Once we passed through the archway, it opened to a square in front of the castle’s entrance. A beautiful fountain was featured in the middle of the square, and I knew by looking at it that it was an homage to the Duke’s mother, Sofia Agassi, the American dancer who had wooed Prince Roan away from Aldayne, setting the course for the House of Quinn’s ruin.
History painted Sofie as a wanton jezebel. The statue, however, featured a beautiful woman frozen forever in time in an elegant arabesque. At her delicately pointed foot was a stone boy gazing up at her in wonder. That little detail touched my heart and I found myself wiping away an uncharacteristic teardrop that appeared out of nowhere. I felt that little boy’s loneliness in an acute way. I chalked it up to being dehydrated.
Uniformed staff in monochromatic black and white rushed to the limo to assist Audra and me out of the car. I followed Audra up the marble steps to the massive doorway, yet another faceless servant held open for me.
It was clear they were not meant to be seen, so I played the game and ignored their presence after one too many “thank you” went unanswered.
I took in a gasp as I entered the foyer. Elegant marble was laid throughout, with two arched stairways leading up to the second, forbidden story. Stained glass of Prince Roan and Princess Sofie shined at the top of the two arched staircases, in all their regal glory.
Monica was right about the suits of armor, which lined either wall, each stoically holding a spear in one hand and the Aldayne flag in the other.
I won’t lie. It was intimidating AF.
Audra led me through one of the arched doorways to one of the many colorful parlors that branched out from this main foyer. I was assisted to The Red Room, which, as you might imagine, had dark red paint on all the walls. The molding was stark white, to take away some of the darkness, as did the huge picturesque window facing an ornate garden full of impressive topiaries. Plants and flowers gave the room some color, as did the floral rug on the floor. Taking up one wall was a tapestry mural with a huge family portrait of Prince Roan, Princess Sofie and young prince Augustine. He couldn’t have been more than maybe five years old at the time. The same age as Dash, but unlike my little brother he wasn’t free to dance around in a rainbow tutu. He stood stoic and straight, with no smile to be had on his sweet little face.
It painfully mirrored the unhappy faces of his parents, the burden of royalty dragging their shoulders down despite how desperate they were to keep them lifted.
I was so lost in the painting I had already forgotten that Audra was beside me. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll go get The Duke.”
I nodded at her; slightly embarrassed how awestruck I was by my surroundings. I needed to every bit as stoic. I needed to be professional. Their story needed to be told and I wanted to be the one to tell it. If not for any reason than that sad little boy staring at me from the portrait.
As the minutes dragged by, I busied myself by walking along the ornate surroundings. They were right about the statues and the busts. There were also old books and silver candlesticks, Faberge eggs, marble urns and Chinese vases; everything you’d expect from a palace. Historic, valuable pieces that demanded one’s attention and reverence. The only thing out of place was a huge ugly black rock that sat atop a gold stand in the middle of the room. I spent an inordinate amount of time studying the rock, trying to figure out why this ugly piece was being showcased. I wrote it off as one of the Duke of Mayhem’s royal eccentricities and moved along. I was drawn to the pictures lining the bookshelf. Unlike all the royal trappings, the pictures gave me a sense of who this family was at the core. One photo that struck me was the picture of Auggie as a child, hidden back behind all the official portraits of the Royal family taken at various events, with various world leaders. Instead, this hidden snapshot in a tiny 4x6 silver frame predated the portrait on the wall. He was probably about three, and laughing up at the face of his beautiful, happy mother as they sat