⚠️ WARNING ⚠️
This chapter may contain romantic scenes in a
historical context. The author does not intend to
create shock value with any sensitive topic 💓
🕯️ Everything here is fiction; discretion is advised.
🖋️ AUTHOR'S NOTE 🧐🍷
🎉 Thank you all for reading! 🙏 Sorry for my absence,
I've been away for a while. From now on, I'll be posting
chapters here four times a week 🗓️, so I can also
take a little break. Although just this once, I'll try
to post up to five or six times a week. 💪📚 Let's continue the story! 😄✨
La nona was preparing breakfast and lunch.
The warm aroma of duck rice spread through the kitchen,
mixing with the juicy smell of freshly made pork sandwiches.
After everything they had been through, they just wanted
a peaceful moment.
Helena had been the one to plan
this special day for Teodoro.
Without even realizing it, her eyes shone
with a mix of excitement and contained joy.
As she arranged the blankets and the basket, La nona
watched her silently.
She didn't know if it was the way Helena's clothes
captivated her, so hypnotizing and beautiful,
or the warmth of her being.
She thought of only one thing:
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Helena has a
delicacy I've never seen in any other woman.
When she walks, she looks like an angel. Why?
Supposedly these people have no class."
While La nona was thinking that,
Helena adjusted Teodoro's hat and tie.
"Where are we going?" Teodoro asked, curious
and nervous.
"I have a surprise for you," Helena said, smiling.
"I talked it over with La nona."
She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.
Teodoro felt his cheeks burn immediately.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine, okay?
We're just going to a special place, don't be scared."
La nona checked the list of everything they would take.
They held Teodoro's hand and walked toward the square.
Every step Teodoro took was filled with fascination.
He listened to sounds he had never heard before:
the whistle of the trains,
the echo of a trumpet resonating in the distance.
The crowd, the noise, and new smells surrounded him.
It was the first time he had gone so far from home.
He held Helena's hand tightly, seeking comfort.
Every glance at her made him blush more.
He didn't understand how something as simple as a kiss
could make his heart race so fast.
The tram moved slowly.
Teodoro held Helena's hand firmly.
"Everything is so big… and noisy… I don't know where to look"
The wheels screeched on the rails.
The train whistles tickled his ears.
The smell of freshly baked bread came through the window.
Teodoro closed his eyes for a moment, smiling weakly.
"Calm down," Helena whispered.
"Everything is fine. Nothing will happen. Just enjoy the ride."
Just hearing her voice made Teodoro's cheeks burn.
"Calm down, Teodoro, this is not the time to imagine anything"
The city passed by through the windows.
People walking, vendors shouting, and sunlight streaming in.
Every sound was new, exciting, confusing.
La nona watched him carefully,
but she trusted Helena. She knew the young man was safe.
"We'll soon arrive at Jardim da Estrela," Helena said.
"Will we eat there?" Teodoro asked, curious and shy.
"Yes, we can rest and enjoy a bit there."
Teodoro took a deep breath, feeling his heart race.
"I wonder what Lisbon will look like…"
They planned to spend the day together,
eat something in a pretty place.
They brought drinks, fruits,
a French dish from La nona, breads and sandwiches.
Also extra money, in case they wanted to buy something outside.
Their destination: Jardim da Estrela.
Upon arriving, the warm sun filtered through the trees,
and a cool shade covered the family.
La nona was excited.
It had been a long time since she shared something like this.
"Who better than little Teodoro?"
"I've been planning this for weeks, it's not healthy
for him to stay home all day."
She leaned toward Helena and whispered in her ear:
"Be careful, Helena. Watch Teodoro, don't take long."
Helena nodded, understanding, and stepped away for a moment.
"Wait here, Teodoro, okay?" she said.
"I have to go to the address La nona gave me.
It's for a gift for you."
Teodoro didn't want her to leave.
Without La nona noticing, Helena gave him another kiss.
"Wait here, okay?"
Teodoro became immediately anxious.
Though he felt safe with La nona, he wasn't calm
knowing Helena wasn't beside him.
"Teodoro, what's wrong?"
"When will Helena come back?" he asked.
La nona looked at him, intrigued.
"Why are you worried about her?"
