

# King's Wife

THE NAIL CROWN

She just wanted to live free from her Majesty

Regency Romance

### Pet TorreS

First book in the Trilogy

## KING'S WIFE

" _Do not forget that true forgiveness is recognized by the actions, much more than by words."_

Apostle Paul

Acknowledgements

To **God** for gifting me with the writing gift

To my dear readers

The bands

Fantasy Medieval Music

Gjallarhorn

And others not mentioned here

Because that I got inspired by their melodies to write this epic romance.

Copyright © 2015 by Pet Torres books

Copyright © 2015 by Pet Torres

EMAIL

pettorresbooks@gmail.com

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or used fictitiously Have Been and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, or locales is entirely coincidental Organizations

All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any Manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.

# Prologue

Prologue

King Armany IV aspires to remarry. However, this will be his fourth marriage. He is an aggressive man and disliked by his deceased wives, as they felt on their skin the harsh blows coming from the hands of the Emperor.

Nevertheless, none of them had in life, any chance to repair this sovereign's failure.

But now he will marry the young Roxsanne Oliver, the daughter of a duke.

Roxsanne will have to gain knowledge of living with this situation. She will be the King's wife and as recompense, she will receive a nail crown.

Know with intensity this love story that involves empires, betrayals, lies, farces, passions, dramas, and emotions.

Chapter 1

DANCE IN THE WHITE PALACE

Interested in accomplishing his fourth marriage, the emperor, Armany IV, decided to offer a noble ball at his property in the town. The white palace was full of dukes, duchesses, marquises, princes, princesses and people of the nobility who had no title but they had much money.

King Armany IV was anxious to see all the single ladies in his luxurious ballroom. His orders could never be denied. After all, he was an emperor. So his petitions always had a great effect on the people.

No one could contradict them, nor would be digging his own sepulture without a spade.

Soon, the trumpets blew and the King started to walk by the huge red carpet. Behind him was his emissary, Mr. Louis. Despite his forties, The King was a handsome man, had long hair down to shoulder height and had dark brown eyes as well as his hair color.  
He wore a red cape embroidered with gold thread and black boots with long pipes. On his chest was the coat of his royal family. Next to his waist was a sword. The king was armed at all times. After all, his province was about to go to war.

Since then, he could not permit himself the luxury of staying unprotected even in his own castle.

During his long journey to his throne, The King was admired by many people there. Mainly by women who secretly coveted him. Although the King had a reputation for beating his deceased wives, but he was still a candidate merely disputed in his province.

At last, what woman would not want to have on her head a golden crown and title of queen; the King's Wife?

As soon as he sat on his throne, the King looked around and saw hundreds of guests. His eyes sought only to watch the women; preferably unmarried women that were disencumbered.

Yes, these were his favorite ones that night was just beginning with expensive drinks, food in great plenty, and live music played by real musicians.

But at that moment, his gaze ran to one side and he saw a young, honey-colored hair, blue eyes, and she wore a brown dress with gold embroidery. Her hair was loose and on her forehead was a pearl string fallen toward her eyebrows. Her makeup was sensitive as the skin of her face.

It was a beautiful young woman who, among many had attracted the King's attention to a matter of seconds.

The King touched his lips with his index finger and rubbed them while he watched the girl next to an older man.

"Who's that Young woman?"

He asked his emissary, who was standing next to his throne. The man with black hair and gray eyes curved down and uttered something on the shoulder of his majesty.

"Majesty, that one is Miss Oliver." He paused. "Roxsanne Oliver. She is the daughter of Duke Oliver."

"And who is the one next to her?" The King asked, now looking toward the man who was dressed in navy blue suit, standing beside the young woman.

"That is Duke Oliver, Your Majesty," the emissary insisted. "The youth's father, as the Duke is a widower, he always carries with him his only daughter to his commitments. After all, the Duke wishes to marry his daughter. She's already getting old."

Again the King returned his investigative look towards the young man who at that moment was talking sympathetically with her father. She said something to him and then smiled. Her white and spontaneous smile had fascinated the Emperor in the same night.

Chapter 2

THE KING'S REQUEST

Duke Oliver walked slowly next to his only daughter, Miss Oliver, through the fabulous garden of his property. She was dressed in a long blue dress with silver embroidery. The young woman had her hair tied in a braid on top of her head. She was holding an umbrella of lace, open above her head, in order to protect her clear and sensitive skin. Her gloves were stuck to her fingers and she insisted on walking side by side with her father who had the steps bigger than hers.

The Duke always liked the costumes in dark colors. That day, he was wearing one that was emerald green.

"Dad, you cannot allow this nonsense!" Roxsanne murmured with her cheeks going red.

"The King is in bad repute for beating all his wives!"

The young man's father smiled through the superfluous comment of his daughter.

"I do not want to become a King's punching bag. I did not come to the world for this. You never beat me! Why should any emperor touch a finger to me?"

But the Duke waited for the right moment to say something to his daughter. He kept looking forward and said to his descendant.

"The King commands you to be his wife." He looked at his daughter in the face. "Roxsanne, I cannot go against the will of a King! This may cost my title of Baron."

The Duke always called her by her first name when he was angry with her or when he wanted to express something important in their conversations.

The young woman rotated her parasol a few times and made a discreet grimace as she imagined that the King had made the wrong choice. She had never coveted to marry an emperor and become the 'King's Wife'.

Far from it, Roxsanne had always dreamed secretly of true love. In spite of that she was constantly aware that in her position as a daughter of a Duke, that will never be possible for her. One time her father would settle for her an arranged marriage, which she could not avoid, not even to go to the bathroom.

But this day had come up when her father retook the conversation and confessed her thoughtfully.

"When The King orders, obey those who have judgment."

He sighed.

"If the King orders to nominate you his consort, so you really will be the King's wife."

The Duke took one side of the face of his daughter and smiled, saying.

"Soon you will be a Queen. You will have one of the highest titles of nobility in our society, my Dear. You will be much more respected than me being a Duke. Think about it, think about your heirs."

"Heirs, Dad?"

Roxsanne murmured, looking to one side. To imagine having heirs with the King would be cruel punishment. She did not love him enough to give him one heir.

My goodness, she was lost!

The emperor had daydreamed about her. To make her his wife and now the young could not even express her own opinion about it before him.

"In no regrets," her father kept saying.

"My dear, you will be the King's wife," he paused and after that said with a weak voice, "I have no way to change your destination."

Immediately Roxsanne lowered her head and remained to stare at the floor as she thought of.

I'll be the King's wife, the same man who beats women and no one can do anything to change that. All because he is an emperor and an emperor should be never vexed. What a beautiful destination I will have in the future! Having in my head a golden crown and an aggressive spouse! If this can be called a bright future, I prefer that mine be lackluster.

Chapter 3

THE FOURTH KING'S WEDDING

Exactly one month later, the young Roxsanne was forced to marry the King Armany IV.

The consecration was solemnized in the hall of ceremonies within the white palace. Before the King and the Queen was a priest, who led the celebration in front of hundreds of guests. Roxsanne married in a princess-style white colored dress. The same was embroidered with several silver threads. Around her neck was a splendid diamond necklace. On her head was a tiara of precious stones and a veil with over ten meters.

The king married in a red tunic, embroidered with gold thread, a gold crown on his head, black boots, and black trousers. Not thinking of that his sword was at his waist.

During the ceremony, Roxsanne looked to one side and saw her father, the Duke Oliver. He smiled at his daughter, imagining that she would have a brilliant future after being consolidated like the wife of a king.

Silently she returned to look forward and stared at the priest's face standing before her. He said a few words to the young woman that could not even pay attention to. She was so nervous that day.

The Emperor's marriage was something extraordinary for his country, for himself, but not for his future wife.

After the ceremony, a banquet was served in the ballroom and all the guests went there.

But the King and his consort arrived on the scene much later. Both walked with their arms interlaced as they went on a giant red carpet.

At that moment, the couple were greeted with trumpets played by the palace guards as they did a cordon on both sides of the red carpet. Some guests started to throw petals of white roses on the heads of the newly - married.

Chapter 4

A WEDDING NIGHT

It had reached the most crucial time for the young Roxsanne. In a few moments, she would have to lie with the King and consummate their marriage in the bed.

She was lying under the luxurious bulky blankets. The bedroom was partially illuminated by chandeliers placed in the walls of the gigantic room. The windows were open and when the King entered the bedroom, walked over to them and pulled the curtains, uniting them with affront.

Then he looked maliciously at his wife under the covers. He could see her blue eyes opened wide at him. The young woman hid part of her face as well. Fear made her shelter as a prisoner before a hunter.

She never imagined that her wedding night could bring her this feeling of fear, which made her want to be invisible to the King on that occasion.

The noises of the King's boots began to reflect effects on the bedroom floor while the Emperor walked slowly toward the bed.

Soon he sat on it and pulled the blanket to one side, thus revealing his wife. The young Roxsanne seemed more frightened and crossed her arms at her throat's height.

Her blue eyes observed the King with great alarm. She was afraid he could attack her that night.

So the King's right hand slid across the mattress and reached the heel of his mistress. Roxsanne paralyzed, could not move. Her fear was so much.

However, the king pulled her to him and her back slid through the mattress and she stood so closer to him. She closed her eyes as her husband grew up above her and a shadow formed on her face.

Feeling the King's hand's back touching one side of her face, she just ended up opening her blue eyes and looking into his face. He stared at her with a certain intimacy and an ample desire.

Armany IV approached his face closer to hers and started sucking her lips with his hot tongue.

Roxsanne tried to divert her lips from his, but she could not do it because the king's hands were holding her face near his countenance.

"This night you will be mine, Roxsanne," murmured the King and kissing her throat.

Out of control, he sat on top of her and began to get rid of his own clothes, starting by his red tunic. However, the young woman remained numb, trying to look at the wall next door.

Completely naked, the king again grew up on top of his wife and stared at her for a moment. She was wearing a beautiful white nightgown, gently transparent. She was without underwear. With this, the king could appreciate the format of her private parts through the white transparent fabric.

He kissed her again on the lips and stuck his tongue into her mouth, making her feel his taste. In that instant, she frowned as she felt like throwing him away from her. But about what authority? He was the King and she had been just his most recent wife.

"You made me hot since the first time I saw you."

Whispered the king as downing his lips towards the chin of the young woman, where he bit it gently. Since then, his large hands slid open by his partner's body. They stopped at her thighs and lifted up the skirt of her nightgown.

Roxsanne blushed, feeling her private parts unprotected. She wanted to scream for help but could not, or Armany IV would be able to slap her because of that reason.

Fully excited, the Emperor rubbed his penis on the groin of his partner and then he moved his hips to one side, trying to fit her perfectly.

Roxsanne closed her eyes and pulled the sheets of her bed with force when the hips of her husband moved forcefully against her. He entered into her dryly.

Going in and out of her like an animal in heat, Roxsanne could count his comings and goings inside her, piercing her mercilessly. The King groaned highly, but she could not even release her screams of pain and fear.

She had been brought up to behave at times like a lady without hearing anything.

In a few moments, the Emperor finished inside her and closed his eyes, feeling fully realized at all.

He made himself sure she was a virgin and there was no reason for him to annul the marriage.

Soon his body fell to one side and he lay on his side with his back to his wife, completely naked.

Roxsanne tried to fix herself on the bed but felt such burning inside her. She looked down and saw some spots of blood on the light sheet. This had made her even more scared. The King really had hurt her.

The young woman realized that her chastity had gone away and the king had made her his woman without she could desire him in fact.

Chapter 5

THE FIRST AGGRESSION

Sometime later, The King entered furiously his room. He drank too much, smelled too much to several drinks. His tunic was open and squashed. He smelled of a cheap perfume of prostitutes as well.

In fact, the emperor had a habit of attending brothels along with his troops. Most of them had wives, but they liked having sex with other women off their marriages.

Roxsanne was sitting in an armchair beside the bed as she embroidered a pillowcase. She had learned to embroider with her late mother. Since then it had become a habit for her. Roxsanne raised her eyes up in the direction of the King and saw him standing in the middle of the bedroom, watching her with monstrous eyes.

However, she returned to embroider and tried to ignore his presence. It made the emperor even more furious. Soon he opened his arms from side to side and shouted at her.

"Your Majesty has arrived! Won't you receive me as I deserve?"

Armany IV was a few weeks out of the palace. He and his troops were on the battlefield. A violent war had formed among some countries and his country was included in this battle.

Nevertheless, his wife remained silent, looking intently to the pillowcase while she embroidered it with patience.

"I'm talking to you!"

Slightly, Armany IV walked to his wife sitting in the armchair, dressed in a long tea-pink dress. His hand pulled her by the hair and made her get up brutally from her seat.

She widened her eyes, quite alarmed at him.

Her scalp burned. But she managed to mutter between her teeth.

"You're drunk, Majesty."

"What did you say?"

He asked, frowning at her. His hand pulled her even more violently by the hair and threw her against a piece of furniture next to the wall. The embroidery of Roxsanne fell to the ground. She bent down feeling much abdominal pain. Her belly had collided against the tip of wooden furniture.

She closed her eyes and began to sob.

"Please don't beat me, Majesty! I beg you!"

"On your knees!"

He ordered her.

Without alternatives, his companion fell to her knees on the floor, in front of him.

"Now you beg my pardon for your blasphemies!"

She closed her eyes and tried to contain her tears.

"I -beg -your pardon Ma-jes-ty!"

"You Bitch! Beg my pardon higher! I want to hear it! Higher!"

He kicked his wife's womb and she fell on her side. Her tears came down harder. She felt a lot of pain.

"Beg my pardon again!" He yelled, completely upset.

But Roxsanne had no strength to stay sitting or standing. The pains in her body were unbearable. The Queen felt a desire to die at that moment.

Her death would be less painful and less humiliating than all that aggression came from the King against her body. His wife did not deserve that beating. He was being very cruel to her, just as he had been to his deceased wives.

