In a Forest of Silence's clearing, three days far from Sephiro's capital city, had been sets a camp: in occasion of the nineteenth winter of the crown prince, the King had organized a hunt and the whole sephirian nobility had gathered for Prince Ferio and young Countess Arosa Lucretia Taide Wasserfest-Houojii of Panzatrippa's official engagement. In the open space in the center of the camp all the preys were picked and the royal butchers were busy with them: between them a gorgeous stag with majestic horns towered.

" Highness, thy stag is really wonderful! Kill a male of this tonnage must be been difficult also for a strong young man as thou."

" Thou flatter me, Duke Dessin: without my friends' aid, I would not have done well in this feat. And tell me, how is thy attractive wife, Countess Alcyone?"

" Well as always. She is been a little bit angry because this time we have brought my daughter Fuu with us: but my girl is fairly big for court's life."

" Do thou have an other daughter?"

The unbelieving Prince asked. The Duke sighed painfully and replied:

" The only memento of my beloved Klelia, my first wife. She has completed fourteen winters few moons ago and resembles notably her poor mother, both in beauty and in nature: since when I remarried, the Baron of Acquaviva, her grandfather, holds her next him because he doesn't want that Fuu suffer her stepmother's influence. And he isn't wrong."

The Prince laughed.

" And why do thou have married the Countess?"

" Panzatrippa is a very rich feud and I doesn't have claims upon Acquaviva: my brothers have found convenient for their trades this marriage."

" Thee intrigue me, Duke: I am curious to see this young girl. My mother talked me often about Baroness Klelia and the ladies in court remember her with much affection. Even, almost I will find a good match for her."

" Thou are precipitous Highness," the Duke laughed. " Fuu is very young: for this there's still time."

 

Under a large tree, Fuu embroidered with her nurse Presea: they were so absorbed in their work, that didn't notice Alcyone.

" How many times must repeat it! Fuu! Returns in our tent and rests: thou have thy mother's same fragile health and the Duke will be heartbroken if thee get sick!"

The Countess softened the voice in the end and added a bitter note. Fuu jumped and bent her head.

" Forgive me mother, but inside it's so hot."

" Don't become angry, Countess: the Baroness was about to faint and I have thought that a bit of fresh air would have helped her."

Presea justified quickly calming the girl. Alcyone bit her lower lip and closed the eyes to repress her anger: the difference between her and Baroness Klelia was enormous, and Fuu's presence could upset her plans. She breathed deeply and said:

" If it makes thou feel better, stays here: but don't move away and stay here, at this hour the sun hits hard and I don't want thou to take a sunstroke. I will send thou something light for lunch."

From the tent came a jingle and a rustle of silk: with a gesture elegant, Arosa drew away the edges of hemp and advanced toward her stepsister. Her long black hair had held back by an ivory's comb artistically carved; the long indigo dress of silk with gilded embroideries wrapped her slender and busty body gracefully; at each motion, the jewels tinkled harmoniously and her skin scented with honey and spices. Fuu admired ecstatic her stepsister.

" Thou are gorgeous, dear sister! Thy fiancé will be speechless!"

" I know it."

Arosa replied removing a lock from her face: an experienced and uncommon gesture for an eighteen winters young woman, but everybody was inclinable to think that it rises from copying her mother.

" Thou don't know how I-m sorry that thou won't have lunch with us," Arosa added pretentious " but the game is too hard for thee: don't fear, after I'll tell thou everything."

" It is better so: I am not much accustomed at these things. My father would want to unite to thou this evening, but..."

" What?" Alcyone exclaimed " What have thou said?"

" Father want me to come to this evening's party, but I know that they begin late and I have other habits. Why are thou so disturbed, mother?"

" Nothing nothing: thee are a wise girl and thy father is sometimes a bit stupid. Take care of thyself."

Fuu said goodbye to her stepmother and stepsister and went back to her work. When the two women were fairly distant, Presea whispered:

" Thee shouldn't be so kind with those two: must I remember thou who that woman was before she married the Count of Panzatrippa?"

Fuu looked aghast her nurse.

" Presea! How could thou talk so about my mother and my sister? Alcyone was a mistress, I don't deny it, but now she is a new woman that has rejected her past: she loves my father and loves me, even if I am not her daughter."

