Episode 5

When Elena saw the time and noticed that her daughter hadn't come down, she decided to go check on her. Lately, she has been sleeping in late, maybe because of the activities they do in the afternoon, she thought.

She knocked on the door, but heard nothing, so she decided to go in. She saw her daughter fast asleep in a deep sleep and approached her to wake her up.

"Gisela, wake up, it's late," said Elena, shaking her daughter.

"Just 5 more minutes, mom," Gisela replied sleepily.

"I can't let you sleep in anymore, it's almost noon," Elena told her as she sat on her bed.

Gisela opened her eyes and got up, realizing she had forgotten about her dress. Elena noticed it and asked, surprised, "What happened to your dress?" as she pointed at the big tear at the bottom.

Gisela remembered what had happened, quickly thought about it, and responded, "Last night, I went downstairs for some water and tripped on the wooden floor, which caused my dress to get caught on a nail. I pulled with some force, and it tore," she said without blinking, not wanting to show how nervous she was. If they found out, it would be the end of her nocturnal outings.

Elena observed her, trying to find any guilt in her eyes, but saw nothing. Her daughter knew how to pretend well and gave her a big smile.

"Go and take a shower," Elena said, smiling.

"Okay, mom," Gisela said, getting up and yawning, heading towards the bathroom.

"Wait, Gisela," Elena said.

Gisela froze and turned slowly. She knew her mother was not easily fooled.

"Yes, mom?"

Elena approached her daughter slowly and said, "Today, we will go to the town. I'll be waiting for you in the living room."

Gisela let out an internal scream, relieved she hadn't been discovered.

"Sure, mom," she said, nodding her head in agreement.

Her mother left the room, and Gisela went to take a shower. The mineral salts helped her regain her energy as it wasn't easy to train in the afternoons and go out at night. Most of the time she managed to maintain the appearance of being well-rested, hiding it from others.

As she closed her eyes in the bathtub, she remembered the Knight of the Night, smiling shyly. She had a feeling she hadn't experienced before, something similar to the feelings she had for her family, but this one was bigger. The mere thought of his face left her breathless and unable to help blushing.

She finished bathing and went downstairs to where her mother would be waiting for her. On the staircase, she ran into Erika. Being a mother made her very affectionate; she always smiled and did everything to make her son happy.

"Hello, Gisela, don't tell me you're just waking up," Erika said.

"Actually, yes, the training has been a bit tiring and draining, but I recover quickly," Gisela lied.

Erika was her best friend and cousin, but she couldn't tell her about what she did at night. Erika was very protective and would insist on accompanying her to take care of her. Gisela didn't want that; she was already taking risks on her own and couldn't bear anything bad happening to her beloved cousin.

"Alright, Gisela, try to rest during your training so you can sleep well," Erika said. "I'll leave you now; Camilo needs my help...I'm coming, sweetie," she said, walking away.

Gisela watched her leave. Erika was a mother who ran to her son when he needed her. She wondered if she would be the same as her cousin and smiled at the idea before heading down the stairs.

In the living room, Elena was waiting with a big plate of food. Gisela saw the food and hurried to eat.

"Eat slowly, dear, you'll choke," Elena said, watching her daughter.

"I'm really hungry, mom," Gisela replied with her mouth full.

Elena looked at her and had no doubt, her daughter's manners mirrored her own. She smiled as she watched her; Gisela reminded her of her own youth. She sat beside her and said, "I'm planning to go to the village to check on the swords I had commissioned."

"Totally agree," Gisela responded again, paying attention to her food and ignoring her mother's comment.

Elena only caressed her, wondering when her daughter would be able to leave this gilded cage on her own. She was already a grown woman, but she had to be protected until they caught the man who was trying to harm her. Meanwhile, Karolay remained missing, and no letters had arrived at the mansion. Elena feared that she would appear and take away her beloved granddaughter, as she had promised to do when she first appeared. Both of them had to be protected every second, and their family would take care of that.

Sebastian approached with confident steps and planted a tender kiss on Gisela's head.

"Hungry?" he asked, smiling.

"Of course, dad" Gisela responded, lifting her plate and drinking the soup that had been served to her.

Sebastian decided to sit next to his beloved wife and took her hand in his.

"Will you be going somewhere today?"

"Yes, Gisela and I are going to the village to inspect the tools I had ordered."

"Be careful. I just learned about the deaths of two men in the woods. They were attacked by wolves in the early morning."

"That's impossible" Elena exclaimed, astonished. "My wolves don't attack, they only scare away anyone who approaches as a warning."

When Gisela heard about the wolf attack, she began to cough, and her parents returned to check on her.

"I'm fine, I'm fine" she said. Only she witnessed what happened that morning, along with the knight of the night. Their footprints could still be there, fresh in the soil. She became frightened at that thought.

Sebastian turned back to Elena and continued their conversation.

"I know, it's also something I doubt, but the wolf tracks were everywhere, just larger than usual."

Gisela screamed internally when she heard that only the wolf tracks appeared, not hers.

"Larger?" Elena asked, perplexed.

"Yes, you could say that these might be different wolves."

"Different wolves?" Elena thoughtfully asked, and then said, "in the village, there are large albino wolves, to be exact."

"Perhaps some of them came down and attacked those people."

"Wolves don't attack without reason, there must be something that provoked them."

"I'll send someone to investigate. For now, if they are albino wolves and are willing to attack, I want you to take your tools. We still don't know them."

"I assure you, they won't do anything to us. I have lived almost my entire life alongside them, they can recognize a noble spirit."

Gisela listened to their conversation, astonished. It was true, they were albino wolves, and they attacked those men because they tried to take her. They simply protected her to avoid capture. She wanted to say something so they wouldn't harm the wolves, but her mother interjected, saying that they don't attack without reason. So she calmed down.

She wanted to know why the Knight of the Night erased his footprints from the ground and left only the wolf tracks. Now more than ever, she had to see him again and hear an explanation from him.

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