Luc furrowed his brow, as if he didn’t quite know how to answer the question.
“He loves his people in his own way.”
“What does that mean?”
“All the same, Ava, I’d prefer that you meet the man himself and come to your own conclusions. I don’t want to color your thoughts.”
His words came off a bit strange, but understandable in a way.
“There you have Mount Winn.” He gestured to a peak that stood out among all of the others. “That’s the tallest mountain in Edoria, and the eighth highest in the entire Alps range. The skiing is quite something.”
Right away, images of sitting in a cozy ski lodge filled my mind, a fire roaring as I sipped hot chocolate with a little brandy mixed in. It was strange—I hadn’t even touched down and Edoria was already starting to grow on me. It feltfamiliar, in the same way that Seattle did.
“You’ll notice that the leaves of the forest are already starting to turn.”
I glanced at the forest, and sure enough, he was right. Most were a deep, rich green, but some were beginning their fall turn, changing to various shades of red.
“Autumn is quite a big deal here in Edoria. Some believe that our nation has the most beautiful autumn changes of any other place, and thousands of people from all over the world come here to see the colors. It’s much like your New England.”
“Never been. Always been a west coast kind of girl.”
“Well, either way, you’ll get to see them in person. One of our national holidays is Harvest Day, which takes place the third Friday in November, near the American Thanksgiving.”
“Is that right? What’s that all about?”
“Feasts and festivals and, of course, the Harvest Ball at the royal palace—another event that anyone in Europe’s elite would kill to attend.” He gestured again. “And there you have Lausanne.”
I turned in the direction he was pointing, spotting a massive city appearing in the distance. The towns along the river grew larger and denser until they covered the landscape. A handful of glass and steel towers rose in one section of the enormous city, and as the plane lowered, I could see the change in the city’s style. Modern neighborhoods gave way to more medieval-looking areas, the roads made of stone.
“And there we have the royal palace.”
In the center of the city, situated on a hill, was a building unlike anything I’d ever seen before in person. It was the same castle I’d seen in the pictures Luc had shown me. It was huge—a classic style castle of gray stone and big towers that came to points, with an ancient wall surrounding the entire property. As we passed, I could make out gorgeous, neatly arranged gardens behind the walls, the colors of the flowers brilliant in the morning sun.
“This country is your home,” Luc said. “But the palace is where you’ll be living.”
I kept my eyes on the castle as we passed, having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that it was real. The plane continued to descend, and before too long we were touching down on the small runway of the king’s private airport.
“How are you feeling?” he asked. “Enjoy your little tour?”
“My head’s spinning a little, to be honest. But… I think I’m feeling up to this.”
“Good.” The plane slowed, eventually coming to a halt. “Now, come along… our ride’s waiting for us.”
We grabbed our carry-ons and made our way to the door, which opened just as we stepped near it. A rush of cool, fresh air cleaner than I’d ever smelled in my life hit me. As I stood at the top of the stairs, I gave myself a moment to close my eyes and savor it.
“We’re up quite high,” he said. “So don’t push yourself too hard. altitude sickness can be a hell of a thing to deal with. You’ll need time to adjust.”
He placed his hand on the small of my back, electricity shooting through me, my pussy clenching at his touch. I closed my eyes and bit my lip, trying to work through the intensity of feelings that his touch sent racing through my body, making my knees weak.
“I can walk myself,” I said, stepping forward. “Thank you very much.”
He let out an amused snort. “Suit yourself.”
I knew I was being a brat, but I had to do something to put some physical distance between us.
The sky was a perfect blue, the air tinged with just the right amount of crispness—enough to feel refreshing, but not enough to need a coat.
“We’re just a short drive away,” he said as we stepped down the stairs.