Governed by the royal family, St. Bartholdi is a small European country surrounded by lavender fields, where Anna Madeline Lechner and her friends are trying to survive royal life and find themselves caught in a web of lies with major consequences. In the 21st century, Maddie is tired of the absurd rules and social barriers imposed by the Queen, and is determined to overcome all obstacles in search of her freedom. On the other hand, the palace's newest security guard, Matteo Bertozzi, has left everything he knew in his native Italy in search of a new life, and gets much more than he bargained for. Faced with so many restrictions, the small wooden hut in the middle of the lavender field becomes a perfect fragrant refuge, where rules disappear, time almost stops, and fantasies become reality.
View MoreMatteoIt had been three days since my sister arrived, and she was adapting well to her new routine. As for me, what I desired most was a chance to apologize to Madeline for my harsh words. I had created countless mental scenarios for it, but every time I crossed paths with her, we were always in public.It was already the last week of May, and she hadn’t left my mind. I knew I was losing it for even thinking about her, but I couldn’t help myself.I was on my usual rounds, crossing the palace gardens that had become so familiar to me. I could have chosen another guard post, preferably one shielded from the elements, but the beauty of this place made everything worth it.I stopped to admire the stunning, large ornamental fountain at the center of the garden, surrounded by low hedges that created symmetrical paths leading to it. I moved through the space toward the woods opposite the palace the spot I’d turned into my retreat during my breaks.The rhythmic sound of footsteps reached my
MatteoI knew I had been harsh with my words as I walked away from Madeline, but I couldn’t handle her insistence while so many things were happening in my life.I liked her, I liked every second we spent together, and I wanted to get to know her more—so much that I didn’t care about being fired if someone found out.But after receiving that call, I couldn’t take any more risks. I needed that job more than ever.I couldn’t afford to act recklessly anymore.My phone started ringing again, making me sigh as I felt mentally drained from the situation.“You said you’d arrive only in the afternoon,” I muttered in Italian as I answered.“I’m sorry, I got confused with the schedule,” a female voice said on the other end.“I’m at work, I can’t leave,” I warned.“That’s okay, I’ll wait here for you,” her sad voice replied from the other side.Damn. What do I do?I can’t let her wait for hours at a train station. Especially in her condition.“I’ll figure something out, don’t worry,” I reassured
Madeline“Seriously, I loved every second of this day. Thank you for convincing me to go out,” Louise declared as we walked through the palace corridors toward her room.“We should do this more ofte...” I stopped as I approached the slightly open door of my father’s office, hearing a familiar voice coming from inside.I carefully moved closer, peeking through the crack. Matteo stood before my father’s desk in a perfectly upright posture.“No one must find out about this, right?” my father warned.“Yes, sir.”Find out about what?“This situation could be easily misinterpreted, especially by the queen,” my father added.Did he betray me?My heart raced in my chest at that realization. Why would he do this to me? I thought that...“What’s going on?” Louise whispered beside me, but I simply motioned for her to stay quiet.“You don’t need to worry about my discretion, Mr. Lechner.”“Very well. Mr. Bohman will provide you with your new work schedule shortly,” my father informed him, standin
MaddieAs soon as my parents left the room, I ran to the window, watching Matteo walk away through the garden alongside Fred. The expression on his face when he realized what was happening was etched in my mind, and I felt terrible.“Damn, Maddie. Look at the mess you’ve made,” I groaned in frustration, talking to myself.Feeling Matteo's gaze follow me with every step at that party was one of the most thrilling sensations I had experienced in recent months, and I only revealed to him that I knew about his presence because I needed to distract him so that Lizzie could go meet Alexander.But I didn't expect that moment to become so intense; even after returning home, I couldn't get him out of my mind, and that's how Fred ended up trying to break into my room.I lay on the bed feeling defeated. My feelings for Matteo were beginning to surpass mere physical attraction, and I could no longer deny it, at least not to myself.Matteo, besides being handsome, was intelligent, hardworking, fun
Matteo I waited a few minutes before leaving, heading straight to the palace to begin my rounds. It didn't take long before I was leaving one of the palace's meeting rooms, already fully uniformed, after giving a complete report of the party to Mr. Lechner, omitting the part where the princess disappeared for a few minutes and his daughter recognized me. The man seemed quite pleased with the information he received and with my discretion in handling the matter. But during my rounds through the palace gardens, scenes of Maddie's dance wouldn't leave my mind; it was becoming a greater trial than I had anticipated, and I could hardly concentrate on my task. I was in the middle of a round in the early hours of the morning when a figure on the west side of the garden caught my attention. I walked there cautiously, skirting the Lechner's property in search of anything suspicious. When I turned to where I saw the figure disappear, I was startled by a loud noise, reacting quickly, catchi
