LOGINGoverned by the royal family, St. Bartholdi is a small European country surrounded by lavender fields, where Anna Madeline Lechner and her friends are trying to survive royal life and find themselves caught in a web of lies with major consequences. In the 21st century, Maddie is tired of the absurd rules and social barriers imposed by the Queen, and is determined to overcome all obstacles in search of her freedom. On the other hand, the palace's newest security guard, Matteo Bertozzi, has left everything he knew in his native Italy in search of a new life, and gets much more than he bargained for. Faced with so many restrictions, the small wooden hut in the middle of the lavender field becomes a perfect fragrant refuge, where rules disappear, time almost stops, and fantasies become reality.
View MoreMaddie"It’s not that I’m not excited, but even if I go out with him like this, we still can’t really be together, and I miss that," Lizzie explained as we both got ready for dinner in my room.The queen didn’t even hesitate to allow us to go out with Fred when I told her he wanted to invite Louise but didn’t want to go alone with her. She didn’t even question Alexander’s presence. However, Johannah insisted on having security accompany us to the restaurant, which was a bit frustrating, but we would find a way around it."You haven’t seen him since the party? It’s been days!" I held up a short dress with a large bow that wrapped diagonally around my body. "How much trouble would I be in if I wore this?""Are you kidding? If you get photographed in that, they’ll be calling for your head on a platter," she pointed out. "And I haven’t been able to see him. It’s not like I can invite him to the palace, and when I go out, I’m always surrounded by security."I put the dress aside and chose
MaddieI walked out of a luxury jewelry store feeling frustrated. I had lost count of how many interviews I had attended in the past week, and it was always the same story—they wanted to take advantage of my connection to the royal family. I got into the car, ready to return to the palace, greeting the driver before turning my attention to my phone."This time, they wanted me to convince the queen to wear some of their jewelry in exchange for the job. I'm losing hope."I put my phone away again, knowing that Matteo would take a while to respond. Ever since his schedule changed, we had started communicating mostly through messages. He always let me know when he was leaving for his break, and I would find some excuse to slip away and meet him in the lavender fields.And, of course, we kept in touch outside his work hours too. To be honest, we talked all the time. I no longer denied that I was in love with him, and even though I was almost certain he felt the same, our situation was deli
MatteoIt had been three days since my sister arrived, and she was adapting well to her new routine. As for me, what I desired most was a chance to apologize to Madeline for my harsh words. I had created countless mental scenarios for it, but every time I crossed paths with her, we were always in public.It was already the last week of May, and she hadn’t left my mind. I knew I was losing it for even thinking about her, but I couldn’t help myself.I was on my usual rounds, crossing the palace gardens that had become so familiar to me. I could have chosen another guard post, preferably one shielded from the elements, but the beauty of this place made everything worth it.I stopped to admire the stunning, large ornamental fountain at the center of the garden, surrounded by low hedges that created symmetrical paths leading to it. I moved through the space toward the woods opposite the palace the spot I’d turned into my retreat during my breaks.The rhythmic sound of footsteps reached my
MatteoI knew I had been harsh with my words as I walked away from Madeline, but I couldn’t handle her insistence while so many things were happening in my life.I liked her, I liked every second we spent together, and I wanted to get to know her more—so much that I didn’t care about being fired if someone found out.But after receiving that call, I couldn’t take any more risks. I needed that job more than ever.I couldn’t afford to act recklessly anymore.My phone started ringing again, making me sigh as I felt mentally drained from the situation.“You said you’d arrive only in the afternoon,” I muttered in Italian as I answered.“I’m sorry, I got confused with the schedule,” a female voice said on the other end.“I’m at work, I can’t leave,” I warned.“That’s okay, I’ll wait here for you,” her sad voice replied from the other side.Damn. What do I do?I can’t let her wait for hours at a train station. Especially in her condition.“I’ll figure something out, don’t worry,” I reassured






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