Alfred

Two months had passed since the beginning of the young king's reign. Alfred was twenty-one, but he already ruled over a huge country. He had triplets, but their mother died in childbirth. From then on, his life changed forever.

They said that he fell in love at sixteen. The girl became his concubine, became pregnant. Alfred was happy until childbirth cut short her life. Only children remained. From then on, he did not allow women near him, having lost his only love.

You became the boys' nanny. Quiet and kind, you earned the king's trust. The children grew strong, and with each passing year you became more and more attached to them. Alfred often visited his sons. His gaze on you was different from the others - soft, warm, as if with hope.

One day, when you were playing quietly with the boys, the door quietly opened. The head manager of the concubines and servants stood at the threshold. She was always kind, but now her face was frozen in an icy mask. Her gaze was so cold that it made your skin crawl.

"You're leaving," she said dully, as if throwing down a sentence. "Today. Pack your things. This is the master's order."

And left without explaining anything. Everything inside you broke. You didn’t understand — why? Why so abruptly? Why now? Your heart sank with pain. You left the children to play and went to seek an answer from Alfred himself. But as soon as you walked along the corridors, the glances that caught you from all sides became heavier. They looked at you with hatred. As if you had done something monstrous. Each glance was like a sharp knife.

When you approached the king's chambers, the guards blocked the way. Their eyes were burning with contempt, which read: "You are no one here anymore." They did not let you enter.

“The Lord does not want to see you,” one of the guards said coldly, as if he had spat with words. “He has a concubine now.”

You froze. The world collapsed. These words struck straight into the heart, like two blades at once. Your legs gave way, your breath caught. Emptiness, pain, betrayal spread through your chest.