Episode 4

Two days ago, Gwendolyn was kept confined to her room in the castle. The only person she had contact with was the maid, who looked at her strangely. However, Gwendolyn had already made some progress with her, managing to get her to talk a little when they were together, even if it was only a few words.

The door opened, and the same man who had received her when she arrived entered, looking her up and down.

"The king wishes to see you tomorrow at the banquet, and our prince will be present. Be worthy of the occasion," he said, standing at the foot of the door, staring at her, then looking away.

"Come in." She was curious to see who it was, and then the maid entered, keeping her head down and standing beside the man. He continued to speak.

"Look at her, she's a mess. Is this how you take care of her? You will be punished for this negligence," he said, grabbing the maid by the arm. Gwendolyn could see the fear in her eyes and decided to intervene.

"My lord, I beg your pardon for being like this! It wasn't her, it was me," said Gwendolyn, nervous and scared. The man looked at her seriously, released the maid, and approached her, stopping in front of her.

"Explain," he asked in a serious tone.

"The clothes, sir, made me feel sick. I took them off because they are too tight," said Gwendolyn, noticing that he was paying attention, and continued: "I believe they are my sister's measurements. I told her to get clothes in my size," she finished, hoping he would believe her and maybe she could gain the maid's trust. It was a shot in the dark.

"I will provide clothes in your size," said the man. Even with her head down, Gwendolyn felt his eyes scanning her body. He stepped back and left, leaving them alone.

"You didn't have to do that," said the maid, walking towards the bed to make it.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Gwendolyn," she said, extending her hand. The maid looked for a moment, as if deciding whether she could trust her or not, and finally shook Gwendolyn's hand.

"I'm Lucy," she replied, smiling.

"Lucy, I know you're afraid, but I want you to know that you can really trust me," said Gwendolyn.

"Servants are not friends with noble castes," replied Lucy timidly.

"Then, we will be different. This will be our secret, okay?" suggested Gwendolyn, smiling. Lucy looked at her suspiciously, which was understandable.

"Okay," said Lucy, still suspicious.

"What are the king and prince like?" asked Gwendolyn curiously, wanting to know more. Lucy looked at her scared, approached the door, opened it to look down the corridors, and came back. Gwendolyn was confused, not understanding the reason for this attitude, and looked at Lucy for answers.

"The king is the brother of the great alpha Cedric, who was killed in an ambush. Many say that the king himself ordered the murder of his brother and his family to take the throne," revealed Lucy. Gwendolyn brought her hands to her mouth, shocked by what she had just heard.

"My God! And does the prince know about these rumors?" asked Gwendolyn, feeling sorry for him and wanting to know if these rumors had reached him. Lucy looked around, scared as if someone might be listening to them.

"He is blind and crippled and cruel. He killed a servant who was dressing him because he scratched him," Lucy recounted. Gwendolyn's eyes widened.

"But isn't he blind and crippled?" she questioned, wanting to understand how that was possible.

"Yes, but no one understood for sure. He only gets along with Fenrir, his childhood friend," explained Lucy. Gwendolyn wondered if Guinevere knew these things and refused to marry that cruel and disabled man because of them.

"I hope he doesn't act like that with me," said Gwendolyn, bringing her trembling hand to her chest. Lucy made a gesture with her face that made her curious.

"Is there something I don't know?" she inquired.

"I shouldn't talk about it," replied Lucy, finishing making the bed and opening the wardrobe to take the clothes out. Gwendolyn approached and touched her arm.

"Please, tell me if there's something wrong. My family depends on me and on this marriage! What do you know?" pleaded Gwendolyn, scared.

"If the king finds out that I've been talking to you about these things, I will be killed, miss," said Lucy, Gwen could feel her pulse racing with fear.

"I won't tell anything, you have my word," assured Gwendolyn, feeling scared.

“The prince rejected you, that’s what we hear in the corridors, also because it was the king who chose you. Did the prince choose another bride?”

The ground seemed to disappear from Gwendolyn's feet, once again she had been rejected, less than two days after suffering the first rejection. The worst part this time was that her family could be in danger. She let herself fall onto the rug, tears running down her face. How could she be so unlucky? She felt as if the goddess was against her, all hopes of being happy were collapsing before her eyes. Her life was being shaken like dry leaves. She looked at the maid in front of her, who was staring at her with pity.

