Eagle’s Glory

With the arrival of morning light, Teresa stayed at the hotel and faced another joyless morning.

Because she had not been sleeping well recently, she got up later and later. It was not until about ten o'clock that she lazily walked 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 small pearls were put on her ears. earrings.

Teresa doesn't like heavy makeup, and because of her shy nature, her usual dress is not luxurious, but even so, the girl's youthful charm and inherent beauty make her look radiant.

Because of a series of recent events, there was always a sadness hidden in her eyes and thin eyebrows. However, this melancholy not only did not diminish her appearance, but made her even more charming for her age.

She really doesn't feel very good now.

After spending so much time to come to Rome, to visit the Empress Dowager Letizia, and by coincidence, I finally met His Highness's maid, but there is no way to know his current whereabouts. How can this not make people worry?

She had wanted to continue to press, 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 out of her mind. Although she knew that Letizia, as the former empress dowager, would not be worthless, she couldn't help worrying that she would be in vain again. , and lost the opportunity that was finally obtained.

Under such worries about gains and losses, her sleep quality has dropped again recently.

After finishing dressing, 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 could not fully accept the maid's compliments, she also felt that she was no worse than the girls of the same age she had seen at social gatherings.

However, they must be laughing at themselves secretly now... When she thought of this, Theresa became depressed again.

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 sympathetic or mocking, it was a hail of bullets that was unbearable 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, but all His Highness left her was a sincere but severing letter.

If it's just a cruel farewell, what's the point of being humble? It's just some meaningless patterns carved on the sharp blade, and it's the same pain when it pierces into the heart.

Although she has always maintained her strength and calmness in front of her parents, and even directly expressed her heart and persistence by directly burning letters, but when she is alone, especially when night falls, she will also There was tremendous confusion and fear.

God, where am I? And why are you insisting on it? 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 sky.

So she tried her best to find an answer.

"Your Highness, are you thinking about those unpleasant things again?" Maybe he felt that Her Royal Highness was in a trance,

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 not your own problem." The maid said angrily, "Your Highness, the storm of public opinion will pass, as long as it takes a while, everyone will Forget about these unpleasant things. With your beauty and talent, aren't you afraid that you won't find a good suitor? If he wants to mess with you, 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. 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 very late and there were not many people in the restaurant, Teresa took some toast and pastries to satisfy her hunger, and took the letter brought by the servant by the way.

This is Teresa's first time traveling abroad, so her parents are of course worried, and they will write to her from time to time, asking her how she is doing, and talking to her about family affairs by the way; and Teresa also earnestly asks her parents 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.

For the letter received this time, the signature on the envelope is that of his father, but it does not seem to be the envelope usually used at home—but this is not surprising, because my father sometimes needs to go to other places to perform royal duties, so when the mood comes, Teresa has long been used to writing letters to her mother and herself, often taking the envelopes and stationery around, telling her interesting things that happened to her.

She opened the envelope, opened it, and found that the letter contained some ordinary gossip, told herself to take care of her health, and suggested that she visit the famous monuments in Rome, draw some pictures and send them back to him. Look, for example, the leaving palace of Emperor Hadrian that he has always been fascinated by.

The content of the letter was very ordinary, so after reading it, Teresa had already figured out the wording of the reply.

She was not in the mood to travel, and she came to Rome mainly to meet Letizia; since she confirmed the whereabouts of the young man that day, she was even less interested in sightseeing.

These days, although she hastily wandered around Rome a few times and visited some monuments to pass the time, it was like a routine and did not bring her much fun.

But since her father has this suggestion, she is of course willing to cooperate.

Just as Teresa was about to continue eating, her hand stopped suddenly.

There was something odd about the letter—an idea flashed through her mind.

Then, she picked up the letter and read it carefully, and then felt that the words and sentences in the letter were not like her father's usual tone.

And the handwriting is also a bit strange. Although it looks decent, Teresa grew up with Grand Duke Karl and was used to seeing her father's handwriting. She just didn't pay attention because she was too preoccupied. But after concentrating, she It soon became clear that this letter was definitely not written by his father.

So this is a forged letter.

Who on earth wanted to forge such a letter and send it to him? What do you really want to express?

Teresa's heart was beating wildly, and she suddenly thought of that possibility.

Could it be that His Highness wrote it to himself?

The more she thought about it, the more she felt it was possible. After all, His Highness had visited her home more than once, and had seen his 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 guessed correctly, this is what His Highness wrote to me specially, inviting me to meet?

The ecstasy of excitement immediately made Teresa's breathing become short of breath.

She was about to get a perfect answer to the question that she had been worrying about for so many days, and she could hardly bear the joy.

Her hands trembled slightly, so the milk she originally picked up spilled out of the cup and landed on the red velvet tablecloth, leaving a few white marks.

Teresa, calm down! Calm down!

