The afternoon passed quietly at the Valois household. While the queen and Maximo's mother discussed matters of court, Priscilla sat in silence, feeling the weight of the uneasiness that hung in the air between her and Maximo. Every time their eyes met, it felt as if they were caught up in a silent game, not knowing how to break the tension.

  Maximo, like her, seemed to be struggling with the same confused thoughts. She tried unsuccessfully to start a conversation, but every word that came to mind seemed out of place. Finally, unable to bear the silence any longer, she got up quickly.

  — I'm going to the library…— she said in a low voice, almost without thinking, before walking down the hall without looking back.

  Priscilla watched him walk away, relieved by the interruption. She decided that she also needed to get away from the main hall. She looked for an excuse and, without thinking too much about it, she said she was going to the bathroom. Priscilla walked through the corridors, but something seemed strange to her, as if she were not as familiar with the house as she thought. Suddenly, as she turned a corner, she saw a door ajar.

  Curious, she pushed the door open and found herself in a spacious library, a silent place full of books. Maximo was there, sitting at a table, concentrating on a book he was slowly leafing through. He hadn't noticed her come in, and she took the opportunity to observe him in silence. There was something about his posture, his calmness, that made her feel curious.

  But, in the end, she couldn't help making noise as she approached. Maximo looked up when he heard the sound.

  — Oh, Priscilla. — he said, clearly surprised, looking a little taken aback. —I wasn't expecting you here.

  Priscilla, a little uncomfortable, smiled shyly, although she still felt somewhat trapped by the situation.

  —Sorry, I was looking for the bathroom, but … I got lost. — she said ironically, she wasn't lost in her palace, but she was in this house.

  Maximo, relieved by her explanation, smiled slightly.

  — Don't worry. The library can be a labyrinth if you don't know where you're going. — he said with a touch of humor, trying to make the conversation less tense.

  Priscilla looked around, observing the shelves full of books, some covered in dust, others carefully organized.

  — I never imagined that a library would be bigger than the one at home. I like to read. — she said, genuinely interested.

  Maximo, without taking his eyes off her, raised an eyebrow in surprise. His tone changed, and his voice acquired a slight mocking edge.

  — Really? I thought princesses didn't have time to read. — he said, as if it were a light joke. Surely there are more important things to worry about, like balls and weddings.

  Priscilla felt a wave of discomfort wash over her. The way he had said those words, albeit with a smile, made her feel as if she were being judged, as if she were not allowed to take an interest in something as mundane as books.

  — Not all princesses are the same, Máximo. — she replied with a strained smile, trying to remain calm.

  — Maybe… maybe sometimes I want to learn something more too.

  The tone of her voice did not go unnoticed by Maximo. Their eyes met and, for a moment, they both remained silent, sizing each other up, as if the words were too complicated to say out loud.

  — I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. — he said, with a hint of sarcasm.

  Priscilla laughed at his words, but the tension was still there, palpable. She didn't know how to continue, but something in the atmosphere seemed to have changed. Words were floating between them, unspoken, but clearly understood.

  In an attempt to lighten the atmosphere, Priscilla took a step closer to the bookshelves next to Maximo, looking for something to distract herself with. However, something about Maximo's closeness made her feel more nervous than she would have expected.

  But just when it seemed that the situation was going to continue in a calmer way, they both realized that they had gotten a little closer than they should have. The air around them seemed to thicken, and they both felt inexplicably nervous. It wasn't just the place, or the atmosphere. It was something else, something neither of them could put into words.

  The tension that had built up between them was becoming more and more palpable. They were very close, closer than either of them could have imagined. Despite the fact that the space was large, and the bookshelves surrounded them, it seemed that the air had thickened in a way they couldn't understand. Each of them felt more aware of the other with each breath, as if their bodies were involuntarily moving closer and closer.

  Maximo, who didn't usually allow himself to be caught up in the discomfort, couldn't help but notice Priscilla's proximity. Their faces were so close that he could almost feel the soft warmth of her skin. Priscilla, for her part, tried to hide her nervousness, but her heart was beating fast, and her hands were trembling slightly. Her fingertips almost touched his, and although their bodies were not directly touching, the space between them felt reduced, as if they were separated only by an invisible layer.

  Both, without realizing it, began to move their hands towards the center, as if there was a mutual impulse pushing them to touch each other, but they concealed it by pretending to be looking for a book. Priscilla's fingers, with her skin slightly moist from the sweat running down her palm, approached those of Maximus, who likewise felt the pressure in his own hands.

