The castle was a fair size as it came into view. It looked to have five towers rising high above the walls. It was a medieval castle with small windows and only some small design details in the stones. That feeling of dread became stronger as they entered the castle through the gate. Something was definitely wrong here.
A lady in a fine red gown was the only one to greet Lillian when she exited the carriage with assistance from the horseman. While the woman was beautiful in her own right, her hair pulled back into a tight bun certainly didn't make her look younger. Her stern face wasn't a welcoming sight but she wasn't the reason behind the feeling of dread.
Lillian's luggage was unloaded and the carriage left with the two black horses pulling it. She found it interesting that they really had no horses here in the castle. Though the two that pulled the carriage did have a different aura about them making her want to investigate them further.
"Kelpie," the woman supplied as she saw her watching the carriage leave.
"Pardon? Kelpie?" she asked, confused.
"Those aren't horses like you know. They are kelpie who, unlike what humans say, are quite docile animals. They will melt back into the river so don't go looking for them," she explained.
"Oh. Alright," she said surprised.
She had not planned on going to look for them, at least not now. She did want to ride the beautiful black horses across the meadow though. She guessed that wouldn't happen now.
"I will take you to your room to rest before dinner. It will be served at 1900," the woman informed her as they began to walk into the halls of the castle.
The maids were hurrying about while she followed the woman to the second master bedroom. Of course the prince and Lillian wouldn't be sleeping in the same room till after marriage. Her temporary room was the one for the lord's lady or mistress. The woman opened the door for Lillian and she walked inside.
Her eyes widened as she saw the ultra modern bedroom. There was even an adjacent bathing room! Seeing the outside of the castle Lillian had assumed this place would be outdated but she was pleasantly wrong. It was almost as if this castle was built only a few years ago.
Lillian directed the men who brought up her travel chests to simply place them in the room and she would unpack them. She didn't want people going through her things, especially if those people were men.
Lillian looked around the nearly unfurnished room as the men put her chests down and left. There was a bed, two night tables on either side of it, a vanity with a large mirror, and a wardrobe.
Everything screamed riches. The bed was big enough for at least 4 people to fit in. The wardrobe looked like it could fit at least 25 gowns in it. Each piece was expertly carved with fine detailed flowers.
Lillian felt very out of place here. She took a breath before she began unpacking her belongings. She only had a few gowns and dresses to wear making the wardrobe look so bare. She changed out of her traveling clothes and into a dark green dress for dinner tonight. So much for being prepared to see the prince when she arrived.
The vanity looked equally as bare with her two perfume bottles and three beauty creams. She had a few makeup and jewelry pieces neatly put away in a small wooden box inlaid with a few jewels. It had been a gift for her 18th birthday, but then as was the case now, she wasn't very pleased with it. Lord Culpepper, try as he did, just never seemed to be able to give gifts that were wanted. In her case, he gave gifts that sparkled and shined but had no real value to her. She much preferred the chess table he had gotten for Roy. That was something she could use.
A knock on her door pulled her out of her thoughts. She went to open it and found the same lady as before. She looked just as stern and cold as when they first met.
"Dinner is about to be served," she simply said before walking away.
Lillian followed her to the dining hall. The smell of food was getting stronger with each step. Several other werewolves were making their way to the dining hall with them.
The dining hall was wide open with candelabras on each of the tables. The woman led Lillian to a table at the head of the room. Prince Rawls was already there talking with a man who smelled like food. Both seemed slightly annoyed about something but when Lillian came into view the man hurried away and the prince's full attention was on her. He gave her a welcoming smile and pulled a chair out. She bowed to him before sitting down at the head table.
"I apologize for not being able to greet you when you arrived. I hope you found the journey enjoyable," he said as he sat beside her.
Lillian could already hear the sound of gossip beginning. She was too determined to see this marriage through to be deterred by some old chattering ladies.
"It's quite alright. I understand that you are quite busy," she replied politely.
Someone else took Prince Rawls' attention before he could even reply. Lillian took the opportunity to look around the large dining room to distract herself from the smell of food. There were three other tables that ran the length of the room versus the head table they sat at that ran the width. Each table had lovely embroidered tablecloths with pictures of birds and flowers in them. Werewolves began to take their places at the tables and the room quickly was becoming louder.
Prince Rawls stood up and clapped his hands suddenly, startling Lillian. She looked at him confused before she saw the carts of food coming through a side door. Her eyes widened as she saw all the exotic foods coming by the tables. Several plates come to their table and she resisted
taking some of each thing. Meats, fruits, vegetables, sweets. Everything looked fantastic.
Prince Rawls stood up and the whole room became silent. He spoke with determination and looked around at his subjects to make sure his message was understood.
"Today we welcome my mate into our lives. You will all see her around the castle and will offer her the same level of respect you show to me," he declared.
She could feel her face flush at the declaration. All eyes were on her now and it would be a lie if she said she wasn't a little apprehensive. Maybe she wasn't ready for all this position.