In a distant kingdom, nestled among rolling hills and a village of rare beauty, stood a charming manor. Its garden stretched as far as the eye could see, and the walls were wrapped in a lush embrace of blooming flowers, tenderly sheltering the three souls who lived there.
A mother and daughter sat intertwined, crocheting on the sofa, when suddenly the patriarch entered the room — greeted with joy by his precious ones, as he affectionately called them.
Those who knew him often wondered why he chose to live so far from the palace. But he always answered firmly that he would never trade the peace of this home for any luxury. To him, this place was enough. It was everything.
Little did he know, the peace he cherished was about to be shattered by fate...
"I'm pregnant," his wife announced, surprising him. His stunned face quickly blossomed into a radiant smile. He lifted her into his arms, overflowing with happiness.
But little Luana was left unaware of the news. Not then, nor later. She only noticed that something had changed. Her mother spent more time at home, wore pajamas during the day, moved more slowly, and stitched tiny clothes with a mysterious sparkle in her eyes.
Curious as she was, Luana chose not to ask. Instead, she turned to her books. She loved reading, and her father, noticing this, had gifted her a library on the house's first floor. Immersed among the pages, she studied everything — from biology to psychology — trying to understand what was happening to her mother.
Then she noticed. The belly. It had grown.
It felt strange, as if she hadn't really seen it for ages. And when she finally looked at her mother properly, she knew: a baby was coming. And for some reason, that changed everything — even the way her mother looked at her.
Luana tried to ignore it. But weeks turned to months. And the more time passed, the more distant mother and daughter became.
Finally, the day arrived.
"Hurry, hurry!" Luana climbed the stairs, a book pressed to her face, when she heard the maids rushing. Peeking over the railing, she saw the women scurrying about like startled mice.
"AHHHHHH!" Her mother's scream echoed through the house. Luana dropped the book and ran toward the sound.
Peeking through the door crack, she saw her mother lying on the bed, sweat-drenched, biting a white cloth tightly. The midwife stood beside her, guiding the birth. The maids came and went with towels and buckets of hot water.
Luana stepped back, picked up the book she'd dropped, and went upstairs, trying to hide in her reading. But concentration was impossible. Hours later, she came down again seeking news but stopped upon hearing muffled whispers.
"Madam is devastated, crying endlessly since she saw the body…"
"If it were my child, I'd be inconsolable too…"
Luana didn't need to ask. She understood everything.
The baby had been born. But hadn't survived.
She imagined her mother's pain would last some time — maybe months — and then things would return to normal. But she was wrong.
The woman, once admired for her grace and eloquence, sank into silence. She created a separate world where her son still lived. And in that world, she kept sewing day and night, making clothes for a baby who no longer existed.
"He must be cold... His little body is so cold," she murmured, ignoring the blood running through her fingers as she cradled a doll like it was her son.
One by one, the maids left. Some out of fear. Others because they could no longer watch that endless mourning. Few remained.
Even her husband could no longer bear it. He spent less and less time at home.
But Luana... Luana wanted to stay. She wanted to find a way to reach her. To make everything go back to how it was.
She just didn't know how.