Princess for brother

Chapter 1

The train glided slowly past the bleak landscape, leaving mile after mile behind. Ashleigh Kembel sat by the window, looking out at the passing trees and fields, and felt a tight knot of pain tighten in her chest. It wasn't so much the scenery that was reflected in her eyes, but the memories of that day that changed her life forever. The day she lost her parents.

Now she was returning to her ancestral home in Surrey, a place that had once been her home but was now a prison of memories. Travis, her brother, was sitting next to her, the only real person left in the world. But even with him, Ashley felt alone. Their relationship was full of venom and pretense, and she didn't know if she would ever be able to bridge that gap between them.

The Kembel Palace on the hill like a majestic ghost of the past. The tall spires, the pointed windows, and the ivy-covered stone walls were both majestic and depressing. Ashley stared at him and wondered what was waiting for her inside. Will she ever be able to feel at home here? Or will the palace always be a place of grief and loneliness for her?

As the carriage pulled up to the front door, Ashley felt her heart race. She took a deep breath, trying to gather her courage, and stepped out of the carriage. Travis followed her, and together they entered the large foyer.

High ceilings, marble floors, elegant staircases-everything in this house breathed grandeur and nobility. But Ashley couldn't enjoy the splendor. All she felt was the weight of her loss and the fear of the future.

"Well, we're home," Travis said, looking around. His voice was harsh, but there was a hint of uncertainty in it. "At least there's something left of my old life.

Ashley nodded, unable to speak. She looked at the familiar paintings, statues, and tapestries from her childhood, and felt tears welling up in her eyes. Here everything reminded me of my parents, of my lost happiness.

The servants greeted them with a respectful bow. Margaret, the housekeeper who had been in the Kembell family for many years, came up to them with a pained expression on her face.

"Welcome home, Mr. Kembel, Miss Kembel," she said in a low voice. — We are very sorry for your loss.

Travis nodded, accepting her words of condolence. Ashley could barely manage a " thank you." She felt empty, as if her soul had been taken out of her.

After the servants helped them move their things to their rooms, Travis and Ashley were left alone. The siblings stood in the hall, looking at each other, and knew that there were many difficulties ahead of them.

"We have to stick together," Travis said, breaking the heavy silence. "We're the only family we have now.

Ashley looked at her brother and saw the same pain in his eyes that she had felt herself. But at the same time, she sensed something else-alienation, distrust. Would they never be able to bridge that gap?

"Yes," she said softly. — We have to stick together. But how can we do that if we don't even know how to talk to each other?

Travis sighed, as if his sister's words had struck a chord with him.

"We'll find a way," he said firmly. "We're Kembels. We must be strong.

But Ashley doubted it. She felt that their relationship was too complicated, too tangled, to just fix it. Still, she hoped her brother was right. That they can become a real family, a support for each other in this cruel world.

Meanwhile, her mind whirled with thoughts of the past, the future, and how her life in this palace would turn out now. Will she be able to find happiness here, or will she forever remain a prisoner of her memories and fears?

In the evening, lying in her room, Ashley stared out the window at the dark garden and thought about what lay ahead. She felt lost and alone, but at the same time she knew that she had to be strong for her brother. For my own sake.

А Travis was sitting in his office, looking at the portrait of his parents. His mind was filled with conflicting emotions: anger, pain, despair, and determination. He knew that now he was responsible for his sister, for the palace, for everything that their parents had left them. And he was ready for it. I am ready to fight for their future, even if I have to fight my own demons and those who want to take advantage of their vulnerability.

This was the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of Ashley and Travis Kembel — a chapter full of secrets, dangers, and possibly new hopes. But none of them knew yet what trials fate had in store for them. No one could predict what their return to the ancestral palace would lead to.

The night shrouded the palace in a dark blanket, and only a few lights in the windows showed that there was a lot of life inside. Ashley closed her eyes, trying to sleep, but her mind was still racing. She dreamed of her parents, their smiles, their voices... and dark shadows lurking in the corners of the palace.

Travis sat in his office for a long time, thinking about the future. He knew that he and Ashley had a lot to go through, a lot to learn about each other. But he was prepared for these challenges. I'm ready for my sister, for the memory of my parents, for the future of the Kembel family.

And none of them suspected that their lives would soon change forever. That a person would come to their home who would turn everything upside down, make them see the world in a new way, and open up to them such depths of feelings that they did not even know existed.

But that will be later. For now, they were just trying to get used to the new reality, to their new home — the Kembel family palaceКембелов. To their past and what lay ahead.