Matteo"What do you think?" I showed the final result in front of the camera on a video call with Josephine, my cousin whom I was very close to."It's perfect, you just need to fix your hair," she suggested."My hair is fine," I denied.My cousin rolled her eyes, deciding not to insist on the matter."What else did they give you to wear?" she asked.I picked up a navy blue blazer, putting it over the shirt I was wearing.I felt very strange wearing pieces that cost at least half of my salary, as if I had robbed a YSL store, but both the queen and Mr. Lechner didn't give me much choice.After I revealed my age, they explained to me what they were planning and prepared everything to make it work."Explain to me again what you have to do," Josie asked."The future princess was invited to a party by one of the country's noblemen's sons, so I have to go and play the role of a twenty-four-year-old woman's babysitter."That was one of the most ridiculous situations I had ever experienced, bu
Matteo“How did you end up here?" Maddie asked as we walked through the lavender fields a few days after she found me in the woods.I had given up trying to stay away. Madeline was like a magnet pulling me towards her, and as much as I knew it could cause me trouble, I couldn't resist."At the palace?" I glanced at her sideways."In the country. We're a great tourist destination, but people usually don't migrate to St. Bartholdi," Maddie explained her reasoning.I observed her profile exposed by the high ponytail she was wearing, the wind blowing, tossing her hair and bringing the scent of lavender to my nostrils, a scent I always associated with her. Madeline and I were taking advantage of my break time to get to know each other better. She had started running a little later, and we always met in the field, walking to the cabin that was there, sheltering ourselves from any curious eyes that might appear, making the most of the available time."It was a recommendation from a friend. H
MadelineAfter enjoying a few minutes in Matteo's company the day before, during the last minutes of his break time, a plan began to form in my mind. I spent the night calculating the schedules, I knew what to do to get to know him better.Later than I was used to, I hurried down the stairs, wearing my workout clothes and hair tied up in a ponytail, heading to the kitchen to grab my water bottle."Anna? Did you just wake up? I thought you were already out for your run," my mother was surprised to see me."I decided to sleep a little longer today since my schedule is free, there's nothing wrong with that, right?" I smiled at her before making my way to the kitchen.Instead of accepting my answer without question, my mother followed me, seeming unconvinced by my explanation."Anna, what are you up to?""Why do you think I'm up to something? I just slept in a bit," I frowned."Are you going to meet the prince?" she grabbed my arm, making me turn to face her."Why would I do that? His par
MadelineI woke up nearly two hours later to a knock on the door, the sun was shining brightly outside, and I had already missed my morning run, not that I felt up to it at that moment."Come in," I yawned to whoever was on the other side.Louise opened the door slowly, looking embarrassed for having woken me up."Lizie, good morning," I smiled at my friend."I didn't mean to wake you up, sorry."I got up, going to the mirror to check the sorry state I was in after sleeping with wet hair."No problem, it's already late. I just didn't sleep much last night," I explained, running my fingers through my hair."Any problem?" she asked, sitting on my bed.I grabbed a brush, fixing my hair, getting ready to leave."No problem at all, quite the opposite. Fred called me yesterday," I winked at her, watching her through the mirror as I brushed my long brown hair."Oh my God, I thought you guys were done with that," she teased me with an excited expression.Louise was the only person I had confi
MadelineI sighed, standing in front of the closed doors of St. Monica's Cathedral. I knew that on the other side, my future was waiting for me. I smoothed the white embroidered tulle of my dress, before checking that everything was in order with the bouquet."Are you nervous? " Max tried to reassure me."Not really. I just want to get it over with," I replied sincerely.I didn't feel nervous, I knew I was just fulfilling the plan we had set out from the beginning, and if possible, I was looking forward to being married. The sound of the wedding march rang out, causing me to take a deep breath as the officiant fixed the last details of my appearance before the doors opened. My father offered me his arm, and I plastered my face with my best smile as I took the first step towards my new life.The temple was packed, the entire court had gathered to witness the union, and the queen herself took pride of place, watching me walk with a pleased expression. I walked with firm steps towards th...
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