Hi friends I am ending my vacation. Chapter 9 is more or less finished. Thanks for the support xx

Chapter 8 The Castle

We had arrived in Cordova. Edward handed me a jacket, scarf, and gloves. It was below freezing outside. Weather, I was fairly used to living in Washington. The ground was covered in snow and greenery that spread far and wide. Cordova was beautiful from what I could tell.

We exited the plane to hop into a car that was waiting for us. The brief hint of air was crisp. A freshness I was not familiar with. A few photos flashed as the paparazzi must have been ticked off of our arrival.

Edward grabbed my hand and kissed my cheek, muttering "smile Bella." I forced out a smile feeling difficult to hide my true emotions.

We dashed in the car and I quickly fixed my appearance. I was grateful Rose had packed all the essentials in my purse. I looked tired, my eyes were puffy from the crying I had done earlier. I sighed and applied a little makeup to attempt to make myself more presentable. I hoped no more photos would be taken of us, though it seemed like this was wishful thinking.

Edward faced me unsure of how to ease his unknown bride. I could tell he was just as exhausted from our journey and the commotion of the press. My mind felt foggy. There was a 10 hour time difference in Cordova to Vegas. I had never experienced jet lag before. My body was feeling groggy. I learned it was 4 pm here, and it was 4 am in Las Vegas. Tiredness starting to overwhelm me. I smiled at Edward realizing he had given us breakfast to trick me into thinking it was morning time. It had temporarily worked. I was lucky I had slept fully on the plane or else I may have fallen asleep in the car.

"We should try to stay up till around 10 pm here so you can get accustomed to the time difference quickly." He muttered, finally breaking our silence. He held my hand and rubbed circles in it which helped distract me from the nerves bubbling in my stomach. We were here, I was no longer just Bella Swan of Washington. I was Isabella the temporary Princess of a foreign land. Temporary I slowly reminded myself.

"Will we meet your parents?" I asked biting my lip. Edward took his finger and freed my lip and ran his finger across the indents from my teeth. His touch caused me to blush.

"You can't do that in front of anyone Bella. You must keep a cool demeanor. Behind closed doors, you can share every emotion you are feeling but you must remain relaxed." He sighed. Realizing we both were in over our heads.

"Yes, we will meet them. Curtsy when you meet them and make sure to smile. Address them as your majesties, knowing my parents they quickly will ask you to call them by their first names. Just try to keep calm, they are truly great people. There's nothing to worry about." He grinned at me knowing what a mess of emotions I must have. His smile made me ease just a bit.

"They will know you are exhausted so they won't pry too much. Just answer simply to any questions they ask. Alice wrote down a list of essential things for you to know, that you can study once you have a night to sleep. It will all be okay love." My heart fluttered as the last word left his lips.

He kissed my forehead and we both drifted off looking at the beautiful landscape in front of us. It truly looked like a winter wonderland, it was scenic. It was unlike any place I had ever seen. The land was filled with old historic buildings. It mimicked every European town I studied in school. Cottages and small pubs littered the villages. The culture was evident as the Christmas lights filled each space. I had forgotten Christmas was only 2 weeks away.

This was my first Holiday season without my mother and my support. I felt sadness wash over me as I thought of my mother. What would she have thought if she was here?

We neared the castle and I gasped out loud. It was huge! It was gorgeously decorated and ornate. The gardens were lush with greenery even amongst all the snow. The brick exterior had vines climbing of greenery at every angle. It was truly breathtaking.

I thought I remembered the castle dated back to the 11th hundreds but would have to research it more later. The Cullen Castle was filled with 40 bedrooms. Not as large as the English Windsor Castle but not too dissimilar. They also had an abundant amount of staffing accommodations, they were known to treat their staff extremely well.

The inner nerd in me felt eager to research the history of this place I would call home for the next year. It truly was spectacular. My eyes caught a pond off the side of the castle filled with ducks, geese, swan, and other local birds perched in the trees. They were not even bothered in the slightest by the weather. I immediately knew that spot I would frequent in the future.

