Series: Willow Winters
Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 72146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
As the squires carry in our things, the princes lead us on a tour of the castle. It has many wings.
“The east wing is where our rooms are, and where your rooms will be as well,” Jasper says. He shows us two rooms next to each other with a connecting door. They’re suites, in fact, and we will be able to sit out on the balconies as the sun rises in the morning, taking in the sun. “I thought you would prefer the blue room, Isabel, and I had thought of the green room for you.”
“My mother loved this color green,” I say, filled with more appreciation and warmth for both princes. Maybe it’s a sign. It seems they took their time in learning things about me—not just that I wanted to be married off to a husband who’s quite good in bed and “adventurous” as Isabel called it, but things about my life outside of them as well. “I would very much like to stay here.”
Prince Jasper smiles, nodding to himself. “We will have your things brought up, of course. Would you like to see the rest of the castle?”
We don’t tour every room, as it is simply too large to do in one afternoon, but Prince Jasper leads us through a wing containing many priceless paintings.
“Some of these were painted by my mother,” Prince Jasper says, gesturing toward a painting of two boys running in a field. “That is a painting of Casen and me when we were boys.”
“She is an excellent artist,” I say, a genuine compliment. “It almost seems as if you could start running off at any moment.”
It reminds me of how I thought of paintings during the ball, and being painted into one, trapped there in the frame. In this painting, Jasper and Casen do not seem to be trapped at all. Their spirits have only been represented here, and so lifelike that I do not think I would mind living in such a painting. It seems that if I were to step inside it, the whole thing would come to life around me and be as real as any life I could live.
We linger by the paintings. Isabel asks more questions about a few of them, and then we go out to a wide balcony that overlooks the sea. Some of the areas are shaded, with seating underneath, and others are set up to play outdoor games.
“This is my favorite part of the palace,” Prince Jasper announces. “If I cannot be on the sea or riding across the grounds, then I prefer to spend time here. The sound of the sea calms my thoughts. The seating areas have also been designed to muffle the sound of the waves, so that people can converse without having to shout.” The breeze smells of fresh salty water.
“It’s so lovely in summer.” I mean this, too. We’re not close to the sea at my father’s castle. We cannot even hear it, and suddenly I realize that this is a place I would love to spend more time in. There is something quite soothing about the presence of the ocean, although I’m sure I would feel quite differently on a stormy day. Still, there is an excitement to it, as if you could climb into a boat and go anywhere on earth.
I suppose that is true, too. With them, we could do anything. Go anywhere. This life is so unwritten and with them, I feel safe and secure.
“How did your family come to rule here?” I ask Prince Jasper. We have been discussing the talents of his family for most of the tour, and it only makes me more curious.
“Generations ago, there was nothing but a lighthouse.” He points to what is clearly an old lighthouse down the coast. “My ancestors frequently had to station men here to alert them of invading armies, and once they had grown powerful enough, combining several smaller lands into our kingdom, they decided to build a castle here so that anyone approaching by sea would know that the land was defended. That kingdom faded but the castle and lighthouse remained. As did the respect the people had for my family who provided for them when no one else could. And so the land became ours.”
“And your family has lived here ever since?”
“We have,” he answers. “It is only in recent years that mother found it…distressing to live here. The manor she and my father have taken residence in now is farther inland and quieter. We get used to the sound of the sea, living here, but after the war, she needed less of it.”
“And…she is happy, living inland? Is it helping her?”
“I believe so,” Prince Jasper answers, a certain sadness in his eyes. “I do not know if she will ever want to return here for great portions of the year.”