♡ Odette's POV ♡

The next morning I woke up bright and early to get ready for the day. The bed sheets felt like heaven to my exhausted body, and I woke up feeling more refreshed and alive than I had ever in my entire life. Gentle sunlight crept through a window on the side of my room, slowly touching each delicacy of wealth before finally falling on me. The sun had rose, birds were singing, and it was time for me to explore my new home.

I quickly got ready for the day, the curls from yesterday's dinner still intact and bouncy. Falene was good at hair, I had to admit that. My heart was fluttering with excitement as I washed my face and brushed my teeth before running over to one of my many closets and pulled out a flowy sundress to wear. I slipped it on quickly, noticing how perfectly the dress fit my body, almost like it was hand-sewn and tailored for me. Knowing Zayn and his family, it probably was.

I applied some makeup to my face, trying to make it look natural. I wasn't too comfortable with my natural skin, but what girl isn't? It's not like Zayn would care. Men loved perfection, so it was our duty to give them that. After what I realized to be thirty minutes, I quickly left my room, knowing everyone would be eating breakfast.

I accidentally slammed into another body as I rushed out of my room, knocking the small figure to the ground.

"I'm so sor-" I froze as I stared at the person I knocked down, recognizing her cold stare and curvy body. I noticed she was wearing flannel pajama pants and a v-neck t-shirt, and I stifled in a laugh as I stared at her hair, which resembled more of a bird's nest than actual human hair.

"You should be, what are you rushing for anyways?" Ivy muttered, and I shot her a cold glare before she got up and walked away. She pulled her cream colored cardigan closer to her, thick socks padding down the long hallway. Why was she dressed like that for breakfast? Shouldn't she be ready for the day like me? I followed Ivy down the hallway towards the dining hall, seeing as how I still wasn't completely familiar with the layout of the house.

When I entered the dining hall, I wasn't surprised to see everyone there already. What I was surprised to see, was everyone still completely dressed in their pajamas. Waliyha and Safaa had on nightdresses, while Doniya dressed more like Ivy with sweatpants and a t-shirt. Lady Malik had a longer nightdress on, a ruby red robe providing further warmth. Zayn's father wore a plain white t-shirt, checkered flannel pants keeping his long legs warm. The only one I didn't see at the table was Zayn.

Lady Malik noticed me first, a smile braking out on her face as she got out of her chair to welcome me.

"Good morning, my dear! Wow, you're already dressed and everything." I blushed as I realized I was the only one properly dressed. "I'm really the only morning person around here, but I'm glad to see you're eager to start the day with me!" I nodded before letting Zayn's mother walk with me to the table, pointing at my seat. I quickly sat down, noticing a servant setting down a plate with pancakes, eggs, and bacon in front of me, as well as a glass of milk. My stomach growled at the sight of so much food, but I didn't eat yet.

The seat to my right, Zayn's seat, was empty, and I didn't want to eat without him. Ivy must have noticed my apprehension, because once again she read my mind.

"Zayn is hardly ever at breakfast, he likes to sleep a lot." Ivy explained before digging into her eggs. Her cardigan sleeve kept getting in the way of her eating, so with a huff Ivy quickly stripped off the wool overcoat. I squinted my eyes as I found myself unconsciously looking for a Mark on her wrist, only to be met with nothing. No ink whatsoever.

Maybe she was like me? Maybe she yet to find a husband (though I wasn't sure what husband would stay with her and her rudeness), and was going to get her Mark later. I had many unanswered questions about her, but I wasn't sure how many I wanted answered, Ivy was quite the character after all. I didn't entirely need to know her past if it ended up with a girl who liked to wear lingerie around the house and "read minds".

The door to the dining hall opened suddenly, and my heart leapt as I saw a sleepy Zayn walk in the room. I blushed immediately as I saw he was shirtless, just now pulling a shirt on to cover his broad torso. Grey sweatpants hung low on his hips, and various tattoos became hidden as the dark t-shirt was pulled on. His hair was sticking up in certain places and laying down flat in others, and I couldn't help but think about how cute and youthful it made him seem. I frowned when small dark circles were visible under his eyes, but Zayn still offered me a small smile before getting into his seat.

"Good morning." I softly spoke, seeing Zayn yawn before he told me the same, already reaching for silverware as his plate was set down. He ate quickly, and I noticed Ivy watching him as intensely as I was, her cold eyes melting for a fraction of a second to reveal what looked like concern. However, the concern vanished almost as soon as it appeared, and Ivy's usual demeanor returned as he finished her eggs and began to eat her stack of blueberry pancakes.

I sighed before beginning to eat my own food, I didn't understand Ivy, and the worst past of it was that I wasn't sure if I wanted to or not.

-~-

"What do you want to do today?" Zayn asked as he sat on one side of my bed, myself sitting on the other. I thought about it for a second, what did I really want to do today? I wanted to explore the house, I needed to at least be familiar with my surroundings.

"Can you show me around the house? Like, more than just my room and the bathroom." I said, and Zayn chuckled before taking my pale hand in his, pulling me off the bed and towards the door.