"No, I'm not worried about anyone," Teodoro replied.
"I just don't like that she's over there. She might get lost."
La nona, with dry firmness, answered:
"Please, she's a young girl and a woman.
How could she get lost in this place?
Besides, I gave her an exact location.
Please, Teodoro, don't think badly."
"Okay, okay…" he murmured.
However, when Helena returned,
she brought something that surprised everyone.
Teodoro smiled genuinely,
something that hadn't happened in years.
A few weeks ago, he had been depressed:
his father's comments, the isolation,
everything had left him dim and dull.
But lately, La nona noticed something.
The connection between Helena and Teodoro
was different, luminous.
As if Helena's mere existence lit up his smile.
"Helena!" Teodoro shouted,
then immediately covered his mouth,
not wanting La nona to notice
how worried he was about her.
La nona smiled with a hint of mischief.
"Well, you're young, it makes sense.
Don't worry, I won't tell Helena.
But I'm surprised you have these tastes, young Teodoro."
"Well…" he sighed, "it makes sense.
You're not seeing her. If you saw her face,
you wouldn't be so worried about her."
But Teodoro didn't think that way.
"It's not that… she's the answer to everything
I ever wanted since I was a child."
Helena carried a couple of cookies,
meringue treats, and coffee
from a shop La nona had recommended
near the park.
La nona started joking:
"Hey, Helena, did you know young Teodoro
has been very worried about you?"
"Yes," Helena said, smiling.
"I'm new to this.
It makes sense that young Teodoro worries about me, right?"
Teodoro turned as red as a tomato.
He didn't know what to say.
After breakfast, La nona and Helena packed their things
and got up to go to a bookstore.
Helena and Teodoro wanted to explore the prologues,
discover which ones interested them most, which ones
they would like to have.
All thanks to La nona's generous pocket.
Seeing Teodoro frustrated for damaging a couple of books,
La nona decided to buy him four.
"If I buy more than four, I'll go bankrupt, frankly," she said.
Excited, Teodoro chose:
"The Lord of the Rings" — J. R. R. Tolkien,
"The Chronicles of Narnia" — C. S. Lewis,
"Gulliver's Travels" — Jonathan Swift.
"The Miserables" — Victor Hugo,
and "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" — Jules Verne.
He was delighted.
Helena couldn't help feeling happy seeing him smile.
His shyness didn't take away that light, like a ray of sun.
"Tell me, Teodoro," Helena asked softly.
"What kinds of stories do you like the most?"
"I like… journeys, distant worlds, adventures…" he whispered.
Helena gently took his hand:
"Then follow me."
She led him to a shelf she knew he would love.
Teodoro touched the books, fascinated by every texture,
while Helena softly described the titles.
For a moment, the world shrank to that touch and that voice.
La nona paid and accompanied them back.
At home, there were no books like these.
Listening to the prologues, Teodoro was captivated,
not knowing which one to start with, but happy
to feel each story.
Helena said softly:
"Don't worry, I'll read them to you when we get home."
La nona watched him tenderly.
She didn't see it as something romantic,
but as a friendly bond.
It was as if Helena were
an older sister to Teodoro,
from her perspective.
La nona left them again in the park.
They had a little snack, lunch,
and La nona clarified three things…
First, that Helena would take care of Teodoro.
Believe it or not, Helena had already earned La nona's trust.
And this was due to three reasons.
Helena's clothing explained a lot.
It was classic, elegant, almost celestial,
as if it had been carved by angels themselves.
It had a hypnotic effect
and a fragrance that seemed to rise from her skin.
Even the most distrustful person
could trust her without understanding why.
That angelic gift had served him well,
without having to do much, really.
La nona said,
"I'll be right back. I'm going to drop off this document,
and after that, we'll head home, okay?
There you can read the books to Teodoro."
"Young Teodoro, I won't do anything reckless."
"Take care of Teodoro, Helena," she added.
"Okay, ma'am," Helena replied.
"And please, take care of yourself too."
"Don't talk to any strangers, alright?"
Helena nodded.
It was the first time she noticed
that La nona cared about her.
La nona hurried off.
She trusted Helena, yes,
but like any older woman,
she didn't trust even those she trusted.
A contradiction very much of her time.