Teresa yelled to herself in her heart, then forcibly smoothed her messy breathing, put the glass down smoothly, and wiped the stains on the tablecloth with a handkerchief.

Everything is still just a guess at the moment, don't be too happy and lose your mind.

Then she calmly read the letter again.

This time she read 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 that you can draw better pictures in the historical sites of Li Palace. Let me see your progress. Finally Fortunately, the evening scene should have the most historical sense."

This seemingly casual sentence made Teresa's heart ache at this time, and she recalled too many things.

Then, she saw a few words in it, which were almost exactly the same as the words in the notes and letters he wrote to herself.

If there is only one doubt, it may be a coincidence, but if all the doubts are gathered together, it can only point to the only answer...

Yes, this is the letter His Highness wrote to me!

Teresa stuck the thin letter paper to her chest, and then slightly closed her eyes.

Yes, God didn't abandon me, and neither did His Highness... Everything I have paid is worthwhile after all.

"God, thank you, Grandma Letizia, thank you...Your Highness, thank you!" She repeated several times in her heart.

Of course, the important thing now is not gratitude and happiness, but rationality and action. After a brief vent, Teresa calmed down.

She looked around first to make sure that no one was paying special attention to her, then she put the letter back into the envelope with a calm face, and stuffed it into the pocket of her skirt.

Then, she finished her breakfast hastily, and then went back to her room. At this time, the maid had just cleaned their room.

"Your Highness, are you alright?" she asked uneasily, "Are you still angry with me?"

"Don't be angry anymore." Teresa shook her head, "Actually, I know that you are doing it for my own good... Sigh, I've been in a bad mood recently, so please don't take it to heart when I lost my composure to you just now .”

"Of course I won't take it to heart." The maid quickly waved her hand, "I'm also to blame for talking too much and offending you, as long as you calm down."

After the two reconciled, Teresa stopped talking and walked to her suitcase and started rummaging for things.

"What are you looking for?" asked the maid.

"I want to find my pencil and sketchbook." Teresa replied without turning her head. "I just received a letter from my father. He suggested that I go for a walk, and then told me about a project he had wanted 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 I will take time out of my busy schedule to write to you..." The maid sighed full of emotion, and then asked, "So 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 I can have time to look around and enjoy the beautiful scenery in the evening, it should be very beautiful."

"Then I'll go make arrangements for you." The maid didn't 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 are welcome, Your Highness. The task your mother entrusted to me is to accompany you out to relax. As long as your mood improves, I will be satisfied." The maid smiled and saluted, and then left.

After she left, Theresa breathed a sigh of relief, and then sat on the bed with the sketchbook she found.

Your Highness... I'm coming, you must wait for me, don't leave me again... She kept saying in her heart.

While she was waiting, the passage of time suddenly seemed to slow down. Teresa was anxious while paying attention to controlling her emotions not to show them, which turned into a torment.

Fortunately, the time finally came. Under the guidance of the maid, Teresa couldn't wait to get on the carriage, and then embarked on the journey to Hadrian's Palace.

After a period of driving, the carriage quickly arrived at the ancient ruins.

This is the villa of the ancient Roman Emperor Hadrian. He liked architecture and art. When he was traveling around the empire, he saw a building he liked, so he imitated it in the palace and then remodeled it. During his 20-year rule, this palace was transformed into a large complex of buildings, which were exquisite and luxurious.

However, after various changes in history, the Roman Empire perished, and this once gorgeous palace became a ruined monument, leaving only the marble buildings and colonnade sculptures remaining here, telling people about the former glory of the empire. .

Teresa wandered among the architectural ruins, passing between palaces, pavilions and fish ponds.

If it was normal, she would feel a lot of emotion and appreciate the beauty of ancient Roman art, but now, all her attention has been focused on other places.

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 looking for scenes to draw, and she had to endure the anxiety in her heart. She almost felt like she was going to explode.

At this time, the time had come to the evening, and patches of glow appeared in the western sky, and the Huoshaoyun was reflected in the pool water, making the originally emerald green pool water suddenly a little 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?

Stop torturing me...Give me mercy, 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 and looking at himself calmly.

Finally I saw it...

She only felt two tears rolling down her face.

"Scared!" Before Theresa could speak, the maid next to her let out a small scream.

"Calm down, don't make a sound!" Teresa grabbed the middle-aged woman's hand, and then looked at her sincerely, "I beg you... please don't interfere with my affairs, just for a while. Otherwise... ...Otherwise I will never forgive you in my life!"

Perhaps moved by Teresa's pleading, or shocked by her firm eyes, the maid closed her mouth and just looked at Teresa in astonishment, as if she didn't recognize her anymore.

Theresa 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 zero - Teresa 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 tears began to flow uncontrollably.

"You ask me what I'm looking for? I'm looking for a bad guy, Your Highness." She sobbed, "He...he 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.