"I want you to beg my pardon correctly!"

He grabbed her hair and made her sit on the floor. Roxsanne closed her eyes when she felt the king's palm violently touch her face. He had wounded her with a barbaric slap in the face.

"I beg your pardon Majesty!" She exclaimed highly, quickly filled with fear.

"Now yes," he smiled, looking at the reddish face of his wife. The punch had marked her clear and sensitive skin.

She looked at him; completely disheveled; her hairstyle had collapsed before the aggressiveness of the emperor.

"Now get up and serve me in bed!"

He ordered by removing his tunic from his body.

Slowly she got up, almost falling back to the ground, her legs were very weak. She was still controlled by fear and pain.

The king observed the silhouette of his wife as she walked slowly to the bed. The queen had her head bowed all the time. Her face was wet with tears.

Finally, she sat in bed and looked down. The king stopped standing before her as he was naked from the waist up. Looking at his wife with her head bent, and then he ordered her.

"Look at Your majesty! Face me in the eye!"

With great difficulty, she did it. And the King could see the intense blue within them. His hands apace unbuttoned his black pants and he descended it at the height of his knees.

His prick was firmly pointed toward the bed.

The emperor's hand touched his wife's forehead and pushed her back, making his partner lie properly down on the mattress.

Even before he laid down on her, Roxsanne closed her eyes and compressed her hands against the mattress. She did not want to practice sexual intercourse with him that way. She preferred that the King could satisfy only with the attacks consummated upon her flesh.

The hands of the emperor moved to under her skirt and they found what they wanted to.

His body bent over hers and he entered her without caresses and kisses as sometimes He had a habit of doing.

Roxsanne began to shake with the King's thrust inside her. She held back her groans of pain and also her tears. To lie in bed with the King always was torment for her. Roxsanne really did not know how long she would have to endure it all.

Chapter 6

THE MARKS OF THE AGGRESSIONS

During the bath, Roxsanne was being helped by her exclusive servant. Her name was Salete. She was a middle-aged woman who worked at the palace for years. Salete had been the servant of other King's wives and had known each of them very well.

The maid was dressed in a long black dress, with a white apron, and her slightly grizzled hair was hidden inside a white cap with ruffles on the sides.

After Salete washed her mistress, Roxsanne completely naked, rose up her bathtub. Her body had become even paler. She held herself with her cold. While Salete held a white towel open in her hands. Before protecting the body of her mistress with the bath towel, the maid looked at the purple bruises on Roxsanne's abdomen and in her face as well.

"He began to beat you, Majesty."

Salete murmured, covering the body of her mistress with the towel. But the young man remained silent and lowered her head. She felt shame for being so humiliated by her husband.

"He did the same with all of them."

Salete murmured as she began to wipe the body of the young queen. But Roxsanne remained voiceless. She did not feel at easy to talk to her servant about the aggressions of her husband. Salete could take the episode out of the walls of the castle and it would not be any good for both.

However, the maid, already experienced with the hostile behavior of the King, insisted with her bored voice.

"His wives were killed because of his aggressions. Two of them hit with their heads at the edges of the furniture and the other died of internal fevers. He had burst her inside with so many blows."

Roxsanne's eyes grew. Her tears appeared at the corners of her eyes as the maid went on to say.

"If he keeps beating you this way, Majesty, he will kill you as he killed his other wives."

Roxsanne fell sitting on the floor and began to sob heavily and the first time she uttered something to her maidservant.

"I cannot stand it anymore! I cannot stand the King anymore! I need to do something to end this suffering."

The maid, full of pity, looked down at her mistress sitting naked on the floor, and then the woman bent over and protected her owner with her arms and affirmed.

"I can try to help you, Majesty."

Roxsanne continued wildly crying in her arms. The King's aggressions did not go out of her mind. She hated him without forces.

"But The Emperor Armany IV may never know it, or we will be two cadavers begging for their graves,"

Salete said with her eyes full of tears. She felt on her skin the King's violence against his wives. The woman thought it was not just he continued beating her to death, as he had done with the others in the past.

The maid saw a dark future for the dear, sweet Roxsanne case she remained under the domain of the King Armany IV.

Chapter 7

THE MASKED BALL

"I can see the joy in your eyes, Majesty."

The emperor murmured in front of his wife. Both were at the masked ball offered in the mansion of a marquis.

The emperor was wearing a black tunic, embroidered with gold threads, dark pants, black boots and a white shirt, full of ruffled. On his head was a golden crown.

His wife was in an elegant red long dress. She wore a golden mask and the king too.

However, the King Armani admired the blue eyes of his consort under her golden mask. She was holding a lovely smile on her ruby colored lips.

"Majesty, I do not know if I've ever confessed you anytime, but I love masked balls!"

The King held her hand aloft and moved in a circle his wife's body three times. They danced to a soft melody. Armany contemplated enthusiastically his companion. Although he beat her a few times, but he had within him some affection for her. He had acquired this feeling by the young woman from the first time he saw her.

"I am glad to see you smiling! Majesty has one of the most charming smiles I've ever seen in my life" The emperor held the waist of his wife and stared at her. "It seems that it illuminates the path of who observes it."

The Queen smiled with more desire and confessed thrilled.

"Majesty, you never told me anything so sumptuous."

The hands of the King pulled her to him and he looked more closely at her. His dark eyes ran the image of his partner as he confessed to her.

"Maybe I had no opportunity to tell you that before. As a King, I have a busy life, full of commitments that prevent me from being more detailed in some respects in my loving life."

The young Roxsanne laid her arms on her husband's shoulders and continued dancing with him. The melody seemed to envelop them both. They never looked around, just to the faces of both.

In that night, the queen never looked so happy next to the king. She made sure to smile through all the gestures he made to her. For a moment, the queen had forgotten that the King was a cold killer who had disrupted the lives of his deceased wives only with violent blows.

Chapter 8

THE QUEEN'S DEATH

"Majesty, I'll be back to the palace before the nightfall," Roxsanne said standing in front of her husband. "Visit my father will be brief."

The king looked at his wife in a long navy blue dress and after that, his eyes stopped on the image of the gold crown on her head.

"I'll be waiting for you, darling for dinner tonight."

He held out her right hand and kissed it with respect. But his touch felt the texture of lace glove covering the delicate hand of his wife.

The queen smiled at him and the King winked at her with malice. Mentioning that the night he was waiting for her in bed and not only for a romantic dinner.

Turning her back to him, the Queen walked into the dark carriage and the coachman closed the carriage door. From the open window, she waved to her husband and the King shook his chin, returning a response to his consort's wave.

The cab driver sat in front of the carriage and made the two black horse march forward. Immediately the carriage moved on, leaving behind the noise of the horses' hooves and wheels.

Armany IV remained standing outside the castle, still watching the departure of his wife that was going farther and farther away, until the carriage disappeared at the first corner.

Just hours later, the King received his emissary in his office. The same was sitting in his armchair, smoking an imported cigar. The emperor wanted to relax during the absence of his wife in the castle.

"Majesty"

Murmured Louis, standing before the king's table, his arms were held behind his back. The eyes of the Emperor rose up and they looked at the worried face of his emissary.

"What happened this time? Did the war kill more of our men?"

"Worse than that, Majesty"

He said, staring down at the floor. The King's eyes widened even before he received the news.

"Sir Louis, tell me what's going on!"

The emissary raised his face and looked toward his boss. He saw the emperor sitting in his chair and was still holding the cheroot burning between his fingers.

"Your Majesty the Queen is dead."

"What?"

Armany IV stood up, leaving his cigar drop from his fingers. He almost burned some papers that were on the table.

Moments later...

The emperor wanted to go to the accident site. He wanted to make himself sure that this news was not a calumny.

Then he crouched down to the ground below a cliff and saw the remains. There were his wife and the cab driver. None of them had survived the disaster. He looked to one side and saw the carriage overturned aside and the two horses were also dead. Some guards and the king's emissary were there as well, making the protection of Royalty.

Armany IV descended his eyes and saw the body of his wife disfigured. She was unrecognizable. But he knew it was her because of the navy blue dress and also because of the golden crown. The young Roxsanne was in this costume when she left her home early in the morning.

He held the crumpled crown of his wife and began to fall into uncontrolled sobs.

"Damned day! The damn morning when my Roxsanne left the palace! She left it to never return it again!"

The emperor bent over the body of his wife and hugged her, completely lifeless. He really wanted that none of it had happened and his wife could return home to share with him the daily food.

Chapter 9

TRIBUTE TO QUEEN

After the luxurious funeral of the Queen, Oliver, who was buried in the grave next to his other three wives, the King returned to the White Castle. He was tired, exhausted, and depressed for having buried his mate.

He had been through it for the fourth time. Feeling the same pain of losing his loved ones forever. Since the other three had been killed because of him, but Roxsanne Oliver was gone from his life without him having had responsibility for this.

It hurt him to imagine he would not confront her blue eyes and her smile that was so full of great pleasure and light. These were the things he loved most in his current late wife.

The guards pulled the red curtains of the window on the balcony of the castle. The emperor appeared before it, appearing before a crowd of people who were crying along with him the death of the queen.

Without the crown on his head, Armany IV looked down and saw all those different people afflicted for the same reason.

With great difficulty, the king began to cry out to his people with an anguished voice. The guards were at his side, as his emissary Louis.

"Beloved People of my homeland," he said. "I didn't want myself to be before this balcony for the fourth time and announce it to you."

He paused and looked down. Trying not to cry in front of those people.

"In the meantime, Your Majesty, the Queen Roxsanne Oliver is dead," He affirmed raising his head. "And I as King, declare to all of you that our nation will have thirty days in mourning in tribute to her death. The death of our beloved Queen Roxsanne Oliver."

Finally, the emperor looked at the sky and said with faith.

"And That God receives her spirit in the Kingdom of Heaven!"

Immediately Armany IV walked to one side and left the window. The people continued still looking sadly towards it. The royal guards again pulled the red curtains and covered the whole empty space that was in it.

Chapter 10

NEW IDENTITY

A few days later...

"Nun, welcome to my humble home," Marjorie said, opening the door of her house which was localized in the mountains. "My cousin Salete talked about you and I was very happy to know that we would have a divine guest in our midst. This is a true sign that God is blessing this home."

The host held the hands of the nun and looked at her pale face. Her eyes were so blue. She was a young nun. She seemed to be very beautiful. However, the visit looked confused in the face of Marjorie's words and then glanced to one side and told her.

"I thank you, Mrs. Marjorie! I will always be grateful to you and your cousin Salete by such hospitality."

"Come in, nun, let's go in!"

"Please, I prefer you to call me only Maria de Lourdes, instead of the nun."

The dark-haired woman, imprisoned by an old headscarf soon looked at her suspiciously. But she affirmed.

"All right. M-Maria de Lourdes."

The servant of God smiled. "Thanks. I feel more comfortable that way."

"Come! Come in!"

The two walked by the old house and not so spacious and Marjorie took her guest to a bedroom which had a single bed, a small table next to the bed, a wooden chair, an old dressing table and a small wardrobe.

"This is your bedroom. I arranged it this morning."

"Thank you one more time."

The landlady looked in the black habit of the nun, looked at her right hand and saw a small bundle of clothes.

"Please Maria, put your things in this wardrobe and come to enjoy a delicious snack. I made a corn cake. It is delicious!"

After some time the two went to the kitchen and Maria de Lourdes saw a wood stove, square tables with four seats, some pans hanging above the kitchen sink.

On the walls were some candlestick unlit candles. It was still daylight and the rooms in the house were clear.

"You're in mourning?"

Asked Maria, sitting in the chair and looking at Marjorie's image, dressed in a long black dress.

"Yes, I'm after I lost my husband in the war and this has a few months."

She responded, filling the aluminum mugs with fresh coffee.

"I'm so sorry."

Marjorie sat at the table, right in front of the nun and started to say.

"He was a very good man!"

Her eyes filled with tears.

"He and my youngest brother were serving the war, but my husband died and my brother has not returned yet. I have faith he is still alive and will come through this door, bringing me joys."

Chapter 11

THE RETURN HOME

"I'm listening to horses' noise! That must be him returning home!"

Marjorie said, leaving the house in a hurry. She was in the kitchen making dinner, while Maria was sitting at the table, watching her do everything. Maria de Lourdes did not know how to make the obligations of the house and even though she knew to do all, the hostess would not let her prepare anything, would think that it was big absurd. A discourtesy to her visitors.

Anxious, Maria also followed the footsteps of her partner and also left the house. Soon they stopped beneath a tree next to the house, on top of the mountain and both observed a dark horse approaching with promptness.

Someone in troop uniform was leading the animal at high speed.

"Thank God! My brother is alive!"

Marjorie exclaimed, taking her hands to her lips. The horse appeared to decrease the speed as soon as the same approached a tree. A young soldier came down with the dark gray military uniform, all made with rude fabrics and steel.

He tied the reins of his horse in the trunk of the tree and ran on to embrace his sister.

She gave little shouts of joy as he lifted her in his arms and kissed her on the head.

"Thank God you're alive, my brother!"

"I'm sorry about what happened to your late husband. I heard about his death on the battlefield. But I could not say goodbye to him."

He placed his sister back to the ground. She looked to one side and raised her hand towards her guest standing.

"This is nun Maria de Lourdes. She will spend some season here with us. She came by request of our cousin Salete."

The young soldier seemed polite and made a short motion of the head to the nun.

"Be welcome, nun."

He looked at Mary's face and frowned. He realized that the nun was very young and very pretty. She had such blue eyes. Suspicious that the young man was looking at her with a flea in his ear, the nun tried to look at the horse tied to a tree, the same was eating the low and green grass. He seemed to be hungry.

Because of this, she even forgot to thank the Young man's welcome.

They entered the house. Christopher was slightly injured by the arms and face as well. His sister soon took care of them. She filled a small basin with warm water and picked up a few pieces of clean fabrics that were inside the house. Walked to the couch and sat down next to her youngest brother.

