Maid For You 4

Chapter 19

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from "a nice home in the country", but it certainly wasn't the castle that we drove up to. The castle was absolutely picturesque, even in the dark, with its grey stones and fresh snowfall. It felt like I'd stepped back in time once again, only this time, I was entering into a medieval era. As expected, Melaniya and Ivan accompanied us on our trip, with Ivan driving and Melaniya sitting up front by him. I felt strangely comforted knowing that they were with us, that Nikolas and I weren't alone in a car.

"My cousin, Anastasiya, lives in Evergreen Castle with her husband, Alexsander. He's the Marquess and is to inherit the Duchy at his father's passing," Nikolas had told me on our way here. Apparently, his cousin Lady Anastasia was related to him on his dad's side—her mother was his father's sister. Nikolas had grown up seeing his cousin fairly often, and she was apparently the aforementioned cousin who was Nikolas's claim to fame for having communicated with females.

After we had entered into the castle and we were greeted by servants and such, Prince Nikolas and I were led to a parlor within the castle. We entered a large parlor with big, open windows that showed the snowy outdoors, and a pretty young woman with long, swishing blonde hair sat up from the sofa and walked up to Nikolas, giving him a big hug.

"Nikolay!" she said as she pulled away. "Ya tak rada tebya videt!"

"Ya tozhe rada tebya videt', Anastasiya," he answered. "Spasibo, chto razreshili nam posetit'.

As per usual, I stood there not knowing what the heck was going on, but I tried to minimize how awkward I looked by looking at them with a small smile. They were probably just greeting each other, I figured.

The young woman turned to me. She was wearing a high collared power-blue chiffon dress with long sleeves paired with dainty blue slippers. "And you must be Miss Carmichael, correct?" she asked, with a Russian accent that was very similar to Nik's.

"Yes, I am," I said, smiling politely and dropping into a slight curtsey. "And are you Lady Anastasiya?"

"Yes, I am. But you can call me just Anastasiya. A friend of Nikolas is a friend of mine," she said, smiling so that all her pearly white teeth shone. She looked at Nikolas and poked him in the ribs. "His friends are few and far between so I haven't had to add too many new friends," she said, and Nik swatted her hand away irritably. She only laughed—a clear, ringing laugh, and her laugh was such that I couldn't help but chuckle myself.

"I have other friends," he scowled, glaring at Anastasiya.

"Of course, Nikolay," she said, patting his shoulder. She then looked brightly at me. "Welcome to Evergreen castle, Miss Carmichael! I'm happy to have you here."

Her warmth was so unexpected and starkly contrasted the cold way people in the castle had looked at me, and I hadn't realized how uncomfortable I'd been in the Nikotan palace until this moment.

"Thank you," I said, my smile turning from the obligatory polite smile to something more genuine. "I'm really happy to be here. Evergreen Castle is absolutely beautiful. It feels like a fairytale!"

"I agree!" Anastasiya said, sounding excited. "That's why I wanted to move here. Alex and I—my husband, Alexsander—he and I were trying to decide where to live, and when we found this place, I just couldn't pass it up! It's a lot more medieval than other palaces in Nikoto."

"It's amazing," I said. "I feel like dressing up in a renaissance dress and running around the place."

Anastasiya laughed—a warm sound. "Maybe we should one day! While Nikky is inevitably on the phone at some point."

Nikky. It sounded much more endearing when Anastasiya called him that verses Coleman.

"Don't call me Nikky," Nikolas groaned.