<h4>Chapter 582: Chapter 582 : Middle Ground</h4>


    *Natalia*


    The day to choose our venue had arrived quicker than either of us expected, and though I wasn’t quite ready to make a decision, Tallon kept reminding me it was crucial we booked it early since our wedding day wasn’t that far off.


    We’d decided on one of Tallon’s choices, one of mine, and one we had chosen together, just to have a few options. But yet, as we stood in front of the first venue of our morning, the one Tallon had chosen, I wasn’t prepared for what he had described as “nice and simple.”


    Of all the ces I would’ve thought Tallon would suggest holding our wedding, I never thought it’d be a real-life castle.


    There was simply no other way to describe the massive looming structure before us. Completely made of brick and stone, it rose high enough in the sky to cover the sun, casting us within shadows as we entered the Caste di Vincigliata.


    The tourdy, dressed in a pencil skirt and a friendly smile, showed us inside, telling us all kinds of facts about the castle and its origin, how it was bought and transformed to be what it is today, but my eyes were simply on our surroundings.


    Vines crept along the castle walls, the simple and openyout showing its history as she led us through the main room and to where the venue would be held–a raised garden protected on all sides, half of its pavement and walkway, and the other freshly mowed grass.


    We toured the gardens, which our guide reminded us was where the actual ceremony would ur, and though being surrounded by the flowering trees and so much green was appealing, my hesitations just wouldn’t go away.


    She took us to the inner courtyard, showcasing the various spots and ideas for wedding decor cement, even mentioning a few celebrities who’d had their wedding here. But I didn’t think a few of them counted because the only one I recognized had had at least four marriages, and each one was in a different country.


    White umbres protected the passing workers from the sun, and I noticed there was even a set of instruments on a raised tform, ready to y. I could imagine a great party being held here, but not our wedding.


    Though the castle was widely beautiful and rtively close to the city center, something just wasn’t clicking. For our needs, the huge area would be widely unused.


    “We can support up to three hundred of your guests for a reception in the courtyard, which can be either day or night. At night, the torches and lights will be lit up for your enjoyment, and I must say it is quite an amazing view,” she told us with a beaming smile.


    It was a bit unnerving how she had failed to even address me, simply speaking to Tallon as if I were not there. Tallon for all his part simply ignored it as he turned to me for the deciding vote.


    “It’s beautiful, but we don’t have anywhere near three hundred people,” I looked at Tallon with a downcast nce, hoping he caught how much I wasn’t in love with this ce. “


    “We have other ces to look at,” Tallon kissed my forehead and I noticed the smile on her face stiffen in response, from his tant affection for me that she’d been trying to steal or that we wouldn’t immediately be putting arge payment down, I didn’t know.


    Either way, it was on to our next choice.


    “It’s small,” was the first thing out of Tallon’s mouth as we stepped out of the car and onto the round driveway of the Vi I had chosen. Vi Cora was beautiful this time of year with the same scent of freshly mowed grass and morning dew.


    I gave Tallon an incredulous look as he pursed his lips at the vi before us, his arms crossed as he had already judged the ce to be insufficient.


    “At least look inside,” I told him, wrapping my arm around his to drag him inside.


    It was a two-story vi with modern architecture, filled with nine ss pane windows and a staircase that led to the front entrance.


    The sun had risen a bit higher and my eyes were drawn to the stone statues out front, beautiful but a bit creepy with how lifelike they were. The marble floor inside was perfectly smooth and glossy, just like what you’d expect from a ce like this.


    Unlike the Caste, there was no tour guide to show us around, but a few workers gave us nods as we passed, all dressed in the same uniform. They were happy to answer our questions and directed us to some brochures for more information.


    The gardens, while smaller, held much more vibrant nts that I adored, but it was the roof terrace that was truly breathtaking. Tallon busied himself with quizzing the bartender about various cocktails, iming that his family was just that Italian.


    There were two rooms for the reception–one for more intimate weddings and fewer guests, and though I would’ve liked to have a smaller wedding, I knew that Tallon’s family was massive.


    Maybe there weren’t three hundred people in it, but there were enough that a simple twenty-four-guest room wasn’t going to do. Meanwhile, on my end, my only guests would be my mother and Alina. I did send invitations to my cousins, but they had enough sense to say they wouldn’t be attending.


    My uncle hadn’t even been on the guest list.


    After all, he’d tried to kill both of us and nearly seeded with me. Tallon would’ve torn him to shreds if he tried to show up at our wedding.


    The second hall in Vi Cora held up to ny people, one of the workers told us in passing when Tallon had asked, which was still too small. As I walked out with a heavy sigh, disappointment in my veins, Tallon sent me sad puppy-dog eyes.


