Intriguing me about you

Matteo

Faced with the movement, the other guard and I opened the door, keeping it open until the whole group had left the room, each father scolding his own son.

I took one last look at the female figure who was balancing well on those heels, her legs exposed by the short dress.

We waited until they were out of sight to close the doors, allowing us to relax a little now that there was no one in the hall.

"Bertozzi, right?" the man, who seemed to be a little older than me, held out his hand.

I shook it without hesitation, I was still getting to know the palace staff, since I had only started the night before, before I was receiving the necessary training to deal with the Monarchy of that small country.

"Tobias Bauer, welcome to the palace, you may notice that there's no shortage of free entertainment at our little court," he quipped.

"Does this sort of thing happen often? "I frowned.

"This group gets into trouble and ends up here? At least once a month. They know that the queen won't do anything as long as everything is under the table, so they take advantage," the man muttered, as if he disapproved of this attitude.

I preferred not to express any opinion at that moment, I didn't know enough about all the issues in that country to be able to give an opinion.

"If you're lucky you won't have to provide security for any of them," 

I thought about that comment for a second. I hoped I'd be lucky, because after everything I'd been through in my military life, I'd like a bit of peace in my routine, and the safety of a small country between northern Italy and Switzerland seemed perfect for my fresh start. 

Tobias and I parted ways a few minutes later when he left me at my guard position to answer a call from Leon Bohman, the head of the royal guard. 

My shift didn't take long to finish, as I had spent the night on duty. After removing my work uniform, I said goodbye to my colleagues and left through the palace's service gate. I walked nonchalantly through the charming streets of the place.

What struck me most about that curious country was that despite the glaring social inequality between the Elite and the rest of the population, there was no misery there. Everyone seemed satisfied with their lives, whether they were full of luxury or just comfortable.

I moved away from the palace towards the town, walking along the reasonably busy road. Everything there seemed to work well, a good reflection of neighboring Switzerland. As the third smallest country in the world, second only to the Vatican and Monaco, St Bartholdi took good care of its status as a tourist destination. 

Almost any part of the city looked like a perfect movie set, and as I drove down the royal road to the city center, I observed every detail.

The lampposts that looked like they belonged to a bygone were positioned with perfection, interspersed with small trees or flowerbeds, and the adjacent streets were narrow cobbled streets, with low buildings of romanticist architecture, highlighting the Swiss Alps that rose up around the country.

I left the main road, wandering into the narrow picturesque alleys where a tourist could easily get lost, descending a staircase before reaching the entrance to the narrow building where I was renting a twenty-five square meter studio. 

I turned on the light, looking at the light green walls of a simple room, put my wallet and keys on the kitchen counter and threw myself down on the sofa, getting up the courage to take a shower.

This routine was tiring, but it was certainly better than ending up involved in some pointless war, and with the money I would earn here, I could help my family who were still in Rieti, perhaps in time I could convince them to join me.

I finally got up and went to the shower, taking the opportunity to sleep for a few hours.

The next day, I was assigned to patrol the outside gardens behind the palace's central courtyard. But it was past seven in the morning and the weather was unstable, the temperature was no more than ten degrees and a mist surrounded me, preventing me from having a clear view of my surroundings. 

I stopped at a point where a small wood started at the edge of the property, on the other side of the wood was one of the many lavender fields which, according to reports I've heard since I arrived, perfume all the streets with their unmistakable scent during the summer, when the flowers start to bloom.

The lavender grown in St Bartholdi was famous for its delicate color and intense aroma, and for a moment I let my gaze linger on the shape of the trees in the woods hidden under the mist. That's when the sound of footsteps caught my attention, causing me to turn quickly, straightening my posture, ready to greet another guard.

But to my surprise, Anna Madeline Lechner came running into my view. She was wearing a tight outfit, sneakers and had her hair up in a ponytail. She slowed down as soon as she saw me.

"Hey, good morning. You're the guard from yesterday "she smiled, stopping at once.

For a moment I didn't know how to react. I confess that yesterday I spent a lot of time admiring her beauty, but during my training it was made clear that we shouldn't interact unnecessarily with any member of the court.

"Ms. Lechner, do you need anything? "I bowed slightly.

"I don't need anything, but you're new here and I didn't have a chance to talk to you yesterday. As you remember, I was in trouble." she quipped, making me smile internally, despite the confusion taking over my mind.

Why is she interacting with me so much? No one cared, or even seemed to notice that I was new yesterday.

"All right, this is the part where you introduce yourself, and I'll say it was nice to meet you and I hope you like your new job." she encouraged me.

"My name is Matteo Bertozzi, Miss Lechner.”

My initial intention was to bow, but she was quicker to extend her hand.

"Anna Madeline Lechner, but I think you already know that from how much the Queen yelled at me yesterday." she smiled as I wrapped her hand in mine, feeling her delicate, soft skin under mine.

This time, I couldn't help but smile at her comment, even though I didn't understand her intention.

"Miss Lechner, it's part of my job to know your name," I assured her.

"Then consider it part of your job to know that I hate being called Anna or Miss Lechner, they only do that when I'm in trouble, like yesterday," she winked at me, making me realize I was still holding her hand "Call me Maddie.”

I let go immediately, reassuming the professional posture I'd let falter for a moment.

"Are you going for a run in the woods? " I wanted to keep talking to her, but I knew that this kind of interaction could put my job at risk, so I tried to take a more professional line.

"No, not today. The fog is too thick, I'll keep running here in the garden, if it doesn't bother you." she tilted her head slightly to the side, smiling openly.

A small laugh escaped my lips before I could notice.

"Did I say something funny?” 

"Not at all, Miss Lechner. Have a good run. I'll be here if you need anything," I denied, deciding to put an end to it before I put myself in a difficult situation.

Madeline narrowed her eyes and finally pulled away a little, accepting my decision.

 "Okay, it was nice to meet you, Matteo. See you next time," she joked before resuming her walk.

I watched her silhouette disappear into the mist as she walked away.

If the first time I saw her I was attracted by her beauty, now I was intrigued by her personality. Yes, I still thought she was very beautiful, even though she was so different from our first meeting, but something inside me told me that there was more to this woman than I had expected, and I didn't know if it was a good idea to get so close.