New Place
The group dispersed after the plane landed at District 2 exactly five hours later. Ayana followed Irene since Irene would be the one to bring her to her new home. The place to call home until she was finally free from this political marriage.
Irene looked at the girl beside her as they were on the way to the castle. The more she observed Ayana, the more worried she felt since she had to leave Ayana alone in Luca's castle. The girl looked so timid and weak that she could easily imagine Ayana being intimidated by others.
When the car finally passed the gate to Luca's castle after a 30-minute ride, Irene finally made her decision. For the success of her plan, she needs to keep the girl safe for some time, and leaving the girl alone with Luca is definitely a bad idea. She needed to stay in the castle for a while so Luca and Ayana could familiarize themselves with each other presence first.
Ayana looked at the castle with curiosity. When she heard Irene mention that she would live in Luca's castle, the first thing that came to her mind was a magnificent building with bright lights in every corner. A large house that would be larger than the Luxon family's house with lavish designs everywhere. She had expected such a place ever since she came to District 2 on a magic-powered military plane that screamed money. She thought the castle would be extravagant.
Now that she had finally looked at the castle, she could only blink in confusion. The building in front of her was far from her imagination. The place looked a bit old but still exuded its beauty. The dim light in several corners did not make the castle look haunted at all.
"This is beautiful," Ayana murmured as she stepped out of the car. Her eyes quickly found the butler, and several maids approached them in a composed manner. Some quietly walked to the car and carried the baggage inside, while some followed behind the butler, who took Irene's luxurious handbag and coat.
"You don't need to comfort me with such a lie, dear. This place is horrible from the outside. I asked Luca to renovate everything, but he was just so stubborn, just like his father. Although you don't have to worry since I have renovated several rooms and area insides." Irene reassured as she led Ayana into the house.
"Luca is the only member of the Winter family who lives here. Your in-laws, Luca's parents, and his siblings have their own houses not far from here, but because they are always busy, it is usually very difficult for you to meet them. Benedict, Luca's younger brother, is now working in District 1 as a researcher, and Quin, Luca's youngest sister, is working as a manager in one of the Winter family companies." Irene said while observing Ayana's face, waiting for some reaction.
She did nod as a sign that she heard what Irene said, but her eyes were roamed to observe the castle. Although the castle looks antics from the outside, the inside of the castle looks modern. The place was decorated in a stylish and comfortable style. There are several changes where a lift was also installed to facilitate the people living inside.
Irene frowned when she did not find the reaction she expected. Normal humans, she met usually would be nervous when they heard that they would be living in the same place as Luca Winter, but Ayana was way too calm.
'Did she react this way because she was not afraid of Luca or because she did not know the rumor about Luca? Did she even listen to what I said earlier?' Irene thought inwardly.
"What about you?" Ayana turned to look at Irene.
When their eyes met, Irene was stunned at Ayana's clear green eyes. For a moment, Irene felt like the girl was not timid and weak as she thought, "pardon?"
"Where do you live?" Ayana asked.
"My house is not around here, but I would stay here and help you adapt since Luca is away for his mission for some time," Irene explained with a smile.
"The butler had been notified about your arrival early this week. They had prepared your room," Irene said as she signed to the butler, who quickly led the way.
Irene leads Ayana to the lift as they move to the third floor. Just when Ayana thought her room would be on the third floor, Irene started to walk to one side of the castle and use the smaller lift in one corner.
'A lift? Just how high is the tower that we need to use the lift?' Ayana thought inwardly but tried to not show anything on her face.
Ayana's eyes quickly found the lift button. There are just four floors in total even though Ayana still thinks that this lift was a waste of money since the location of the main lift and the lift for the tower was not that far.
"How many lifts are on this whole castle?" Ayana asked, but could not contain her curiosity.
"There were only two. This one and the main lift that we used earlier," Irene explained with a bit of tease in her voice.
"I see," Ayana said, then walked out when they reached the top floor. She realized that Irene wanted to tease her and wanted to make her feel like the lift was there to accommodate her. Sadly, she had observed her surroundings and could guess that the lift was already there for some time.
Irene chuckled at Ayana's response. She likes her even more for her calm and bothered attitude. The image of Ayana as a timid girl started to change.
When Ayana realized that her room would be on one of the towers, she was dejected by the idea, but after stepping out of the lift, she changed her mind. There is only a door which means that her room would cover the whole floor.
The butler opened the door and let Ayana step in to look inside the room. It was a soft pink color theme room. Everything was decorated beautifully although the color hurt her eyes a bit.
"Did you like it?" Irene said as she looked at Ayana's face. Ayana's brow twitched when she looked at the pink furniture that dominated the room, but she seemed pleased with the size.
The room was big and had everything she needed inside. Although the color was a bit too much, she will get used to it soon.
"I like it," Ayana said with a straight expression. Irene actually decorated the room with a girlish vibe because she thinks that Ayana is a normal teenager. She had seen her picture before and she thought that her meek personality would suit the soft color theme. Now that she had seen a different side of her, even if it was just a glimpse of it, she really thought that the room was unsuitable for the mature Ayana.
Ayana looked around the room and stopped at the big window. She opened it and the night breeze gently swept her hair.
"Ah, I almost forgot. Do you prefer homeschooling or private school?" Irene asked as she sat on the bed.
"What do you think is better for me?" Ayana asked after a while. She enjoyed her school days in District 4 even though she only spent around eight months there. However, she was also curious about homeschooling. Discussing a topic with someone more knowledgeable than her sounds interesting.
