Royally Not Ready(10)
“Have you seen active lava?”
“Yes.”
“Holy shit, active lava and glaciers? Talk about not being able to make up its mind. And it’s so green, but then there’s black everywhere, and, look, a waterfall. The beach is nice and all, but this is . . . this is unreal. Is the whole country like this?”
“Yes,” he answers again.
“Well, I can see what you’re talking about, wanting to be outside all the time.” I prop my chin on my hand. “It’s gorgeous. Are all the houses always like this? Brightly colored?”
“Yes.”
“Do you say more than just yes?”
“Yes,” he answers again.
“You know, I’m not going to let your piss-poor attitude ruin this for me. My nipples might have fallen off, and I can’t feel my toes at the moment from how freaking cold it is, but ohhhh no, I refuse to let you bring me down.”
“Whatever you wish, Miss Campbell.”
“Huh-ha,” I say in triumph. “Got you to say something other than yes. God, rookie play. And don’t call me Miss Campbell.”
“As you wish . . .”
I eye him suspiciously. “You wanted to say Miss Campbell again, didn’t you?”
But he doesn’t answer me, and that’s all I need to know—he did.
Chapter Four
KELLER
I know what you must be thinking—this Keller guy is an asshole.
Well, you’re right, but I’m usually not this irritated.
Let’s rewind back to last night. I reported to Theo, letting him know I made contact with Lilly, and told him we would be on a plane the next morning. I wasn’t sure she would be on the plane per se, I just counted on it. Thankfully, she showed up. But it was the text I received in the middle of the night that has set me into a tailspin of irritation.
There was a leak in the palace and a gossip magazine has speculated about a long-lost granddaughter coming into town. You can imagine the security breach that is. The plan was simple—find Lilly, get her on a plane, and get her to the palace to meet Theo and Katla.
Those plans have changed.
Here’s the thing. We don’t know if Lilly is going to want to live the royal life, and until she’s made up her mind, we don’t want her exposed to the public. Now that rumors are circulating because of the leak, we can’t take her to the palace.
Therefore, we’re headed to the opposite end of the country, to the abandoned summer castle on the southern peninsula. No one will find us there, since the castle hasn’t been inhabited for years, and according to Theo, it’s where we’ll conduct our training until he believes the time is right for the country to be introduced to Lilly. I’ve been assured that the necessities are at the castle, but there’s no staff to serve us, not that I need serving, so that means it’ll just be me and Lilly, with two guards, Brimar, and his girlfriend, Lara.
My irritation is justified.
“Are we headed to the palace?” she asks as she stares out the window, looking perfectly content now that the heat is blasting in the car. I, on the other hand, have had to strip out of my jacket and roll up my sleeves for fear of heat stroke.
“We are not,” I answer.
“Oh.” Her brow crinkles when she turns toward me. “Why not?”
“There’s been a security breach,” I answer. “King Theodore will offer more of an explanation when we arrive at our destination.”
“And what is our destination?”
“Harrogate, the summer castle on the southern peninsula.”
“Oh, sounds dreamy,” she says before turning back to the window. “I’ve never been to a castle before, but I’ve seen plenty of pictures. Does it sit on a hilltop?”
“No, it’s at the edge of the peninsula.” I fail to mention it hasn’t been visited in years. Or that it’s covered in lifeless vines and has the great chance of smelling like dead fish.
“Cool. Is, uh, King Theodore meeting us there?”
“Unfortunately, no,” I answer.
“Really?” she asks, her face falling. “Why not?”
“He will explain when we get there.”
“Seems like he has a lot of explaining to do,” she says before turning back to the window.
Yeah, he sure does.
“You’re kidding, right?” Lilly asks, clutching my suit jacket that she’s drowning in over her shoulders. Staring up at the castle, she has a worried look on her face. “We’re supposed to live here?” She points to the pile of stones in front of us.
Hell, I remember this place being bigger. Then again, I haven’t been here since I was a kid. The castle is on the smaller side—four bedrooms in total with two bathrooms. It was once a painting sanctuary for Theodore’s mother during the summers. Not at all ostentatious, or large like Strombly Palace, it settles more on the earthy side, with its natural, unkempt stone with moss growing all over the perimeter. The backdrop is the vast ocean, one of the reasons Queen Miah loved it here, but the wind whips through the plains, creating at times a chilly vortex. The castle resembles more of an old stone cottage with two separate wings, one tower that leads to the roof, and a gravel driveway.