The morning in the Kembel family palace Кембеловbegan with a heavy silence. The sun's rays shyly filtered through the heavy velvet curtains, illuminating the dust motes in the air and giving the room a ghostly glow. Ashley woke up with a strange sense of unease, as if something invisible was looming over the house. She lay in bed, looking up at the ceiling, and thought about what was waiting for her that day.

As she stood up, Ashley felt a mixture of emotions warring inside her: on the one hand, the hope that returning to the palace would be the beginning of a new life, on the other, the fear of the unknown and the difficulties that she and Travis would have to overcome. She went to the window and looked out at the garden, which seemed as bleak and lifeless as her mood.

In the meantime, Travis had also woken up, but his morning had begun with bitter thoughts about the past and anxious thoughts about the future. He sat in a chair by the fireplace, staring into the embers, trying to collect his thoughts. His mind whirled with thoughts of his parents ' legacy, his responsibility for his sister, and how they were going to move on.

After a while, Ashley went down to the dining room. Travis was already there, sitting at the table, staring into his coffee cup. The atmosphere in the room was tense, as if the air was filled with invisible sparks of conflict.

"Good morning," Ashley said, trying to keep her voice steady and calm.

Travis looked up, and Ashley saw a mixture of annoyance and weariness in his gaze.

"Morning," he said shortly, without adding a word.

They sat in silence, each lost in thought. Ashley could feel resentment building in her chest. Why was her brother so cold to her? Didn't he realize that they needed each other now more than ever?

Travis finally broke the silence.

— We must decide how we will manage the palace and the inheritance. It's not just a home — it's a responsibility that we can't ignore.

Ashley nodded, even though deep down she wanted to shout, " Is that all you care about? Can't we just be a family, support each other?"

"Yes, you're right," she said aloud. — But can't we just... be a family first?" Without all this talk of duty and responsibility?

Travis looked at his sister with a puzzled expression, as if he didn't understand what she was talking about.

"Family isn't just about warm words and hugs, Ashley. Family is also a responsibility, a duty, and the need to make difficult decisions. We are no longer children, and it is time to understand this.

Her brother's words struck a chord with Ashley. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she forced them back.

— Can't you combine both?" — What is it? " she asked, trying to keep her voice calm. — Can't we be close people and still solve all these issues?

Travis sighed, as if tired of this conversation.

"Intimacy," he said bitterly. — We've always been strangers, Ashley. And right now, I don't see any reason why that should change.

The words struck hard at Ashley's heart. She felt alone and misunderstood, as if her brother had pushed her away when she needed support most.

— You think so?" she whispered, barely able to hold back her tears. — So all these years... you've always felt like a stranger around me?"

Travis turned away, not wanting to continue this conversation.

"It doesn't matter how I felt before," he said sharply. — What matters now is what we need to do to preserve the Kembel familyКембелов.

Ashley couldn't hold back any longer. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she ran out of the dining room, slamming the door behind her.

Left alone, Travis buried his face in his hands and sighed heavily. He knew that his words hurt his sister, but he couldn't help it. The responsibility of his family and the palace weighed heavily on him, and he did not know how to combine duty and personal feelings.

Meanwhile, Ashley locked herself in her room and let the tears flow. She thought about why her relationship with her brother had become so cold, why they couldn't find a common language. Memories of happy childhood moments, of parents who always tried to bring them closer together, only increased her pain and loneliness.

That evening, as the sun was sinking, Ashley was still sitting by the window, looking out at the fading light of day. She felt lost and alone, as if the whole world had turned its back on her.

Travis wandered the corridors of the palace, lost in thought. He knew that his conflict with Ashley was just the tip of the iceberg, that there were much deeper and more dangerous currents lurking beneath the surface. But how to bridge the gap between them, he didn't know.

The night shrouded the palace in a dark blanket, and only a few lights in the windows showed that life was boiling inside, full of contradictions and pain. Ashley and Travis went to bed without finding a path to understanding and intimacy. Their relationship remained as cold as the winter wind blowing through the corridors of an ancient palace.

But what none of them knew yet was that there were far more serious challenges ahead of them. That soon someone will come into their lives who will make them look at the world — and at each other — in a completely new way. A man who will bring with him not only new hopes, but also new dangers, new secrets and new wounds.

Meanwhile, the Kembel Palace Кембеловremained silent, as if holding its breath in anticipation of the events to come. Only the shadows of the past glided across the walls, reminding them that nothing is forgotten and nothing is forgiven.