Sophia was kind enough to provide us lunch while we enjoyed staying in the palace because her sons asked her if we could stay to play some games and watch a movie

I played billiard against Noah and Dustin, I won in it of course but since Cloud wanted to go against me. He won

I'm pretty sure it was obvious from the start that I was gonna lose to him

The rec room in the palace was enormous like 3 rooms of the Master's bedroom of my Mom and Dad combined, heck there was even a bowling alley here too. We all played until sunset and that is where I noticed something

"Where's Cloud?" I asked Benjamin who is playing with another toy airplane

He scrunched up his nose

"He told me he was going somewhere but I don't know what place the Price's house is" he shrugged at me and my mouth dropped to the floor

I stepped out of the rec room and dialed Cloud's number, he wasn't picking up and I prayed to the God's of the universe that he won't say anything so shocking that my parents might rethink their choice of having me in the first place

Since Cloud was not picking up his call I called Nick instead

"His handsomeness is answering who this?" He answered and I can feel his relaxed mood even through the phone

"It's Penelope" I replied to him

"Hey Gorgeous, how the heck did you get my phone number?" He asked me

"You have a website and your phone number is written there for the whole world to see especially for your fans" I explained as I walk through the long hallways that have high ceilings, My eyes wander through the art that is painted on the ceiling that has flowers and angels on them

"Sue me if I wanted to find a lover with my popularity, that way it would be much easier," he said proudly and I can hear a girl groan on the phone

"Ew, Nick if you're doing it with a girl right now I'll call later" I don't want to have that kind of image form in my head

"I'm not, that was my twin sister Nikki"

"You have a twin sister?" I asked with surprise

"Didn't you read my Bio? I'm the better twin" he bragged and I can hear his sister that is named Nikki slap him

"As if, Mom even thought of disowning you when we were born" she exclaimed

"Did she slap you?" It was entertaining to hear Nick with his sister

"No but she slapped me with a raw fish on my arm which is the same thing but cold and wetter" he cried out like he was doing it on purpose for her to hear

"Fuck Nikki that hurt!!" He said loudly to her

"Can I ask you something?" I asked Nick

"What? Do you want a date? I could go out with you" he joked happily with his fruity voice that he always uses when he is in high spirits

"No, I'm not asking you on a date with me"

"Then what is it?" He asked as I hear him bite at some crackers and hear him chew during the Call

"If Cloud is going to say something shocking to a person at what rate would you say that person would faint?" After I told him my question Nick laughed loudly on the phone and I can imagine him holding his stomach from too much laughing

"Penelope, Cloud is the type of guy who will make anyone faint if he confessed what he wanted to say. The last time I check he said he wanted to be an escort as a career to his Mom as a joke for April Fools and she almost got taken by God. So I guess if over a 10 he would be a 20" he was saying to me as he was still howling from too much laughing

"Oh God No" I groaned while leaning on a tall pillar of the palace

My parents might need an ambulance

I can't ever imagine Sophia almost dying from the faint because of Cloud's joke, the Marshalls are very rich that the public eyes would watch them closely and I started to understand the heavily guarded gates and the abnormally super large walls that surround the palace

"Thanks for telling me" I can feel like my body's spirit is coming out and I might be able to see my guardian angel

"You okay gorgeous? You sound weak and sullen" he asked me with worry

"Yeah, I might be able to see my ancestors right now thanks to your information" I smiled as my sane self is slowly going crazy, I ended the call as my eyes stayed at one place and that is the random cat walking past me

"You okay?" I was startled by a voice that suddenly cut through my train of thoughts and the silence I was enjoying a while ago, my eyes went to Sophia's meadow green eyes

I smiled at her weakly

"It's about Cloud isn't it?" She raised a brow at me as she asked me in her sweet voice

"Yup" I let out in a mumble, I let out a sigh and put a strand of my hair behind my ear

"I guess my son made you worry" she patted my back and left her hand on my back, we strolled down the quiet palace with a strong wind passing by

We were silent but not from awkwardness but the relaxing air that we enjoy, she closed her eyes for a bit as we walk by a statue that looked like a little princess. There was a name engraved on the marble that has the statue on it

"Meghan Marshall"

I haven't seen a girl in the family, maybe she is a cousin

I don't want to disturb Sophia during our leisure walk so I didn't give it a second glance and ignored it

"I didn't know my son would be having a girlfriend again" she chuckled lightly and glance at me

Again?

"So tell me, what do you think of Cloud?" She added her sentence with a question

I glance up at the mesmerizing colors of the sunset sky

"He is arrogant that's for sure," I told her and she gave out a hearty laugh

"You are honest that is a first from all his past girlfriends" she states to me

I knew it, he is a bad boy player with a preppy golden boy as a front

"They would say the same thing that he is kind," she said and I snorted

Kind? All that guy will ever be is being kind to himself

"I'm glad you don't listen to his sugarcoat personality," she said to me with relief from her voice

"What's there to sugarcoat his personality about?" I asked her as I watched at the pathway we walked on, it was filled with white pebbles so it was a bit difficult for us to walk on with heels but that didn't make us stop though

"He has his reasons on why he acts the way he is, maybe he could open up to you about it because no matter how hard we try we couldn't make him budge"

"Cloud can be the embodiment of being stubborn" I joked and we both giggled

We stopped in a front of a tree that has enormous branches

"How did...?" I was amazed at how huge it was that I was left puzzled

"It's a 900-year-old red oak tree, we don't usually share it with the world but you could be an exception" she hooked her arm with mine and we slowly walked around the enormous tree that dominated the other trees within the palace with its jaw-dropping height

"Can I walk closer to it?" I looked at her and she gave me a go sign and gestured me to come closer to it with her

I touched the tree trunk with my fingers. I leaned back and tilted my head up to look at all the leaves rustling by the wind, some leaves fell around us. It gave me a sense of nostalgia that I never had because I have never even seen an enormous tree bigger and taller than this in my entire life

I saw some small thin wood planks hanging at the tips of some branches of the tree by a red rope and there are some words written on it by a carving

"What are those?"

She rested her hand on my shoulder

"Those are the names of every one of our family in all generations, once a person marries in the family their name is added along to the tree beside their partner and children," she said proudly

"Where is yours then?" I asked her and she pointed to the east side of the tree, I saw a lot of small thin wood planks

"It looks like the branch is about to fall off with so many members on your side of the family" I joked and she smiled warmly at me