“Is something wrong?” She asked.
“No, I was just admiring your beautiful appearance. Abril’s cheeks flushed pink. “Thank you.”
A gust of wind swept through the garden, scattering flower petals and carrying Abril’s hat away.
“My hat!” She exclaimed.
“I’ll get it for you. Wait here.”
Alessandro retrieved the hat. As he made his way back, he paused, admiring Abril. She was truly a beautiful woman, and if she hadn’t been the enemy’s daughter, she would undoubtedly have had a long line of admirers. He walked towards her, hat in hand, closed the distance between them, and placed it on her head. Then, he leaned in and kissed her and said, “My reward for returning your hat,”
Alessandro spotted a nearby bench.
“Let’s rest for a bit. You mustn’t overdo it.”
After they sat down, Abril took off her hat and placed it on her lap. She gazed up at the beautiful blue sky. Today had been more than she’d hoped for.
“Thank you for letting me go outside.” She said with a smile, looking at Alessandro.
“I’ve told you before, you’re not a prisoner. I only kept you inside because you were injured. Now that you’re better, you can take short walks in the garden.”
“Really?” Abril asked.
“Yes, but you must promise to be careful.”
“I will.” She replied.
Abril slipped off her shoes and settled onto the soft grass.
“What are you doing?”
“I want to feel the grass under my feet.”
“You’ve sat on the ground too. It’s not proper, especially in your condition.”
“But I’ve barely moved,” she said.
Alessandro sighed, smiled and said, “You’re a nuisance, you know that?”
Despite his rough words, he settled down on the grass beside her, much to Abril’s delight, though she couldn’t quite understand why.
She leaned back on the grass and watched the clouds drift by, some taking on odd and fanciful shapes. She pointed to a few, as Alessandro laid beside her, gazing up as well and said,
“This is the first time in my life I’ve done something like this.”
“But it’s nice. You can feel closer to nature this way, don’t you think so?
Alessandro looked at her for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face. “I suppose you’re right. It is rather pleasant.”
Abril remained on the ground, savoring that moment of freedom she had. The sky, the breeze, the singing of the birds, all of it made her feel relaxed, and eventually, she fell asleep.
When she woke up, she found herself in the room. She wondered how she had gotten there. Outside, the sun had already set, and the room was plunged into shadow, allowing her to see the stars shining beautifully outside. She stepped out onto the balcony. It was a wonderful night, the sky was clear, and the stars seemed to shine with great intensity.
She leaned on the railing, admiring the night view of the sky. As she did, she thought she saw a bird flying in the darkness. She strained her eyes trying to see what kind of bird it was, leaning so far forward that she almost fell.
Alessandro entered at that precise moment and caught her by the waist and said, “What do you think you’re doing? That’s dangerous.”
“Sorry, I saw something flying and wanted to know what it was.”
“Don’t do anything dangerous.”
“Yes.”
“Why is the room dark?”
“I just woke up and wanted to see the stars, so I didn’t turn on the lights.”
“Next time, don’t do that. You shouldn’t wander around the room in the dark because you don’t know what could be hiding in the shadows.”
“I won’t do it again.”
“I suppose you haven’t had dinner yet.’
“Not yet.” She replied.
“I’ll have something brought up for us.”
“Your Majesty hasn’t had dinner yet?” Abril asked, looking surprised.
“No, tonight I’ll dine with you. Now come inside and don’t do anything dangerous.”
Alessandro left for a moment, and when he returned, he found Abril sitting on the edge of the bed. He asked her, “How are you? Does your wound hurt?”
“It doesn’t hurt, I’m fine.”
Getting to know each other better
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“Can I go for a walk tomorrow as well?”
“I’ve already told you yes, but don’t overdo it and don’t fall asleep on the ground.”
“Did Your Majesty bring me here?”
“Yes, so just take a short walk and don’t lie down on the ground.”
“Alright, I won’t.” She replied with a smile.
The maids arrived shortly with dinner. As they The maids arrived shortly with dinner. As they a Sanged everything on a table in the corner of the room, she wondered why they had brought so much food. Normally, they only brought her a bowl of vegetable soup, some fruit, and water for dinner, but that day, the dinner was lavishly served with an endless array of dishes featuring meat, fish, chicken, and turkey.
After setting the table, Alessandro ordered the maids to leave them alone. He walked over to the table and said, “Come, let’s have dinner.”
Abril approached, and Alessandro pulled out her chair for her to sit. It seemed strange to her, but she said nothing. She had always dined alone. Having company that night made the dinner pleasant. The king asked her trivial things like what dishes she liked or if she preferred sweet or salty foods. It was a casual conversation about trivial matters, but it made her feel comfortable.
After dinner, Alessandro called the maids to clear everything and prepare the bath. After preparing it, one of the maids offered to help the king wash his back, but he refused and told her to leave, saying he wanted to be alone with the princess.
When the maids left, Alessandro began to undress and told the princess to help him wash his back. Alessandro was already in the bathtub when Abril entered the bathroom. She approached and took a sponge, soaked it in the bathwater, and began scrubbing his back in silence. As she did, she could see the scars on his back, large and small. She touched them with her fingertips, feeling the roughness of the scars. Alessandro, feeling her gentle fingers caressing his back, said, “What are you doing? Are you trying to seduce me?”
“No, I was just looking at the scars. There are so many.”
“They are from the series of wars I have fought.”
“It must have been painful.”
“Yes, it was. Back then, I couldn’t even ask the mages to heal me, they were exhausted, both physically and mentally. They couldn’t even heal the smallest wounds.”
Abril ran her hand gently over his back and said, “Wars are terrifying.”
Getting to know each other better:
“Yes, they are.”
“It was all because of my father, wasn’t it?”
Alessandro didn’t want to lie, he spoke in total sincerity.
“Yes, your father was the one who started this war, and I don’t even know why. His kingdom is large and vast. I don’t understand the reason for the war.”
“My father is a cruel man, but he never does anything without a reason, at least that’s the impression I got.”
“What was your father like with you?”
“He was never a kind father, at least not with me, but he was with my sister Cira and my brother Enzo. Enzo has a great amount of magic, he is the crown prince. When I was young, I was always compared with them. They were intelligent and strong. Even though I was the eldest, my father made my brother Enzo his successor when he found out I had no magic.”
“Wait, you were the successor before your brother?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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