Royally Not Ready(41)

Sighing, I turn her toward the stairs of the castle and lead her up to a small door on the left.

“Are we hanging out in a linen closet?”

I push the door open and step to the side, revealing a narrow staircase.

She pokes her head in. “Wait, this isn’t a linen closet?” She looks over her shoulder. “Is this a secret passageway?”

“Secret would mean that it would be hidden, and this door is plain as day, out in the open.”

“Disguising itself as a linen closet.”

“Do you truly believe an eighteenth-century castle would have a linen closet?” I ask.

“I don’t know what people did with their closets back then.”

“If a royal needed a towel or linen, they wouldn’t fetch it from the nearest closet. A servant would bring it to them from the servant quarters.”

“Huh, I guess that makes sense. So, then, where does this lead to?”

“The roof,” I answer as I move past her and turn my body to shimmy up the narrow, curved staircase.

“Oh my God, you’re too big for the staircase. Are you going to get wedged in?”

“No, I was up here earlier. It’s just tight.” I reach out and take her hand in mine. “Mind the steps, they’re slippery.”

Her fingers curl around my hand, indenting into my skin as we make our way up toward the hatch. Still holding on to her tightly, I unlock the hatch and then push it open, lighting up the narrow hallway with the light from the never-setting sun.

When I reach the roof, I bend down and take both of her hands, helping her up until she reaches the top with me. She straightens up, and that damn smile of hers grows again as she takes in the view.

From the top of the castle, the grassy landscape and blue ocean feel endless. Fjords are cratered into the coastline, creating a jagged appearance to the black rocks, and wisps of foam stretch infinitely along the heavy sea waves. And despite it being summer, there’s still a chill in the air, but fuck is it breathtaking.

“Oh my God, it’s gorgeous up here. I feel like you can see for miles.”

“You can,” I say as I press my hand to her lower back and guide her to where I set up a blanket and some pillows.

She pauses when she sees the laid-out fur blanket and the plethora of oversized throw pillows Lara helped me collect. When she faces me, I’m met with a quizzical brow tugging above her glittering eye. “My, my, my . . . Fitzy, what is this? It looks awfully romantic if you ask me.”

“It’s not,” I answer, wanting to make that abundantly clear. “The castle has nothing else that’s comfortable to sit on that would fit up the staircase.”

“Okay.” She winks. “Sure.”

Grumbling under my breath, I say, “It’s fucking true,” as we walk over to the blanket and pillows and take a seat.

I hand her a spare blanket as she gets comfortable. “In case you get cold.”

“Thank you.” She rests it over her lap. “So, what are we doing up here if this isn’t a romantic interlude?”

It’s not.

Remember, not going there.

“I wanted to show you the land, the best way I could without driving.”

She offers me a genuine smile. “Now this is what I’m talking about.” Hands clasped, she asks, “Where do we start?”

“Well, I believe we’ve spoken about this before, but eighty percent of the country is uninhabited.”

“Because of the glaciers and volcanoes, right?”

“Right. So, the country is split into five regions.” I point toward the coast. “We’re on the southern peninsula, and if you look just past my finger, you’ll see the red-and-white lighthouse that warns ships of the tip of our country.”

She scoots in close, close enough for her lavender scent to circle around the both of us. Her soft hair tickles my cheek as she leans in, looking for the lighthouse.

“Do you mean that little dot?”

“Yes. But it’s an important dot. Not only does it warn ships from the coast, but it was once used as a watchtower for invaders. Now it’s run by a family. Their main responsibility is to help keep the coastline clear and call in anything that’s out of the ordinary.”

“I love that. Have you met the family?”

“Yes, King Theo had them visit the palace, and he gave them the King’s Safeguard Medal, a noble honor of the highest degree. It means that they have spent a generous amount of their lives protecting our country.”

“That would be an honor. Good for them. What else is on the southern peninsula?”

“Well, Harrogate, as you know, but what the southern peninsula is best known for are the hot springs.”

“There are hot springs here?” she asks, excited, still right next to me, her leg bumping against mine.

“There are, but they’re about thirty miles away.”

“Which means we aren’t allowed to go to them, right?”

“It would be a breach of security at this point, but I do believe there’s an undisclosed location about ten minutes north by foot that has a smaller hot spring. Something I would be allowed to take you to.”

She grabs my arm in pure joy. “That would be so much fun. I’ve never been in one before.”