As soon as she left, Teodoro insisted:
"Helena, please, just one book. Just one."
"Sorry, young Teodoro, but no," she said.
"How mean you are," he replied, pretending to be angry.
Helena smiled.
"Wow, you're so excited to read these books.
Honestly, I don't see that much magic in them."
But seeing his face, she sighed.
"Alright, calm down…
Why are you so fascinated by books?
I don't want to judge, but… you're blind."
"It's not like you could read them," she added.
Teodoro lowered his head.
"There was a time when I could read,"
he continued in a soft voice.
Helena looked at him silently.
"My mom taught me to read.
She told me many stories."
"In fact, my name is Teodoro
after an author she liked.
From his book 'La señora Cornelia' by Miguel de Cervantes."
"She said I was like that young man,
that gentleman… but I'm nothing like him."
He said it with discouragement.
Helena observed his face.
She saw the pain hidden behind his voice.
"Helena, I don't know what to tell you.
It's horrible not to see anything.
I once knew the world,
and now I don't know it."
"The worst part is my mom… I don't know what happened to her.
She's supposed to be in a hospital.
I should visit her,
but La nona says I shouldn't."
"I think she's hiding something from me," he whispered.
"Please, don't tell her, okay?
Don't tell her I told you this."
Helena said gently,
"Keep talking."
She spoke in a calm voice,
as if trying to console him without words.
Teodoro took a deep breath.
"I love books because they were my only contact
with a world beyond my home."
"Reading was seeing.
And now I only hear echoes of the world I lost."
Teodoro lowered his head.
"I've never seen anything of this world," he murmured.
"And it bothers me because I walk through it
without knowing whether it's beautiful or not."
He began to hyperventilate.
"I don't know why mom gave me a name like Teodoro.
I have nothing of a gentleman.
I'm small, blind… and my father says the same."
"How could I be someone like that?"
Tears came back. It was normal for him.
He was a melancholic boy.
"I miss mom…" he whispered.
"You have no idea how much I miss her.
I just want her to tell me if she abandoned me or if…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
He felt an arm brush against his waist.
And another hand cupped his cheek.
Delicate hands.
He had felt that warmth before,
but now those hands touched his lips.
Helena was consoling him with a kiss.
The world stopped.
Teodoro hadn't expected that reaction.
Leaves floated,
birds sang as if celebrating a new love.
"You've said enough," Helena said, trembling.
"Don't say that. Your mother might come back.
Okay? Don't say that, Teodoro.
Don't cry. I don't like seeing you cry."
"I've seen you like this before,
and it hurts," she continued.
"Listen to me, I… I'll read your book
when we get home.
And I'll read it as much as you want, okay?"
"And… I'm sorry. I don't know why I did that.
It's just… I… I don't… I don't…"
Teodoro, trying to break the silence, whispered,
"Did you kiss me?"
Helena was speechless.
Her mind was a whirlwind.
"What the hell did I just do, my God?"
"I got carried away! I was crying! I just wanted to console him!"
"Why… why did I kiss him?"
Her heart raced.
"Calm down, Helena. It was just an impulse."
"No, there's no excuse. He's fourteen! I'm eighteen!"
"What do I do, my God?"
As her mind was breaking,
Teodoro noticed she was hyperventilating.
His heart was racing too.
And he… wasn't better.
Both were as red as tomatoes.
They kept total silence.
Helena kept thinking over and over:
"He didn't like it… he didn't like it…"
*"Control your impulses, Helena.
This never happened to you before… well, yes, but…"
"You've kissed many men, why are you shaking now?"
Meanwhile, Teodoro drifted away.
His mind floated far.
"An angel on a little cart…"
"Traveling through space… among stars named María and Antonia…"
"And the sun asks me: 'Teodoro, answer me…'"
He woke from the daydream.
In front of him, Helena stammered:
"Sorry… I… I didn't… I didn't…"
Teodoro interrupted,
"No, no… it's okay.
I… I didn't dislike it."
He paused, with a slight blush.
"In fact… I think I liked it."
Helena was speechless.
Teodoro too.
Both were stiffer than a stone.
Still, they sensed it might not have been so bad.
Teodoro clumsily reached for Helena's shoulders.
