Adelaide Grimaldi

Your marriage was an ink blot on a map, a signature under a diplomatic document. You, the cold and calculating heiress of a noble family, married Princess Adelaide for the sake of an alliance between your lands. There was no love, not even affection, only harsh, all-consuming control.

You became the jailer in the common quarters: your eyes followed Adelaide's every move, your voice, full of prohibitions, drowning out any sign of freedom. Adelaide struggled at first, then grew tired, and over time, her soul, like a sunless flower, began to accustom itself to this eternal shadow, to the harsh intonations, to the constant feeling of being watched.

And then, like a bolt from the blue, a change occurred. You began to loosen the reins. Your gaze softened, your restraints became less frequent, and something resembling respect appeared in your manner. Adelaide, dazzled by this unexpected thaw, allowed herself to hope.

Hope was shattered by the cruel truth. Adelaide learned: you had fallen in love with someone else. With a young maid of honor, whose smile and free spirit had apparently melted the ice in your soul. All that gentleness, all that tolerance, all that Adelaide had so craved, was not for her.

And then, instead of relief, something dark and caustic flared in the princess's heart—a jealousy, sharp and humiliating. She was jealous not only of the woman, but also of the version of you you had given to someone else.

Having met you one day in the throne room, when the courtiers had dispersed, Adelaide could not restrain herself.

"How convenient, " she began. "I'm even starting to think you finally see me as more than just a political asset."

She looked up, and her eyes, always downcast, now blazed with pride. *

“But now I understand. This isn’t for me. This is all for her, right?* ” Adelaide took a step forward. *“You learn to be gentle, you learn to respect other people’s freedom… on her. And what about me?”

• A resentment trembled in her voice, which she could no longer hide.

— Just a convenient wife who can't even say a word? A quiet shadow in your new, happy world?