- Good afternoon, Lera Justine. You look wonderful today, - having greeted the intruder, I turned to the maid, politely asking her. - Ulya, you can take away the dishes. The lunch was very tasty. I liked everything. Please thank the chef on my behalf. And also go for the books promised to me.

    Despite the fact that Justine had not yet managed to say anything, from the expression on her face, I roughly understood what exactly was going to be discussed now. More precisely, in what way. And since I have never been an adherent of public scandals and showdowns, I tried to quickly come up with an excuse to send the maid somewhere on business. Be that as it may, but she works in the castle, which means that everything said here will soon be known to everyone. No wonder Ader kicked her out of the room before talking to me. So I decided to follow his example.

   - To what do you owe your unexpected visit?

  As soon as the door closed behind the maid, I turned all my attention to the young woman, burning me with a furious look.

   Don't tell me you don't understand why I came. It seemed to me that we had already discussed this topic and came to an understanding.

  - Did we switch to you?

  A moment ago, a young woman alive and seething with emotions, having heard and realized my question, changed in a second, putting on a mask of cold stiffness on her face. Wow. And can she do that?

  - You know, lea Odarita, you are somehow too calm and reasonable for someone who has lost her memory.

  And what can be said about the unexpected statement? Frightened by the insight of my interlocutor and confess that I remember everything? No, if you started the game, then it should be played to the end. And if so, then we smile and continue to build out of ourselves a kind of naive innocence.

  "And how do you think I should behave?" All the time to cry and moan, wringing your hands in grief?

  Hearing the question, Justine, smiling, sat down on the chair, which not so long ago was occupied by a maid.

   - Admit it, lea, that such a reaction would be more expected from a lost, frightened girl who remembers nothing and no one.

   Having sharply calmed down, my interlocutor began to examine me with increased attention. And I immediately felt uncomfortable. Still, when Ader's mistress openly showed her emotions, it was easier to communicate with her, because I understood what to expect from her and what to fear.

   - Perhaps, but all people are different and each in his own way experiences a stressful situation in which he finds himself. In addition, at the moment I am under reliable protection. They saved me and promised to help find my relatives. In this connection, I see no reason for hysteria and panic. And yes, I still have not heard the reason that prompted you to visit me so unexpectedly. 

   Yes Yes. I deliberately tried to divert the conversation from a dangerous topic to one that could unbalance Justine and knock her out of her thoughts.

   “Don't tell me, lea Odarita, that you don't know the reason why I came.

  Sitting opposite me, a well-groomed, well-dressed young woman was so beautiful that even a wry sarcastic grin did not spoil her face. I immediately mentally imagined who she sees in front of her. Yes, if I were really a sixteen-year-old inexperienced, sickly-pale girl, I would take a back seat now. But I just calmly shrugged my shoulders, honestly confessing.

  - Don't know.

     As soon as Justine heard my answer, for a short moment in her eyes flashed that storm of emotions that is now raging in the soul of a woman, but almost immediately she hid it, closing her eyes for a second. And when the young widow opened them, she again looked at me with the lazy indifference of a true aristocrat.   

  - I understand that for such a young girl, and even in trouble, the man who saved her seems to be the best. And I even admit that you have already begun to feel gratitude for him, confusing it with other, stronger feelings. After that, you wanted to evoke reciprocal emotions from the owner of Dyurmashs. But you must understand that banneret Ok'Tarner, as an attentive owner and a noble lier, cannot but take care of you. But I get the impression that you, lea Odarita, take this concern for your disposition. But trust me, it's not. I've known Lier Ader for quite some time, and I can assure you that he has no interest in young temple acolytes. Therefore, if you, lea, are really grateful for your salvation of banneret Ok'Tarner, then do not tear him away from business for nothing. After all, among other things, he is also looking for your relatives.

   - I?

   Despite the fact that I wanted to stand up and give a standing ovation to how my interlocutor was able to present everything, I still remained seated, moreover, I also played a misunderstanding. It was necessary at first to show a kind of concern for me, and then also scold me, accusing me of ingratitude and obsession. And after all, how everything was filed. No, after all, this young woman is much smarter than I thought at first. And with this alignment, it even became interesting to communicate with her.

   - Well, who else, - looking at me with a condemning look, my interlocutor also shook her head for persuasiveness. - For the first time today Lier Ader came to you in the afternoon. But then, during dinner, a servant comes to him, and as soon as he starts eating, he drops everything and again hurries to you. I don’t know what happened to you, and what reason you came up with, attracting attention to yourself, but I doubt that it was something urgent and urgent. Banneret will now be busy with business until dinner. But it often happens that he, completely forgetting about himself, sits up until night in his office. And if he is not reminded, or even not insisted, he goes to bed hungry.

 From what I've just said, I deduce that Ok'Tharner had lunch with Justine. But since he was tormented by the thought of a small incident that had occurred, then as soon as he was informed that the tub had been taken out of my room, or that Ulya had taken dinner for me, he immediately hurried to me with a second visit. The latter obviously did not please the young widow. So she came to the showdown. But almost immediately I realized that nothing could be solved by an ordinary visit here and began to act more subtly. And she was very persuasive. Okay, have fun and that's enough. It's time to end this. Moreover, a maid with books was soon to arrive.

 - Lera Justin, you are mistaken. I didn't ask banneret Ok'Tarner to come the first time or the second. It just so happened that when he decided to visit me during the day, I didn’t feel very well, so I couldn’t receive him. So he came again after dinner to find out if everything was fine with me and if I didn’t need anything. No more, no less.  

