Remember This Face.

The sun had not yet risen above the horizon, and Lena was already lying on the bed and looking at the gray ceiling. The last conversation with Richard deprived her of rest and sleep, and she could not sleep a wink all night.

He said that starting from today, she would be having lunch in the common dining room. Does this mean Daniel could be there too? These thoughts made the girl's heart calm down a bit. Every time she was thinking about his eyes and smile, the fear holding her down immediately retreated. Heat began to spread all over the body as if even the image of this young man was like the sun. Her personal sun.

Lena turned over on her side and covered her face with her hands, trying to hide from her own embarrassment. 'You fool, you saw him only once, what are you thinking about?' Such feelings were new to her. But the lack of experience did not prevent her from understanding what it really was.

Perhaps, this knowledge was laid on a genetic level in a human being? Maybe that's why she immediately understood everything as soon as she saw him? These thoughts began to spin in the girl's head, and she herself did not notice how she closed her eyes.

The first rays of the sun began to break through the dim glass, gradually dispersing the darkness in a gray and cold room. The darkness that crept into the girl's heart also began to go away. Lena fell asleep with the hope that today she would be able to see him again. At least just one more time.

. . .

The dining room was bright because it had the stained glass windows, through which the sun's rays were coming inside and creating an atmosphere of comfort and warmth. It was so different from that little cell where she and Polina lived, that as soon as Lena came inside, she thought that she had fallen into another reality.

Everything looked very cozy, which caused the girl to feel nauseous. Just as if you go hungry for a long time and then immediately eat a lot of food, the body will not sustain such a load. The appearance of this room, despite the outward hospitality, seemed unnatural to the girl. As if it was some kind of mockery of their state of mind.

Lena glanced around the dining tables at which other people were sitting. By their appearance, it was clear that most of them were prisoners like her. Someone was older, someone was younger, and there were even very little children. But some people were different from most of those present.

Their clothes were not catchy but were neat. By their outlook, they also looked much better, as if the hardship of work was a novelty for them. The prisoners were sitting at the tables in small groups, and in each such group, there was a person standing out among them.

Lena began to peer at each face, each time she felt the sadness fill her heart. She has waited for this opportunity with so much hope, but Daniel was not among those present.

The girl sighed heavily. Well, apparently, her desire was not included in the plans of the reality which she was in.

"Hello! Are you new?" Lena turned around and saw a young man next to her. He had the same blond hair and blue eyes, like Richard's, but unlike the latter, this guy didn't seem wicked.

He smiled, noticing the girl's slight confusion, "My name is Armand. Armand Taubert, I am the son of the commandant of the castle. You're probably new here. Who do you live in the room with?"

"With Polina," Lena replied.

The young man's eyes immediately gleamed, "Ah, with Polina. Come, I'll take you to her. You will be in her group. At the moment, there is one more person besides her and you, but he is not there yet," Armand said and led Lena to the necessary table.

The girl noticed that as soon as she uttered the name of Polina, the young man's face lit up with undisguised joy. And the closer they were approaching to the table where Polina was sitting, the wider the smile on his face was.

Lena barely held herself from giggling. This guy was like an open book. Well, it was not surprising, considering that even Lena considered her neighbor to be incredibly beautiful, albeit too silent.

"Polina, hello. I brought your neighbor... emm... " Armand turned to Lena with a bewildered look.

"Lena, my name is Lena," the girl immediately replied, realizing why the guy was so hesitant.

Armand nodded, thanking the girl, and continued, "Lena will be in your group. So look after her until she is comfortable, okay?"

Polina nodded and smiled at Armand in response. This was the first time Lena saw such emotions on the face of her neighbor. She usually looked calm and unemotional, but as soon as this guy came to her area of vision, the girl seemed to blossom.

Lena watched as the couple looked at each other. 'Hmm, everything is so obvious,' she thought and sat down at the table to begin her dinner. Since the stomach began to give unequivocal hints that it was hungry.

Armand said that he had to leave for a short while on business and left the girls at the table together. But less than five minutes, he returned and sat down next to them. Polina got tense immediately. Lena noticed an unusual reaction of the girl but said nothing.

Armand threw a glance at Polina, who was looking at her plate and trying not to pay attention to him. Then he looked at Lena and began to scan her intently. The girl felt that something was wrong, but could not understand what it was.

The young man did not take his eyes off her for about two minutes, and then leaned over and said in a whispering voice, "And you are quite a candy. Maybe we can get to know each other closer?" He pointedly licked his lip and winked.

Lena did not expect this and dropped the spoon. 'What the hell is this guy saying? Does he have a split personality?'

The young man laughed out loud, which attracted the attention of all those sitting in the dining room. "Ahaha, what a funny reaction. I haven't laughed like that for a long time," he turned to Lena and pointed his finger at his face, "Listen here, new girl. Remember this face carefully, every dash of it. Because most of all I do not like being confused with my brother. So remember carefully what Marcus Taubert looks like. This can make your little life last a bit longer, even if only for a short time," the young man explained and grinned wickedly.

"Your fantasy is enough only to scare girls?" A question came from the side, and Lena turned around.

She thought that her heart was about to explode, it began to pound so hard. The one she wanted to see was standing in front of her. It was Daniel himself.

"Hmm, Daniel, what do you know! I really thought that you finally popped off the hooks, but no. Still alive," Marcus answered with annoyance.

"I do not plan to give you this pleasure, Marcus," Daniel replied, and sat down at the table opposite Lena. His eyes immediately caught the attention of the girl. He smiled, and his smile, like a warm sun, warmed Lena's heart.

"Hello. Enjoy the meal," Daniel said, not taking his eyes off the girl.

"Uhmm.. Hi. Thank you, you too" Lena answered, stumbling slightly and looking away. 'Enjoy your food? Yeah, right. Damn, I worry so much that I don't know how to continue eating,' she put the spoon on the table and bit off a slice of bread.

Marcus watched this picture and did not utter a word. He grinned and began to stare at Polina again, which made the poor girl forget how to breathe.

"Marcus? What are you doing here?" Armand turned to his brother since he did not expect to meet him in the dining room.

"Well, nothing much, I'm waiting for Richard to be free, so I decided to watch our little rabbits while there is time."

"Watch your mouth," Armand replied irritably. He did not like his brother's attitude towards the people in the castle.

"Ugh, how boring you are, little brother," he rose from his chair, waved his hand, and left.

"Excuse me," Armand apologized for the behavior of his brother and sat down for lunch with the others. The guys did not answer. Lena looked at Armand and thought that this man, apparently, was a stranger among his own people. These twins looked like two drops of water, but their aura was absolutely different.

She looked from Armand to the young man sitting opposite. But she didn't expect to see his eyes right there.

Daniel was looking at her with a look full of warmth. And the more closely he looked at her, the more she wanted this moment to last as long as possible.