She began to clean his injuries in his face. Mary remained standing beside the piece of furniture and looked softly to them.

"The Queen died and the King Armany IV decreed thirty days of mourning in tribute to his late wife."

The young man finally affirmed.

At that moment, Maria looked down at the floor and agony invaded her chest to hear that.

"It was told the Queen was very beautiful! She was a young woman with blue eyes."

Christopher continued affirming and looked at the nun's face, observing her blue eyes as well. On that occasion, Maria looked to one side as put her stare out of his way. She was afraid of something. She did not feel good being observed by someone who spoke about the King and the Queen.

"Why did the Queen die?" Innocently Marjorie asked, still wiping the light injuries on the face of her youngest brother.

He replied. "Her carriage fell from the cliff. She was unrecognizable! The King only recognized her due to her garments and also by her golden crown."

The mother was more stunned and looked around, looking completely lost at all. Immediately, she held the black veil on her head and looked toward the hallway. Sought an escape, a place to be alone.

"Excuse me. I am going to my bedroom. I'm not feeling good."

"What are you feeling, nun?" Marjorie cared about her and looked toward Maria.

"It is nothing terrible. It's just a physical indisposition I usually feel when I do not sleep well at night. But it is nothing grave." She forced a serene smile on her pale lips. "Excuse me."

Walked into her bedroom and Christopher watched her in the back. He still thought she looked very mysterious. She seemed to be a different nun, someone who had a dark past and did not want to reveal it to anyone.

During the evening, Mary was asleep in her bed and began to murmur highly.

"No Majesty! Please, Majesty! No!"

In this moment, Marjorie rose from her bed and walked through the house holding a candelabrum with a lighted candle. She entered the room of Maria and saw her shaking in bed. It seemed she was having horrible nightmares.

She murmured.

"Please, Majesty! No! No!"

The hostess, in her long nightgown, sat on the edge of the bed and Mary ended up opening her blue eyes. She was completely scared. Maria was dressed in a white nightgown and had a cap hiding her long honey-colored hair.

"Did you have any nightmare?"

"Yes, I did," She said breathing heavily and firmly grabbed Marjorie's hands.

"You said Majesty all the time," She affirmed.

Mary's blue eyes rolled to one side. The nun feared something she did not want to mean. She opted to live in secret, whose mystery she and Salete knew perfectly.

"I think I was very impressed with the Queen's stupid death."

The nun confessed.

"Did you know her?"

"No, didn't" Maria looked down. "I had never seen her in my life."

Chapter 12

QUESTIONS ANSWERED BADLY

At breakfast, Marjorie put the maize cake on the table; fresh Paes, coffee pot and also three aluminum mugs. She had been the last person to sit at the table. Her brother Christopher occupied the head of the table by being the only man in the house. Maria was sitting facing Marjorie.

With education, Maria held her cup of coffee and caught a piece of cake from the plate. She looked in the direction of Christopher and saw him swallowing nearly a whole slice of cake. He rested his elbows on the table and eyed in the direction of the nun that looked down at the table. Maria was silent, trying to speak only the necessary in the house.

"What nunnery were you cloistered nun?"

He questioned her then. The piece of cake made a lump in her throat. Maria coughed and ejected coffee with slices of cake on the table. Marjorie and her brother looked at the disaster and both frowned. Maria was very nervous and laid her mug on the table.  
"I'm so sorry." She tried to get up with haste. "I'm going to clean up this filth."

"No, nun. Do not worry, continue taking your coffee quietly and let myself do that."

The nun tried to look calm and remained seated at the table. She knew that Christopher was still watching her and demanded her response about his most recent question. But she tried to look ignorant and not answered it

He leaned his elbow on the table and looked at her seriously. She averted her gaze to the side and ended up finding his dark eyes.

"Nun, I asked you a question."

"Oh yes, " she put her hand on her head and looked down, trying to buy time to try to find an improvised response. "I-I became a nun in the convent Sacred Heart of Jesus."

"Hum hum" He shook his head, agreeing with the answer. "The convent Sacred Heart of Jesus is localized on the north side, is not it?"

"... Yes..."

She replied weakly, hesitated in her answer. Soon Christopher raised an eyebrow and touched the coffee mug on his thin lips.

"I think you are confused. The convent Sacred Heart of Jesus is on the south side. Sometimes I go through it. The same is a Castle with ancient furniture, almost falling to pieces."

Maria froze and then agreed with him, shaking her head with difficulty and tried to drink her coffee calmly.

"How many nuns live there?"

He insisted on the conversation. She stared at Marjorie. Maria didn't know how to answer that question. On the other hand, Maria tried to answer him with a rational answer.

"I believe hundreds. In the convent is not allowed to anyone do count, it is up to the Mother Superior."

"Who is the Mother Superior in your convent?"

She stroked her head and locked her eyes for some instants.

"I cannot remember the Mother Superior's name now! It gave me a blank in the mind."

The young man frowned at her again. It all seemed so strange. Maria's answers always seemed so uncertain.

Soon, Marjorie got into the conversation.

"Brother, don't ask so many questions to the nun at once. This can constrain her." She smiled ashamed, felt much shame at her Brother's exaggerated attitude. Christopher did not have the habit of asking so many questions at once to one person and his sister did not understand why he acted that way with the nun.

Maria stayed silent. Acting that way, she felt safer by herself. Inside her, there was the fear of getting lost in her own words. She had noticed that Christopher was a smart man and hardly to be deceived.

"Some Nuns usually help the wounded soldiers in the lodgings. They are divine creatures! They make excellent dressings on the wounds!"

The young soldier assumed, lifted up, carrying with him a piece of cake and walked away from the kitchen.

Chapter 13

ACCOMMODATION OF PATIENTS

"This is the place which I had told you," Christopher said, entering a huge tent made of canvas. There were many wounded soldiers during the combats. Some of them were lying in decent beds; others were sitting on the floor for lack of places and spaces.

Alarmed, Maria looked around. She had never seen so many people injured in the same place. The young woman did not even imagine that a war could hurt so many people at once.

Some soldiers moaned in pain and others remained to hold their crying. They were suffering so much with their injuries.

At last, Christopher's dark gaze stopped at the alarmed face of the nun. He realized she was looking with her eyes full of tears in the direction of a soldier that was mutilated. Without a leg, he was still imbued with blood.

Suddenly she looked up at Christopher's face and began to see everything cloudy and dark.

"Nun"

She heard his voice in the distance. Seeing that Maria was going faint, the soldier Christopher caught her in his arms and carried her away from the tent. He laid her on the floor and watched her pale face. She was still unconscious.

"Nun Maria de Lourdes!" exclaimed in a soft voice, trying to wake her bit by bit.

"Nun! Maria!"

He approached his face to hers. At that instant, a pair of blue eyes opened. It slammed into the face of Christopher on top of it. She leaped in fright and tried to get away from the young man. But he held her arms and stared at her.

"Be calm, nun, it is me, Christopher." He tried to smile at her. "You turned faint inside the barrack. But now it seems that all is well."

She sat up and put her hand on the black veil covering her head. Maria wanted to make herself sure that no one had seen her face clearly and her long golden hair.

"I need to help the wounded people."

She murmured.

Christopher shook his head.

"Don't think of it. We will return home. You will take care of the patients another day. Today you're not in favorable conditions to do this."

"Please." Maria held his arm and looked into his face. "Allow me to do that, sir."

"Nun Maria de Lourdes, those patients need care and you too. Your sudden faint is a proof of that." He stood up and touched the sword at his waist. "I promise I'll bring you here to take care of the patients another day. When you really are in full physical and psychological conditions to do that."

He smiled gently at her.

"Right, nun?"

Finally, she shook her head, agreeing with him.

Chapter 14

BOTH WITHOUT SLEEP

In the middle of the night, Maria de Lourdes lost her sleep.

The King's image haunted her. She feared that could discover the whole truth about her new identity. This would probably be the end of her humble and quiet life on the mountain top. There she had no wealth, diamonds and great titles of nobility. But there she was at peace, although she was living in an unacceptable lie.

Stunned, she sat up in bed, threw the blanket to the side and stood up. Maria walked in the direction of the living room, holding a small chandelier with a lit candle.

But she stopped in the middle of the opening connecting the corridor to the living room.

Her eyes widened as she looked at the fire and saw a fire in the fireplace. Someone was sitting in an armchair, holding a cup of wine. He looked toward the shadow and saw a figure in a white long nightgown, with a white cap on her head.

Maria's hair was hidden by that cap. No one could ever distinguish the lengths of her hair. Realizing that the gentleman was looking in her direction, the young woman got scared and took two steps back, trying to get back to her bed. But a voice made her change her mind.

"Please, stay in my company and talk with me a bit, nun." He stared at her without malice, although the nun's silhouette in that long nightgown was a charming gift for his male eyes. "It is if I do not ask you anything so sacrificial, of course."

He turned his mug to his lips and drank more wine.

The nun slowly walked over to another chair and sat down, still holding the chandelier in her hands. She looked down and could not start a normal subject. All looked so confused in her mind and her tongue inside her mouth continued locked.

In her thoughts, it was something so strange, being awake during the night, in the company of a gentleman who was not her spouse, or her father, or her older brother.

Christopher avoided facing her image. He was even disposed to converse and learn more about his guest, a servant of God who often left him with a flea in his ear.

Maria de Lourdes also avoided staring at him, by noting that he was in sleeping costumes. The young man wore a long-sleeved nightshirt and its length was below his knee. The same costume was softly opened in the front and part of his chest was exposed.

"I confess that a question does not come out of my mind since I saw you for the first time."

He looked toward the nun and their eyes met silently. Maria de Lourdes's eyes were so expressive and blue before the flames in the fireplace. They were beautiful in Maria's face.

"With All respect, nun." he looked down, then looked up at her in the face. "What kind of trauma made you enter in a convent?" the gentleman looked to one side and let a wry smile, looking a little embarrassed. "Yes, because you are so y-young and h-have a face that looks to be so beautiful.Although I have never seen it so clearly because you are always wearing those kerchiefs all around your face and this ends up perturbing the vision of who looks at you..."

He paused to think he was talking too much and because he looked back at the nun's face and realized she was so rosy in the cheeks.

Maria lowered her head and looked at the candle flame she still held in her hands.

"Well, Sir Christopher. I'm sorry I cannot answer you this question with all possible clearness. All I can tell you right now is that I had some disappointments in my life. Affective disappointments and they led me to seek a deeply God's way."

She looked down. Both stayed silent for some instants.

"Did you never want to get married? Have you never fallen in love with anyone?"

Maria stared at him for a moment and replied seriously.

"No, I did never fall in love before." Confused, she looked to one side and her eyes filled with tears. "It is a privilege for not many people."

"Right" He nodded and smiled away.

"Now tell me a little about you, Sir Christopher."

He stared at her without fear. He imagined that she could answer all her questions in a good temper.

"What do you want to know about me, nun?"

She watched him for a moment and saw his smooth, dark hair glued on his tanned face. He had dark crystalline eyes. There was a different gloss on them. Maria did not know if that shine had increased with the fire flames in the fireplace or if they really were that way.

"What are your plans for the future? Do you think about having a wife and children?"

He shook his head in agreement.

"Yes. I do think about building my own family. But I do not want to leave my sister alone. She became widowed recently. I want her to find another man that is worthy of her company. My sister is still very young. I think she needs more of a husband than I need a wife."

"Sir Christopher, have you ever fallen in love with someone?"

He smiled at his mug of wine and responded facing seriously her.

"No, I haven't yet. I have never met any woman that could make my heart beat faster." The young man looked to one side and smiled again, "As they say."

"One day you will find your soul mate. God will not leave you helpless. You are a good man and deserve to have a decent wife."

"I hope so."

He stared at her.

Maria looked down and murmured.

"If you allow me, now I am going to return to my bed, sleep is disturbing me."

"Yeah, do it, nun."

The host drank more wine and Maria de Lourdes rose from her chair, holding her lit candle.

"Good night, Sir Christopher."

"Good night, nun."

She turned her back and walked down the corridor, going back to her bedroom, but before she looked back and saw Mr. Christopher looking thoughtfully in the direction of the orange firelight in the fireplace.

Chapter 15

STRANGE GAZE

Holding an ax with both hands, Christopher gave several blows against a thick tree trunk. He wanted more firewood to carry home to put in the fireplace and also in the wood stove.

The reserve of firewood was previously insufficient because he spent months on the battlefield. His sister, Marjorie had no physical condition to do this kind of work. Usually, it was designed exclusively for men.

Sweat trickled down his forehead. The day was hot. Immediately the hand of the young man slid down his brow and removed the sweat from his bronzed skin.

Still striking the wood, he heard noises of footsteps coming toward him. His head turned to the side and Christopher saw someone coming in dark habit, bringing in hands a plate rolled with a towel, a mug, and a coffee pot.

"Your sister asked me to bring you something to eat. After all, you're already in that forest for hours. You must be hungry."

Maria affirmed stopping, standing around the youth. He looked at her and stuck the tip of his ax into the tree trunk and the same was inclined over it.

"Really, I'm very hungry."

Walked towards the nun and took the plate with the cloth. He sat on a tree trunk that was positioned horizontally. Maria remained standing, holding the coffee pot and also the mug.

She watched him pull the cloth from the plate and holding a large piece of cornbread. Since then, Maria had served him coffee in the mug. He held it after that.

"Thank you, nun."

She gave him a shortened smile. Maria felt strange every time someone called her nun. The young woman did not feel worthy to receive that name as a treatment form.

Secretly Mary of Lourdes's blue eyes began to run through the beautiful picture of the young man before her.

Mr. Christopher was a handsome man.

Maria did not understand why he was still single. Besides beautiful, he was a man who had a kind heart. Probably he would be an excellent husband and an extraordinary father to his children.

Christopher chewed his last piece of cornbread, looked up toward Maria and realized she was watching him for some time.

