Chapter 4
While Valeria tried to complete her greeting, she was abruptly interrupted by the emperors, who, without giving her time to finish the bow, enveloped her in a warm and effusive embrace.
Valeria, or rather, Ana, felt somewhat uncomfortable and overwhelmed by such a demonstration of affection. It was not that she was averse to such expressions, but that, in her previous life, she had never had someone who cared for her in that way, and much less who demonstrated it to her with hugs.
Upon perceiving his daughter's discomfort, Duke Maximiliano decided to intervene with tact. In the past, he had also noticed a certain reluctance on Valeria's part toward displays of affection, but he had never given it much importance, attributing it to her reserved personality. However, now, the unease his daughter was experiencing was evident, so he decided to take action.
"Fernando, Elena, please, let my daughter breathe, you are drowning her with so much affection. Remember that she is still recovering from the accident."
The emperors looked at him with slight displeasure, but decided to let go of the girl upon noticing the rigidity of her body and the paleness of her face.
For one of those present, Valeria's behavior did not go unnoticed at all. It was the crown prince, Diego, who observed the scene with a skeptical look and a malicious thought circling in his head:
"Aha, she really is sticking to the role of the memoryless one. At any other time, Valeria would have run shrieking with joy to embrace and greet my parents, trying to ingratiate herself with them and win their favor. We will see how long this cheap theater lasts for her."
Those were the cynical thoughts of Diego, who did not quite believe the story of Valeria's memory loss. However, he did not want to provoke another heated argument with his father, so he opted to keep his opinions to himself and continue observing Valeria in silence.
The emperor, noticing that neither of his sons had bothered to stand up to greet the young woman, raised his voice with a tone of barely disguised reprimand:
"Do my sons perhaps not have the intention of greeting the lady? Or is it that they have forgotten their manners at home?"
He stared at them, with a gaze that chilled the blood, and both princes felt a shiver run down their backs instantly.
They stood up immediately, almost in unison, and with a slight inclination of the head, greeted Valeria with the greatest courtesy they could feign:
"How do you find yourself, Milady? I sincerely hope that you recover soon and that your health improves day by day."
"I deeply appreciate your concern and your good wishes, prince" Ana responded with a kind smile, although her eyes reflected evident caution.
"Milady, I fervently long for your prompt recovery and for you to be the same as before" said the second prince, with an expression that intended to be of sincere interest.
He pronounced those words with the iciest coldness she had ever heard in her life. The contempt and antipathy he felt for Valeria could be seen in every pore of his skin. "But what do you think of yourself, conceited little prince?" Ana thought with an internal smile. "I am not the Valeria you are used to despising, and I will not have to put up with you for long."
"Forgive my boldness, but, due to my unfortunate accident, I do not manage to remember absolutely anything of my previous life. However, when your arrival was announced, my maid, Clara, mentioned to me that one of you was my fiancé. If it is not too much trouble, could you indicate to me which of you is the lucky one?"
Of course she knew perfectly well who her fiancé was, but she had to stick to the role of the memoryless one so as not to raise suspicions and to be able to carry out her plan without setbacks.
The shame she felt when formulating that question was so intense that, without realizing it, her cheeks flared with a crimson blush. It was a strange and unknown sensation for her, as in her previous life she had never worried about what others thought of her.
Both princes exchanged a look loaded with meaning before directing their eyes toward their parents, who also showed themselves visibly surprised by the unexpected question. In the midst of their astonishment, Emperor Fernando made a subtle gesture to them with his hand, indicating that they should respond to the young woman's inquiry.
Diego, the crown prince, took a step forward with forced elegance and presented himself formally before Valeria:
"It is I, Milady, the crown prince Diego Monterrey, at your entire disposal and service."
He deeply hated having to play along with "the brat," as he usually referred to Valeria in his most intimate thoughts, but he could not afford the luxury of being discourteous or disrespectful in front of his parents and the dukes, who observed the situation with almost palpable attention. He knew that any false step could have dire consequences for his future and for the image of the royal family.
While Diego greeted her with a feigned smile, he took her hand delicately and placed a soft kiss on the back of it, a gesture that provoked a reaction of displeasure in Ana, who made a barely perceptible grimace of disgust and withdrew her hand with the greatest possible subtlety. This small detail did not go unnoticed by two people in particular: the crown prince himself and the second prince, Alejandro, who was standing by his side.
But, before anyone could say or do anything else to stop her, Ana, determined to move forward with her plan, interrupted the tense atmosphere with an apparently innocent question:
"A pleasure, emm… Would you mind accompanying me for a stroll through the garden, Prince Diego? I mean, to get to know each other a little more, of course, if my parents do not mind."
Empress Elena, always willing to please the wishes of her "future daughter-in-law," responded with a kind smile and a conciliatory tone:
"Of course not, darling. It is most normal that you want to know your fiancé a little more. After all, you are about to unite your lives forever."
Diego, feeling trapped in a situation that escaped his control, nodded with resignation, and responded with forced courtesy:
"Being so, I follow you, Miss Valeria. It will be an honor to accompany you on your stroll."
Ana, with a mischievous smile on her lips, replied with a playful tone:
"Better I follow you, prince, lest, with my memory loss, we both end up getting lost in this labyrinth of flowers and bushes."
Her words provoked some muffled giggles between Empress Elena and Duchess Renata, who seemed to be delighted with the idea of this engagement and with the apparent happiness of the young people.
While they walked along the winding paths of the beautiful garden, Diego made sure to move far enough away from the curious ears of the others to be able to express what he really thought about all this farce. With a tone of voice loaded with sarcasm and frustration, he let out:
"I knew that all of this was nothing more than an elaborate farce to get my attention, Valeria. Perhaps you manage to deceive everyone with your little amnesia theater, but it does not take me by surprise. It is enough to see that, at the first opportunity you had, you asked me for a stroll alone. Now I ask you a question, Miss Valeria, what do you intend with all of this? Do you perhaps think that with this farce you will manage to capture my attention and awaken my interest? If so, you are totally mistaken. You can deceive everyone else with your performance, but you do not convince me in the absolute."
While Prince Diego discharged all his frustrations and his deep disgust against her, Ana limited herself to staring at him, with an impassive face that revealed no emotion. She listened to each of his words with attention, waiting patiently for him to finish unburdening himself. Once the prince had finished speaking, Ana looked at him with an expression of defiance in her eyes and replied with a firm and sure tone:
"Are you finished, Prince Diego? Is that all you had to say?"
The prince, visibly disconcerted by Ana's unexpected reaction, did not know what to answer immediately. He remained in silence for a few seconds, trying to process the situation and to anticipate what the next move of the young woman would be.