    “I’m sorry,” He said glumly, “We could always–”


    “It’s fine,” I chuckled, grabbing his face in my hand. I smiled brightly, “We’re getting married together. We’ll find a ce that we both can be happy with, alright? No making sacrifices, as sweet as it is.”


    His kiss was sweet on my lips and itsted until our third and final arrival of the night. At this point, I was feeling like Goldilocks, one toorge, one too small, and with my dwindling hopes, I wasn’t sure we were ever going to find something that would be perfect for us.


    Vi La Fontanelle was as beautiful as the pictures, like stepping out of an old oil painting straight onto the grounds, and I almost couldn’t believe my eyes as Tallon and I stood in the front of the vi.


    Like a middle ground between the extravagance of the Caste and the simplicity of the Vi Cora, the Vi La Fontanelle was like a luxury hotel surrounded by two and a half acres of privacy that reminded me strongly of the Vi we had stayed at during our vacation.


    A mix of strong boxy buildings melded together in a clear Spanish influence, the Vi was somewhere between a castle and mansion, the tower bringing it to three stories and stretching across what seemed like miles.


    As soon as we stepped away from the car and into the gorgeous and vibrant vi, I spotted a familiar figure walking out of the front doors, a tour guide with a polite but strained smile trailing behind her.


    It was Bianca. She waved her hands in the air, clearly saying something to the guide that wasn’t very pleasant, and I tightened my hand around Tallon’s, a full grip that was enough I heard him hiss in pain.


    “I’m sorry,” I let go, guilty and he just gave me a small smile, taking my hand back into his without paying Bianca a single mind.


    But as much as I wanted to ignore her, Bianca had noticed us as well.


    “Natalia and... Tallon?” Bianca called out, tilting her sunsses off her face so we could see her twinkling brown eyes. “I didn’t expect to see you two here.”


    “I highly doubt that,” Tallon muttered under his breath, annoyance clear on his face as she met us at the entrance.


    “Bianca,” I nodded to her, wishing she would blow up like a balloon and float off into the sky so I couldn’t see her anymore.


    “The ce is great, but a littlecking for me and my fiance,” Bianca said with a smirk. “It’s not really what we’re looking for, but I’m sure it’d be perfect for you two.”


    The not-at-all hidden insult did not escape me and I ground my mrs together, clutching Tallon’s hand to prevent myself from smacking the shit out of her.


    “We’re quite busy, Bianca, so have fun with finding somewhere else,” Tallon said, rather coldly, not giving her a second look as he pulled me beside her.


    “Oh, I will,” she called out behind us, giving me a dirty look before she took off, her hips swaying as she stormed down the gravel pathway.


    Putting Bianca out of my mind, the tour guide smiled at us as she offered to show us around and we dly epted.


    And I immediately knew this was the ce.


    Not only was it beautiful and secluded, but the vibrant garden was fully tended to on the outdoor panoramic terrace. The venue held between one hundred and one hundred fifty guests, which was the perfect number, and included a luxury hotel for out-of-state guests to arrive ahead of time.


    That was something Tallon was particrly excited about due to his family all being in America. He was even quite impressed with the selection of cocktails offered by the bar out in the garden. From the lights to the floors to the garden, everything was just what the two of us had wantedbined together.


    Before our guide had even offered us a price, I nced at Tallon who nodded, a bright smile on his face and I announced, “We’ll book it.”


    “Wonderful!” she beamed. “Here, let me take you to the front desk. What dates are we looking at?”


    “September 25 to 26,” I told her as she led us through the halls to the front desk. Sitting behind the desk was a frowning clerk, who looked rather put out.


    “Sammy, this couple would like to book for a September 25th to 26th, wedding, right?” she asked us with a smile, and we nodded. “Those dates were freest I checked, so go ahead and book them, okay?”


    “Um, actually,” Sammy looked at us nervously, “I’m afraid they just got booked.”


    All three of us stared at Sammy with wide eyes.


    “But I checked them this morning and nobody had booked them yet,” our guide stammered, shuffling around theputer to stare at it and immediately I saw her look sour.


    “Thatdy from before, the rude one, just called and booked it on those dates,” Sammy said with an apologetic look towards us. “She was rather insistent about it.”


    And I knew immediately–I didn’t know how, didn’t know why but I just knew from deep in my gut exactly why they were booked. I didn’t know how she figured out our date or whether we would try to book here, but she’d taken yet another thing from me in a foolish attempt to sabotage our wedding.


    I looked Tallon straight in the eye with my anger flowing out of me as I gripped his hand a bit too tightly and bit out, “Bianca.”


    He winced.