: King Xavier Bardot the Ruthless, 1783
“I hope you’re as charmed by the artwork of our castle as I am,” Esther commented, pointing to the sculpture.
“It’s, uh, nice,” I told her.
There was more artwork too. We passed by a giant portrait of a man turning into a wolf in the woods. There was an oil painting of a young man and a woman holding a newborn baby in their hands.
“That one is the current Alpha King and the late Queen,” Esther said, “Queen Cate died during childbirth with Prince Griffin. The Alpha King was – and is devastated by the loss, and he had this portrait done in her honor.”
I had to admit – the late Queen was beautiful. She was painted in a dark green dress that complimented her olive skin and green eyes. Her smile was wide and kind, entirely focused on the baby in her arms.
The king beside her was just as radiant. With dark hair and a golden crown on his head, the painted king held his Queen close but his eyes were focused on the baby too.
I couldn’t put my finger on it maybe it was because it depicted a dead Queen but there was something haunting about the image. It was supposed to look like a happy family, but there was something missing.
“And here are your rooms,” Esther’s voice brought me back to reality. She was standing in front of another arched wooden door, but this one was smaller than the one at the south entrance.
“You’ve been given a suite to stay in,” Esther said, opening the door. We trailed behind her and I sucked in a gasp when I saw the inside of the suite. Q
Despite its large size, the bedroom had a cozy feel to it. The floors were shiny dark marble and maroon wallpaper covered the walls. However, the most eyecatching feature were the two large, king-sized b*ds on each side of the room. Each b*d had its own canopy. There was an impressive vanity for the b*d on the right and a large window cloaked in dark curtains on the left.
“This room is for the girls,” Esther pointed out, leading us farther into the room. “The bathroom is just to your left, and Sebastian’s room is connected by the doors.” I hadn’t noticed it before, but one the walls was made up of a sliding glass door. The glass was opaque, and judging from Esther’s explanation, that would be Sebastian’s side of the suite.
“I’ll leave you three to get unpacked then,” Esther said, smiling widely again, “Dinner is at 8pm sharp. I’ll be back to escort you to the dining room.” With that said, Esther departed the room, the door clanging shut behind her.
There were several minutes of silence between us as we explored our rooms. Lily claimed the b*d by the vanity and I took the one near the window.
As Lily unpacked her large suitcases, I couldn’t take the silence or the tense awkwardness anymore I had to say something. Awkward silences had never been my strong suit.
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