Page 122 of Seduce

“The east wing,” I tell her. It’s still the royal wing, but well away from Cinder’s old room. “The room will need to have seven closets, so if several rooms need to be turned into one, that’s acceptable.”

“Seven,” she breathes.

“Where else are my consorts to live?” I ask with a smile. “Can you show me to the east wing so I may choose the rooms we’ll be adjusting?”

I can make my way up there myself, but I don’t plan to. I can see Margot needs to be needed, and I have no problems delegating. Nodding, she takes her keys with her as she walks over to us.

“Right this way, please. Would you like to close up Cinder’s old rooms?” she asks.

“It’s getting colder outside,” I muse, ignoring Margot’s concerned glance.

“Yes, winter will be in full swing in the next month,” Sidney agrees, giving me the space to think.

“Cinder has a lot of heavy wooden furniture. Let’s chop all of that for firewood—”

“With all due respect, Your Majesty, the castle has plenty of firewood,” Margot says, confused.

“Not for us,” I laugh, waving my hand as if to dispel her words. “It’s for the royal city. I want it to be distributed to those who need it. Any clothing is to be repurposed as well. Her clothes were always well made. Take all of the stitching out of it so that people can make new items with the fabrics.”

Looking a bit dazed, she nods, turning to grab a clipboard, paper, and a pen. Making her notes, she glances up.

“What else, Your Majesty?” She asks.

“I want the same done for all of those who passed away from the terrible stomach bug that came through. Scrub the clothing, and then repurpose the fabric. We will have my personal military reporting after my coronation, so those rooms will need to be cleared as well. There are barracks on the castle grounds, correct?” I ask.

While I didn’t want guards living so close to the castle initially, I think in the beginning it’ll be necessary as we settle in. Threats may be a problem in our first months or even years.

“Yes, Mistress,” Kenzo pipes up. “The castle grounds are vast. The barracks are about half a mile from the castle itself. I think we may want to ensure they’re no further than that for a time.”

“Agreed,” I say with a nod. “That’s all for now, let’s go see the rooms. I’m sure I’ll think of things as we go.”

“Of course,” Margot says professionally. She must think I’m bat shit crazy or just really odd. Except, Forbach’s last queen was actually mentally ill, so I can only be a step up.

Moving through the halls, we go up the stairs to the east wing. I don’t know where the others are, but I’m sure they’ll find me eventually. My anklet is around my wrist today, so I’m not worried.

“How large are the average rooms on this wing?” I ask.

“They’re fairly average. We may need to custom make your bed if you’re looking for something that’ll fit seven people,” she explains. There’s no judgment on her face, she’s just in ‘fix it’ mode. I can see why she’s the house manager.

Walking us deeper into the wing, she opens several rooms.

“I think these three rooms may work if we tear down the walls,” she says, walking inside one to open the blinds. There are bay windows in this room, and it’s filled with light from them.

“This space is beautiful,” Sidney muses. “I can see some nice hanging plants in here as well. A book nook in one of the windows with a seat?”

Margot gazes between us, pen poised to make notes.

“Yes, I would love that.” I sigh with a nod. “This would make a wonderful living room area I think.”

“As you wish,” she says. “I also think you’re right. There’s a lot of light in here throughout the day. Let’s look at the other rooms, because each is a little different since this is on the third floor, and in the middle of the castle.”

Moving to the middle room, Margot pushes the door inward, opening the drapes here as well. There’s two windows in this room, but the ceiling is vaulted here. There’s a view of the woods outside as well, and I find myself loving it. I can only imagine how open and beautiful it’ll be when we have everything finished.

“Is there a fourth room?” I ask hesitantly. I really like the idea of a wing to ourselves right now.

“The other rooms are storage spaces directly across from these. However the room opposite the third room could be accessed, and then we can open it to encompass the hallway there as well,” she explains, her mind whirling.

“Can we see it?” Sidney asks. I can see him beginning to imagine it as well. And since the rest of the rooms are storage, we can eventually take those over for children’s bedrooms. Grayson loves to cook, maybe we could have a kitchenette built on as well as we take over this wing. There are so many options.

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