I'm No Cinderella

Chapter 30

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After Him

My family was civil enough to our hosts. And were certainly very grateful to Gianluca for everything that he had done for our family, from stepping in and saving Ash and I's lives, to the monthly allowance he had already begun to channel their way. If they were receiving anywhere near the amount I was being given, then they were likely to faint when they finally saw it. 

I had felt as though I would when I had gotten around to inquiring about my account.

They had come to appreciate the benefits of having the alpha as an ally, but they didn't take to life in the castle with quite the same grace. I could see it in their faces, the wariness that never quite left, as if around every corner was some kind of fresh threat. I remembered that feeling well, couldn't quite pinpoint when it had gone away, only that I no longer felt that ever-present fear.

Only Lily seemed to take to the castle lifestyle with any sort of enthusiasm. On only the second day, she had asked me to teach her everything I had learned from Signora Flori. She had also taken to inviting me to daily afternoon strolls through the flower garden, and demanded that I show her every nook and cranny of the castle that I was familiar with.

According to Eden, she even picks her dresses out herself in the morning, and tells her lady's maid how she wants her hair done.

She acted more the future queen than I did. I tried not to let that thought eat at me.

It was for her sake, and for my own selfish hope, that I extended them the offer. Gianluca had suggested it on their second night, after escorting me to my room before dinner, though the kiss he had pressed to my forehead after bidding me goodnight had quickly chased the thought from my mind. But, when the doctor announced that Ash would soon be released, I couldn't help but try, "You can stay here with me in the castle, if you like. Until my deal is up at least, that is."

My mother gave me a sad smile, and shook her head, "I miss my home," she told me, "your father and I had it built just for us before any of this started, and I raised all of my children in it. There are too many memories in those walls for me to leave it behind."

My heart broke, but I couldn't argue her reasoning. I missed home as well, only I had something tying me to the castle. Someone.

And so, exactly one week after arriving, on the first day of the new year, my family left the castle.

Ash had walked out on his own two feet, and I could see in his eyes that that little detail had been important to him. He had gotten along with Gianluca and the others well enough, better than I had anticipated, in truth. But I knew that being in such a weakened state in the alpha's home had been gnawing away at him.

After they were gone, my days seemed to grow very dull.

Without Lily or Daisy's constant flurry of activity, my old routine seemed to lack all of its excitement. I had no guard to speak to in the halls, and the women of the kitchen had never quite recovered from the day Evelina and Sienna had joined us and dismissed them. I wasn't sure if they ever would return to treating me like one of them.

The closer I grew to the royal family, the more I didn't blame them for it. Perhaps I had never been one of them to begin with.

Dinner became my favorite part of the day. It was the only time I was guaranteed to see Gianluca, with his seemingly never ending meeting schedule. And, even when he had to rush off after dinner, he still made sure to take the time to walk me up to my room. To bid me goodnight and kiss me on the forehead, or the hand, or the cheek– wherever he fancied on that particular evening. It was as if he knew that the suspense had become the most exciting part of each day, and he was enjoying it all too much.