Her blue eyes were parked in the direction of his robust and defined chest, whereas the same was softly revealed by the opening in front of his shirt. Some buttons of his white shirt were absent.

Realizing this, he put his hand on his chest and pulled the fabric of his shirt toward the center of his chest, trying to hide a part of his skin. He did not want to be disrespectful to the young woman who was a servant of God.

Noting that Christopher had realized she was looking at him strangely, Maria immediately collected the objects and muttered something with her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"I must go now, have a good job, Sir Christopher."

"Thank you, nun." he affirmed getting up.

Maria turned her back to him and began to retrace her way back to the house. But in her mind, she was carrying the serene image of the woodcutter.

Returning from the forest, Christopher brought on his back some pieces of firewood and his ax was hanging on the side of his waist. He threw the fire woods next to the house and walked around the same, so finding the sister collecting some clothes on the clothesline. He folded his arms across his chest and frowned at her.

"Marjorie, do not you think the nun is a bit strange?"

Promptly, his sister turned to him and reproached him only with a tight look.

"Christopher! Why do you say that? I do not see any strange behavior in the nun."

He looked down and unfolded his arms.

"I do not know." He bit the corner of his mouth and remembered the nun's gaze on him in the forest. "I still think there's something very strange about her. Think of it with me, my sister."

Christopher moved closer to her and Marjorie made him hold a few pieces of clothing she had collected from the clothesline.

"Maria de Lourdes answered unconvincingly all the questions that I did her about the convent. She vacillated in all her answers. As if she had never been in a convent before."

Marjorie looked up at her brother's face and remained serious.

"Christopher, stop these blasphemies. She is a servant of God."

He shook his head.

"All right, forget everything I told you about the nun."

Christopher turned to one side and hurriedly walked into the house. Taking with him the pieces of clothing. His sister continued in the backyard, picking up the others that were still on the clothesline.

At that moment, the young man walked down the corridor and stopped at Maria's bedroom door when he heard noises of her voice. She seemed to pray aloud, forgetting that someone in the house could hear her prayers.

Maria de Lourdes was kneeling at the side of the bed, with the palms of her hands together and under her chin, her eyes were closed at all and she begged in a haughty voice.

"Please, Lord, don't let me go into temptation. Keep this cup away from me! I cannot lose my strength! Remove from the inside me this strange feeling, which I cannot control when I see that man."

Hearing this, Christopher grimaced and turned away from the wooden door. He was remorseful for having heard part of the nun's prayer on the sly. This was something particular in her life and he should not stick his nose in that.

Then he stepped into the other room in the house and temporarily left behind his suspicion against Maria.

Chapter 16

CRUMB PARTY

"Festival of Crumb is an event that occurs every year in the Village of the Poor. Several people from other regions bring with them some food to be shared at an outdoors table. There everyone eats, drinks and dances to a lot of songs."

Marjorie explained Maria at the same time as she pulled a piece of clothing out of her old wardrobe.

"I think you should dress it tonight."

Maria de Lourdes looked startled to a long blue dress, in the color of the sky. It was a simple model, but the same could mark her silhouette.

"No, I cannot wear this type of clothing. In fact, I cannot go to these types of places. I should avoid living together with people."

She thought that this could be risky if someone could recognize her and claim she was the King's wife.

However, Marjorie insisted.

"Maria, A lot of fun never hurt anyone and you will not be doing anything else. You just will be enjoying a feast for the poor."

Even so, Maria remained thoughtful. She did not know in any doubt if she should attend this type of event.

Night came. People were coming to the Village of the beggars bringing in hands, dishes of food that they had prepared in their homes.

Among the crowd, it had appeared Maria and Marjorie, both also holding plates with food. The nun looked around and saw hundreds of needy people that were starving, people who barely had what to wear. Maria felt unhappy for them. While imagined she had lived in a palace covered in gold and in another place, there were thousands of people who had not even where to live or what to eat in their day to day.

A little girl, with the dirty face and disordered hair, held Maria's blue dress's skirt and pulled it to her.

At that occasion, Maria looked down, still holding the food dish in her hand, the same was covered with an embroidered towel. She gazed down at the little girl's face, and bowed to her, smiling.

"What a beautiful dress!"

"Did you like it?" The nun questioned her, seeing that the girl was dressed in torn clothes.

"Yes, it is beautiful on you."

"Thank You." She touched a girl's face's one side and said to her. "I will pray to God and ask him for you to have beautiful dresses one day. After all, you deserve them. You're as beautiful as this dress."

She smiled again. The little girl smiled at her and said as well.

"Thank you."

After the sincere thanks, the little girl ran into the crowd and disappeared. Maria stood up, completely moved by so much poverty.

Where was the King's kindness at that moment to help those needy people?

She thought of it to herself, imagining that he should never worry about that miserable person. After all, the king only thought of him, in making war to conquer new wealth. To strengthen his empire before the others. That was his Politician and the poor could go to hell.

Walking on, they put the food on a table in the open air. The same was huge and was full of food and drinks. Some musical group was around the bonfire as they warmed their musical instruments with lively melodies. Soon a crowd of people began to dance merrily.

Maria stopped beside an old, forbidden fountain and began to observe all these people around.

She saw them so happy. There were a mixed people of various classes, there were more poor people and people who were not as poor as this, lived decently from their works.

Maria stayed away from the crowd of people, did not feel good in the middle of them. She feared that the King or anyone of his troop could appear there and recognize her as the Queen and not as a nun, one servant of God.

Even stopped near the fountain, the nun looked back over her shoulder and saw Mr. Christopher stopped farther. He was drinking next to a man who looked older than him. Maria looked away from Christopher's image as she realized that he was watching her all the time. His eyes looked strange. He did not blink as he sipped his drink and watched her back.

Hours later someone approached the fountain and stopped behind the nun. Immediately she turned to face him and became startled when she came across the image of Mr. Christopher. He was still holding his drink mug. The gentleman's gaze ran over the nun's face shape hidden by a white scarf, the same covered her honey colored hair.

"With all due respect, nun, but you look very elegant in this blue dress."

She blushed and looked down.

"I should not be wearing this type of attire. This dress marks so much the silhouette of a woman, but your sister insisted..."

"She did very well."

Maria raised her eyes up and faced him. Christopher's eyes were lit in her direction. They looked so ardent. Soon she closed her eyes as imagined that the King gave her that kind of gaze every time he desired her in bed.

Shyly, Christopher cleared his throat and went on to say.

"Even I try, but my eyes cannot distance themselves from your so sweet image. Do not ask me why of it, because I don't know how to answer. I just know that no girl in this place is able to hold my attention this night like you are able."

Maria seemed confused by such statements, and whispered even more flushed, looking down shyly.

"Please, Mr. Christopher, you should not be telling me these things." She slowly looked up at his face. "Perhaps you're saying these things because you are already drunk."

"Drunk?"

He held her arm and she became even more scared. Maria remembered that the King had given her a beating for it, for having said that he was drunk.

"Please ask you to release my arm."

She muttered, looking around as feared that people could realize Christopher's intimate approach to her.

He released her arm and said something looking into her blue eyes.

"I ask God's forgiveness for what I am going to tell you now. You are a servant of him, but I swear you that if you were not a servant of him, I would make you my wife."

Maria looked down and looked very stunned. Mr. Christopher should not say those things to her. It only made things worse inside her. The temptation would become stronger against her weak flesh.

"Please, sir, never say such a thing like this! And stay away from me!"

She affirmed without looking at his face and after that walked to one side, fleeing the gentleman's stunning company. He had once again stolen her inner peace. That way, she always opted for an escape.

Chapter 17

DINNER WITH MR. COIMBRA

"Maria, I still insist that you go to dinner tonight at Mr. Coimbra's home. All they are gentle and believe they will love to meet you." Marjorie smiled and filled her plate with bread and scrambled eggs. "Mr. Coimbra has a daughter who must be your age. She is a very beautiful young woman."

The guest remained silent and noted that Christopher also did not contribute to the subject of his sister. He looked thoughtful. His gaze was distant from the table with food.

But Marjorie continued to insist on a conversation and smiled, confessing.

"Mr. Coimbra wants to marry his daughter and I think he dreams that my brother Christopher asks her to marry him someday."

Annoyed with the argument, Christopher sighed and remained voiceless. Maria de Lourdes lifted her blue eyes and looked toward the gentleman who was sitting on the head of the table. She saw his head bent, he did not seem satisfied with the suppositions of his older sister.

"It would be... Great..." Maria tried to say, almost choking on her own words. Her gaze dropped to the table and she finished the sentence. "Mr. Christopher deserves a wife who enjoys him as her spouse."

Having said that, the nun made him even more irritated. Christopher looked to one side, scratched his chin with the back of his hand and tried to say something. But reflected twice, threw the napkin on the table and stood up from his chair, exclaiming something lamentable.

"I have no appetite."

He turned his back to them and left the kitchen. Marjorie swiveled in her chair and looked at her brother walking through the hallway of the house. The soles of his boots almost made a hole in the floor. Even his walk revealed his anger. Marjorie did not understand why he was so annoyed.

"My Brother lately has been so strange, Maria." She affirmed looking back to her guest. "I think he's hiding something from me."

Maria de Lourdes dropped her eyes and looked at her food. Intuitively, she wondered why Christopher was behaving like that. After the Crumb party, Maria could see in his eyes that he carried within him a particular interest in her, maybe a forbidden feeling that he could never clearly proclaim to his sister.

During the night.

"I still think I should not go to that dinner, Marjorie. You and Mr. Christopher go, do not worry about me, I'll be fine here."

Maria murmured while Marjorie buttoned the back of her long dress.

"Don't insist Maria. I informed to Mr. Coimbra that you will go with us and I can guarantee you he cheered with the news. They want to meet you."

Marjorie's eyes flashed in the direction of Maria as she observed her guest in a long wine dress. This dress Marjorie always wore accompanying her husband in family dinners. It was a silk dress with ornaments in lace and ribbons.

After this Maria wrapped the scarf around her head, covering the sides of her face and all her hair, which was attached by a bun in the middle of the head.

"Let's go now!" Marjorie held Maria's hand and pulled her out of the bedroom. "We should not be late for dinner."

Marjorie was in order with a long black dress and on her head, she carried a dark ornament, which fixed her black hair.

A few hours later, they finally arrived at Mr. Coimbra's home. The host of the house and all his family knew the nun and were quite happy with her presence in that residence.

Mr. Coimbra's house was spacious. The furniture was refined. He was the proprietor of some farm in the region and maintained up his whole family with the coffee cultivation.

"Nun, we're glad you came to dinner with us. My wife prepared a delicious food to receive you and also receive Mrs. Marjorie and Mr. Christopher."

"Thank you, sir."

Maria thanked him, sitting at the table next to Marjorie. Christopher was sitting at the other side of the table, besides the daughter of Mr. Coimbra. Annabelle was a young woman with long dark hair and brown eyes. She was in long rust- colored dress. On her face, she wore an expressive makeup that adorned even more her beauty and jovial countenance.

For some instants, Maria watched her in silence and realized that Mr. Christopher could have a graceful and honorable wife. Annabelle's cheeks were flushed, it seemed that she carried in her chest some feeling for the younger brother of Marjorie.

"Mr. Christopher, I am very happy to know that you returned in safe hands from the battlefield."

Annabelle confessed gently bowing her face next to him. He kept looking down at the table as giving her a narrow smile, showing modestly his white teeth and soon slammed his fingers on the table, looked extremely nervous.

"I'm grateful for your concern, Miss."

He lifted his eyes up and found Maria's blue eyes across the table. Seeming confused by the unexpected soldier's gaze in her direction, Maria immediately sought to look at some object on the table and her eyes blocked at a tray of fruit.

Annabelle grabbed Christopher's hand and squeezed it for a short time. Maria realized the movements of their hands on the table. She saw the intimacy of two youths during dinner and that bothered her in some way.

She kept herself back to not get up from her chair and ask to leave. Suspicious with the boldness of Annabelle, Christopher pulled back his hand under the hand of his admirer. He did not feel good with that scene. The soldier seemed to want to madden in remorse. Then he thanked God when Mr. Coimbra and his wife began to talk about a subject during dinner, which required the attention of all who were sitting at the table.

"The War has punished many innocent people." The host confessed.

"But the King Armany IV does not give the impression of being sensitive about these deaths."

Christopher replied.

"Many of his soldiers have died on the battlefield and that for him is the same as nothing."

Maria looked in the direction of the soldier. Now it bothered her while listening to someone talking about the emperor. It seemed that she was seeing him in front of her, frightening her new life, free from him.

Her hand held her glass of water and she turned it on her lips with deep despair. Christopher looked in the direction of Maria and frowned. He did not understand the reason for her being so thirsty. The food was not so salty for the nun to wish to drink so much water at once.

Realizing that Marjorie's brother controlled her with his suspicious eyes, Maria quietly descended her glass and went back to watch the food on her plate.

"I do not understand why the King's wives died so young!" Marjorie paused "And so tragically!"

Another scare and Maria's eyes widened at her plate of food. She did not dare to eat her food because she knew that it would suffocate her throat. She was very tense at that dinner.

"The Queen Roxsanne Oliver lived so little time with the King. Her tragic accident took her so early from that life!"

Mr. Coimbra's wife murmured, and Maria remained with her head down. She always felt her heart compress on every occasion she heard the name Roxsanne and on her death.

"It is told she was very beautiful. Her eyes were blue and her hair was golden! Some people nicknamed her Aphrodite Armany IV."

Annabelle declared innocently.

Maria de Lourdes paralyzed her eyes on the white tablecloth. Her eyes became crystalline with tears. She wanted to cry secretly.

But how could she do it?

There were five people around her.

"With the permission of all... Where is the toilet?"

Questioned, looking up, each individual sitting at the table watched her blue eyes and saw tears in them.