A few more photos were taken of our car as we passed the gates of the castle. We arrived shortly after and Edward squeezed my hand.

"Take a deep breath Bella, remember to smile." He lightly kissed my lips causing my smile to widen. I rolled back my shoulders ready to enter the castle and my new life. Our bags were snatched from a few staff members. I realized Jake had tagged along in our car he smiled lightly at me. An unspoken bond between us all.

We entered the castle and my eyes roamed the walls. There were decorations delicately placed everywhere. It was the largest home I had ever visited. The only Castle I had ever stepped foot in, other than Hearst Castle which I visited when I was just a kid.

Each room had its character. The walls climbed to the ceiling which had to be double or even triple a normal-sized ceiling length. I shifted unsettled by my new home. I felt like an outlier.

"Hello son" we heard in the distance. My heart stopped beating for just a moment. The King and the Queen approached us. I quickly smiled and curtsied trying my best to make a good impression on my "in-laws."

"You must be Isabella Swan" the King chuckled. "You have caused quite a wave of media presence. It is lovely to meet you." He smiled. His smile was genuine.

"It is lovely to meet you as well your majesty." I smiled back. Unable to say anything else. I felt a tad star struck. The Queen quickly hugged my frame. Something I was not prepared for. I hugged her back lightly and glanced at Edward keeping the same smile plastered on my face.

"It's so nice to meet you, your majesty," I said to the Queen. She grabbed my hand and Edward's and beamed a large smile.

"Please call us Carlise and Esme. We would eventually prefer mom and dad as well." She soothed. The notion was sweet but it made my stomach churn. There was a very calming presence about Esme.

"You've chosen a lovely bride Edward. She's just dazzling! Isn't she dear?" She turned to Carlisle. "We are happy for you both!" She hugged Edward fully now.

Carlisle's eyes danced upon my own. His skepticism was growing more obvious by the second. I kept my smile set on my face. Not letting any emotions slip from me.

"Greta will show you both to your room. We moved your belongings into a more fitting space for newlyweds." Carlisle continued. His eyes were still unmoving from my own. I could tell I would have to be careful around him.

"Edward we still have a lot to discuss. Though the press is mostly good, there are a few things that have popped up that we should chat about." He sighed. I momentarily sighed as well, the King's eyes caught my own catching my true emotions for one moment. He lightly smiled at me with a raised brow. It all made me feel uneasy as I smiled back at him. He was extremely observant.

Edward only nodded his head in reply and turned us toward the direction of our room. Escaping his father's curious stares. I glanced at them both and followed Edward to our room relief sweeping over me.

Once in our room, I fell to the bed crumbling from the intensity and the lies that were to come. Edward joined me on the bed and nuzzled my neck trying to distract me.

"That could have gone worse." He finally breathed out. I laughed and agreed it could have. I would have to tread lightly around the King. Esme was a delight, I could tell she wanted nothing more than to get close to me.

"Tomorrow we need to start learning about one another Bella. I want to know more about what's going on in your mind." He kissed at my collar bone causing me to moan. I shifted uneasily knowing his parents were a few doors away. I quickly realized they were probably over a mile away. I started laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. We were living in a castle and I was a princess. Edward was unsure of why I was laughing but smirked back at me.

"Would it be possible for me to see a doctor here?" I asked Edward biting at my lip again. He looked concerned and grabbed his phone about to call someone. I tugged his hand and pulled him to me. "It's not urgent." I giggled. His protective nature was something I found extremely attractive.

"What is it you need love?" I awkwardly toyed at my shirt.

"I wanted to get on birth control." I breathed out. His eyes widened and he laughed back at me.

"I missed feeling you without the barriers." I bit my lip again. His eyes filled with lust as he tugged at my clothes and latched his mouth onto mine. We made out for a short period, grinding our bodies up against one another. Releasing some of the tension from our encounter earlier.