  Their hearts were beating so fast that, for a moment, they seemed to hear the sound of blood coursing through their veins. Both were trying, unsuccessfully, to maintain their composure. Sweat beaded on their foreheads, and their hands, although firmly clasped at their sides, did not stop trembling, almost as if they had a life of their own. Priscilla's fingers moved a little closer to his, and Maximo, with a mixture of uncertainty and inexplicable need, did the same.

  It was as if they both wanted to close the distance, but something invisible kept them apart. Every time they thought that their hands would finally meet, a slight step back by one of them reminded them of the tension between them, and the gap remained as narrow as before. Despite everything, the feeling of wanting to get closer never disappeared, and confusion, fascination and nervousness intertwined, leaving both in a state of uncertainty, as if they were trapped in a silent dance that neither of them knew how to end.

  And so, between the touch of their hands and the whispers of the air passing between the shelves of the library, they realized that there was something else that could not be defined with words. Something that kept them inches away from real contact, but at the same time kept them at an unbridgeable distance. But just as they thought, their fingers were about to meet…

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  The door to the library opened with a bang, breaking the moment. Maximo's mother appeared with a cheerful smile, oblivious to the charged atmosphere that had been created between them.

  — Ah, Priscilla, Máximo. — she said with a smile. — Everything all right? Princess?

  Both took a small step back, surprised by the presence of Mrs. Valois. The sudden interruption left them bewildered, as if they had suddenly woken up from a dream that neither of them knew they were sharing. Maximo, who until that moment had been immersed in a cluster of thoughts that even he did not understand, instinctively moved away from Priscilla, returning to his normal posture. His face, previously tense and full of unexpressed thoughts, relaxed, although a slight blush remained on his cheeks.

  Priscilla, on the other hand, felt both relieved and embarrassed. Her heart was still beating fast, and the discomfort did not completely disappear, but she was grateful for Mrs. Valois's presence to undo the knot that had formed in her chest. She quickly straightened up and smiled at the woman with a courtesy that tried to hide what had happened in that brief instant.

  — Yes, Mrs. Valois. — Priscilla said, her voice a little softer than usual, as if trying to regain her composure. — Everything is perfect.

  Maximo cleared his throat, a little uncomfortable at the curious look on his mother's face, who didn't seem to have realized what he had just interrupted.

  — Yes, of course. — he replied, forcing a smile. — We were just… organizing some books.

  Mrs. Valois watched them for a moment, with a look that seemed to notice something, although she did not comment. Priscilla felt almost as if she could read her thoughts, but decided not to give the matter any more thought.

  — Well, the tea is waiting. — said Maximo's mother, with a cheerful look, as if nothing had altered the atmosphere. — I think you should go back to the living room.

  Both nodded quickly, relieved that the conversation would not delve deeper into what had just happened. Max, before leaving the library, glanced quickly at Priscilla, his eyes shining with a mixture of confusion and something else, but he quickly looked away when he saw his mother watching him.

  Priscilla, for her part, did the same, her thoughts still tangled, but recognizing that the uncomfortable moment could not continue. They left the library and walked towards the main hall, the conversation they had to continue suspended in the air, as if everything that had happened was just a reflection of something they still did not know how to interpret.

  In the back of their minds, they both realized that this brief encounter had changed something, although neither of them knew exactly what it was or how to deal with it. But in their hearts, the echo of what had happened continued to resonate, like a melody that had not yet found its end.

  When the princess's carriage turned down the cobbled streets back to the palace, Priscilla couldn't help feeling caught up in a tangle of confusing emotions. Her heart was beating so fast, so wildly, that it seemed like it wanted to escape from her chest. Every bump in the road only accentuated the inner turmoil she felt. She looked out the window, but her thoughts were far, far from the city passing before her eyes, so lost in the sensations she had experienced at Maximo's house.

  Her mother's words echoed in her mind: “The marriage season is approaching, you have to start preparing.” But those words could not calm the storm she felt inside. What was wrong with her? From the moment she had entered the library and her eyes had met Maximo's, something had changed. Something profound. Something she could not understand. A spark that had ignited a restlessness, a strange burning in her chest. The touch of their hands just centimeters from each other's. The sparkle in their eyes when they looked at each other in silence. The feeling that their hearts were beating to the same rhythm, even though they didn't say anything to each other.

