"What in heck happened?" Lucas' eyes widened. "She's always been such a cool mom to all of us."
"Yeah. She is a very loving and giving mom, I have to admit. But don't worry, it doesn't have anything to do with us kids."
Dante sighed. "Unfortunately, Father has eyes mostly for my mom, and Mother Gwen felt slighted and discarded."
Lucas grimaced and nodded.
"I totally understand. My mother has issues with that too, but she doesn't say much because, well…"
Dante nodded. "Daisy is still very young and she needs Father. I know."
"Ariana is not much older than Daisy though, and I'm sure Mother Dora is having the same problem." Lucas said grimly.
"Before, when Clarissa was empress, Father didn't make his preference for your mother so clearly exposed because he was trying to keep Mother Clarissa mollified."
Lucas shook his head.
"Now that your mother is Empress, he treats her as if the sun and moon rises only to shine their light on her. Meanwhile, the rest of his Consorts are like…inconveniences to be tolerated."
Dante sighed. He was in a very unenviable position.
As the son of the favored wife, he was damned if he did and damned if he didn't. All he could do was silently watch the situation and helped out where he could.
"So what exactly happened with Mother Gwen?" Lucas asked.
"Slate asked me to take her off Erenveil and keep her on my moon until his new cruise ship rolls off the production line."
"Wow. How long will she be staying at your moon?" Lucas asked.
"It will take three weeks for the cruise ship to be completely decked out in all the luxurious detailing that Slate wanted done.
"Meanwhile, Mother Gwen doesn't want to remain on Erenveil for the duration, so I'm taking her away right now."
"And Lyra?"
"She will be leaving with Mother Gwen as well."
Both brothers looked at each other with sad eyes and sighed.
They chatted for a few more minutes about incidentals and then Dante took off for his transport pod.
As Dante's pod rose off into the stratosphere, Lucas turned back to Candace. He had no idea what to say to her.
"Do you—"
"I think—"
They both spoke up at the same time.
"You first." Lucas smiled.
"No, you first."
Lucas laughed. If she was going to be like that, then fine.
"I was going to ask you if you wanted to go to your room and rest a bit."
"My room?" Candace blinked.
"Yes. Did you think I was going to make you camp outside somewhere?" Lucas laughed.
Candace shook her head. "I just assumed…"
"Assumed???" Lucas looked at her.
Candace stared at him for a moment and shook her head.
"Never mind."
"No. Not never mind." Lucas reached out and touched her face. "I want to know what's on your mind."
"I just assumed we'd share a bedroom." Candace murmured, her face looking a bit embarrassed.
Lucas smiled. "I didn't want to seem as if I was pushing myself on you. I figured you'd need some time by yourself and just rest."
"But I'm your wife." She looked up at him.
"Yes, but we barely even know each other. I want you to get comfortable with me and we can slowly build up from there."
Candace nodded without saying anything more.
"Come. Let me show you your room." He got up and escorted Candace into the house, through the sprawling antebellum mansion until they reached the hallway at the back of the house.
There was a set of double doors, which he threw wide open to reveal a small anteroom with a seating area at the center.
Two sets of doors stood side by side on either side of the seating area.
"You get the right side and my room is on the left." Lucas indicated with his finger.
"Come'. He reached out and opened the door to his right, revealing a sudden burst of sunlight.
Candace's mouth opened with a gasp.
She walked in and immediately went to the six sliding glass doors that looked out directly onto a sandy beach with pale white sand.
"Oh my gosh! We're right on the beach!!!"
Lucas smiled and let out a tiny breath.
√ Check one. She liked the beach! First hurdle passed.
She turned back around and saw the large king size bed with the pale aqua covers and the sandy colored shag rug on the floor, mimicking the ocean beyond.
There were sea shells embedded on the warm sandy stucco walls, and fresh bouquets of white stargazer lilies in every corner.
"Oh wow! This bedroom is amazing!!!" She gasped and threw her body onto the bed with the grace of a wine barrel, which was to say none at all.
"Hmmm. This bed feels amazing! And it smells good too!" She laughed with glee as she squeezed one of the pillows into her body.
Lucas let out another breath.
√ Check two. She liked her room. Second hurdle passed.
"What does your room look like?" She turned back to him with expectant eyes.
Lucas blinked. He wasn't expecting that.
"Umm. Let me show you." He walked over to the corner where the seating area was and pointed to a button on the wall.
"You see that?" He indicated the button.
"Wait!" Candace jumped up. "Let me push the button!"
Lucas laughed. "Go ahead."
She ran over to where he stood and pushed the button. Immediately, the wall before her sank down into the floor, revealing another room that looked very similar to hers.
Candace's mouth dropped. "Oh wow. It's a double room!"
"Yes. I installed buttons on both sides so you can make the walls between us appear or disappear any time you wished without needing to use any magic or knowing how to call the computer for help."
"So I could choose to sleep by myself or share a room with you any time I wanted."
Lucas nodded, hoping she wouldn't take it the wrong way.
"I'm not…not trying to say that you have to share a room with me or anything, Candace. I respect your wishes and—"
"I never want to see that wall come up between us." Candace announced suddenly.
"What?" Lucas asked even though he heard her very clearly.
"I said—"
"I know what you said." Lucas cleared his throat as something suddenly lodged itself there.
"Are you sure you—we…"
"Aren't you my husband?"
"Yes, but—"
"Then why are you putting up walls between us?" She turned to him with her large hazel eyes.
Lucas gazed at her, unable to say anything. What could he say. He was trying to give Candace her own private space if she wished, and she was saying she didn't want it.
X Three. That was a major fail. She did not like the fact that he had given her, her own private space.
He knew it. She had barely gotten here and already, he had messed up.
His eyes grew sad, even as she ran into his room and began opening the sliding glass doors.
"Oh wow!!! The combination of my sliding glass doors and your sliding glass doors completely opened looks like we have one huge room with an entire wall that's completely missing!!!"
She turned bright shining eyes towards Lucas.
"I love this place!!! You did such an amazing job!!!"
Lucas didn't know whether to be happy or sad. He nodded and watched as she went about the place, rearranging pillows and chairs to her liking.
"I don't have any clothes or anything." She turned back to him with a mischievous grin. "Maybe I can borrow some of your shirts."
Lucas blushed red as the sudden thought of her small body wearing one of his large white shirts came to mind.
He hoped he could survive these seven days without devolving into a jello mess…
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