Episode 10

Meanwhile, in the imperial palace, the prince is furious. The Duke had sent a letter to his father, the emperor, indicating that the young prince was harassing his daughter again, who is already engaged and could cause a serious problem with the Archduke of the North.

This was immediately noticed by the emperor and communicated to the empress. Both went and severely reprimanded the young prince for what he was trying to do. His intention was obvious; he did not want to leave Alessa, he did not want to forget the relationship they had had. However, he had to assume that Alessa was no longer going to be his wife, much less his concubine, therefore, he had to resign himself. So he was severely reprimanded, and it was ordered that the guards he had sent to spy on her and bring the girl back be returned as soon as they received the note from Duke Duncan.

"Father, this can't be happening, you can't have given Alessa as a fiancee to that wretch. You know he's a murderer, he's a cruel and ruthless man, he's going to murder her. You more than anyone know what he has done with his fiancees. I demand that you bring her back and break off that engagement, if he hasn't already killed her. I don't want her to suffer any harm. I love her, how many times do I have to say it? Why don't you and my mother understand? Don't you understand that I'm in love with her?" he said furiously, looking at his father with rancor.

"You're the one who doesn't understand, you little idiot. You can't be near Alessa. You had your chance, you made your choice. You chose your title, you chose to be the ruler of this empire, therefore, you have no right to complain that she was given to the Archduke of the North. Now that commitment has nothing to do with you, leave that girl alone, and if he's going to do what he always does, that's his problem too, so enough, enough of this. I really can't stand your childishness anymore. ACT like a man for what you did and what you said. You preferred your title over Alessa, so leave her alone," said the emperor, already tired of the situation. He couldn't believe his son was so stubborn; he had been too, and all he had gained was that his beloved was murdered by the empress. He didn't want that fate for young Alessa. His stupid son, knowing what was going to happen to her, even more so knowing that Alessa had his son's heart and would be attacked from all sides, he should have stood firm and strong, he should have fought for his love, but he didn't. He let himself be defeated quickly, and this is the result.

*_*

Meanwhile, Magenta and her mother are shopping. They are so pleased and happy that everything has turned out well for them, having gotten rid of that nuisance Alessa, who had been a thorn in their side all along. Her striking appearance, her sweet and pleasant way of being always made her stand out at all times, in addition to her virtuosity in the arts, painting, literature, as well as mathematics and pure sciences, also made her seem much more suitable to be an Empress. If the emperors had known this, they obviously would have chosen her with their eyes closed, but they had been able to hide all that from society; no one really knew all the talents Alessa had as a young lady.

*_*

In the Northern Archduchy, the situation was different. Alessa woke up little by little after having slept for several hours. When she opened her eyes, she realized that she was in a room, but the memories flooded her mind, immediately startling her, and she sat up abruptly in bed.

"The wolves, huge wolves, huge wolves," she screamed as her eyes welled up with tears. Her sister Celia, who was there, came to her immediately to calm her down. She was sitting at the side of her bed, reading a book, all of which Alessa had taught her since they were children. Alessa had taught her to read and write, to paint, and to do many things; she was her helpless little sister, and she could not leave her alone and defenseless in life.

Celia approached quickly, stroking her shoulders and trying to get her to look at her so she would know where she was and who she was with. She could see the panic in the eyes of her beloved sister. To Celia, Alessa was the most important thing; there was nothing more important than her dear sister, who had cared for and protected her as no one else in the world had protected her in her life.

"Ale, Ale, sister, calm down, listen to me, it's me, it's me, you're not in the forest, you're at home, calm down, look at me, please, just calm down," said sweet Celia as she stroked her shoulders to appease the outburst of her poor sister, who was very scared.

Alessa looked at her and immediately calmed down. It was as if her heart had returned to her chest because it was escaping somewhere. At that moment, she let out a great sigh and looked at her sister with great astonishment and concern.

"Sister, sister, what I saw yesterday was terrible, they were huge wolves, very, very big, I had never seen such big beasts, they were ferocious, they wanted to eat me, this place is very strange, I don't understand what is happening," said Alessa, totally confused and worried by the situation. Where could such large animals have come from? How was it possible that such beasts existed and no one had ever seen them before?

Celia blinked several times. Although she wasn't sure that her sister had been very clear that night, since it was a dark night and she couldn't see well, she still found it inconceivable that there were such ferocious wolves in the forest, when it seemed like such a quiet and peaceful place.

"Alessa, sister, calm down. I know you must have been very scared. We'll talk to Mrs. Mary soon so she can clarify the situation. We didn't know there were such ferocious animals. It's good to be aware of what's going on so we don't get into trouble and don't get caught by animals as ferocious as the ones you're telling me about," said Celia, not doubting her sister's words. Although she wasn't convinced of the size, she was sure that they were ferocious beasts that wanted to kill her.

When they were talking more comfortably and understanding each other better, suddenly they heard a great commotion throughout the mansion. That seemed strange to them. Alessa immediately asked her sister to help her get ready, to give her a dress so she could go out and see what was going on; she wasn't going to be left wondering. All of this was really very strange; she had spent days in that beautiful place and everything was so peaceful, but suddenly everything was in an uproar.