With the arrival of morning light, Teresa stayed at the hotel and faced another joyless morning.
Because she hadn't been sleeping well recently, she got up later and later. It wasn't until about ten o'clock that she lazily got out of bed, and then dressed up with the help of the maid.
Teresa, who had just washed her hair, sat in front of the dressing table and looked at the girl in the mirror. Her long, silky hair was rolled up into a bun, and then she put on small pearls on her ears.
earrings.
Teresa didn't like wearing heavy makeup, and because she was shy by nature, her usual dress was not luxurious, but even so, the girl's youthful charm and inherent beauty made her look radiant.
Because of a series of recent events, there was always a sadness hidden in her eyes and thin eyebrows. However, this sadness not only did not diminish her appearance, but instead gave her a bit more charm that did not belong to her age.
charming.
She really doesn't feel very well now.
After all the effort, he came to Rome, visited the Queen Mother Letizia, and finally met His Highness's maid by coincidence, but there was no way to know his current whereabouts. How could this not make people worried?
She had wanted to continue questioning her at that time, but since Her Majesty Letizia had already spoken to this extent, all she had left now was to wait.
Ever since she came back, she has been a little uneasy and uneasy. Although she knew that Letizia, as the former empress dowager, would not be dishonest in what she said, she could not help but worry that she would once again be in vain.
, and lost the opportunity that was hard to come by.
Due to such worries about gains and losses, her sleep quality has dropped again recently.
After finishing dressing up, the elderly maid looked at her hard work with satisfaction.
Then, as if he were his own daughter, he stroked her hair affectionately and sighed softly.
"Oh, our Highness is so cute!"
Teresa also looked at herself in the mirror. Although she did not fully accept the maid's praise, she felt that she was no worse than the ladies of the same age she had seen at social gatherings.
However, they must be laughing at themselves secretly now... When she thought of this, Teresa became depressed again.
Ever since that incident, rumors about her had spread through the streets of Vienna, and society was whispering about the big news.
Teresa didn't know how they referred to her, but whether their tone was sympathy or ridicule, it was an unbearable hail of bullets for her.
Fortunately, Teresa didn't like to participate in social activities, otherwise, God knows how she would have survived this period of time.
If all this was compensated by His Highness's promise like "Please wait for me, I will come back", this would not be a disaster. However, His Highness left her only a sincere letter but severing ties.
If it's just a cruel farewell, then what's the point of the humble words? It's just some meaningless patterns carved on the sharp blade, and it's the same pain when it pierces the heart.
Although she has always maintained her strength and calmness in front of her parents, and even directly expressed her feelings and persistence by burning letters, she will also express her feelings and persistence when she is alone, especially when night falls.
There was immense confusion and fear.
God, where am I? And why do I persist? What ending is waiting for me, and where is my place?
These questions kept ringing in her ears, and she was unable to answer them. She could only use painful tears and suppressed sobs to temporarily escape.
She is not afraid of sacrifice or hardship, but she is afraid that all these sacrifices and persistence will be meaningless in the end, and that her sincerity will be thrown out of the window.
So she tried her best to find an answer.
"Your Highness, are you thinking about those unpleasant things again?" Perhaps feeling that Her Royal Highness was in a daze, the maid asked with concern.
"It's nothing." Teresa blinked quickly and regained her composure. She didn't want others to see her vulnerability and hesitation.
"Don't think about those things anymore. It's just that guy's ignorance. It's definitely not your own problem." The maid said angrily, "Your Highness, the storm of public opinion will eventually pass. As long as some time passes, everyone will understand."
Forget these unpleasant things, when the time comes, with your beauty and talent, are you still afraid that you won’t be able to find a good suitor? If he wants to mess around, just let him go, you have your own crown waiting to be picked...
…”
"Stop, stop talking." Teresa interrupted the maid in disgust. "I don't want to hear you slander His Highness!"
The maid had to stop talking and looked at Her Royal Highness the Princess in panic and helplessness.
Teresa controlled her emotions and stood up.
"Okay, I'm going to have breakfast. You go ahead and do your work first. Don't follow me. I want to be quiet for a while."
Then, she walked out of the room.
Anxiously, I came to the hotel restaurant.
Because it was already very late, there were not many people in the restaurant, so Teresa grabbed some toast and pastries to satisfy her hunger, and took the letter brought by the servant.
This was Teresa's first trip away from home, so her parents were of course worried about it. They would write to her from time to time, asking about her current situation, and chatting with her about family matters. And Teresa also seriously asked her parents every time.
Reply to the letter and talk about what you saw and heard during your trip.
This time, as usual, she read the letter during breakfast.