After dinner, Mr. Coimbra led his guests into the living room. Everyone sat in padded chairs with blue velvet as a servant served them tea and biscuits with jelly.

Still stunned by the affairs during dinner in her mind, Maria preferred to withdraw from each and everyone there, and then she walked to the balcony of the house and rested her back on the body of a white pillar, closed her eyes and tried to focus on something peaceful. She wanted to imagine that she was far away and isolated from that entire converse that always came to the name of King Armany IV or the name of the Queen Roxsanne Oliver.

For a few moments, she found a little tranquility until someone approached gently the pillar and slid his fingers over it. Maria quickly opened her eyes and looked to the side. Her scared stare confronted Sir Christopher's dark eyes. He frowned as soon as stared her too.

"Why are you apart from the others in the house? Don't you feel good, lady?"

Maria sighed heavily and looked down.

"I'm getting some fresh air. Do not worry about me, Sir Christopher and return to the living room. Mr. Coimbra and his family contemplate your presence in this house."

Christopher smiled without pretension and looked at the night before the balcony. His eyes ran toward the virtuous neckline on the nun's wine dress and he secretly completed her silhouette for the second time.

"I need to tell you something that is choking in my throat, from the moment we leave home and come to this dinner."

He confessed and looked at her with ardor. Maria had no word. She could not move before that gaze that burned her inside.

Christopher's lips move. He wanted to tell her what choked him until that moment. But a soft voice next to him made him change his mind. The young man looked to the side and saw Miss Annabelle stopping before him. She held the hand of his guest and smiled at him.

"Forgive me, nun, but I will steal Mr. Christopher of your company for some instants."

Anabelle and the soldier faced each other in silence and Maria lowered her head, realizing that they had a different reciprocity as if they had been done to each other.

Softly Annabelle pulled the gentleman's arm and led him up to the balcony railing. There they remained to talk during minutes.

Feeling rejected, Maria returned to the living room and sat on one of the armchairs, so joining the others in the conversation. However, she held her blue eyes toward the balcony and saw Mr. Christopher with his back to her, so near to Miss Annabelle that made them laugh at their conversations.

Chapter 18

PRAYER REQUEST

Getting home, Marjorie locked herself in her bedroom to change clothes and finally put her feet up on her double bed. She was very tired and wanted to close her eyes before her mouth began to open insistently.

Maria also took refuge in her bedroom and locked the room door. She looked at the closed window and looked thoughtful. That dinner had not made her well. It had moved her emotions and made her see things she should not.

She realized that for the first time she was jealous of a gentleman. Mr. Christopher made that feeling awake inside her during the period when he was in the company of Miss Annabelle.

But, Maria wanted to fight against this bad feeling. The youth did not want to feed the jealousy she felt for a man who could never be hers.

Not even in dreams.

Just at that moment, someone knocked on the door of her bedroom and Maria became startled by the soft beats. She did not expect anyone even could importune her those hours. Everyone was tired after dinner and need their beds, no conversations or remaining walking the house.

Opening the door, she froze in front of Sir Christopher's image, standing before her. He had taken off his dark waistcoat. He was now only in dark pants, riding boots and brown shirt.

He glanced at her and noticed that she was wearing the same dress that went to dinner. She had not had sufficient time to get rid of it.

"Sorry nun, I should not importune you this time." Christopher looked to the side, toward his sister's bedroom door and rapidly lowered his voice. "But our conversation was interrupted by Miss Annabelle just at the occasion–"

Maria remembered the scene when Christopher and Annabelle stood on the balcony. They exchanged silent glances and smiled at each other. Again, jealousy corrupted the heart of the nun and she tried to close the bedroom door on the soldier's face, muttering.

"I'm full of sleep Sr., please talk another day."

But Christopher pushed the door back and pulled Maria's arm to him, thus bringing her out of the bedroom. He could not get into her bedroom, was an affront, but he could take her off of it with discourtesy.

"What are you doing?"

She collided with him, feeling her face nearly hitting his chest. Sir Christopher dominated her by the wrists. His eyes stared at her seriously and vehemence as he said with a soft, husky voice.

"I just want you to listen to me!"

Maria shook her wrists while staring him in the eyes. But Christopher's hands compressed her arms with more longing. His breathing increased and his dark eyes flashed toward the silhouette of the nun and also the wine satin. His eyes finally stopped on her face, surrounded by the white kerchief.

"Each time you wear a dress like this, I imagine I can watch you in a different way, which leaves me with embarrassment before God."

He looked up.

"I know that God knows my thoughts..."

He sighed and looked down, so confronting the blue eyes of his prey.

"But what I feel is stronger than my reason and I lose myself in insane thoughts whenever I see you dressed in such a way."

He released Maria's arms and she remained motionless. Each time the soldier approached her and declared her these kinds of longings for her, the young woman felt weak and incapable of immobilizing his feelings and hers as well.

Secretly she also desired him. But never could admit him so. Because this was a secret which should remain locked within her.

Finally, Maria closed her eyes and tried to focus on something that could break up the words, the voice and the soldier's image from her mind.

Looking defeated, Christopher lifted his arms against the wall and touched his forehead with it. He also closed his eyes and sighed heavily, trying to control himself and not to lose his wits and try to get the nun in his arms as if she were his lover.

"Pray for me, nun." he kept his eyes closed as feeling the wall against his face, "Because I cannot remain with these insane thoughts in my mind."

Haunted, Maria looked to the side and saw he surrendered to the wall, as a sinner without absolution.

"Yes, I will pray for you."

She nodded and ran hurriedly into her bedroom. Closed the door and desperately tried to cover the passage, even closed, with her own body because the nun was afraid that the soldier could force the opening and get into her bedroom in ecstasy, taking her to the bed like a hot and wild man.

Chapter 19

MARJORIE'S TRAVEL

In the early hours of the morning, Marjorie embraced the nun, after receiving a letter from her aunt. She would have to make a trip to stay with her aunt who was very sick.

"Please Maria; take care of my brother during my absence in this house. I know I do not need to ask you this, I know you will do everything without lamentations."

"Do not worry. I will do everything in my power."

Marjorie took her garment bag and walked out of the house, her brother was waiting for her standing next to his black horse. Christopher would take her to their aunt's house.

Marjorie looked back and waved her hand to Maria, so she climbed on the horse and his brother was on top of the animal after that. Christopher at no time looked in the direction of the nun. He was embarrassed by his thoughtless confessions during the crumb festival. If he could go back in his past, he would have avoided saying all that nonsense to the nun. Now he had not even composure offer her good morning, good afternoon or good evening.

The horse moved on, taking with him Marjorie and Christopher. Maria remained standing outside the house and watched them with her sinking heart. She was concerned about the precarious health of their aunt and she also had another concern in mind. Now it was only she and Mr. Christopher in the interior of that house. She did not want this had happened. Now the temptation would be even greater in her life.

When Mr. Christopher returned from the trip, Maria was in the kitchen trying to finish dinner. She had no affinity with food, pans, wood stove and also the other objects in the room.

She had been raised by several servants within the Duke Oliver's Mansion, his father and after that she went to live in the White Palace, the servants had tripled in number.

Now she tried her best to try to put decent food on the table. All made by her own hands. That would be quite a challenge for those who had never cooked in their life. There, inside the house, Marjorie would not let her not even wash the dishes after lunch or dinner.

At the present moment, Maria walked to the wood stove and tried to light it. She exhaled in the direction of the ashes and part of them crossed her face. The young woman closed her eyes and made a grimace before, so much dust coming into contact with the skin of her face.

Then she set fire on firewood and a flame rose up so suddenly. She got scared and ran to one side, imagining that the house could burn down.

Listening to the loud noise of the flames, Christopher hurriedly walked into the kitchen and saw the flames rising from the wood.

"What's going on here?"

He ran to get a bucket of water and threw it into the fire. The gray smoke rose up and the fire erased forever. The young man placed the bucket on one side and looked toward the nun, cornered in the corner of the kitchen.

"You almost burned down the kitchen."

"I was trying to light the fire... and..."

He interrupted her.

"Be careful. Whenever you want to light the wood stove, call me if I'm close to. I can do it." He muttered, sighing at the same time. "That was close..."

He imagined the house in flames. But Maria remained motionless, did not know where to start to have performances in the kitchen. She did not know how doing hardly anything there, but sitting at the table and eating food made by someone else who was not herself.

With visible obstacles, Maria finally managed to prepare dinner. Now the same had been served at the table. She sat in the chair and first served the plate of Christopher.

Maria had made pumpkin soup, a recipe that she had seen Marjorie make about a few days ago. She figured it would not be so hard to prepare that recipe.

Nevertheless, after filling her own plate with the orange colored soup, Maria closed her eyes and made her prayers in silence.

Christopher remained silent as well, watched her making her prayers. Maria opened her eyes and automatically he removed his gaze from her image in the nun habit and his eyes landed on his plate of soup. His hand grabbed the spoon and took the creamy liquid to his lips. He finally tasted the taste of his food. His throat made a loud noise and he spat all the food back to his aluminum plate.

Christopher held the glass of water and turned desperately it on his lips. He seemed to be very thirsty. Maria looked scared of him and did not taste her soup during that.

"I'm sorry, nun." Finally, he murmured and put the glass back on the table. "But you ruined our soup with salt."

She got up, completely disappointed with her failure.

"I'm sorry Sir Christopher. I am going to prepare other things for you to eat. You cannot get hungry because of my deficiency in the kitchen."

The gentleman stood up as well.

"Do not worry about me. I can eat a few pieces of Paes my sister prepared last night, before her departure. It seemed she was guessing that we would need them."

He walked to the kitchen and Maria sat back in the chair, feeling as a failed person. Her pumpkin soup had ruined her dinner and she had ruined the pumpkin soup.

At least, the culprit for all this was her.
Chapter 20

THE FIRST LOVE NIGHT

In the middle of the night, Maria lost her sleep another time.

She was worried about Christopher. Felt guilty if he was hungry. Maria thought of that maybe some Paes pieces were not enough to control his hunger during the night.

So she left her bedroom, began to walk down the corridor of the house and stopped in the middle of the living room when he saw the flames of the fireplace. Looking to the side, she saw a dark shadow sitting in the armchair. The shadow rose up and became visible before her eyes.

Sir Christopher was still awake savoring a glass of wine and besides his armchair was a plate with a few slices of Paes. He should be satiated his hunger that way.

Quite surprised, Christopher's dark eyes stopped in the splendid image of the nun, dressed in a long nightgown. Her eyes were so blue and circular.

But what surprised even more the gentleman it was that for the first time he saw Maria's hair freed from her kerchiefs that hid it from everything.

Her long honey-colored locks of hair were falling down her shoulders. They almost reached her waist.

At this instant, Christopher's hand compressed his mug of wine. He felt a strange shudder, his genital organ began to throb and run blood more quickly.

Still staring at the beautiful image before him, his hand dropped the cup of wine, which collided with the ground and shed all the dark liquid on the wine carpet.

Determined, he started walking slowly toward the nun, murmuring in a haughty voice.

"Beg God's forgiveness for what I am going to do now."

He stopped in front of Maria and held firmly her nape. She also stared into his eyes. Perhaps wishing the same as I did.

"What I feel is stronger than my cowardice before some deity."

The gentleman descended his face and swallowed the lips of the nun. He closed his eyes and started to kiss her passionately on the lips. He pushed his tongue into her lips and both exchanged caresses between their lips. She moaned softly, being pressed against the body of her companion.

At that moment, he compressed her ribs and brought her next to him with more excitement, without unglued their lips.

Knowing that no one could disturb them at that moment, Christopher laid her on the wine carpet and knelt down between her legs. His hand slid by her golden strand of hair and met with her delicate shoulder.

Forward his fingers pulled the nightgown handle down and Maria's breasts became exposed.

Christopher bowed his head, began to lick them and also to squeeze them with his palms. Wishing them to him in a hostile way.

Maria closed her eyes and held tightly in her partner's dark-hair. A soft groan went out of her lips. Christopher got up and began to take his clothes off. He wanted to feel her complete, through their skins.

Totally naked, he removed the nightgown from his companion's body and slid his thick hands on it, from the top down and kissed her on the lips again, so his powerful body covered hers completely.

Both closed their eyes and Maria de Lourdes's hands scratched his back, as pleasure dominated her from head to toe. She really wanted to be his that night.

Christopher's hand pulled one leg of Maria to the side and he held her up her right hip, rubbing firmly her soft thigh. She moaned. He also as he grazed his lips against hers.

Finally, his penis entered into the hole between her legs and he penetrated her with softness.

She bit his right shoulder, feeling very pleased.

Fascinated, he looked into her blue eyes as he went into her carefully, did not want to hurt her.

Both moaned softly and kissed each other on the lips with great despair. Christopher's hips moved forward and back, during the period he was going in and out of his partner. She turned her eyes, full of excitement.

"Oh, Maria! That way we will burn in hell fire!"

He whispered close to her throat while he pierced her faster. Sucked her breasts and closed his eyes as moaning softly. She was fantastic. Maria Just vibrated him by being his sexual prey.

His hips moved faster against her and he came inside her. Opened his eyes and stared at her with delight. Maria moaned longer and hugged him firmly with happiness. She smiled next to his neck and confessed him.

"I'm shaking until now."

They both smiled at each other. He remained to lie on her and kissed her again on the lips. Maria's hands gripped both sides of her loved one's face and she returned the kiss without afflictions. Especially because she had just had the best sexual experience of her life. She had never felt like this every time she went to bed with the King.

The young Christopher had a chemistry which he knew how to lead the intercourse with refinement, making her feel special, loved and happy in his arms.

Chapter 21

THE REGRET

The next morning, Maria opened her eyes and looked around. She realized that Christopher had woken up first.

After that, she put on her white nightgown, got up from the carpet in the living room and walked into the room in the house. She was looking for her beloved one. Maria had a wonderful night with him and wanted to see him the next day to get a desiring gaze or listen to the beautiful words to make her happier than she was ever feeling like.