Irene didn't expect Ayana to ask her back. She looked at the girl with a smile.
"I think you should go to a private school. You will be able to meet a lot of people. If you are lucky, you might make a connection with important people. There is a special school for a non-vampire that is afraid to mingle with the vampire here, but I prefer that you attend the normal school since your friend circle will be bigger. I believe you would be fine being around vampires," Irene said as she looked at Ayana.
Ayana nodded her head and made her decision, "I will believe in your judgment."
"Great. Since you would be around a lot of young vampires, it would be better for you to wear a concealing pendant." Irene said but then laughed when she realized that her handbag must be already in her room.
"Silly me. I handed my handbag to Nico earlier. The maid will deliver the pendant to you later," Irene explained.
"You don't have to worry about that. I already have one," Ayana said as she took a pendant with a clear green jade stone.
"You do?" Irene asked as a surprise was thick in her voice.
"My mother gave it to me before the wedding," Ayana said with a slight smile.
"I see. Your mother must be really worried about you. I told her that this place was very safe since every maid and steward in this household is bound by blood contract, so they won't harm you as long as they work there, but it just lessens her anxiety a little. It was like she was the one who got married and had to live away from her family and not you," Irene laughed softly as she remembered her talk with Haruka Luxon earlier.
Ayana just nodded at Irene's words, "My mother is worried because it hasn't been long since I came back from Zone B."
"You seem tired, so I will leave you by yourself now. I will meet you tomorrow," Irene said as she walked out of the room and closed the door.
"Thank you for everything," Ayana nodded her head toward Irene and the woman waved her hand as replied before going behind the door.
After listening to the sound of the moving lift, Ayana sighed before walking to the door. She observed the automatic lock door. She was familiar with this technology. Her fingers nimbly push the button on the small screen. After a while, the message to scan her fingerprint appeared on the screen. She followed every step diligently. The lock makes a soft ringing sound, a sign that she had completed the setting. Now, no one can enter the room without her permission.
Although Irene had assured her that the castle was a very safe place, she just felt uncomfortable by the thought that everyone could access her room easily.
After that, Ayana decided to take a bath before she slept. She takes a quick shower before going directly to bed.
She was tired even though she had some sleep on the airplane. After a minute, her breathing is getting regular.
The beep sound from the door woke Ayana from her sleep.
Ayana was surprised that she was able to sleep like a log through the night. It seemed like a maid was waiting for her outside the door. Usually, if she forgot to take her sleeping pill, she would be awakened by a nightmare in the middle of the night. She suspects that her body and soul were too tired, so she could sleep soundly yesterday.
"Yes?" Ayana said as she opened the door.
"The breakfast will start in 30 minutes. Madam Irene will accompany you as she said that she wants to talk to you about something," The maid said in a lower voice.
"Breakfast? Is that it?" Ayana asked in a sleepy voice.
"Do you need us to clean your room?" the maid asked in a hesitant voice.
"That would be great. Thank you," Ayana answered.
"When do you need us to start, miss?" The maid asked again, now fidgeting a little.
Ayana blinked and suddenly realized the maids' concern. They must have asked her about all of this because they could not access her room. The maids must be aware that she had changed the setting of the lock.
"I will leave the door opened when I go down for breakfast," Ayana said nonchalantly. She did not really care since all her belongings would only arrive today.
"I understand. We will take our leave, miss," The maid bowed down and took a few steps back before turning around and walking away.
Ayana took a quick bath and prepared herself. She got down after 20 minutes.
Ayana raised her eyebrow as she saw that Irene was waiting for her.
"I am sorry for making you wait," Ayana said as she took a seat beside Irene.
"It's okay. I just sat there for a minute when I saw you come in," Irene said as she signaled the butler to serve the food.
Ayana nodded her head and took a note inwardly to get down even earlier after this.
"I ask the cook to prepare some of the dishes that you might like," Irene said with a slight smile.
The maid started to serve several dishes that Ayana is familiar with.
"Thank you. It was so kind of you to do this," Ayana thanked Irene's thoughtfulness for preparing the dishes she enjoyed. Irene must have asked her mother about this, or Haruka might be the one to suggest this kind of idea to Irene.
Ayana smiled. She was a bit touched by Irene's thoughtful gesture. They talked for a bit as she started to enjoy the dishes. Ayana had to applaud the cook for making all the dishes as she liked.
None of them talk until Ayana finished her food.
Ayana looked at Irene also has a plate with a steak on it, but Ayana only noticed her put the meat in her mouth once.
"You would not change your mind about getting into public school, right?" Irene asked.
"Yes. I am sure," Ayana answered calmly.
"Okay then. I will contact the school after this so just prepare anything you will need since you might start your first day a week," Irene said firmly.
Ayana nodded her head as she heard what Irene said.
"You should also choose a bodyguard that will accompany you to school," Irene said as a man brought in several documents and put them in front of Ayana.
'Bodyguard? Did I look that weak?' The thought must have shown on Ayana's face since Irene giggled a little as she looked at Ayana's face.
Irene appeared to understand what was on Ayana's mind and quickly added, "Luca is an important figure. A lot of people might try to harm you to create problems for him. It will be better to have someone by your side."
Ayana nodded her head in understanding. "Can you choose someone for me?" Ayana asked as she stared at Irene. She did not even open the first page.
"I will recommend one for you later then," Irene said as she smiled sweetly.