🥀This isn't your typical Sleeping Beauty story🥀
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"Don't make me do this, Evangeline". The tortured whisper sends goosebumps racing across my skin. I hate the way I love the sound of my name on his...
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^1st level floor plan in case it gets confusing but it doesn't really matter (ignore the dimensions lmao)
. . . . .
Ayrshire Manor is straight out of a dream. The lovely, three-story red brick mansion with white accents is covered in ivy and rose vines that creep up white pillars. Two wings extend past the center entryway part of the building where a handful of servants bustle out to meet us. The house steward comes forward and bows to Leander.
"My name is Giles and I will take care of you all during your stay here," he says. "Please follow me so I can show you around." We follow him past the twin lion statues on either side of the grand doorway and enter the manor.
The checkered foyer gives way to a sweeping mahogany staircase with an opulent window at the landing, the ceiling curving upwards to indicate another flight of stairs leading to the third floor. The wood paneled walls are carved with intricate designs of lions and flowers, and the warm brown color doesn't make the rooms any less bright, to my surprise. To the right extends one wing, the first room being a lavish sitting room awash in the golden sunrise. To the left extends the second wing, displaying a long dining room with a table large enough to seat 50 people. Both rooms have a perfect view of the lawn and gardens.
"What is this place?", I whisper, stunned at the grandeur.
"Ayrshire Manor is a sanctuary for the heirs of kingdoms in peril," Giles explains. "The people you'll see are the sons and daughters of kings, and the futures of empires." Wow, no pressure.
Giles first leads us into the dining room and through the door on the right, where the kitchen lies. He barely has a chance to instruct us before I begin to gobble down the cheeses and hunks of cured meats that were beautifully arranged on the island counter. Leander scoffs in disgust and I glare at him.
"Vlahos pig," he mutters.
"You're mistaken, brother—I'm Vincenzio swine now," I snap back. The general politely samples some bread and shoves some in Leander's hand to shut him up.
The windows in the kitchen are high up and propped open to air out the smoke coming from the massive oven on the opposite wall. At the other end of the kitchen is the door to the pantry.
The sitting room is filled with plush couches arranged around a massive fireplace. The walls of this room are half covered in wood paneling, with the upper half covered in delicate wallpaper. A window seat overflowing with pillows sits at one end. Double doors on the left open up to a grand library, brimming with books of all kinds. Tall windows end in more window seats, and illuminate the endless bookshelves and reading nooks tucked into every corner. I spot at least two fireplaces. A mural stretches across the ceiling, depicting a dream-like night sky.
"At the other end of this library is the door to the school room, where you will study the assignments your tutor gives you," Giles comments, before whisking us back to the foyer. Leander groans and curses while General Amaryllis sighs. I, on the other hand, am thrilled to have someone else teach me things after a lifetime of teaching myself.