The letter I received this time was signed by my father on the envelope, but it didn’t look like the envelope usually used at home. However, this is not surprising, because my father sometimes needs to go to other places to perform royal duties, so he often writes it when the mood strikes.
Teresa had long been used to writing letters to her mother and herself with the envelopes and stationery around her, telling her interesting things that she had encountered.
She opened the envelope, opened it, and found that the letter contained some ordinary gossip, told herself to take care of herself, and suggested that she could visit the famous monuments in Rome, draw some pictures and send them back to him.
Look, for example, the palace of Emperor Hadrian that he has always been fascinated by.
The content of the letter was very ordinary, so after reading it, Theresa had already thought of the wording of the reply.
She was not in the mood to travel originally, and came to Rome mainly to meet Letizia; ever since the young man's whereabouts were confirmed that day, she was even less interested in sightseeing.
These days, although she had casually walked around Rome a few times to pass the time and visited some ancient monuments, it was like a routine and did not bring her much fun.
But since her father had this suggestion, of course she was willing to cooperate.
Just as Theresa was about to continue eating, her hand suddenly stopped.
There was something strange about this letter, and an idea flashed in her mind.
Then, she picked up the letter and read it carefully, and then she felt that the words and sentences in the letter were really not like her father's usual tone.
And the handwriting is a bit strange. Although it looks decent, Theresa has grown up next to Archduke Karl and is used to seeing her father's handwriting. She was just too preoccupied so she didn't pay attention to it. But after she concentrated, she
It soon became clear that this letter was definitely not written by his father to him.
So this is a forged letter.
Who specifically wanted to forge such a letter to send to himself? What did he really want to express?
Teresa's heart was racing as she suddenly thought of the possibility.
Could it be that His Highness wrote it to himself?
The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed that it was possible. After all, His Highness had visited her home more than once and had seen her father's handwriting in the study. With his intelligence and writing style, it would not be difficult to imitate his father's handwriting.
Combined with the content of the letter, so... if I am not wrong, this is a letter specially written by His Highness to myself, inviting myself to meet?
The excitement and ecstasy suddenly made Teresa's breathing become rapid.
After worrying about the problem for so many days, she was about to get a perfect answer, and she could hardly bear the joy.
Her hands were shaking slightly, so the milk she originally picked up spilled out of the cup and fell on the red velvet tablecloth, leaving a few drops of white traces.
Teresa, calm down! Calm down!
Teresa shouted to herself in her mind, then forcibly smoothed out her messy breathing, put the cup down smoothly, and wiped the stains on the tablecloth with a handkerchief.
Everything is still just a conjecture at the moment. Don't be too happy or lose your mentality.
Then, she calmly read the letter again.
This time she looked at it very carefully, studying it almost word for word.
"When I took you to Schönbrunn Palace before, I saw that the sketches you drew were very good. This time I believe you can draw better pictures of the monuments in the palace. Let me see your progress. Finally
Fortunately, the scene in the evening should have the most sense of history."
This seemingly casual sentence made Teresa feel sour at this moment, and she recalled too many things.
Then, she saw a few sentences inside, which were almost exactly the same as the words he used in the notes and letters he wrote to her.
If there is only one doubtful point, it may be a coincidence, but if all the doubtful points are gathered together, it can only point to the only answer...
Yes, this is the letter His Highness wrote to me!
Theresa put the thin letter paper to her chest, and then closed her eyes slightly.
Yes, God has not abandoned me, and neither has His Highness... Everything I have paid is meaningful in the end.
"God, thank you, Grandma Letizia, thank you... Your Highness, thank you!" She repeated it several times in her heart.
Of course, what matters now is not gratitude and happiness, but reason and action. After a brief venting, Teresa calmed down.
She first looked around to make sure no one was paying special attention to her, then she put the letter back into the envelope with a nonchalant expression, and then stuffed it into the pocket of her skirt.
Then, she finished her breakfast hastily and then returned to her room. At this time, the maid had just cleaned their room.
"Your Highness, are you okay?" she asked uneasily, "Are you still angry with me?"
"I'm not angry anymore." Teresa shook her head, "Actually, I know that you are doing it for my own good... Well, I've been in a bad mood recently, so I treated you so rudely just now. Please don't take it to heart.
.”
"Of course I won't take it to heart." The maid waved her hands quickly, "It's my fault for talking too much and irritating you. As long as you calm down, it will be fine."
After the two reconciled, Teresa stopped talking and walked to her suitcase and started rummaging through her things.
"What are you looking for?" asked the maid.
"I'm looking for my pencils and sketchbook." Teresa answered without looking back. "I just received a letter from my father. He suggested that I go and relax more, and then he told me about something he had been dreaming about for a long time.
