a date in the woods

Madeline

I 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 confided in about what was really going on between Fred and me; after all, she was the only person I knew who wouldn't judge me, and my friend didn't disappoint in that regard.

"It's not like it happens all the time, actually, it's been months since anything happened between us," I shrugged, looking out at the garden through my bedroom window.

That's when something occurred to me.

"Shall we take a walk while we talk?" I suggested, hoping to at least catch sight of Matteo.

Yesterday when I went out for a run, he wasn't in his usual spot, much to my disappointment. I was getting more and more used to our little morning interaction, and each day I managed to discover a little more about him.

My friend agreed, and soon, the two of us were in the gardens, walking arm in arm, picking up where we left off so that no one in the house could overhear.

"Was it him who called you?" she wanted to know.

"Yes, he arrived before his parents for some reason and had invited me out, but I promised to behave, so I told him I couldn't," I explained.

The sun was hot, making me regret not opting for a dress like the one Lizzie was wearing.

"I'm not sure if the queen would consider spending the night with her nephew as 'behaving,'" Lizzie quipped.

"My mom caught me today as I was coming back. She advised me to choose someone less troublesome to deal with my sexual needs," I whispered to her.

She covered her mouth with a hand, muffling her laughter as I looked around, searching for Matteo's figure anywhere, but to my utter disappointment, he wasn't there.

"I agree with her, you're going to end up in trouble," Louise warned. "And I'm not just saying that because you're sleeping with the guy they want me to marry, but it won't be good if the queen finds out."

"My mom suggested I should look for your brother," I teased her.

"Ew," she laughed. "If that happens, please, don't tell me!"

I took advantage of the silence that followed to search for Matteo in the garden, disappointed not to find him anywhere.

Did they change his guard post?

"Alexander texted me yesterday," Louise commented after a few minutes of walking in silence.

"Really? What did he say?"

Since they broke up, Alex had been avoiding her like the plague. I knew how upset he had been with her actions, but still, he never got over her.

"He said I looked beautiful at the party and that he was glad to see me there. We talked a bit," she sighed.

Once again, I felt bad for my friend, but I couldn't force her to react.

"And how did you feel?"

"I feel awful for missing him so much. Even after all this time, I know I need to move on, but I can't," she confessed.

"Lizz, you shouldn't give up your life, your heart because of someone else's whim!"

I stopped walking, turning to face her, holding both her arms, making my friend look into my eyes.

"Maddie, I'm not like you. I can't defy Queen Johannah," she sighed.

"You need to take control of your life, Lizzie."

"But she's the queen!"

"She's the queen, not your owner!" I replied emphatically.

She needed to understand that if she didn't take action regarding her own happiness, she would never break free from the invisible prison she had been kept in since her parents' death.

"She dresses me, tells me what to do, what to eat, where to go, plays with me as if I were a doll," Louise sighed. "But I can't disappoint them, Anna. Not after everything."

"Lizzie, your parents would want your happiness, so instead of trying to please someone who doesn't care about your happiness, you should try to talk to your real family. I bet Phillip agrees with me," I released her arms.

We resumed walking in silence until she spoke again.

"I wish I could be like you."

"What do you mean?" I glanced at her sideways.

"You live the life you want, you don't let anyone stop you, not even the queen," she shrugged.

That comment made me laugh alongside her, if only she knew what was going on inside me.

"What's so funny?" she frowned.

"Do you really think I live the life I want?" I stopped walking at the edge that would lead us to the woods, looking at the empty spot where Matteo used to be.

"But you're spontaneous, and you spent the night with the prince, knowing that's forbidden!"

"And I did all of that in secret because I can't live the way I want without affecting the people around me. Going out to a party and spending the night away could harm my father, assuming the friendships I have among the palace staff could get them fired. I'm not good enough to get involved with the prince, but still, I can't just be interested in anyone," I murmured. "If I were to live without truly caring about the queen, my father would have lost his position by now, and I probably would have been exiled."

That statement elicited a small laugh from my friend, who sighed as her phone vibrated in her pocket.

"Well, anyway, I need to learn to be more like you," she commented as she read a message on her phone. "I have to go, I need to try on the dress I'll wear to the festival today."

"We'll work on that together," I sang as she left me behind.

I sighed, looking up at the sky before my gaze returned to where Matteo used to be. If he had indeed been reassigned, it would be much more complicated to spend any time with him. Maybe I should take a walk around the palace later.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I opened the message from my father, informing me that I should prepare for a prominent role at the festival in the afternoon. Great, now the queen would shine all the spotlights on me, far from what I wanted; I just wanted to live my life as discreetly as possible.

With a sigh, I entered the woods, longing for the peace I found only in one place. Walking to the lavender field in high heels through the trail was proving to be a challenge, but I wouldn't give up.