Serene, she stopped at his bedroom doorway and saw the young man sitting on the bed, wearing his riding boots. He had just taken a bath and put on clean clothes. He was wearing brown pants and a long sleeve shirt in turquoise blue color.

"You are up so soon!" she pronounced, stopped in the doorway of his room.

"Yeah," responded, still adjusting his last boot on his left foot. He had not even looked at her image that morning. He seemed to avoid her representation in the break of day.

Maria saw him rising from the bed. Soon he walked in the direction of her and went through the door without looking at her figure, in her nightgown. Her hair was loose and messy, but the young woman looked still beautiful.

"What Happened?" held his arm and made him stop walking down the corridor. "Are you angry about something?"

She stared up at him, but he looked aside and sighed, scratched his forehead and muttered.

"I'm not angry with you, Maria. I'm angry with myself. Last night I made a nonsense that cannot be calculated."

"What are you saying?"

She frowned. But Christopher held her shoulders and brutally pressed her against the wall. Maria kept looking alarmed at his face. She did not understand his strange reaction after everything that had happened between them last night.

He looked at her eyes and compressed his forehead with worry. He did not want to deceive her and much less hurt her. Because of this, He resolved to be sensible.

"Listen to me Maria! I do not want to divert you from God's ways! Everything that happened yesterday between us should be forgotten, erased from our lives! I cannot continue nourishing this craziness!"

His hands released her shoulders and he looked around, looking guilty for everything and very sorry for not stopping his carnal instinct in due time. Christopher should not have made her groan in his arms.

"God can punish me for it!"

Finally, he mumbled, looking down.

"God can punish us for it, because I'm as guilty as you are, Sir Christopher," She said with more irritation. "You did not make me yours in bed, against my will. I also wanted to lie down with you, without me being obliged to."

Christopher looked at her suspiciously.

"I'm very confused..." paused. "I thought I was your first man in bed, because that you are a nun. But I was not. There was another man in your bed before me."

"Yes, my husband in the past." She said and lowered her head after that. "I was married before entering the convent. But I do not want to talk about it. My past is too painful to be reminded or asked by some person, Sir Christopher."

Soon Maria went out of his way and ran toward her room, locked herself in her bedroom and began to cry standing behind the door. She imagined that all men were similar and Mr. Christopher was one of them, who just wanted to take her to bed and leave his soul inside her.

Now that he had made the goal, he had just taken his team out of the field. The game was over for him, thus giving him the victory.

During the evening, Maria heard a noise coming from the living room. She left her bedroom and walked into the corridor, dressed in her nightgown. Her hair was hidden by a white cap with ruffles at its edges. She did not want to show her hair again to Sir Christopher and perhaps persuade him to take her to bed for the second time.

Stopping the living room, she saw Christopher standing; holding some blankets and a pillow with a clear pillowcase. The young man was dressed in clothes from day to day as he had not put on his sleep clothes. His sword was next to his waist.

"What are you doing sir?"

Maria asked, realizing he was trying to go away from home.

"From today, I will sleep outside the house. I don't want to be under temptation again. But do not worry. I'll be around the house, keeping your safety."

"All right." she nodded, looking down.

He continued declaring. "I'll just come again to sleep in this house when my sister is back."

"Okay."

Maria raised her head and looked into his face. Their eyes met for a moment and Christopher walked to one side in a hurry and was out of the house through the front door.

He walked in the direction of a non-fruit tree and extended a blanket over the lawn. The moonlight illuminated the outside perfectly. Then he lay down and tried to close his eyes at all.

Maria de Lourdes opened the window of his bedroom and looked toward the quintal and saw him lying on his back, completely still. She imagined he was trying to fall asleep rapidly to forget that she existed in his life and was there to tempt him as the snake had tempted Eve and Adam in Paradise.

Chapter 22

REPEATING THE SECOND ERROR

"Here's your snack, sir"

Christopher stopped striking the wood with his ax as he heard the soft, sweet voice of Maria. She was around, holding a plate wrapped in a towel, a mug, and a coffee pot. The young woman avoided fixing her eyes on his image. She just wanted to execute her job as a good housewife.

"Thanks." Thanked her seriously. "You can put them in this trunk. I'll eat it later. I'm not hungry now."

"All right, " Agreed, putting the things on the tree trunk next to them. She looked up and gazed at him. The young man was preparing to return to his task and again raised the ax in height and hit it against the wood, splitting it into parts.

Maria realized he was in the exorbitant mood to do the heavy service, which demanded him too much force.

However, Christopher looked away and saw the nun standing in the middle of the forest, watching him in secret.

"You can go home now. I take these things later."

He referred to the plate and the coffee pot. Maria looked down at the ground and nodded.

"All right, have a good work, sir."

Slowly she turned her back to him and began to walk toward the path that would take her back home.

Christopher looked up, closed his eyes for some instants. He could no longer stand that situation. He held himself back to dominate her in his arms. Because that was all he wanted every time his eyes met her simple image.

The same threw the ax away and began to walk quickly toward the nun.

"Wait a minute!"

Exclaimed on her back, Maria immediately glanced back and saw him approaching her quickly. The noises from his high boots against the grass denoted the gentleman's impatience, trying to reach his destination.

"Some problem sir?"

Questioned, looking up in his face when he stood before her and looked at her gravely. However, he did not answer her question, just held the sides of her face and mumbled something while staring into her blue eyes.

"I ask for forgiveness to God another time, but I cannot stay away from you, Maria. Really, I cannot."

He attached desperately his lips to hers. Maria closed her eyes and let herself be surrounded by that kiss that made her lit internally, from head to toe. There was something magical about Christopher's lips that made her burn as lit flames.

The soldier raised her up and held on her legs, making her embrace his waist with her inferior limbs. Christopher still kissed her ardently, walking with her in his arms and going towards a tree next to them.

There he leaned her against the trunk while he was standing, holding her crouched to him, from the waist up.

With a hasty little way, he opened his brown pants. Rose up the nun's habit, making her thighs free from the dark, thick fabric. He did not know how he could desire her even in those clothes so reserved. Her face was in an oval shaped due to white kerchief covering her head and her long hair.

Anyway, he thought she looked so beautiful.

Readily Maria leaned her chin against his black hair as she moaned. He had entered into her violently. As he was possessed of desire and could not wait any longer second for her to feel him again in her womb.

The leaves of the tree began to shake as he moved inside his partner.

Both moaned softly. Maria clung to him completely bent before his muscular body. She wanted him to devour her alive with his sexual appetite.

"We cannot..."

Whispered to him, feeling more pleasure.

"That's sin... Sir..."

He blocked her voice with a very hungry kiss on the lips. Her sweet voice full of delight made him even more excited. It was as if she asked him to continue penetrating her mercilessly and that was what he did. Continued piercing her with his hard penis. She groaned so much and He had lost count.

Finally, both decreased their breathings and he closed his eyes, finishing again inside her. Maria hugged her lover and kissed him on the neck. He was covered with sweat; his white long-sleeved shirt was slightly open at the top of his chest.

"That's crazy!"

Christopher murmured, looking for her lips and kissing her with the same appetite as before. That violent love intercourse had represented a second mistake in his life, but he did not know how to get rid of it.

The temptation had been at his side, inside his home, just acting as a divine servant.

Chapter 23

THE KING'S FIFTH WEDDING

Again the King Armany IV had married that day. He had chosen his newest wife in another ball that he had offered at his White Castle. Now his current wife was the daughter of a marquis. The woman had dark hair and brown eyes. She was a little older than his last wife Roxsanne Oliver.

The castle was in festivity to celebrate the marriage of the emperor who was willing to continue his love life at the side of his wife. For all his wives departed from his life so early and none of them had given him any royal heir.

At this moment, Christopher went into the house, he had returned from the village and was carrying some groceries purchased at the free market. The young soldier came to the kitchen and saw Maria standing preparing dinner.

"The King Armany IV ended up getting married for the fifth time!" he exclaimed going into the kitchen. "The White Castle is in feast days."

Hearing the name 'Armany IV' it haunted Maria. She was holding a wooden spoon and let it fall on the kitchen floor. The young man placed his straw bags on the table and looked at her in surprise. He realized that his beloved one was pale and voiceless.

"What happened, Maria?" Now he preferred to call her by her name, instead of 'nun'. Since they were having a secret romance. He did not think it was correct him seeing her as a servant of Lord, who could not go to bed with a mortal. A man who could give her pleasure always.

"Are you ok?"

He questioned holding the side of her face. Maria was still wearing her nun's habit. At any moment, Marjorie could get there and she could not look like a normal young man who wore dresses that could mark her silhouette.

"Yes, that was just carelessness."

Soon she bent down and took the wooden spoon. At that moment, Maria imagined that the King would do another victim and beat her someday.

On one occasion his current wife would feel the bitter weight of his hands.

Chapter 24

A SPOT OF BIRTH

After making love, Maria fell asleep naked on the single bed. Her long honey-colored hair was scattered across the white pillow. She was lying on her belly and her face turned down.

Christopher was lying beside her, also naked, but his dark eyes were open. He was awake and the young soldier seemed very pleased for having at his side a creature so beautiful and so sweet that cheered his days.

He could not imagine living away from Maria. Without realizing it, she had become a fundamental support for his survival.

The young man laid his head on his forearm and sighed, looked up at the ceiling of his bedroom and tried to think of his future beside her. How would it be? At the moment, she was still ordained nun and could not have a conjugal life with him before the society to which they were part of.

But what after that?

Soon, the young man turned to the side and imagined that it would not be worth thinking about these things now. He was so happy in the company of his beloved one. Christopher would not want to frighten his happiness away from him because of his own uncertain thoughts.

At that moment, he had only one certainty.

He wanted to continue being happy beside her.

No woman had brought so much joy into his life. No one, until Maria de Lourdes came into his house.

Without waiting, he looked at Maria's naked backside and saw a birth stop in brown color. He touched it lightly with his index finger and inadvertently he ended up interrupting the light sleep of his prohibited partner.

She opened her blue eyes, looked over her left shoulder and ran into her lover's face, watching her with his excited eyes.

"Sorry." He grew closer over to her and hugged her backside, making a barrier on her womb with his forearm. "I interrupted your sleep unintentionally."

"No problem."

She smiled, feeling his heat behind her and put her hand on his arm.

"Well, I could not resist this spot on your back. It is beautiful! In fact, you are beautiful to extremes."

Maria smiled at the compliment. Christopher rose a little on top of her and brushed his lips on her ear, confessing quietly into her left ear.

"You should not hide your beauty behind a habit for nuns."

He ended up smiling as well.

At that moment, Maria turned to face him and her bulky pair of breasts was squeezed against his chest. She stared at him in the eye and pulled him by the neck, making him breathe between her lips, but before they kissed, she whispered to him.

"After I met you, I believe I chose the wrong habit."

Chapter 25

AN UNEXPECTED VISIT

"Salete! It is wonderful to see you again!" Roxsanne exclaimed hugging her. Both were standing in the living room.

"I came to know how you are feeling my dear." She looked around and gave for lack of more people in the house. "Where are my cousin Marjorie and my cousin Christopher?"

Roxsanne smiled at her. "Your cousin Marjorie is at her sick aunt's home. And she went to take care of the poor woman and your cousin Christopher went to the village and resolve some personal issues."

She pulled the woman by the arms toward her bedroom. Maria was dying to exchange information with her ex- servant real.

"Let's converse in my bedroom. I have a lot of newnesses."

Smiled cheerfully and Salete realized that her ex-employer was happier living in that humble house in the mountains than in the palace, surrounded by much gold.

Something there was making Roxsanne so happy and she did not know what exactly.

Both of them sat on the single bed after Roxsanne closed the bedroom door. Now she felt safer to converse about certain subjects.

"How is the King?"

"The Emperor married again, but before that, he suffered greatly with your death, lady."

Roxsanne lowered her head.

"I'm so sorry. I confess that I did not know that my death would sadden so much the emperor Armany IV."

She looked up and stared at Salete before her.

"Does he beat his current wife?"

Salete shook her head.

"Yes, he does as always. But I cannot help her. She is in love with the King and prefers to live with him under his intolerable aggressions."

Roxsanne sighed and smiled with a different gleam in her blue eyes. She hugged Salete and confessed her during that.

"I'm in love Salete."

"In Love, Ma'am? She looked at Roxssane with suspicion. "With whom?"

"Mr. Christopher. He is a wonderful man! He's the opposite of the King."

Salete's eyes widened, she asked another question.

"Do not tell me that you and he...slept together"

"Yes, several times."

The woman put her hand to her lips, totally surprised at this confession.

"Do not tell me he already knows the whole truth?"

Roxsanne got up from her bed and began pacing the room. On that occasion one fear expression invaded her entire face.

"I still cannot tell the whole truth to him."

She paused.

"I fear his reaction. But eventually, he will have to know everything and I'll have to be prepared to tell him everything. Mr. Christopher and I cannot keep this secret relationship for much time. An hour Marjorie will be back and can perceive everything."

Salete's head shook and she said full of thoughts.

"Ma'am, this could not have happened. This is very risky, my cousin Christopher comes to know everything. I warn you that this farce can never reach the King's ears, or you will be in danger. The emperor will not forgive you for that."

Chapter 26

MARJORIE'S RETURN

This was the first dinner they shared together, after Marjorie's return home. Her aunt was feeling good and Marjorie's cares were suspended indefinitely.

Sitting at the table, she looked around and saw her brother, eating silently; keeping his head bent all the time. Then she looked at Maria and saw her in the same way. Both seemed caught in their attitudes and even their speech.

"Something happened during my absence? Both of you seem so strange. It's like you're hiding something from me."

"Christopher lifted his head and looked toward his sister, finished chewing his food and said with an indoctrinated voice."

"Nothing happened during your absence. We just had a visit from our cousin Salete and perchance she is also very good."

"Cousin Salete came here and I was not home. What a shame! I wanted to see her so much!" – paused "And know News of Aunt Alzira."

