Page 97 of Undertow
She told them that they should design options for me and impress me. That I was leading a nation, not up to date on the best and most functional cabinet designs. I was the future queen and they needed to design the rooms befitting of me.
But of course give me options. I was young, so nothing too stuffy, but keep it regal. A haven and comforting—options. Many options.
I shot her a grateful look when they instantly agreed and were glad for the freedom to shine on their ideas.
Next, we moved on to the rooms the elders had vacated. Even the ones that the staff had packed up and moved out had damage. Not as bad but… Damage.
“Keep with the easiest ones, and I hear you that some of the restoration will take years,” I told them when they nervouslyrambled on. I glanced at Raquel. “Is this something the staff can help with?” I glanced between them. “I don’t mean to be dismissive of your craft or talent.”
One of the owners of the company gave me a soft look. “No, of course not, Your Highness. There are always jobs for less experienced workers.” He glanced at Raquel. “We would love help. Some of it is very tedious removing of varnish or stain in small areas so we can seamlessly patch those up.”
She snorted. “Clearly, you’ve never had to find every little stain on clothes or sheets. Or polish silverware for hours on end. I can get you hands if it will speed things up and lower the bill.”
I was glad when she added that too. It was important not to double dip.
Oddly enough, it was mostly the bathrooms, and the contractors were fair that was normal wear and tear.
“They’ll have to live with guest rooms and they can move into better rooms later. Or be in the rooms and share bathrooms while theirs are being restored,” I said with a sigh. “They will live.”
“I would suggest a random lottery live for the Alphas so there is no pettiness later,” Raquel said under her breath.
I thanked her for the smart suggestion and focused on the contractors. “So far, your work has been excellent. You were a referral and I’m very pleased with the price, dedication, quality, and speed. If thatcontinues, I will make it clear to all of Thovudin you are the contractors the royal family uses. Plus, there are more areas of the castle and the De la Rosa properties.”
A different boss dipped his head to me. “The first three are no problem, Your Highness, but this speed isn’t realistic long-term. Our guys need breaks and have their own families—they’ve been living here almost.”
“That’s very fair, but then the work might need to be broken up,” Raquel interjected, dipping her head to me. “Mymother managed some updating for your grandmother and that was how they handled it. Long shifts over a week for each project and then the teams had an easier job before taking that schedule again.
“We want no one to break, but the castle cannot become a long-term jobsite. Not with the risks to ourqueensoon and how tricky this all is for security. Plus, the longer you’re here at this location specifically, the greater the chance someone could threaten them for a chance at the princess. I think we continue this next week and then start staggering.”
They shared several looks before the owner nodded. “Thank you for understanding. I didn’t even think about my guys possibly being in danger. We work mostly on Alpha residences but yeah, it’s a much greater—we can work something out and I won’t even tell them which location or project.”
“With your permission, I’ll outline how it worked before with Benson,” Raquel offered. “People can’t—there are security layers added if someone cannot know when to slip through any cracks or what area they’ll be at in the castle. The trick is to keep it fromyougoing forward. You do not enter the area after your rooms are done.”
I studied her and nodded. “However you and Benson feel is best. I trust your wisdom on this, thank you.”
That would take more time, but if it meant keeping me alive… The prospective mating candidates could stay in the fucking guest rooms. They really could.
Thinking on all of that made me realize there was something I hadn’t done since my parents had died and I’d come home.
Visit their rooms.
Darren and Maple had handled finding the correct clothes for my parents to be buried in which seemed silly given the state they’d… Plane crashes weren’t pretty.
I nodded to the guards that were stationed at the door to their suite. I must have studied them a little too long because one answered my unasked question. They wouldn’t always be stationed there, but given there were outsiders in the castle, issues with the elders, and so many guests before, Benson had immediately ordered a detail to guard their suite.
At least he handled something as he should have.
Also, everything was filmed top to bottom. Not to be nosy, but so nothing could go missing later and we had no idea or way to track it in the confusion. He’d even added additional temporary cameras inside to make sure no one—just to make sure.
I thanked them both for taking it so seriously and went inside.
Grief hit me instantly but not in the way most would think. It wasn’t their loss so much as… It was hard to explain.
My heart broke realizing it was maybe the fifth time I’d ever been inside my parents’ rooms. I’d probably been in there a lot as a small child when I couldn’t remember, but I was shipped out so early for school with guards and nannies that I rarely spent time at home.
Their suite was as foreign to me as they were. Glancing around there were pictures hanging of them when they were younger that I’d never seen. I had no idea their bedding was a light blue. I remembered it purple at one time, so that had been updated.
I sniffled and wiped my eyes. Why hadn’t they wanted me to know them? Why had they pushed me away and left me all alone?