  Priscilla tried to calm down, to breathe more calmly, but the memory of the library, of the nerves she shared with him, did not fade. Every time she closed her eyes, the images came back, more intense, more vivid. The warmth she had felt when he came so close, almost as if they could touch. The confusion that came over her when her thoughts became entangled. A flood of unfamiliar emotions: nerves, discomfort, but also something else… something that could have been attraction.

  The carriage finally arrived at the palace, but even the silence of the corridors seemed to deafen her. As she walked down the corridor that led to her room, everything seemed distant and blurred, as if she were seeing the world from an uncomfortable distance. Even the shadows seemed to move more slowly around her, as if they were mocking her state of anxiety. Why was she so nervous? Why couldn't she stop thinking about him? The princess tried to push those thoughts away, but they clung to her more strongly.

  When she reached her room, she undressed slowly, almost as if she feared that each hasty gesture would reconnect her with those chaotic feelings she did not understand. The contact of her hands as she tried to pull the fabric over her skin reminded her of his closeness to her in the library, and once again, her heart began to beat irregularly. She lay on the bed, trying to close herself off in her own world, but the memories kept coming back to her, like an uncontrollable flood. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his face, remembered his laugh, the slight blush on his cheeks, how she had felt so… so close to him.

  And then the thought came: Is this what a person feels when they fall in love?

  The warmth in her cheeks increased, and a lump appeared in her throat. Could it be that? But no. It couldn't be. She didn't know him well enough. It was just a feeling… a feeling that made her feel vulnerable, uncomfortable, but also strangely excited.

  Priscilla turned, looking at the ceiling, feeling the weight of her own racing heart. She couldn't sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. The fear of not understanding what she was feeling enveloped her, and her body remained tense, waiting for an answer that did not come. No matter how hard she tried to relax, how hard she tried to breathe deeply, her thoughts kept returning to him, to the contact, to that feeling in her chest that she couldn't understand. The anxiety kept her awake for hours, as the night grew longer and the moon illuminated her room without comfort.

  Priscilla understood that it wasn't just the proximity that made her uneasy, but everything she didn't dare to tell herself, everything she still couldn't understand about herself. And, in her mind, the question kept repeating itself over and over again: Is this the beginning of something bigger? But the answer, like the dream, never came.

  Priscilla lay motionless in the darkness of her room, her mind racing. Every time she tried to focus on something, her mind returned to him. Maximo. The young man who had disconcerted her from the first moment she met him. That moment in the library, their shared glances, the furtive touch of their hands, it all repeated in her head like an endless melody.

  She turned over once more in bed, covering her head with the pillow, trying to drown out the thoughts that invaded her. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get rid of them. Every time she thought about it, the knot in her stomach tightened. There was something about Maximo, something in the way he looked at her, the way he spoke, that made her feel as if she were on the edge of a cliff. The feeling that any false move could lead her to something irreversible, something she didn't know if she was ready to face.

  Why do I feel this way? She thought, frustrated. It shouldn't be this hard.

  The princess tried to rationalize it, to tell herself that it was just a game of fleeting feelings, that she shouldn't get carried away by something so trivial. I can't allow myself to feel this, she thought firmly. I am the princess. I have duties, expectations. I can't be distracted by something so… fragile.

  But the answer did not come. And the question, that disturbing question, kept haunting her mind: Is this the beginning of something bigger?

  Finally, she realized that she wouldn't find any answers that night. Not when her thoughts were so disordered and her heart so racing. With a resigned sigh, she turned on her side and closed her eyes, trying to finally fall into a sleep that seemed to elude her. But even then, her mind kept traveling, taking her once again to Maximo's face, to those fleeting moments they had shared.

  At dawn, as the sunlight began to filter through the curtains, Priscilla woke up feeling exhausted, as if she had been running in circles all night. The peace she normally found in the stillness of the morning seemed distant. All she wanted was to get rid of the uncertainty that weighed on her, but she knew it wouldn't be that simple.

  Throughout the day, in her usual routine, the presence of Maximo continued to haunt her thoughts, like an unavoidable shadow. Every time she saw him, even from afar, her heart beat with a rapidity that disconcerted her. But the princess tried to maintain a fac?ade of indifference, as she always did. Although deep down, she knew that something was changing in her, something she couldn't control.