  Despite my reassurance, my interlocutor continued to look at me with suspicion. And yes, even if she did not believe me, I was not going to start convincing her of the correctness of my words. But the woman nevertheless nodded, accepting my answer, and continued confidently and calmly.

   - As I said, Lier Ader is a noble and considerate man. But, like all people, he is not perfect. Therefore, try not to surround him with a sublime halo of infallibility and do not make him your ideal. I know that some young girls themselves come up with a non-existent image for themselves, after which they transfer it to a certain person and fall in love with him. But all of them are waiting for disappointment and heartache. I would like to protect you from this. In addition, you must understand that your parents will not approve of this union. I am sure that for their daughter and the bearer of the gift, they have already picked up a much more profitable party than a banneret who owns poor lands that bring almost no income and are located far away not only from the capital, but also from other large cities, on the very outskirts of the kingdom. Not only that, Ok'Tarner is a warrior. And that means that at the first order of His Majesty, he would have to enter into a military campaign. And anything can happen there. I don't want to scare you, but trust my personal life experience, becoming a widow at such a young age is very difficult. And after that, finding a worthy game for the second time is even more difficult. Give everyone innocent girls. Also, there may not be a dowry for a second marriage. After all, everything that you had before goes to your husband's relatives. It’s good if you have time to give birth to a son and an heir, and if not, then such a widow has a direct road to the temple. I don't wish this future on anyone. But we are not talking about that. At the moment, you should be worried about something completely different. Namely, your health. I promise that I will do everything in my power to help you get back on your feet as soon as possible and remember who you are and where you come from. And also restore your gift.  

   Along with the last words in the eyes of a young woman, I saw pain, which became clear to me. Indeed, widows have an unenviable fate here. And not only them. Even despite the fact that Justin herself wants to marry Adera and tries, first of all, for herself and her interests, she also tries to warn me against mistakes. At the same time, her words that parents could choose a groom for their daughter alarmed me a little, since this could well be true. Yes, and the owner of the castle also said something about the fact that I entered the marriageable age, so they took me from the boarding house at the temple, well, or where I was there. And this means that in any case, it is better not to meet and not contact close relatives for as long as possible. 

   But now this question was not the most urgent. So it's still too early to worry about it. I again looked carefully at the young woman, who, in order to hide her escaping feelings, went to the window, standing half-turned towards me.

   - You are absolutely right, Lera Justine, - first of all, I decided to calm my interlocutor, and then to assure that I was not going to claim her man. - Restoring the memory and gift for me now is a paramount task. Therefore, I hasten to assure you that, apart from gratitude, I have nothing else for the banneret and have no plans for this lier.

   Saying the last words, I didn’t pretend at all, so I looked directly and openly into the eyes of my interlocutor. She also stared at my face for a few seconds, then smiled reassuringly.

  - Don't worry, Odarita. Everything will be fine. Soon you will not only get better, but you will be able to return home. Adlen is very scrupulous in business. And if he takes on something, he brings everything to the end. And now, perhaps, I'll go to my place. I advise you, lea, to rest as much as possible. But if you suddenly have any questions or wishes, then you can always send your maid to me.

   Even though Justine seemed to accept my assurances, before she left, she indicated a close relationship with the banneret, calling the latter by name, and also that I should not bother him with my requests. No, nevertheless it will be possible to learn from this young woman a subtle play on words, omissions and allusions. But she even began to impress me. In a good way, I would not mind making friends with her. But I'm afraid it's impossible. In any case, until one of us gets married, ceasing to compete with the other, even if she is imaginary. It's a pity.

   My interlocutor had just reached the door when Ulya returned, carrying two large, heavy books in her hands, plus a tube under her arm. Seeing the maid's burden, Justine, somewhat taken aback, watched with surprise how it all descended on my bed.

   - Here are the books you asked for. And here are the maps of our kingdom and continent.

   I put the tube with maps aside for the time being and first of all pulled one of the weighty folios towards me, trying to see its name, but I didn’t find anything. From worry about whether I know the local alphabet and whether I can read, my palms got wet, and my mouth, on the contrary, dried up sharply. But instead of asking for a drink, I tugged aside the leather cover, revealing the first title page. And in the next moment, my eyes grabbed some incomprehensible squiggles. I could hardly keep from moaning out loud, but only closed my eyes in disappointment.

   - Lea Odarita, are you all right?

The question came from the door. It turned out that Justine still hadn't left. Not only that, she continued to watch me carefully, while showing obvious signs of anxiety. I had to open my eyes and smile politely at the young woman.

   - Everything is fine. This is a common weakness. See, it's all over.

  Assuring my interlocutor that I had no problems, I looked at the title page again, but this time I was more attentive and even began to spell with my fingers. And then a few seconds pass, as strange squiggles take on meaning. Not only that, I even managed to read the title of the book "History of Tavia from its inception to our times." Reading was quite slow and syllable-by-syllable. But that didn't matter anymore. What matters is the fact that I can do it. And the speed will come with time.

  Turning the first page, I began to study the test with enthusiasm and a happy smile, ignoring how my intruder unexpectedly softly smiles and shakes her head in dismay. Well, okay, the main thing is that it does not interfere.

   Unlike her appearance, Justine left quietly, without saying goodbye and without distracting me from reading. And for the latter I was very grateful to her.