Once we left my room, Zayn paused, thinking over what to show me first. His smile grew wider as he thought of someplace, pulling me excitedly to the right. He was speed walking, apparently no one was allowed to run in the manor, and I struggled to keep up until Zayn slowed his pace a little. We made several other turns before Zayn stopped and let go of my hand.

We stood in front of two huge doors, golden swirls and carvings making them look very regal. Zayn took a deep breath before placing his hands on the door, waiting to push them open.

"I think it's about time you knew exactly who my family is." He spoke, and with one shove pushed the heavy doors open, revealing a huge room with paintings all around the walls. Golden frames held the fragile looking paintings, and they contrasted nicely against the dark turquoise paint of the walls. There were many paintings all around, and my mouth fell agape at the sight of so many. I walked in slowly, my eyes still taking everything in.

"Your family is a group of artists?" I asked, and saw Zayn chuckle before shaking his head.

"Look at the paintings and see if you recognize anyone." I nodded and pursed my lips in thought as I walked over to the first painting, it was a portrait of only one man, dark beard unshaven, but sparkling eyes and a smile on his face. The man was dressed in a very official-looking uniform, one blood red with golden accents and medals hanging from the left side.

"Do you know who this is?" Zayn asked as he walked towards me, taking the time to rub my arms with his hands. His hands were warm, and my cold skin welcomed his touch. I shook my head and watched as Zayn stared at the painting, a small smile on his lips.

"This man was my grandfather, Walter." I heard how Zayn emphasized the 'was', his grandfather must have passed away. My hand found it's way on top of his as he rubbed my arm, and he took a deep breath before moving me over to the next painting.

It was a much larger painting, many people huddled together, with an older man and woman sitting in two chairs, golden accents adorning them. I stared in awe of all the people, I recognized Walter in one of the chairs, his fingers locked together with a woman in the chair next to his. Zayn's grandfather and the woman in the chair both wore red, and younger people sat at the base of the chairs at their feet. There were boys and girls, the girls all dressed in the same white gowns, and the boys wearing black uniforms. I looked at the faces of all the people, and let out a gasp as I recognized two people sitting next to each other.

"Your mother and father are in this painting!" I exclaimed, and Zayn laughed and he nodded at me. Lady Malik and Zayn's father were both much younger, no older than their late teens or early twenties, happy smiles on their faces in the picture. I looked at all the other boys and girls in the picture, looking to Zayn for explanations.

"Those people sitting next to my parents are my uncles and aunts." He said, and I stared at this relic of Malik family history. The woman in the chair must have been Zayn's grandmother, but I didn't want to ask if she was still here, fearing it would tear another stitch in Zayn's heart. I found myself fascinated with how alike all the boys looked, Walter and his wife must have not had any girls. But still, all the women (the boy's girlfriends or fiancés I assumed) all had smiles on their faces, and I had admit they were gorgeous.

"This painting was made just after my father's youngest brother had chosen his fiancé at their Choosing Ball, all the women are wearing their Ball gowns." I smiled at the happy family staring at us, when a thought occurred to me. Obviously Zayn's family was very important and had been wealthy for years, considering his grandfather seemed rather rich, and this was years before Zayn was even born.

"Have you figured out who we are yet?" Zayn asked, excitement laced into his voice. I sheepishly shook my head, and Zayn huffed sarcastically before grabbing my arms lightly and pulling me over to the other side of the wall, towards a fairly recent painting it seemed. I easily recognized everyone in this painting, smiling as I saw the format of people was the same as the one we had just looked at. Yaser and Patricia sat in the same chairs as Walter and his wife, smiles on their faces, and adorable children at their feet.

Doniya was the oldest, and looked to be about sixteen in the painting, Zayn sitting next to her in his own black uniform. I giggled at how cute he was, he looked to be around twelve years old. Waliyha was much younger, around seven or eight, and little Safaa couldn't have been older than five. One thing I noticed to be different though, was the crowns adorning Zayn's parents' heads. Crystals gleamed on Lady Malik's, and gleaming metal shone on Zayn's father's. Crowns...that must mean...

I was jolted out of my thoughts as I felt something being placed on my head, turning to see Zayn behind me, a precious smile illuminating his face as he stared at me.

"What's on my head?" I reached to touch it, but Zayn quickly grabbed my hand and dragged me across the room, where a large ornate wooden chest lay. He gently opened the case, dust flying everywhere as he did so. Finding what he was looking for, an old beautiful hand mirror, he held it out to me, smiling as I stared at my reflection, my heart beating a million beats per minute.

The same crown Lady Malik wore in the painting rested upon my head, diamonds and other ornate jewels shining in the soft sunlight in the room. I gasped, staring at myself in the mirror. The crown was beautiful, and I found myself entranced by its colors. Just as soon as I stared happily at it on my head, I remembered it wasn't mine, and quickly reached up to pull it off, but Zayn stopped me. He reached out and lifted my chin up to stare at him, gorgeous eyes shining brighter than any of the jewels I wore.

"Do you know who we are now?" I nodded slowly and in awe, and Zayn smiled before releasing my chin, giving me a small bow.

"Good, because Prince Zayn Javaad Malik doesn't show just anyone this room."

A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, I'm so happy with it ^_^ vote and comment (even if your comment is just about how much you hate Ivy lol I don't care) and I will hopefully update very soon!