Milena guided the princess by the arm, smiling sweetly as her highness looked around, still a bit frightened.

From time to time, whenever Amantine's steps hesitated through the long corridor, she would gently caress her shoulder with her free hand. 

Nonetheless the princess couldn't be at ease since Alexander was walking five steps before them.

The corridor felt infinite as they walked through it and only after passing under a large arch Amantine's lungs were able to catch some air,finally arriving at the vast garden.

Milena let her go because she saw in the princess the desire to observe and smell the flowers in bloom.

Roses, irises,marygolds and daffodils reflected their intense colors through both of their eyes. Amantine touched carefully a yellow rose. It had a wonderful scent, deep and intense. 

They both smiled at each other.

"Your highness, let's go there!" said Milena, indicating a big wisteria tree in full bloom.

Amantine nodded, and followed; her spirits had been lifted just for a moment, forgetting all her deepest traumas, leaving also the captain behind them.

They both sat on the naked ground, not worriyng about the dirt nor the grass that would taint their dresses.

"How are you?" asked Milena

It took a little for Amantine to remember the right word, but eventually it came up to her:

"Better."

With a smile the princess laid down, resting her head on the tree bark. 

She looked at Milena and noticed a few strands of hair that the warm breeze had brought out of her usual neat chignon.

She reached for them and instictively tucked them around Milena's ear, causing her to shiver under her slight touch.

They eyes locked and the princess smiled.

"Thank you, Milena"

The young doctor had a confused expression, since she felt too goofy in her attempt of smiling and ended up blushing even more. 

Then Amantine closed her eyes, resting peacefully for the time being.

And as the princess was, for the first time, finally able to find some peace of mind, the other woman's heart beated faster than usual.

The only thing that she could do to calm her new desires was absentmindedly twirl those same strands of hair that the other woman had touched.

Not too close, yet not too far, Alex was watching the two women under the wisteria tree.He was always ready to take action whenever the queen or other enemies would show at their location, yet he was too much in his own thoughts to notice Milena's sentimental turbulence.

*Heh...My cousin Roderigo is ruling an entire nation, yet I am here to babysit his new wife, far from my homeland. And what luck has that crazy bastard, in these years what he got was extreme beauties sent from every corner of the world. Yet the idiot is still not satisfied.*

He looked better at the princess' figure.She was small and had a slender body.Her warm purple hair matched the wisteria flowers and her silver dress shined where the sun passed through the vegetation.

 She looked like a piece of art and that irritated him even more.

*She is too cute for that moron...*

Shaking his head Alex let out a sigh. He started thinking again about Orhan and how much he missed it. The cold wind and the mountains were so vivid in his memory that, despite the sweat under his light leather armor, he could feel the refreshing shivers of Orhan's typical intense climate. He missed the narrow streets made of the same stone of the rocky mountains and the feeble candlelights from the houses when darkness came earlier than expected. He remembered the warmth of the citizens despite the harsher cold in winter.

An old popular ballad came to his mind:

The quietness of the snow, oh dove

Send it to the king, my love

As I whisper my prayers to the earth and above.

He glanced again at the young sleeping princess. He had seen her only a couple of times before that day. She looked way healthier than when they were first introduced. 

*Hopefully I'll get back home soon.*

Someone laughed.

It came from the other side of the vast garden and it was a thunderous one, loud and deep, so much so that alarmed the captain and woke up Amantine. Alex came immediately near the two young women, providing a solid defence but as soon as they looked at the man both Milena and Alex widened their eyes, recognizing him immediately.

Amantine had never seen him so she tried to look better.

The man was in his fifties, lavishly dressed and heavily decorated by medals. He was tall and his whitish hair still revealed that he was blonde once. She heard him laugh again in the same loud manner, as he curved a little towards something beneath his red cape. There was someone else very small compared to his tall figure but it was too far to understand fully who it was.

The cape moved abruptly several times and a high pitched desperate cry came to their ears.

"Ah!" 

Alex clenched his jaw and his eyes shined murderous under the wisteria's shade. He was ready to unsheath his sword but Milena stopped him.

"He'll get you killed before you know it. I have seen it before with my own eyes." she sad in a very low voice.

"Not if I kill him first." he murmured with clenched teeth almost unable to contain his anger.

"Trust me, you'll never get to him like that."

" I know... but still." 

Alex paused,spitting on the ground in full disdain unable to help the woman at the old man's mercy.

 "That disgusting pig. How can he do something that horrible..."

*I hate this place. I truly hate this fucked up toxic place.*

Then Amantine , that had remained silent till then called: "Milena? Who...?"

Her hand was nervously grabbing Milena's sleeve.

Both Milena and Alex looked at her for a brief moment. 

*Ah... how do I even explain all this to you?!*

At that moment someone at the other side came to rescue the young woman.

" Oh..." exclaimed Amantine *Where have I seen him before ? *

Almost immediatley, as if reading her mind, Milena said "Sir Dolos".

"Sir Dolos" mumbled Amantine in the hope of remembering that name in the future.

The Royal Secretary advanced till he reached the old man's ear and whispered something.

Visibly annoyed , he left the young trembling woman alone, only after printing cruelly his smiling lips to her small hand and followed Sir Dolos inside the little door that led inside the castle.

As soon as the harasser disappeared, Alex couldn't hold himself anymore.

"Agrony, take the ladies to their chambers." said Alex. At his command, his most trusted guard came up from nowhere and obeyed.

As the guard took away a confused Amantine and a very restless Milena, Alex was already arrived at his destination.

Elira was still huffing heavily from her anxiety, while her hands were compulsively trying to wipe her cheek with her   white handkerchief.

With a bow , Alexander of Orhan placed a knee to the ground and lowered his gaze respectfully.

"Your highness, are you all'right?"

The second princess looked at him harshly, full of disgust.

"Yes, captain, I am doing fine" she lied.

He hesitated for a bit, then, after a few times he finally spoke "Please, your highness, consider avoiding being alone with him..."

"Interesting, such a wise advise. I wonder where were you in all these 15 years that I have managed all by myself, Sir Alexander." She answered in full sarcastic mode.

"I'm only worried about your safety , madam"

"Then you should have helped me BEFORE I became the object of his affections." she silenced him.

She threw away the handkerchief on the ground and calmed gradually herself down.

"Since I have nothing else to say to you sir, it'd be best if you go and solve your real duties, that is guaranteeing my sister's safety."

The man stood up and bowed once more as the young lady stepped towards the same door the old man had gone through. But before she could enter inside, he managed to say a few last words in a resolute tone.

"I am sorry about what happened to you, your highness, you don't deserve this."

She didn't react to his final words, yet, even though her step remained firm and she passed through the door, her eyes filled with resentful tears. Her entire body was silently screaming from the inside.