A lot

The guards quickly surrounded Isabella, but none of them dared to get too close. When Isabella turned towards us, I saw her expression, and I noticed something unexpected. Isabella's face wasn't angry... it was sad. Her tearful eyes surprised me, and I felt a sense of pity for her.

Undoubtedly, this woman didn't need my pity... at least not now, but after everything that had happened, I was sure she wasn't a bad person. She walked towards us and took me from Emilia's arms, holding me in her own. While Emilia followed us, Isabella quickly left the scene. At that moment, Fiona's relieved expression made me angry, and I realized who my first enemy in this world was.

°°°

Isabella entered her palace and went into her room. Every queen had her own palace, and although these palaces weren't as large as the central palace, they were quite majestic in architecture. The interior decor matched Isabella perfectly, with a harmony of red and black colors.

Isabella was still holding me tightly in her arms, as if she found solace in me, and frankly it didn't bother me. She entered the room and placed me on the couch. She stayed in the bathroom for about five minutes, and when she came out, her eyes were red and swollen. It was clear that she had just had an intense crying session.

Frankly, I was involuntarily curious about what had happened to Isabella's son. Even though I wanted to learn the details of what upset Isabella so much, it wasn't possible right now. Suddenly, the door opened, and a little girl walked in. The little girl was about 4 or 5 years old, and she had a smile that could brighten anyone's day. The red eyes showed whose daughter she was, but unlike her mother, she had golden hair. She looked very sweet with her cute yellow shoes and black dress.

"Mommy!" she shouted in a sweet voice and jumped into Isabella's arms.

Isabella's expression changed instantly, and she regained her enchanting smile. After hugging for a while, the little girl separated from her mother and her eyes met mine for a moment. But when she looked back at her mother's face, she obviously noticed the dried tears and turned to her with a concerned expression before asking anything about me.

"Mom, have you been crying again?"

Isabella tried to comfort her little girl with a slight smile on her sweet face. "No, dear, I'm just a bit tired," she said. The little girl wanted to believe her mother's words, but she also saw the pain hidden in Isabella's eyes. It was clear that Isabella had shed more tears than she could hide from her little girl.

"Liar! But don't worry, one day I'll grow strong and kick the butts of everyone who makes you cry" she said, and I made a special effort not to burst out laughing when I heard this.

From the outside, it looked like the little girl was the mother.

"Where do you learn these words?" Isabella asked, trying to put on an angry expression.

But when the door opened again, mother and daughter looked at it. Emilia entered and immediately sat next to me. 'I think she is still in pain' I thought.

The little girl looked at me and walked towards me. "Who are you?" she asked in her sweet voice.

"Are you my brother?!"

I blinked at the little girl; her sweet-faced and brave energy impressed me. Isabella paused for a moment, not knowing what to say, but then turned to her little girl.

"Yes," she said gently, "He is Luciana's son, so he is your step brother, Ethan."

The little girl's face lit up with joy, and dimples appeared on her cheeks. "Great! Me too, Irina. Then I'll show you everything. There are amazing hiding places in the palace and secret passages that mom doesn't know about."

Isabella looked at her daughter with a slight smile, but the pain in her eyes was still evident. Holding her daughter's hand, she carried me in her arms, and we stepped out of the room with Emilia following us. As we passed through the corridors, the grandeur of the palace once again amazed me. The girl's cheerfulness warmed my heart, even in the shadow of Isabella's sorrow.

Later, I heard a voice rising at the main entrance of the palace, and Isabella must have heard it too, because she walked towards it. As we got closer, I realized the voice belonged to my mother. Isabella carried me down the stairs and saw Luciana. When Luciana saw me in Isabella's arms, she could no longer control her anger and punched her way through the guards who tried to calm her down. Guards were thrown into the air and I was shocked, as I had never imagined my mother to possess such strength. 'Do women in this world have special powers?', I wondered involuntarily.

"Calm down, Luci. I'm not crazy enough to harm your son" Isabella said, frowning.

Luciana, climbing the stairs angrily, responded, "Then why did you take him from my room?"

"I didn't take him! I just found him playing with flowers in the garden... Don't do anything foolish, Luci." Isabella said.

"First, give me my son", Luciana demanded.

Isabella gently handed me to my mother. "Now, Emilia, where were you while all this was happening?" she asked, giving Emilia a stern look.

"It's not her fault. Most likely, Ethan jumped into the garden himself, and Emilia is currently on her special day..." Isabella explained.

"Anyway, we'll talk later, Emilia. And you!" Luciana turned to Isabella again. "Don't ever go near my son again! I won't be responsible for what happens otherwise."

"I'm not a monster, sister. I just want to spend time with my stepson" Isabella said, but Luciana only gave her a stern look.

"He is my son, and you're right, you're not a monster. You're worse" she said, turning and heading down the stairs. But when someone held her skirt, she turned angrily.

"What?..."

"You can't talk to my mom like that! She's the best mom in the world for me! Got it?!" the little girl responded with a stern expression, but she paused when she noticed her mother's firm grip on her hand.

Luciana took a deep breath and, without taking her eyes off Isabella daughter, spoke in a soft but determined voice, "I have no problem with your mom. But remember, Ethan is my son, and his safety comes before anything else for me."

The little girl's eyes welled up, but she nodded without letting go of her mother's hand. I saw a momentary softening in Luciana's eyes. However, there was no such softening in Isabella's eyes. In her eyes, there was still deep pain and helplessness.

Isabella took a step closer to Luciana and whispered, "Luci, the thought of harming Ethan never even crossed my mind. But ultimately, he is your son, and so I will respect your wish and stay away from Ethan. However, I think you should be more concerned about Fiona, not me."

Luciana hesitated, and for a moment, I saw a hint of guilt in her eyes. She took a deep breath and then spoke again. "We can talk about this later, Isabella. Right now, I need to make sure my son is safe." Isabella nodded slightly and stepped aside for Luciana.

Holding me tightly, Luciana walked down the stairs towards the door, with Emilia following us. Isabella picked up her little girl and took a deep breath. The little girl looked at her mother's face and asked, "Mom, did you cry a lot?" Isabella stroked her daughter's hair and said, "Sometimes, crying is good, dear. But I'm very lucky to have a strong girl like you."