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 MoreMaddie"It’s not that I’m not excited, but even if I go out with him like this, we still can’t really be together, and I miss that," Lizzie explained as we both got ready for dinner in my room.The queen didn’t even hesitate to allow us to go out with Fred when I told her he wanted to invite Louise but didn’t want to go alone with her. She didn’t even question Alexander’s presence. However, Johannah insisted on having security accompany us to the restaurant, which was a bit frustrating, but we would find a way around it."You haven’t seen him since the party? It’s been days!" I held up a short dress with a large bow that wrapped diagonally around my body. "How much trouble would I be in if I wore this?""Are you kidding? If you get photographed in that, they’ll be calling for your head on a platter," she pointed out. "And I haven’t been able to see him. It’s not like I can invite him to the palace, and when I go out, I’m always surrounded by security."I put the dress aside and chose
MaddieI walked out of a luxury jewelry store feeling frustrated. I had lost count of how many interviews I had attended in the past week, and it was always the same story—they wanted to take advantage of my connection to the royal family. I got into the car, ready to return to the palace, greeting the driver before turning my attention to my phone."This time, they wanted me to convince the queen to wear some of their jewelry in exchange for the job. I'm losing hope."I put my phone away again, knowing that Matteo would take a while to respond. Ever since his schedule changed, we had started communicating mostly through messages. He always let me know when he was leaving for his break, and I would find some excuse to slip away and meet him in the lavender fields.And, of course, we kept in touch outside his work hours too. To be honest, we talked all the time. I no longer denied that I was in love with him, and even though I was almost certain he felt the same, our situation was deli
MatteoIt 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
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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