Page 26 of Expecting Royal Twins!
Her respect for him rose. “Good luck.”
“Thank you.”
The limousine left the town behind and traveled up a steep hill. Tall trees lined both sides of the road and cast shadows on the pavement. As the car crested a bump, she saw a castle in the distance.
Her heart beat triple time.
A fairy-tale castle, so perfect it appeared to have been painted on a canvas of blue. Turrets jutted into the sky. Leaded glass windows sparkled. Silver roof tiles gleamed beneath the morning sun. She’d never seen anything so beautiful in her life.
“Wow.”
“We are fortunate the castle remained in such good shape given the battles fought here,” Niko said. “The wall took several mortar hits, but that was the worst of the damage.”
“Thank goodness.” Jovan turned around from the front seat. “The royal family stayed in residence during the conflict.”
“When we weren’t fighting,” Niko said.
Izzy was surprised a royal would be out on the front line. “You fought in the war?”
“Yes.” The one word spoke volumes. “Stefan and I fought with the loyalists to preserve the boundaries and traditions of all people.”
Izzy could imagine Niko as a warrior, fierce and hard, defending his people to the death. That took courage and strength. She pointed to the jagged scar on his cheek. “Did you get that fighting?”
“Yes, we are all marked in some way by the conflict,” he said. “Some scars are physical. Others are not.”
Did Niko have other scars? Hidden ones? Izzy wanted to know, but didn’t know him well enough to ask. She wanted to see if there was more to this seemingly in-control prince than met the eye. Curiosity about the man her parents had married her off to, she rationalized.
As the limousine approached the castle, the immense structure loomed in front of her. Was that a moat?
She peered out the window. Yes, it was. A river flowed underneath a bridge flanked by armed guards. One waved the limousine across.
Two minutes later, the car stopped in front of tall, wooden doors. A uniformed man stepped outside. His white dress shirt, creased pants and sharp jacket made Izzy feel totally under-dressed in her faded jeans, T-shirt and ratty sneakers. No wonder the prince was so keen on her shopping.
“Your bag will be delivered to your room, ma’am,” Jovan said before exiting the limousine.
“Wait a minute.” Izzy’s gaze locked with Niko’s. “I thought I was staying at a hotel.”
“You are legally my wife,” Niko said. “You will stay here at the castle until the annulment has been granted.”
“I want to stay at a hotel.”
“No.”
Darn the man. He hadn’t listened to her before. If he had, he wouldn’t be telling her what to do. “But—”
“The castle is the most suitable place for you to stay.”
Izzy could rattle off a hundred reasons why she shouldn’t stay here with him, the queen and the king. She settled on one. “I’d be more comfortable in a hotel.”
“You will be more comfortable here,” Niko countered. “Your every whim will be catered to by the castle’s staff.”
“I don’t have any whims that need catering.”
He set his jaw. “No hotel.”
Her eyelids felt heavy. She needed to sit down. “I really—”
“This isn’t up for negotiation.”
Her tiredness was putting her at a disadvantage. She couldn’t think fast enough. “Please.”
“You will sleep better here than anywhere. Trust me.”
Izzy didn’t trust him. She couldn’t.
“It’s also better for you to stay at the castle for security reasons.”
Okay, that she could accept.
“Fine. I’ll concede on that point.” She stared down her nose. “But just so you know, as soon as we get the annulment, I’m outta here.”
I’m outta here.
Niko had one parting thought before he handed Isabel off to a maid.
Good riddance.
He kept the thought to himself, balling his hands into fists instead. He would not lower himself to her level.
The woman was ill-mannered and brash. She had no idea how she was supposed to act. A month locked in the tower with only etiquette and protocol books might actually help her learn to be a princess. The room in the tower would be better for her than the rusty aluminum can she called home. Though she would probably miss the grease from the garage.