Attractions, I hope I can draw a few sketches and send them back to him."
"The Grand Duke really cares about you, and he still takes time out of his busy schedule to write to you..." The maid sighed full of emotion, and then asked, "Then when do you plan to go?"
Teresa picked up the map and looked at the locations of the monuments mentioned in the letter.
"This place is not far from our side." She said while looking at it, "Let's go there in the afternoon, so that I can have time to look around and enjoy the beautiful scenery in the evening. It should be very beautiful."
"Then I will go make arrangements for you." The maid did not feel anything unusual at all and immediately agreed to carry out His Highness's advice. "We will set off when the time comes."
"Thank you." Teresa thanked the other party, "Sorry for the trouble."
"You're welcome, Your Highness. The task your mother gave me is to accompany you to relax. As long as your mood gets better, I'll be satisfied." The maid smiled and saluted, and then left.
After she left, Teresa breathed a sigh of relief, and then sat on the bed with the sketchbook she found.
Your Highness...I'm coming soon. You must wait for me and don't abandon me again...she kept saying in her heart.
While she was waiting, the passage of time suddenly seemed to slow down. Teresa was anxious and careful not to show her emotions at the same time. It turned into a torment.
Fortunately, the time finally came. Under the guidance of the maid, Teresa couldn't wait to get into the carriage, and then embarked on the road to Hadrian's palace.
After a period of driving, the carriage quickly arrived at the ancient ruins.
This was the villa of the ancient Roman Emperor Hadrian. He was fond of architecture and art. When he was traveling around the empire, he saw buildings he liked, so he copied them in the palace and then modified them. During his 20-year rule,
This palace has turned into a complex of buildings covering a large area, which is very exquisite and luxurious.
However, after various changes in history, the Roman Empire died, and this once gorgeous palace became a ruined monument. Only the marble buildings and colonnades sculptures remained here, telling people about the past glory of the empire.
.
Teresa wandered among these architectural ruins, passing between palaces, pavilions and fish ponds.
Normally, she would sigh with emotion and appreciate the beauty of ancient Roman art, but now, all her attention has been focused elsewhere.
She looked around, seemingly admiring the architecture, but in fact she wanted to see the person she wanted to see among every tourist.
However, as time passed, she never got what she wanted.
Was...did I come too early?
Or is this all just my overthinking?
Or... is this a terrible joke?
Teresa slowly became distraught.
While she was dealing with the maid next to her, she pretended to be taking pictures and was preparing to paint. She also had to endure the anxiety in her heart, almost feeling like she was going to explode.
At this moment, the time had reached dusk, and patches of glow appeared in the western sky, while the fire clouds were reflected in the pool water, making the originally emerald green pool water suddenly look a bit more golden.
At this time, Teresa was wandering by the pool. There were many huge pillars here. She passed them one by one, but she couldn't see what she wanted to see.
Where, where?
Where are you?
Don't torture me anymore...Give me mercy once, Your Highness...Teresa almost cried in her heart.
"Beautiful lady, what are you looking for?" At this time, she heard a soft call not far away.
This voice seemed familiar to her.
She gently raised her head and slowly looked in the direction of the sound.
The dim light cast long shadows between the pillars, and within her line of sight, there were two more people in the shadows between the pillars and the steps.
The person standing in front was a young man. He was wearing casual clothes at the moment and looking at himself calmly.
Finally I saw it...
She only felt two tears rolling down her face.
"Scared!" Before Teresa could speak, the maid next to her let out a small scream.
"Calm down and don't make a sound!" Teresa grabbed the middle-aged woman's hand and looked at her sincerely, "I beg you...please don't interfere with my affairs, just for a moment. Otherwise...
...Otherwise I will never forgive you in my life!"
Perhaps moved by Teresa's pleading, perhaps shocked by her firm eyes, the maid closed her mouth and just looked at Teresa in shock, as if she didn't recognize her.
Teresa stopped caring about her, lifted up her skirt, and walked directly towards the young man.
Her steps were slow at first, but became faster and faster, and finally she seemed to be rushing forward.
The short distance quickly became nothing. Theresa rushed directly in front of the young man, and then hugged him regardless of her manners.
Her shoulder hit the young man's chest, but fortunately his strong body withstood the impact without shaking.
Teresa hugged the boy who almost became her fiancé tightly, and then her tears began to flow uncontrollably.
"You ask me what I'm looking for? I'm looking for a bad guy, Your Highness." She sobbed and said, "He...he has made me suffer so much!"
"Teresa, I'm sorry." The young man could only reply.
"Is it just that I'm sorry?" Teresa clenched her fists, gently hammered his shoulders, and cried aggrievedly.