" Therefore explain me why she wants to hold thou far from everybody."

Fuu didn't reply.

" It's because everybody would compare her with thy mother: Baroness Klelia and she are as different as the day and the night. And don't tell me that she's gentle with thou: that kind of woman won't ever change."

 

Toward the ninth, the Prince and his friends wanted to do a ride in the wood. The sultry air was soothed from the trees' shadow and everything spread a sense of peace and tranquility.

" Bravo, our Ferio," Said Ascot " thou are not still married with the young Countess and already indulges in the conjugal pleasures!"

" Thine is only jealousy: Marquise Umi doesn’t deign thou of a glance. Grow child, grow."

The Prince laughed. Zazu joined at his laughter.

" From thy face is obvious that in the next days thou will see thy Arosa as her mother has made her very often, and also that thee aren't sorry of it!"

" The Countess Alcyone has taught her daughter very well, and Arosa has a particular inclination for love: it must be a family's talent. However it is true: Arosa and I will see often in that way! Today she was radiant: I don't know how I have done to hold back me from tear her clothes away. Slopper my friends, slopper, capons! Thou continue to cook in thy envy while I have fun!"

Ferio ended laughing. Lantis approached him and said:

" Are thou /sure/ to want to marry that woman? You aren't the first..."

" And I doesn't have any intention to be it! I don't want a virgin who trembles at each caress, but a skilled woman that knows how to massage me in the proper points!"

The Prince ended winking and his friends laughed with him. At that time they passed nearby the Houojii Duke of Casale Cavuzzi's tend.

Casually Ferio turned the head toward the tent and saw in shadow of a tree a reading maid. She was young, she must not have more than fourteen or fifteen winters, ethereal and diaphanous as an air's sprite; some locks of the long blonde hair, that were picked at the Pharen's fashion, framed her face as pale as snow; pale also were the hands that tightened gently the book, and pale was her thin ankle that shameless emerged from the skirt of damask pastel green. The unknown belle raised the look and the Prince felt pierced from those green eyes, so clear and solemn, and in the instant in which he crossed the look with hers, he wished that those eyes were filled with love for him.

Fuu read quietly Plato's "Liside" in the big tree's shadow, when she felt a strange feeling, like if somebody was examining her: raised the look, the young Baroness saw a knight looking at her obsessing. Fuu understood from his garments that he was a noble Sephirian, but found strange that his dark green hair was to long for a man. The thing that more struck her was his eyes: of a bright golden amber and full of... she didn't know how call the emotion, and the young man's look's insistence annoyed her. Looking for the object of his curiosity, Fuu saw the guilty ankle and, blushing furiously, she pulled an edge of the skirt to cover it. Fortunately Presea called her and she reentered after have thrown a last glance to the stranger.

Ferio had smiled when the girl had blushed and had denied him the ankle's view with a refined gesture, but when the mysterious beauty had entered a tent; he had puffed displeased.

Ferio Costant Xepphirine, Crown Prince of Sephiro, had decided: he would have discovered the leaf green eyed Lady's identity and he would have done that she loves him.

 

Fuu stretched on the bed with the book on the lap and tried to get back her breath: she had not run, neither done physical activity, but the amber-eyed Knight's glance had upset her. Sure, she was accustomed to the people's looks, but because she resembled so much her mother and Baroness Klelia was a woman of rare beauty. Yet nobody had looked at her ever like that knight, as if he wants to eat her with his eyes or something of that kind. Fuu closed her eyes and set her cold hands on the hot and red cheeks.

" What is happened to thou, my young lady?"

Presea asked observing the girl's strange behavior. Fuu sighed and said without open her eyes:

" Nothing, I'm only a bit tired Presea. Could thou tell to my father that I won't go to this evening party?"

" But... my lady..."

" Please, I am not able to go among unknown people!"

The Baroness ended looking pleading her nanny. Presea shook her head and grumbled that the Duke would not have been happy of it; she then went back to her embroidery.

Little after Fuu fell asleep, aware that she didn't go to the party because she was afraid to meeting the amber eyed Knight. But those same eyes haunted her dreams.

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