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Chapter 11: Welcome Home

It takes fifteen minutes to travel from the front gate to the entrance of the mansion. In that time, I can calm down. Chan-Yung remained silent, but he kept a vice grip on my hand. The carriage slows to a stop and two footmen approach us. Chan-Yung stands first and shoos away the footman who offered to help me down. Stepping out of the carriage and walking to my side, he offers me his hand again.

“My Lady.” He smiles. I slip my hand into his not bothering to smile back, and maneuver my way out of the carriage carefully. We walk arm in arm up the stone steps to the thick oak doors. Lord Ryeok, Ha-Rae, and Chan-Il are already there waiting to greet us. Lord Ryeok opens his arms wide and grins down at me, “Welcome home!” It takes everything in me not to roll my eyes. Instead, I smile and allow myself to be led into the brightly lit foyer.

A large crystal chandelier hangs over the polished wooden flooring. The Ryeok Clan insignia is emblazoned within the wood and there are passageways on my right and left that lead off to other areas of the mansion. In front of me, is a grand staircase that branches off to two separate wings. A large picture window sits at the landing and I see the same three men from the statue outside depicted in the glass. Their creed is written in scrawling script above their heads.

“The official ceremony will take place in the Chapel in the back garden. The night after, you will move to your own estate just a short carriage ride from here,” Lord Ryeok explains. I turn to him and see him smiling up at the picture window with the same admiration Chan-Yung displayed before. I shudder slightly wondering whose blood they are willing to spill for power.

“Of course, you will want a tour. This is the main family home, so you will be helping Ha-Rae entertain important guests. It would do you well to memorize the layout while you can.”

“My Love, the girl must be exhausted from the journey. She spent a good bit of it feeling unwell. How about we let her have a moment alone to rest?” Ha-Rae chimes in taking his arm and smiling sweetly up at him.

“You are right. Forgive this old man for his excitement. It’s not every day I get a daughter-in-law.” Lord Ryeok laughs and motions for Lyra to step forward. She had arrived at the mansion before us, possibly to assist me. I take a step towards her, but Chan-Yung holds me back.

“I can show her to the room,” He insists. My heart thuds in my chest, but I keep my expression neutral. I hope someone tells him that it is for the servants to assist me. I want to avoid being alone with him as long as I possibly can.

“You will have a lifetime with her. Let her rest and be at ease in her new surroundings,” Chan-Il says and I meet his gaze. There is a knowing look in his eyes and I almost cry with gratitude. I don’t bother to look at Chan-Yung as I pry my hand out of his grip and hurry to Lyra. She smiles softly and guides me up the stairs and to the east wing. Before we clear the landing, I can feel Chan-Yung and Chan-Il’s auras clashing in the center of the room. I refuse to look back to see what is happening. Lyra picks up the pace and I follow her closely, thankful to be away from all of them.

We pass the second story of the mansion and ascend to the third. It is here that we take a long hallway down past three libraries, four lavish studies, and three extraordinary bedrooms. We take a left at the end of the hallway and Lyra opens the first door. I am greeted by the smell of pine and lavender. The room is grand but comfortable. The floor is polished mahogany, with cream-colored furniture. The bed takes up a great majority of the space and I want nothing more than to fall onto it and sleep. I take in the large window that lets out onto a balcony that overlooks a marvelous garden in the back of the estate. A lake is the center attraction of this garden and there are three smaller mansions that look similar to the main one. The biggest of them sits in the center, in front of the lake; the others sit in the east, and west corners. The same winding hedges decorate this garden as well, only the walls are not as high.

I am aware of Lyra watching me from the center of the room and I turn to face her. Her smile is still in place and her hands are folded patiently in front of her. A wave of calm washes over me and I sink into the soft cushion of the sofa. Lyra sits beside me and we allow the silence to swallow us. The same soothing feeling keeps caressing my skin and I look at her. Her skin is glowing a soft gold and her eyes are closed.

“Are you doing a spell on me?” I ask.

She only smiles and keeps her eyes closed. I lay my head back against the sofa and stare at the ceiling. It is decorated with an intricate floral mosaic. The blossoms are various shades of pinks, violets, and yellows—the vines snake in various directions and end where the ceiling meets the walls. I feel myself drifting to sleep. I can feel things nagging at the back of my mind, but Lyra’s calming spell keeps them at bay. I can feel my eyes closing and the flowers of the mosaic become blurry. The last thing I remember before the darkness takes me is a gentle smell of honeysuckle.