Christopher said without looking to the sides.

"Excluding her respiratory problems, aunt Alzira is good, Salete affirmed."

"We need to visit her, brother, an hour Aunt Alzira can depart this life and we will be with remorse because we did not visit her before her death," Marjorie said lifting up and removing her plate from the table."

Maria remained eating licentiously. She could not face Marjorie after her coming. Maria felt like deceiving her for the second time by having a relationship secret and forbidden with her brother.

Hours after dinner, Marjorie went to bed. She was too tired after her arrival from travel. She desired to sleep for hours. Meanwhile, outside the house, a couple had come across behind the house, on the sly. The place was partially dark.

"Maria, we cannot keep this up. See how we behave during dinner. Like two strangers before my own sister, with whom I had always had frank talks." He shook his head and folded his arms across his chest. "I cannot keep this up, my conscience weighs too much."

The young woman, in her white nightgown, pulled him by the arm, as she looked reckless.

"I need to tell you something."

He stared into her blue eyes.

"What thing?"

But the young man looked to one side and lost all her courage to reveal him about her past. He needed to know everything, but Roxsanne was not yet prepared to tell him that she was not a nun and that the whole thing was just a farce for her to hide from the King.

The impostor had entered into a bottomless hole with her own lie and now she did not know how to get out of it. Without hurting the people around her and especially Christopher, the man she truly loved.

She changed the subject.

"Please Christopher, do not leave me now. We love each other."

He shook his head and looked down.

"I do not know if I really love you, I am very confused at all."

With disappointment, she stared at him in the eye.

"You affirmed that if you could, you would make me your wife, that no woman ever attracted your attention as I did at the Feast of Crumb. Remember your words?"

But he did not want to hear her anymore, so his hand pushed her against the house wall and he continued with his hand on her chest, making her stay away from him and with her back leaned against the wall of the house.

"Hear, Maria, I do not want to carry on this madness. I want to have a wife and children and continuing that way with you on the sly, I will ever have them."

She looked down.

"You're putting an end to our secret meetings?"

"Yes, I am."

The young man looked up and stared at the stars in the sky with deep agony. He wished everything could be simple to solve in his life. Maria could be a normal woman and dignified to have a husband and children.

But it was not that way things worked and she had a serious commitment to God. So Maria should honor it through the obstacles in her life.

Sometimes the young Christopher saw himself as a cursed stone in the path of the nun Maria de Lourdes. He also thought of that they should never have met and fallen in love with each other.

Without waiting for it, Maria hugged him desperately. Her arms circled his waist and she did not want to let him go away.

"Please Christopher, do not leave me now! I need you."

She implored.

The young man looked more serious, realizing he was getting excited. Maria's body was like gunpowder exploding his sexual senses every time she was around him.

At last, he pushed her against the house wall and whispered something to her.

"I try to get rid of you, but I cannot!"

He held her chin and stared at her in the eye. Maria saw his face serious and very excited for her.

His lips touched hers passionately and he lifted her higher. As she was used to this sexual position, Maria crossed her calves over her beloved one's buttocks, pulling him completely to her. She knew both would have pleasure, adrenaline and very emotion in some instants.

Pulling his pants down, Christopher's hands pulled the nightgown ends of his much-loved partner. Soon he entered into her in a hurry, afraid that his sister could wake up and see them there, making love outside the home.

However, he felt more pleasure to feel danger, adrenaline was running in his body and he pierced her with anger and then acceleration. Both moaned softly. His sister's bedroom was on the wall on the other hand, as Marjorie had always a light sleep, she could end up hearing noises coming from outside the house.

But suddenly they stopped their movements and their breaths were extremely heavy. Christopher had enjoyed inside her and finally satisfied his sexual desire for his prey.

Maria laid her chin on her lover's shoulder and kissed his dark hair. She loved him so much and could not imagine herself living away from him. Christopher had won with no difficulty her heart without wealth and diamonds.

Because a much more valuable coin had brought her to him, whose money bill was called merely love.

Chapter 27

CALLED FOR WAR

"Go with God, brother. I'll be praying for your protection every night until you returned in safety."

Marjorie hugged her younger brother and he squeezed her with anguish. Christopher did not know if he would come out alive from combat for the second time. The young soldier did not know what surprises his own destiny could bring to him.

"Take care of yourself!" He advised kissing his sister's head, protected by a dark kerchief. Her long dark hair was fixed by a braid.

With impediments, she finally released him and he walked to his horse that was tied to the tree. His sister went back into the house, did not want to see him go away. That tormented her even more. She had remembered her late husband, who did not have the same luck as her brother and did not come out of the war entirely alive.

At that moment, Maria left the house in a hurry, was just in her nightgown and her hair was loose. Her strands of hair were shaking to the wind. Christopher looked back and saw that stunning image running in slow motion toward him. She approached closer and grabbed him with great despair, circling her arms around his waist.

His iron armor collided with the face of the young man who hid her countenance close to it. She did not want to let him go for not anything in her life.

Christopher's arms circled her as well and he brought her together with him with more force, almost crushing her body.

His chin touched the top of his beloved one's head and they remained embraced for a long time. The breeze that morning was furious with the leaves and also with Maria's hair and the ends of her nightgown.

At last, she gazed up and found the face of her lover. She wanted to tell him so much thing at once.

"I'll be waiting for your return from the war."

He looked down, not knowing if it would even be possible and if he came to be killed during the combat?

But she insisted.

"When you come back, I swear I'll tell you the whole truth."

Her eyes filled with tears.

"What truth?"

He asked, frowning. She always said that, but never revealed him this truth in fact, what was behind all this mystery.

She smiled softly at him and grabbed the sides of his face, feeling his rough skin by the thin beard.

"After the war, we converse, I promise you."

Her lips touched his iron armor, in the direction of his heart and there she placed a true kiss.

She wanted to kiss him on the lips, but could not do it there, at that time in the morning and around the house. Marjorie could surprise them during the loving act.

Slowly she removed her lips from his lover's iron armor and intensely looked into his dark eyes.

Christopher was also watching her firmly. He wanted to remember perfectly that beautiful face and principally those eyes so blue shining on him.

"I Love you."

She said, still staring at him in the face. He smiled softly at her.

"I love you in the same way."

Forgetting everything, he approached his lips to hers and kissed her on the lips without fear. He had to go away with the taste of his loved one in his taste. That would give him the strength to move on the battlefield and if he died during the confrontation, he would die happy.

Hardly their lips separated and their bodies as well. He turned his back and walked unhurriedly to his black horse. She remained there, observing him grow up the animal and then he left. Nevertheless, before that, he bent over the animal and held her hand, telling her softly.

"Take care of yourself!"

Maria shook her chin, nodding, her tears came down slowly. Seeing him go to the war was something atrocious for her. Her hands touched her chest as she stood there watching the horse taking her beloved one away from her.

The impostor wished days or months to pass by quickly, as long as the war was over and her lover could return securely from it.

Chapter 28

FINDING GAIN THE KING

The war had lasted a few months. Many soldiers had been killed even before the war ended.

In lodgings of the wounded individuals, there were many soldiers who needed precautions. Many of them were abandoned in their beds and others sitting on the floor. They felt much pain due to their crucial injuries of the body.

The number of volunteers to help with their health was no longer enough to support the increase of wounded fighters that arrived daily there, in the hope of continuing alive and finally one day returning to their families.

Knowing about the nun Maria, one of the captains of the guard asked her presence in the lodging. Maria could not deny the request of the captain and went to the accommodation alongside two soldiers who searched her in the high mountains.

Maria de Lourdes arrived at the place and looked so impressed by seeing so many people injured as the first time she accompanied Mr. Christopher there. On the exact day, she just ended up fainting.

With disposition, Maria de Lourdes began to care for the sick soldiers. She chose to start with the most severe cases.

In this moment she took care of four patients and now she was beside a bed, taking care of a soldier who had lost one leg in the battle. In the beginning, she felt nausea. But then nun took a deep breath and tried to move on with her tasks. She needed to help those men with their pains and their agonies. That was the smallest amount she could offer to God and to these sick soldiers, who gave their lives for their nations.

After that, Maria wet a clean piece of cloth in a basin of warm water and began cleaning the wound in the leg of one fighter.

"Calm down, nun!" the officer murmured, closing his eyes feeling very pain. "It's hurting a lot!"

"Take it easy sr., everything will be fine. Have faith that soon you will be next to your family, safe and sound."

Maria affirmed, dipping the cloth again in the basin with water and the same mixed with the soldier's blood.

Just seconds later, the royal guard soldiers entered the place and along with them came the

He walked by the place, looking at every wounded soldier there. His right hand was rested on his sword hanging by his waist.

Maria looked in the direction of real soldiers and her eyes stopped at the emissary's image. He was walking ahead and had not seen her there. Soon, the young man lowered her frightened eyes and began to make her job more rapidly and with her head bent.

"HAHAHAHA! BE CAREFUL NUN!" The soldier shouted highly while Maria unintentionally squeezed the injury of him.

At this time, the King's emissary looked at them and saw the nun with her head, curved, making her occupation with fear. The emissary frowned and walked forward, stopping around the patient's bed.

"Mother, how should I call you?"

The emissary asked her, without seeing the woman's face. She kept her head bent and was in her nun's dark habit.

Nervously, she did not answer his question. Maria was afraid that the emperor's emissary could recognize her voice.

"How should I call you?"

He questioned with a rougher voice. Even with her head, curved, Maria responded, trying to disguise her voice with another intonation.

"M-Maria de L-Lourdes, Sr"

"All right, " the emissary said and turned his back. He had analyzed silently the profile of mother's face and realized she was very young and looked very beautiful as well.

Soon after Armany IV's emissary and his royal soldiers left the scene without looking back. Maria glanced at them and sighed with relief when she realized they were gone without suspecting anything.

Exactly one hour later, the King's emissary returned to the lodgings, accompanied by four soldiers of the royal guard.

His eyes searched the place and he did not seem to worry about the sick soldiers this time. His eyes seemed to look for someone until they found what they wanted to.

"Your Majesty requests your presence in his tent."

The emissary ordered to Maria, after seeing her curved next to another bed, bandaging a wound in the shoulder of a soldier who had been wounded recently.

Hearing this, the nun fell backward, colliding with some objects that were on a small table beside the bed. At this moment, Maria closed her eyes and her breathing accelerated from a sudden.

Slowly she let the accommodation at the side of the King's emissary and his soldiers. The young nun remained walking on with her head curved. She could not walk with her face erected and face the people walking opposite to her.

Moments later, they stopped in front of a huge, luxurious tent.

The emissary had thrust his arm between the huge opening on the sailcloth and a wide passage formed before them. He was the first one to go to the site and then the nun and two soldiers remained outside it.

Inside the tent, there was much refinement, velvet armchairs, and luxurious bed for the King to rest when he wanted. A huge table with fruits, drinks, and much food. Ahead it was the Emperor, sitting in his golden chair. Behind him were two soldiers of his royal guard.

The emissary knelt down before the King and informed him, after being standing.

"Majesty, Here's nun Marie de Lourdes, who I had spoken to you."

Armany IV remained sitting and looked in the direction of God's servant who stared down at the floor all the time. She never looked in front or sideways.

"What do you fear nun?"

The Royalty finally asked her.

"Why don't you look at your King and kneel before me too?"

The woman remained unvoiced. She could not liberate her voice. Her flesh was trembling with fear. She stood before the man who never wanted to see again in her life.

After her simulated death, Roxsanne imagined that she was really dead for him and the same for her.

The King signaled with his eyes at his two soldiers who were standing next to the opening of the tent and they captured the Emperor's message. Both soldiers walked forward and held the nun's arms.

She looked scared at them. Her blue eyes were so extensive, but she could not scream or murmur, was afraid of the King's presence before her.

Slowly the emperor rose from his chair, in his iron armor with the coat of his empire on his chest. The sword was at his waist. His hair was loose and fallen down to the height of his shoulders.

With suspicion, he stopped in front of the nun. Realized that she wanted to cry, but locked her crying in her throat. She still stood with her head, bent and her eyes closed at all. The king's hand touched the tip of the woman's chin and made her lift her head at him. The emperor saw that she still remained with her eyes locked compactly. Maria did not want anyone to see them, especially him.

"Open your eyes! I command you it!"

Shouted against her, the nun had no choice and slowly her eyelids went into motion and were rising up, soon the blue contained in her beautiful eyes was revealed to the King.

Armany IV was impressed with that oval face, hidden by a white veil around her head. But her countenance was so identical to his late wife Roxsanne Oliver.

"My God! I do not believe that! She is identical to Roxsanne!"

The emperor alleged. After that, the emissary murmured.

"It was like I said Majesty. They look like each other so much."

With his crystalline eyes, the King declared to his guards still holding the nun's arms.

"I want to see this woman naked! Do it now!"

Maria began to sob, but could not scream. She only tried to hold her breasts when the two guards violently tore her clothes and left her completely naked in front of everyone there.

Finally, they removed the white veil from her head and her beautiful long honey hair slid down.

The King suffered another shock when he saw her naked and with her free hair. He swore to see his late wife before him.

Still sobbing, the young woman remained covering her breasts with her arms and her tears went down as she sobbed uncontrollably. Roxsanne shed tears of fear, dread, having been discovered by the King and also going through all humiliation. She had never been naked in the presence of so many men.

"Turn this woman with her back to me!"

The Emperor ordered his men as he was still standing before her.

The guards brutally pulled her and made her turn her back to their sovereign. Armany IV's eyes ran the entire length of the beautiful female body in front of him. Observing her ankles, reaching her buttocks, her ribs and at last, his eyes froze on her back. He pulled her honey colored locks to one side and saw a spot of birth in her loin.

The King knew very well that spot. His late wife had the same mark in the same region of her body.

"Now I have no more doubts!"

Armany IV cried and brutally turned her to face him in the eye. He looked into her blue eyes and spat in her face, that way crying.

