With a deep sigh, I drew the dress over my body, letting it settle on my shoulders. It was a bit big, evidently made for someone with more curves than me. Thankfully, it had a ribbon that tied around the waist, so I could cinch it to fit me better.
“Mistress?” Fran’s voice called out from the other side of the door. “Do you need assistance?”
“I’m coming!” I grabbed a pair of brown, ankle-high boots and slid my feet into them. Whoever these clothes belonged to, at least they wore the same shoe size as me.
Once I had them on, I pulled the door open, jolting to a stop when Fran appeared right on the other side of the door. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s my fault, mistress. Please forgive me.” She stepped back from the door, her head turning to the side as if she were listening to something. My eyes landed on a jagged scar on the side of her neck, the skin raised slightly from the surrounding flesh. Was she a...?
Before I could finish the thought, Fran turned to me with a wide smile. “Master is back. He’ll want to see you are well. Come.”
A protest caught in my throat as Fran grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the door. So much for my hope of getting out of here without a fight.
Chapter 5
Fran led me out of the bedroom and down a dimly lit hallway. The stone walls and floors made the space feel colder than it was, making me shiver involuntarily.
While the room I had woken up in had been beautifully well-kept, the same couldn’t be said for the rest of the place. Moth-eaten rugs covered the floors, and the few pictures on the wall were faded or barely hanging to their posts. Ragged curtains covered the few windows, and I hurried to one of them.
Grasping the edge of the sill, I swiped a hand over the dusty glass. A small gasp left my throat as I took in the sprawling castle laid out before me.
From what I could see of the castle, it had to be as big as the palace in Candiopolis, if not more so. Past the castle walls, the Candy Forest loomed, its colorful treetops in deep contrast to the dark gray stone of the castle walls.
How had I never known there was a castle out here?
The sight of the familiar forest caused the incessant tug at my stomach to roar back to life. Was this some part of Rumple’s spell? Was it trying to get me to go back to the factory?
My fingers tightened on the windowsill. I couldn’t go out the window. It had to be at least a thirty-foot drop. I’d be dead on impact and then there’d be no way for me to return to Rumple. I’d have to find a different way out.
Seemingly agreeable with my thoughts, the tugging lessened.
A deep sigh sounded behind me. “It’s just so sad how much the castle has been neglected.”
My face turned to Fran. “What do you mean?”
Fran stepped up next to me. “Well, there’s only a handful of us left to maintain it for our master, and that’s hardly enough to keep this place looking like its former glory. We spent all day yesterday cleaning up your room, or else you’d have nowhere decent to sleep!”
With a shake of her head, she spun on her heel. “Come along, mistress. Mustn’t keep the master waiting.”
Reluctantly moving away from the window, I trailed after Fran once more. My eyes scanned around me as we moved through the castle, taking note of all the doors and becoming increasingly more aware of the lack of human life in the expansive place.
We moved down a set of stairs, my hand trailing along the railing as my eyes ate up everything I saw. A large chandelier hung from the middle of a glass ceiling. The glass might at one time have been beautiful, but years of neglect had caused the colorful paint to chip and crack. The sun shone through and left a broken rainbow across the walls and floor.
The entranceway had recently been cleaned, and the scent of ammonia burned my nostrils the closer we came to it. Two large wood and metal double doors blocked the way out of the castle. The tug at my stomach came back, urging me to the doors.
A quick glance at Fran’s back gave me the courage to step up to the doors and give them a testing tug. It didn’t move. I tried again using both hands on the ornate golden handles.
“You won’t be able to leave that way.”
My hands dropped as I spun around, guilt filling my face. “I — I wasn’t...”
Fran didn’t seem upset. “If you want to go outside, you’ll have to get permission from master,” she stated matter-of-factly. “It’s spelled to his touch.”
Of course it wouldn’t be that easy.
Begrudgingly, I let Fran lead me away from the door. We walked down another hallway that was just as unkept as the other one, and still we didn’t come across a single soul. When we finally stopped in front of a large wooden door, Fran turned to me with a deep curtsey.
“Here we are, mistress. Master is waiting for you inside.”
