Damian's Secret
Valeria had been preparing a surprise for Diego for weeks. Her fiancé's birthday and his coming-of-age party were just around the corner, and she wanted to dazzle him with something special that night. It was not easy to surprise the heir to the throne, but Valeria was no ordinary young woman: she knew that with ingenuity she could leave him breathless.
She had secretly visited one of the best dressmakers in the Empire of the Rose, who was already crafting a delicate set of silk and lace lingerie for her. She wanted that first official night as adults, amidst celebrations and court expectations, to also hold an intimate memory that was theirs alone.
Although they already shared intimacy regularly, Valeria had never shown Diego even a tenth of what she knew about the art of love. She had been patient, letting the relationship grow little by little, but now she wished to take a step further. Not only as a woman in love, but as the future Princess Consort.
Diego, for his part, had spent weeks with his mind divided between the bliss of having her by his side and the anguish of not being able to sleep with her every night. There were occasions when sleep would overcome him, but he always woke in the middle of the night instinctively searching for the warmth of Valeria's body. When he did not find her, insomnia dominated him. He had discovered that watching her sleep was what brought him the most peace in the world.
But it was not only love that occupied his mind. He was also worried about his younger brother, Damian. Despite his meddling character and the fact that he used to stick his nose into everyone's business, the boy had become more reserved in recent weeks. He trained with iron discipline, spent long hours performing various activities, and when anyone tried to ask him what was wrong, he responded with clever evasions before disappearing from the conversation.
Diego, unable to ignore this, shared his concern with Valeria.
"I am worried about Damian," he confessed one night while they walked through the gardens. "He is different, as if he were carrying a weight he cannot share. And if I try to talk to him, he dodges it."
Valeria, sensitive to the suffering of others, did not hesitate to offer help. If she could relieve a burden for Diego, it would also be a relief for her.
The following day she began to follow Damian discreetly. She discovered that, indeed, he repeated almost always the same routines. But there was something strange in his gaze, an air of melancholy that accompanied him even in the hardest training sessions. For days she watched him without him realizing it, until finally the truth was revealed… though not as she expected.
One afternoon, Damian felt that someone was following him. It was not easy to deceive him: his instinct was too sharp. Feigning indifference, he turned down a lonely corridor and hid behind a column. When the silhouette of his pursuer appeared, he unsheathed a dagger and placed it firmly against the stranger's neck.
What he did not know was that under the dark cloak and the hood that concealed half the face, was Valeria. She had decided to cover herself to avoid being recognized if she were discovered.
"Who are you?" the young man demanded, his voice hard.
Valeria, with surprising calm, responded:
"It is I… could you lower the dagger? If your brother discovers that you almost slit my throat, he would not hesitate to kill you."
The young woman's composure bewildered him. Few people maintained their serenity when faced with a weapon.
"Valeria?" he asked with incredulity, slowly lowering the dagger. "What the hell are you doing here? Were you following me?"
"Yes," she admitted truthfully, "but allow me to explain, your Highness."
"What? Just because you are my brother's fiancée, do you think you have the right to meddle in my life?"
"Lower your voice, dear," she replied firmly. "I am not here to invade your privacy, but to help you."
"No one can help me," Damian said with a bitter sigh. "Believe me, I have tried."
Valeria observed him closely. Behind that proud facade was a tormented boy.
"You are going to tell me everything," she insisted. "And we shall see if I can help you or not. Even if I have not yet married your brother, I have always been part of this family."
He hesitated for a few seconds, but finally nodded.
"All right… but promise me you will not judge me."
"I would never do such a thing," Valeria assured him. "Come with me; there are too many prying ears here."
They headed to the young woman's room. There, at a small table by the window, Clara, the faithful maid, awaited them. Seeing the tension in the atmosphere, she prepared tea in silence.
"Thank you, Clara," Valeria said softly. "Leave everything and watch so that no one enters."
The maid obeyed, though she could not hide the curiosity generated by seeing Prince Damian locked away alone with her mistress.
Once alone, Valeria poured him a cup and motioned for him to speak. Damian took a breath, as if needing to gather courage.
"It all began five months ago," he said in a low voice. "I saw her in the library. She was reading, and I do not know what that book contained, but her cheeks were flushed and she was biting her lip with such intensity that I was left breathless. That image… it marked me."
Valeria listened intently, without interrupting.
"Upon noticing my presence, she closed the book and fled. But I was already lost. I began going to the library every day in the hope of finding her, and she was always there, immersed in her reading. One day I gathered my courage and spoke to her. Her name is Diana."
The name remained suspended in the air like a forbidden sigh.
"Diana told me that her family did not treat her well and that her father planned to betroth her to Marquis Floren, a man of forty years. And she is barely sixteen!" Damian's eyes burned with indignation. "She was desperate. She confessed to me that she did not want to surrender her purity to that old man, that she dreamed of experiencing what it was to love and be loved before that cruel fate."
He brought his hands to his face, trying to hide his distress.
"I only wanted to console her, to give her strength. But then she kissed me. And in that instant… everything changed."
Valeria understood. The young prince had fallen into a whirlwind of emotions impossible to control.
"I fell in love," he continued with a breaking voice. "We gave ourselves to each other with the intensity of those who know that time is running out for them. They were the most beautiful months of my life, but also the most painful. Because recently a letter arrived from her family. In a month, after classes end, she must marry Marquis Floren."
He looked down, defeated.
"I begged her that we flee together, I told her I could protect her, that I would speak with my father, that I would pay her family's debt. But she refused. She says that if she does not marry, her father will force another of her sisters, even younger, to take her place. And if none accept, they will lose all their properties because they already signed documents with the Marquis."
Valeria gripped the cup tightly in her hands. The injustice was suffocating.
"She says she loves me," Damian continued, "but she does not want to fight for us. And I no longer know what to do. I am frustrated, torn… I feel like I lose her a little more every day."
Silence filled the room, broken only by the soft pitter-patter of rain against the windowpanes. Valeria looked at him with tenderness. Damian, so proud and haughty, now showed himself vulnerable, with his heart laid bare.
Valeria knew that this story was not just a youthful whim. The glint in Damian's eyes spoke of a true love, but one condemned by the chains of ambition and the debts of an unscrupulous baron.
She did not yet have a solution, but she did have a certainty: she would not allow Diego's brother to consume himself in silence.
She leaned toward him and, with a firm voice, declared:
"We will fight together, Damian. I will not let you carry this burden alone."
The young man looked up, surprised.
"Do you truly mean that?"
"Of course. What they are doing to Diana and her sisters is an injustice. And I do not intend to stay idle while you crumble inside."
For the first time in weeks, Damian sketched a weak smile.
"Thank you, Valeria… I never thought anyone could understand me."
She looked at him with determination. She knew the battle ahead would be difficult, and that perhaps it would put her position at court at risk. But she also knew that, as the future Princess of the Empire of the Rose, she had to be brave.
Because love, in any of its forms, always deserved to be defended.