"I know my mother, keep any birth control pills in your purse. She desperately wants grandchildren this is the closest she has come to it happening. Alice has told her she wouldn't have children for a few years." He chuckled. I felt a tad unsettled by the subject, reminding myself that would be a disaster of an outcome.

Edward lifted my shirt off of me slowly. Unwrapping me like a present. He could sense my hesitation.

"I need you Bella" he mumbled in my ear. I gave in. Unable to deny him. He took his time roaming my body. Delicately kissing me. He was working at a slow pace. He intended to take his time.

He stripped his clothes off and rubbed himself against my core. He felt amazing against me as I softly moaned against him.

"Be as loud as you want, I would prefer the staff hears. It will legitimize things" he grunted. My eyes widened feeling embarrassed that they could hear us. Something Edward was more accustomed to.

"Bella just be in the moment with me" he breathed out. He was clearly worked up. He entered me bare with no condom and I hesitated again. "I'll pull out I want to feel you" he moaned. It felt so much better so I let him continue. My period was due to start in just a few days so I just let go.

He slowly pumped into me, causing me to moan at each impact. I was losing myself in him yet again. I found my first release as he sped up his pace. I cried out his name as he continued to pump into me. He positioned me again in the doggy-style position. Gripping my hair tightly as he worked me over. His speed was unrelenting. It was all just so hot. I loved the aggressive side of him. I never knew sex could be this good, I would be leaving here a changed woman. I didn't think I could settle for mediocre sex again. I cried out again as I came around him unbound.

He quickly pulled out and released me against my back. He kissed the back of my head and dashed off to the bathroom bringing back and wet towel to clean me up.

"Every time with you is a new adventure" he smirked again. He was right it was always new and exciting.

"Are they really listening Edward?" I pulled myself under the covers to hide.

"Bella we are newlyweds if they did hear, we are doing what newlyweds do." He laughed. A blush filled my cheeks. This life was already feeling so foreign. I felt odd having staff waiting on me but I knew it was the custom here.

"I need to talk to my father about the optics of everything. I know him, if I don't go to him tonight he will be disappointed. I'll have your dinner sent to the room. Why don't you run yourself a bath? Maybe it will help you settle in more?" He suggested as he tugged on a fresh pair of clothing. He was more dressed up than I had seen him. He looked like a Prince.

I nodded my head and started the bath adding in a few of the luxurious additives that filled the bathroom. It was a jacuzzi-style tub. Something I could get used to.

"Oh here's your phone Bella. I wrote down all the important info here in a notebook for you. We changed your number and set all your socials to private. Your texts have been wiped but all photos and important voicemails remain."

I was grateful to find my voicemails of my mother remained. "Try not to get too wrapped up in the social media frenzy. It's pretty positive overall" he assured.

I slipped into the tub and looked through my phone, it was refreshing to see just a few messages unread. Charlie, Jess, and Ang. I decided to hold off replying since it was still fairly early their time.

I searched through online articles again, accessing more Cordova article's this time around. It was a mixed bag. They had no clue who I was. I was a mystery. Cordovan girls were heartbroken their chance with Prince Edward had ended. One article immediately alarmed me. "Is Princess Isabella pregnant?" I scrolled through the article it said a source close to me told them I was expecting. Which was why we rushed the wedding. I shuttered uncomfortable wondering who their source could be.

Most of these articles were ridiculous and overwhelming. I closed my phone and sunk into the bath letting my worries melt slightly. It helped me let go of all the press for just a moment.

My food arrived shortly after my bath. It was a gourmet meal that looked so appetizing. My nerves were still so scattered I only managed about a third portion of the meal. I felt guilty for the waste. I climbed into bed and decided to go to sleep. It was 9 pm here in Cordova and I was thoroughly tired. I found my rest quickly after shutting off the lights. Edward stumbled in around 10 pm and cuddled up to my frame, we both drifted off wrapped in one another's arms.