"Bitch!"

A King's slap reached the young woman's face and she fell to the ground, curved to one side. Roxsanne started to whimper and the emperor moved on to kick her womb with the nozzle of his right boot, but the emissary came in front of the King and held him warily.

"Majesty, don't do that. You have the power to punish her in various ways, without the need to make use of your own hands."

After that, the King looked into his emissary's face and tried to control himself again. He wanted to exterminate that woman under various strokes. That was the least she deserved at the occasion.

After being tortured coldly by the royal soldiers, Maria de Lourdes was forced to confess with her own lips the whole farce. She had to inform all the details of her death and who were these dead bodies on the cliff. The impostor said that they were people that had been dying recently. With the help of others, she managed to get the corpse even fresher.

However, she did not mention the name of Salete in the plot. She did not want to compromise the poor servant and destroy her life too. Salete was an unlucky servant of the King, who only tried to help her escape that hell.

After all confessions, the young Roxsanne was taken by the royal guard, to a prison in court, where she would be judged by her unfair acts to the crown. She had betrayed the King Armany IV and his reign, making herself like dead and that was unforgivable.

Chapter 29

THE WAR END

Two months later, the war finally ended.

The soldiers, who came out the battle alive, could return to their homes and their families.

Marjorie was in the kitchen, kneading dough with her hands. She was wearing a white cap on her head and with a clear apron over her long black dress.

Soon after, she heard horse's paws noise approaching towards her residence. She ran out of the house, imagining that this could be her brother returning from the war.

Stopping on the outside, she saw the black horse approaching more and her brother was coming over him, cheerfully waving a white handkerchief to her, stating that the war had ended and their country was at peace.

Marjorie placed her hands on her lips and smiled full of happiness for all the motives. Her brother's return and also the war's end, they were divine gifts in her life.

"Thank God, you're alive, brother!"

The soldier descended his horse in a hurry and ran to hug his sister. Christopher was bearded and his hair was bigger, at his shoulder height.

"Thank God the war is over! I could no more endure that place!"

They embraced stronger and Christopher looked toward the house. He realized that Maria was not there, watching them as she always did. Immediately he turned away from his sister and entered the house in haste, without asking anything to his sister. The young man wanted just to see his beloved one. The soldier wanted to hug her and tell her he was alive and still loved her more and more. The war had only contributed to their love. Fortified it like a chain.

Running every room in the home, especially Maria's bedroom, he noticed her absence, without waiting for the second run on. So he walked back down the hall and saw his sister standing in the middle of the living room. She looked strange. There was very sadness contained in her eyes.

"Where is Maria?"

Marjorie looked down and remained voiceless. Her brother approached her and grabbed her arms. Stared into her eyes and ordered her bravely.

"Tell my sister? Where is Maria de Lourdes?"

During this, Marjorie looked at him with her eyes full of tears and alleged.

"The King took her with him. She's imprisoned in the court."

Chapter 30

MEETING AGAIN IN THE PRISON

Two guards made the escort to soldier Christopher up to an iron prison in the court. One of the soldiers grabbed a set of keys and opened the small passage. The young man entered the room and the guard closed the door again.

Without courage, Christopher started to walk by the dark and not a so clean place. There he saw an aluminum plate with a weird food. A single bed and further on he saw a woman with long, honey-colored hair, sitting on the bed with her back to him.

She wore a long wine dress, with gold embroidery.

"So that's your real name?" He paused. "Roxsanne Oliver?"

Christopher remained to stand in the middle of the prison, staring at her back with intensity. Slowly she looked over her right shoulder and saw a young man with long, dark hair and he was bearded.

She looked back at the wall and then lowered her head. Her voice choked at the beginning of her sentence.

"I -I - I was going to tell you the whole truth."

He stepped forward and stopped soon after.

"So this was all the truth that you wanted to tell me so much, but you never had the courage to?"

His voice rose with anger. He looked up and whispered with a contraction in his chest.

"My God! You forged your own death! You made everyone think you were dead! You made an entire nation cry your death! Ma-jes-ty!"

She began to sob still sitting on the bed. Everyone was against her. Including the man she loved greatly.

"I could no longer bear the King's aggression. He always beat me and would beat me to my death! In some way, I would die."

Disappointed, Christopher sighed and looked up. His eyes were more crystalline as he held back his tears.

"You deceived everybody! Deceived me! You do not know how many times I felt like a monster, a dirty sinner, imagining that I was putting you out of God's way, a servant of him!"

At last, he fell silent and she sobbed even more.

"Forgive me, Sir Christopher. I never wanted to hurt anyone, mainly you. I imagined everything could go well and I never thought of I'd fall in love with you..."

Christopher closed his eyes at all during that. Roxsanne rose slowly from her bed and walked toward him. She stopped in front of him with all care and looked up at his face. Was missing him so much, she wanted to hug him and kiss him on the lips.

On the other hand, she imagined that he now did not want it from her, because he was very disappointed with his honor and reason.

"I really love you."

She looked to one side.

"My life beside you was always a farce, but my love for you has never been dissimulated. I swear."

She affirmed and Christopher looked at her red face, his eyes were swollen from crying so much. Roxsanne was depressed, it seemed she did not sleep for days.

"How could you ruin your life that way? He looked in her nobility dress, embroidered with gold thread. "You were the King's wife!"

At this moment, he looked down.

"You had almost everything in your hands."

"You said correctly, I had almost everything." her voice softened. "But I never had loved."

She tenderly touched one side of Christopher's face and admired him joyfully. "I only had it when you came into my life."

Filled with anger, he strongly held her hand and removed it from his face. He felt antipathy for her even through her touch.

"You're an impostor!" Exclaimed between his teeth toward her. "I hate you, Roxsanne Oliver!"

She closed her eyes and curved her head at the height of her chest. Roxsanne imagined hearing him pronounce that he loved her and would love her until her death.

"Please, don't tell it. Your cruel words cause pain in me as much as the King's slaps on my face."

Desperate, Christopher began to shout aloud, looking around the prison.

"Don't talk to me about the pains! You don't know what that means. Have you ever thought of that, you also deeply hurt the people who loved you and love you true?"

His eyes met hers and he held his crying for the tenth time.

"You have no heart, Ma-jes-ty-!"

Roxsanne began to cry harder. She looked up at Christopher's face and spoke with conviction, knowing that her destruction was near.

"I know that I am condemned to death. I will not leave this court being alive." She stared at him in the eye. "I want you to promise me that you will have wife and children."

Christopher swallowed his saliva as his eyes were covered with tears. Soon he shook his head and walked to one side, towards the narrow passage of the prison. Christopher shook the bars with fury and gave three punches against them.

He seemed desperate for imagining his beloved one's death. And he could not do anything to impede. Avoid her dreaded end.

Then the guard came and opened the prison door, Christopher walked out of it, but before he looked toward Roxsanne and heatedly shouted at her. He could not see her as a victim but as a culprit of all that suffering.

"Majesty you ruined our lives!"

Afterward, he stepped out of the prison, sobbing and not promised her that he would have a wife and children. Christopher really did not know if he could love another woman in his life to fulfill that promise imposed by Roxsanne Oliver.

Chapter 31

DUKE'S REQUEST

"Majesty, I beg you to absolve my daughter. We know that she executed a very serious crime against the Crown. But she does not deserve to pay for this offense with her own life.

Duke Oliver begged to stand before the table of His Majesty. Both were talking while locked in the emperor's office.

Armany IV, not touched by the weeping of the defendant's father, immediately stood up from his armchair and lit a cheroot.

"Your daughter forged her own death! She made me shed tears in vain for her cursed death and your Highness comes here in my palace for me to have clemency for your damn daughter?"

He shouted in the direction of the Duke with revolt. His voice nearly deafened the castle walls.

"Ask your daughter if she had mercy on me when she sabotaged her own death in that damn cliff? Ask it to her, Your Highness!"

Chapter 32

THE NAIL CROWN

Roxsanne Oliver was taken by the royal guards to the public square. She went up toward a higher, round arena, made of concrete. Her hands were chained. Her hair was loose and she was wearing a long wine dress with gold embroidery.

She was barefoot as stood in front of a crowd of people and her back was turned to the altar where the king was sitting on his throne. Beside him were his emissary and some guards of his royalty.

A king's diplomat soon came over this stage and began to make accusations against the young Roxsanne who was in front of everyone there.

"This woman is being accused of having forged her own death! Having damaged her reign! Making the King and all her country believe in her dead!"

He pointed his forefinger at her. The man wore dark clothes and white wig on his head. In his right hand, he held some papers wrapped in a long tube.

"Roxsanne Oliver made her Majesty announce before his nation a non-consummated death. She also made him proclaim innocently one-month mourning tribute to her sordid death! Which never existed!"

People were shocked with all those accusations and the inhabitants looked revolted against the youth and threw at her rotten tomatoes and eggs. Roxsanne lowered her head and remained in deep silence. In no moment, she manifested herself in favor of her own defense.

But later, the defendant saw her father, the Duke, standing next to his guards. He looked feeling not well before all that the scene. He was short of breath and held his chest with great difficulty.

After that, she looked over to the side and saw Salete, crying in tears, feeling guilty for everything. The servant hid her face in her white handkerchief. After that, Roxsanne ran her eyes again and saw Marjorie sobbing too. After all, Roxsanne felt that Marjorie was grateful for her stay in her home and took care of her brother during her absence.

But Roxsanne did not see the face of her brother Christopher in the crowd. Maybe he had no stomach to see the open trial, or so for hating her to extremes, he opted not to see her ever again in his life.

The trial continued.

"As betrayal signal to reign, I ask you to cut the hair of this impostor!"

The diplomat exclaimed. Soon two guards climbed in the direction of the stage top and they made Roxsanne fall on her knees in front of the crowd of people. One of the militaries held a pair of iron scissors behind the head of the accused. Following the honey-colored strand of hairs was falling to the ground, little by little.

During the time when the young woman was losing her long hair, she lifted her face, looked ahead and saw the unfortunate face of Christopher in the crowd. He was restless as seeing everything. His face was red and he wanted to shed his tears as various people there.

She looked down again and the soldier made her hair shorter. The same had been cut on the line of her nape.

Just moments later the diplomat talked to the King in an arrogant voice.

"Majesty, please give your final judgment for this defendant! And don't be merciful with the woman who betrayed profanely your reign!"

Seriously, the emperor rose from his throne and looked at everyone there. But, his gaze froze on the back of his former wife and saw her with her back to him and her short hair.

At no moment, he took pity on that poor creature being humiliated in front of an entire court. She had disgraced one stage of his life which was overcome with each passing day.

The King raised his sword and looked up affirming.

"I condemn this woman!" He looked at her back and continued expressing furiously. "Roxsanne Oliver will be honored with the nail crown!"

The crowd of people mumbled in apprehension. They knew that this would be crucial to the youth. Duke Oliver left the place before he even heard the rest. He did not want to see the end so tragically for his daughter.

A short time later, the emissary approached the emperor and brought a tray covered with a red velvet cloth and over it was a golden crown full of nails.

Armany IV held the crown with both hands and walked slowly toward the young woman who was on her knees and with her back to him as she still was facing the people who paid attention to everything around her.

Raising the crown of nails at the very top, the King started descending it down slowly toward the head of the convict.

Still sobbing, Marjorie held her lips with her hand and ran away. She could not see the scene to the end. Salete closed her eyes and also walked among the people, leaving the place after that.

But Christopher remained there. He wanted to see the last image of his beloved one, even at her worst moment.

In this period, Roxsanne Oliver lifted her blue eyes and searched for his image in the crowd. Her eyes filled with tears ended up meeting him, even from a huge distance they stared at each other. Christopher realized that she was telling him goodbye with a penultimate gaze. Her blue eyes also wanted to tell him she loved him and would love him forever.

Desperate, Christopher tried to run toward her but was stopped by royal guards. He began to cry bitterly and bit the cuff of his white shirt.

Finally, the King buried the nail crown on Roxsanne Oliver's head. Several drops of blood appeared on her forehead. A number of them trickled out and stained the ground around her knees.

The emperor Armany IV raised his head and shouted in exaltation in the direction of his people

"THE KING'S WIFE WILL BLEED TO DEATH!"

After three days, Roxsanne Oliver died due to injuries caused by the crown of nails. She had lost a lot of blood and her death's motivation was occasioned by a deep hemorrhage.

Her end was tragic and it was never forgotten by the nation that witnessed the King's Wife with a nail crown.

THE END

Books in the Trilogy

## King's Wife

THE NAIL CROWN

THE IRON CROWN

THE METAL CROWN

Books by Pet TorreS

Valkyrie the Vampire Princess Saga

Valkyrie the Vmapire Princess

Valkyrie the Vmapire Princess 2

Valkyrie the Vmapire Princess 3

Valmont the Vampire Prince Trilogy

Throne of blood

Heir of blood

Reign of blood

The Black Wolf's Mark Series

The Black Wolf's Mark

The Black Wolf's Mark II

The Black Wolf's Mark III

The Black Wolf's Mark IV

The Black Wolf's Daughter Series

The Black Wolf's Daughter I

The Black Wolf's Daughter II

Tear of Princess

The Spell

The antidote

Tiger's Obsession Series

Tiger's Obsession

Robbed Virginity

Ardent Affection

Forced Penitence

Renascent Soul

Illusory Love Series

Illusory Love I

Illusory Love II

Illusory Love III

Illusory Love IV

Vampires Adversaries Trilogy

Vampires Adversaries

Andromeda

Omega

Wolf Academy Saga

The Oath

The compassion

The revelation

The sacrifice

The purification

The unification

The rupture

Love or friendship Series

Love or friendship

Love or friendship II

Love or friendship III

Other books

Arranged Marriage

Ornella

Illusionism Obscene

Leione's Diary

Blood Moon

Emengarda

Destiny with Blood

Violet

Love Wave

E 2000

