"I cannot believe vampires and werewolves are real," Emily admitted, standing up from the vanity chair.

"Amongst other supernatural beings, but werewolves died out along with a whole lot of royals in the supernatural war. The key word is lycan." Prince Duncan says.

"Supernatural beings?" Emily asked, not sure she really wanted to know.

“Use your imagination. The creatures from your nightmares, your childhood bedtime stories, and everything in between will most likely be found at this castle,” Prince Deacon said.

“You are not serious?” Emily asked, scared.

“Well, that depends on what the creatures from your childhood were,” Prince Deacon said, smiling.
The lady-in-waiting arrived with the coffee and pours them each a cup that seemed too delicate to be held by a man, but Prince Deacon took the cup and saucer with great elegance.

Emily took a sip and pulled her face. “How can you drink this stuff?”

“Try it with some cream and sugar,” Prince Deacon suggested with a show of hand for the Lady-in-waiting to add some cream and sugar.

Emily tried it again. “Much better.”

“Would you like me to show you the castle? The gardens?” Prince Deacon asked after they finished their coffee.

“That will be lovely, but what about the creatures?” Emily asked, concerned.

“No one will harm you, unless you want them to,” Prince Deacon laughed.

“Why would I want them to harm me?” Emily asked, not understanding.
“Never mind. Shall we?” He offered his arm for her.
Emily wrapped her hand around his arm and together they walked through the hallways, greeting someone every now and then, Prince Deacon explaining what type of creature they shift into or what they are.

“How old are you?” Emily asked as they strolled through the gardens. The air was a bit nippy that early in spring, the memories of winter were still visible on the bare trees that started to blossom.

“Twenty-Five,” Prince Duncan lied. He was much older but because he shifts regularly, he stayed young.

“I am eighteen,” Emily said.

Prince Deacon nodded his head to a gentleman walking past with a lady on his arm.
“Why is the fashion so disorderly here? It appears as if every woman is wearing a dress from a different era?” Emily asked, not liking it.

“Because here we do as we please and that includes what we wear,” Prince Deacon laughed.

“What about me? Do I get to do as I please and wear what I please, as I am certainly not wearing what I want to wear?” Emily pointed out, grabbing the skirt of her dress.

“I will have a lady-in-waiting show you the castle wardrobe a bit later and arrange for a wardrobe to be brought to our room,” Prince Deacon said, smiling.

“Our room? If I share a room with you, a man that I am not married to then I will certainly not be doing as I please as it does not please me at all to share a room with a man that I am not married to,” Emily said, acknowledging the couple that just walked by the lady on the gentlemen’s arm wearing a dress from the seventeen hundreds.

“It is for your own protection,” Prince Deacon said.

“What about my honor?” Emily asked, letting go of his arm and coming to a halt, turning to face him.

“Your honor? Where was your honor when you tried to deceit us?” Prince Deacon asked, staring her down.

Emily could feel her cheeks turning red. “It is not the same.” Emily continued to walk, but Prince Deacon stood still, holding his arm for her to take it.

Emily realized that Prince Deacon was not walking beside her and turned around. “What are you waiting for?”

“For your hand,” Prince Deacon said, waiting patiently for her to walk back and put her hand on his arm.

“What if it does not please me to touch you?” Emily asked stubbornly.

“It pleases me, and is it not a woman’s duty to please her feature husband?” Prince Deacon asked with a smirk.

“Future husband? I assure you, Prince Deacon, I will be leaving in six months’ time,” Emily said, walking back to him and stubbornly putting her hand around his arm.
“I assure you, my little stubborn wife-to-be, that in six months’ time you won’t even want to leave my bed,” Prince Deacon said, full of himself, padding her hand that was on his arm.

“That is no way to speak to a lady!” Emily exclaimed. She wanted to let go of his arm, but he held her hand firmly, preventing her from leaving his arm.

“I will make a queen out of you, if you let me,” Prince Deacon said as they continued their walk through the garden.

“Don’t you first have to be a King to be able to make your wife a queen?” Emiliy asked, mockingly.

“Soon enough,” Prince Deacon said in a casual tone.

“Soon enough? What is that supposed to mean?” Emily asked.

“Mother, father, meet Emily. Emily, the King, and Queen of the lycans and the Supernatural world for that matter,” Prince Deacon introduced Emily to his parents that were walking in the opposite direction.
“Please to meet you,” Emily said with a small courtesy.

The King and Queen continued their walk without saying anything back.

“I don’t think they like me very much,” Emily said, looking over her shoulder back at them.

“They don’t have to like you,” Prince Deacon snorted. ‘One day they will pay for treating me with disrespect,’ Prince Deacon thought, as he hid his anger.

“Well, if I am to marry you, then I would at least have liked for my family-in-law to like me,” Emily admitted.

“Stop worrying about what others think of you, who likes you, and who does not. It does not matter here,” Prince Deacon demanded.

Prince Deacon led Emily to a table in the garden where three young ladies were sitting, having tea at a white cast iron table with flower detail and matching chairs.