"What do you mean, rejected?" asked Gwendolyn, not knowing how to react to this situation. Maybe that's what the king wanted to see her about tomorrow. What would she do in a strange land?

"Miss, please calm down. The king wants to see you at the banquet, that's a good sign," said the maid, bending down and rubbing Gwendolyn's arm, trying to comfort her.

"You're right, I can't despair. Besides, it might be a misunderstanding," replied Gwendolyn, wiping away her tears.

"I'll ask Lord Ziz to take you for a walk in the gardens. That will distract you. Wait here," said the maid, getting up and leaving quickly, leaving Gwendolyn alone. She made a prayer to the goddess Luna, asking that the prince not expel her from the castle, as her family would be in serious trouble. Then, she got up and walked to the windows, looking at the immense gardens with small lakes.

Soon, the maid returned accompanied by other maids, carrying many clothes. They went to the closet, took out the old clothes and handed them to another maid, leaving only two dresses. As soon as they left, the maid looked at Gwendolyn and raised a finger, going to the door, opening it and looking around before returning and closing it.

"Lord Ziz allowed you to walk through the gardens with me," she said, excited. They began to choose suitable clothing and opted for a kind of harem pants, appropriate for outdoor activities, such as walks. After Gwendolyn bathed and dressed, they went for a walk through the gigantic gardens, surrounded by soldiers.

"How beautiful! Look at these roses! It's wonderful here. This is already my favorite place in the castle," exclaimed Gwendolyn, enchanted by what her eyes saw.

"You don't need to worry, everything will be alright," said the maid, smiling. There were several fruit trees around, and Gwendolyn ran to them, leaving the maid behind, picked a fruit, and began to eat.

"How delicious," she said to herself.

“I’m glad you liked my orchard,” I hear a deep voice. I drop the fruit on the ground, startled. The king is in front of me, looking at me with his yellowish eyes.

“Your Majesty, forgive my behavior,” I say, trembling with fear at being caught by the king, eating his fruit.

“Feel free, someone besides me likes this place.” A devastating smile forms on his face, making him simply enchanting, I smile shyly.

“I hope to see you again at the banquet tomorrow night, I wish to speak to you.” He assumes a serious and somber look.

“Yes, my king.” He turns his back and leaves with his soldiers, leaving me with trembling legs. Soon Lucy emerges from behind the bush.

“How afraid I am of him.” I look at her for a moment and nod.

“We better go back to the room, I’m too nervous, I won’t be able to appreciate this beautiful place.” I say, scared and nervous. We follow the small paths lined with stones, passing by the lakes, but I couldn’t observe them because my thoughts are on this banquet, my father depends on me, all my hopes are fading.

“Where are the young ladies going in such a hurry?” We hear a strong voice behind us.

“Fenrir, you scared us,” I hear Lucy say, he smiles, but his eyes are fixed on me. He extends his hand, I reciprocate.

“Fenrir, at your service,” he says, holding my hand longer than expected, I pull it away politely, smile.

“Gwendolyn, pleasure to meet you,” I say, a little scared because he is staring at me.

“We need to go,” I hear Lucy say, we leave quickly. Upon entering the room, I get a shock, the king is waiting for me.

“Miss Windsor,” I hear the king say, I feel my legs weak, my mouth goes dry. He continues to make me tremble “Miss, I know your origin and I know about your parents, that is why I am in your room and not in the throne room.” the king says, exuding authority.

“My lord…” He raises one of his hands, I immediately shut up, he walks towards me, standing before me.

"I want this to stay between us. The prince doesn't need to know about your parents. Do that, and you'll be welcome in this castle," continued the king. Gwendolyn was completely silent, and if before she thought the rumors were false, now she was starting to believe they might be true.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I was very little, and I don't remember anything. It was something very painful for me," replied Gwendolyn, although that wasn't the whole story.

"Perfect, your family will be at peace. Otherwise...", the king looked deeply into her eyes before leaving, leaving her terrified. She felt that her life was being used in a disposable way.

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