That's when something in my peripheral vision caught my attention. My smile was immediate as I looked away from the main trail, finding Matteo sitting on the ground, leaning against one of the trees, reading a book.

He still wore his uniform pants but had gotten rid of his coat, remaining in a black tank top that accentuated the muscles of his arms. For a moment, I pondered whether I should leave him alone, but I needed to know where his post would be in the coming days.

I didn't need to take many steps for my presence to be noticed; the man quickly stood up, looking embarrassed to have been caught at that moment.

"Miss Lechner, forgive me. I didn't see you," he made a brief bow before reaching for his coat hanging on a branch. "I was on my break, so I wasn't alert. I'm sorry!"

Break time, that never crossed my mind, but it was obvious that he would have a break!

"Please, I don't want to interrupt your break, you don't need to put on the coat!" I assured him.

The temperature was high, and I imagined how hot that uniform could be.

"It wouldn't be appropriate, I…"

"I insist, Matteo. Please, I'll feel bad if you don't enjoy your break," I hurried toward him, but if it was difficult to walk on the trail with those heels, it was practically impossible now.

I felt my foot turn as I stepped on a small stone, leading me to the ground. Matteo stepped forward, quickly supporting me, preventing a fall that would surely have hurt me badly.

I felt the warmth of his arms enveloping me, causing me to take a deep breath, inhaling his scent.

"Are you okay?" he asked, still holding me.

"Your coat! Damn it, I'm sorry, Matteo," I disentangled myself from him, bending down to pick up the piece he had dropped to prevent my fall.

Feeling my heel a little unstable, already imagining what had happened, I balanced myself as best as I could, checking if the young man's uniform had been damaged in any way.

"Thank you," he reached out to take the coat, but I was quick to take it out of his reach.

"I'll give it back to you if you promise not to put it on and go back to sit," I warned.

"Miss Lechner…"

"Maddie," I corrected him with a cheeky look.

Matteo seemed unsure whether to do as I had asked or not.

"Calling you that would be inappropriate," he warned.

"Maybe while you're in the middle of all the other guards, but now, we're alone, and technically you're not even wearing the uniform," I pointed out.

He took the coat that I offered back to him, hanging it on the same branch as before, before sitting down, throwing me a playful glance during the process.

"You're still going to get me in trouble, Maddie," he emphasized my name, with a restrained smile on his face, making my heart race.

Maddie... hearing my name pronounced in that way made my insides churn.

"Can I sit with you?"

Matteo gave me a surprised look, as if he had never imagined I would ask something like that.

"Do you want to sit on the ground here?"

"Yes, any problem?" I took that as permission, sitting down beside him without difficulty.

"Isn't your outfit too expensive for this?" he raised an eyebrow.

I felt bad for that comment; I didn't want him to see me just as expensive clothes and irresponsible behaviors.

"This pair of jeans only cost fifteen thousand euros, not too much," I shrugged.

"Are you serious?" he stared at me, astonished.

"Of course not! Who would pay that much for a pair of jeans?" I rolled my eyes. "And hey, this might come as a surprise to you, but we also wash our clothes."

"Sorry, the value you pay for your clothes is none of my business," he apologized.

I leaned over, taking off my shoe and inspecting the damage to the heel. It would be difficult to go back home like this.

"Why did you come to the woods with those shoes?"

"I didn't think much, just wanted to go to the lavender field," I explained. "I didn't see you yesterday."

"It was my day off. You didn't go for your run today," Matteo observed.

I felt stupid for spending the night with Fred and missing that small moment we always had in the morning.

"I didn't sleep much last night, so I wasn't feeling up to it," I glanced away, hating the sensation that washed over me.

We both spent a few seconds in uncomfortable silence until I saw the book he was reading before.

"What are you reading?"

Matteo picked up the book from the ground next to him and handed it to me. I observed the worn cover, indicating he read that book frequently.

"The Divine Comedy?" I handed the book back to him.

"It's a classic, one of my favorite books," Matteo smiled, turning the book in his hands.

"Your favorite book is about a detailed description of hell..." I raised both eyebrows, staring at him.

I would never have guessed he was reading something like that!

"I know it sounds silly, but..."

"No... it's not silly! Maybe a little scary, but not silly," I immediately interjected, not allowing him to finish the sentence. "I like detective suspense."

"Detective suspense?" he seemed surprised.

"What's the story? I've never read it," I ignored his question, pointing to the book.

"Do you want to know everything?"

"Do you mind telling me?" I looked at him, feeling like a silly teenager for feeling that way just being around him.

Matteo began to recount the details of the story, filling the space around us with his voice and that delightful accent. And in that moment, I forgot all the issues that had troubled me before, transporting myself to a universe where only the two of us existed.