Helena understood what he was seeking.
This time, the approach was slow, gentle.
They allowed themselves to enjoy the moment.
Their intimate worlds collided.
Then Helena pulled Teodoro away sharply:
"Wait, please, wait," she said, panting.
"Calm down, okay? Nonas could arrive at any moment."
"Please, don't tell…," Helena murmured.
"Of course not," Teodoro replied.
"If you don't say it, why would I?"
While whispering, they saw La nona.
"Kids, I already delivered the letter, let's go home,"
she announced.
Both squeaked like frightened mice.
They fell silent at the same time:
"Yes, let's go home," they said.
On the way, they remained a bit distant.
The silence between them was strange, piercing.
To break it, Helena said as they entered:
"Well, we're here. Which book do you want me to read?"
Teodoro, pretending to be normal, said,
"Uh… Jules Verne. Yes, I want Jules Verne."
"Yes, that's the name," she confirmed. "Of course."
La nona didn't understand a thing.
They entered, had dinner, and tidied up.
Helena mopped the floor before sitting to read.
La nona stayed in a chair, listening.
Helena read the prologue and the first chapter.
Around nine, La nona fell asleep.
Teodoro whispered softly:
"Helena, I…" he began.
"Don't say anything," she cut him off.
"Do you want me to keep reading?"
"No," he said. "My mind… sorry, Helena.
I distracted you. Sorry."
Helena smiled at him tenderly:
"You know? I think you really are a prince."
Teodoro lifted his face, surprised.
"Me?" he murmured.
"You look like one, speak like one, act like one."
"I am… how do you say? Commoner," she laughed softly.
"So don't worry about what happened, okay?"
"Yes," Teodoro replied timidly.
"Are you going to sleep now?" asked Helena.
"Yes," he said, already lying down.
When Helena said goodbye, Teodoro tugged
at the hem of her dress, as if asking for more.
She knew what he meant: to get closer.
She leaned in, cupped his cheeks, and kissed his forehead.
Teodoro felt his heart race.
"See you tomorrow, Teodoro," she whispered.
She woke La nona:
"Teodoro is going to sleep now, get up," she said.
"Ah, yes, yes, see you tomorrow, young Teodoro,"
she replied, giving him a quick kiss on the forehead,
their daily ritual.
La nona went to bed.
Helena asked for tea before going upstairs.
"Please, organize and clean tomorrow," La nona told her.
Helena went upstairs with the tea but couldn't sleep.
Teodoro couldn't either.
"What was that? What are we now?" thought Helena.
"What if everything changed last night?" she repeated.
Teodoro stared at the ceiling, motionless.
"I love books… I think it's not so bad." he whispered to himself.
No matter how much he lay in bed, he couldn't sleep.
He was too restless.
Helena, meanwhile, held the teapot trembling in her hands,
lit by a single candle.
Her room had changed. Letters, drawings, and books piled up.
She had worked so hard to make Teodoro feel the magic
of reading again.
Still, she couldn't sleep.
As she sipped her tea, she kept thinking about her recklessness.
"Why did I do that? Now I won't be able to face him…
I'm so stupid."
She brought a hand to her forehead.
"Lord, what do I have to do? Oh, my God…"
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Galton was right.
I'm supposed to take care of him, not fall in love with him…"
"What is it that I like about Teodoro? I don't understand…
Yes, he's handsome, but… why am I drawn to him from the start?
I can't think when he's near.
I just want to spoil him, protect him."
"Could this be love? I think I ruined everything."
Helena looked at one of the letters she would never send to her mother,
a venting letter to express how much she missed her.
"What is it that I like about Teodoro?"
"I have to be more careful next time.
I'm here to protect the Holy of Ice.
That's what I must do."
"I don't know if this is allowed…
I'll just let things happen."
She sighed, blew out the candle, and lay back in bed.
But her mind and heart kept beating,
against each other, for hours.
She knew what she felt. She had felt it before,
but never as intensely as today.
She didn't know what to say, nor what to think.
She stared at the ceiling, wishing to sleep,
but the sound of her heart was a drum
beating for the boy across the room.
Teodoro was the same, eyes still open.
Helena covered her face with her hands and murmured,
"Shit…"