The road to Azure Bay curled like a silver ribbon across rolling hills, each turn revealing more of the coastline’s quiet majesty. The royal carriage rattled gently, its frame humming with an enchantment that softened every bump. Wildflowers pressed against the windows, eager spectators to the return of royalty.
Inside, Evelisse clutched Snugglewuff to her chest as they crested the final slope. Her brothers crowded the opposite side of the carriage, peering out with varying degrees of awe and skepticism.
"There it is," Aldric murmured.
Beyond the curve stood the cliffside manor—ancient, pale-stoned, and yet untouched by time. Ivy wove across the arches like veins of green silk. Windows sparkled. Not a speck of dust, not a crack in the foundation. The house stood still, noble, almost waiting.
Seraphina inhaled sharply. Her hand, resting lightly on Aldric’s, trembled.
"It’s exactly the same," she whispered.
Callum blinked. "Are we sure no one’s been living here?"
"Impossible," Lucien said, narrowing his eyes. "We haven’t used this location in decades."
"I smell lavender," Felix added, sniffing.
"That’s not possible," Aldric muttered. "This place hasn’t been listed in any registry."
"But it’s clean," Evelisse whispered, wide-eyed.
Seraphina stepped out first. The moment her feet touched the earth, the wind stirred. Soft and salt-kissed. Almost reverent.
She reached the door and turned the handle. It didn’t creak. It didn’t resist.
The door opened smoothly.
Inside, polished floors reflected golden light. Furniture stood arranged exactly as they had left it—a velvet chaise, a carved table, a half-finished embroidery hoop on the armrest.
Evelisse stepped in slowly, her tiny shoes silent on the stone. Her gaze roamed across old paintings, preserved tapestries, crystal sconces. No cobwebs. No dust.
Just warmth. Memory. Home.
Fluffy hovered beside her shoulder, whispering, "I scanned the archives. This place was sealed under Queen Seraphina’s personal clearance. No staff access in years."
’Then why does it feel like someone just fluffed the pillows?’ Evelisse thought.
The family spread out. The brothers raced through the halls like schoolboys discovering treasure.
"Only three rooms!" Leo called out.
"King and Queen get one," Lance shouted.
"We get the second!" Marcus declared.
"And Eve gets the third," Lucien said, voice firm.
"Alone?" Evelisse asked.
Jared stepped forward, ruffling her hair. "You deserve a room to yourself, little moonbeam."
"You’re the baby," Lucien said, matter-of-fact.
"That means you get the best," Felix added with a grin.
"She deserves her own space," Callum said. "The rest of us can manage."
"I call the bed near the bookshelf," Leo said.
"Nope. I need that one for back support," Lance argued.
"It’s closest to the window," Marcus chimed in. "That’s my charging zone."
"I’m going to lock all of you in my makeshift dungeon," Jared muttered.
"Let’s do bunk beds. With violence," Leo offered cheerfully.
Seraphina watched them, eyes gleaming. "Thank you, boys."
Jared clapped. "Of course. Besides—no offense, Your Majesties—but we don’t want to hear your nightly reenactment of ’Where It All Began.’"
Seraphina flushed crimson.
"Jared!" Lucien barked.
Jared grinned. "What? I’m just saying—those walls are thin. And our parents are passionate."
"I am seven," Evelisse whispered.
"And traumatized," Marcus added, wrapping her in a towel like a burrito.
Evelisse peeked out from the terrycloth prison. ’I hate how much that image makes sense.’
Fluffy snickered in her ear. "Welcome to the Royal House of Oversharing."
"Enough!" Aldric barked, though he was clearly fighting a smile.
"Let’s unpack," Seraphina said quickly, ushering them inside.
They all scattered, laughing.
Evelisse clung to the doorway of her new room, eyes wide.
Evelisse’s room was tucked at the very end of the hall, framed by an arched window that overlooked the sea. A canopy bed waited in the center, draped in pale silk and sea-glass beads. A carved dresser held a comb set that looked like it hadn’t been touched in years—but gleamed like new.
She dropped her small satchel on the floor and stared.
Snugglewuff jumped into the bed, did a celebratory circle, and promptly flopped over.
Fluffy floated in, twirling through the hanging beads. "It’s enchanted. This whole house must be. Time-locked. Preserved intentionally."
"For you, maybe," Fluffy said softly, ears twitching.
Instead, she walked to the window.
Azure Bay stretched beyond the cliffs, waves glinting like liquid gold. A soft breeze danced past the curtain, carrying salt and wildflowers.
She pressed her forehead to the glass. ’I’ve never seen a place so peaceful.’
"Enjoying your castle tower?" Marcus’s voice called from behind.
She turned. "Brother Marcus."
He leaned against the doorframe, one arm full of folded blankets. "Just making sure you’re not swallowed by silk."
"I am not," she said primly.
He stepped in, laying the blankets gently on a chair. His eyes swept the room.
Then he smiled. "You like it?"
"I love it," she said, honestly.
"Good. You deserve it."
"Also," he added, lowering his voice, "Jared tried to rearrange all of us by height in the boys’ room. It lasted two minutes."
She giggled. "Did Brother Lucien protest?"
"With a chalkboard and a rotating schedule."
Evelisse laughed harder. Find the newest release on NoveI(F)ire.net
It felt good. Natural.
Like she’d always been here.
Later that evening, the family gathered in the large dining room—a long, carved table set with candles, mismatched plates from another era, and trays of warm seaside food: grilled fish, honeyed root vegetables, roasted seaweed rolls, and little cinnamon cakes stacked like crowns.
Evelisse sat between Felix and Lucien, carefully spooning a buttered scallop onto her plate. Her manners were impeccable. Fork at the correct angle. Napkin in her lap.
Courtesy of Madam Hildegarde.
’I guess they act so casually around one another,’ she thought, stunned. ’How can they be so casual when it’s the two rulers of a Kingdom sitting with them?!’
Lucien suddenly spoke, sipping his water calmly. "You’re fidgeting, Eve."
"I am not," she said, cheeks puffed.
"You’re stabbing your carrot repeatedly."
Jared slammed his goblet onto the table with dramatic flair.
"Enough mystery! Father, you *promised*! The punch! The mist! The moment she threw you off a cliff with nothing but her eyes!"
Queen Seraphina nearly choked on her tea. "Jared!"
"I only embellished a little!" he protested, holding up three fingers as if swearing a knight’s oath. "For dramatic accuracy!"
King Aldric wiped his mouth with a napkin, his sigh like a man about to go to war. "Very well. The truth of how I met your mother..."