the song of the birds and the whisper of the wind in the trees seemed to send her into another universe, far from the deafening noises and worries of the city. But she was not ready

tretched out, slowly, like

emed to radiate in every gesture. "Today, you're going to help me with the garden," she often said, as if it were the most natural thing in the w

ruit. But she couldn't help but wonder why it was so important to grow your own bread, to wait patiently for the harvest, and n

h does not lie. It gives you what you give it. If you treat it wi

understood, but they seemed so far from what she had always known. She was used to acting, to acting quickly, to maki

y. Sometimes, she even managed to enjoy the long walks in the fields, the scent of cut grass, the rays of the sun filtering through the trees. But

ce. It was a group of villagers, people she had not met before. They were working in

ly. One of the men looked

g his brow. "So you're finally he

little uneasy. "I'm still get

she was used to meeting in high society. No pretense, no calculated smiles. Just people

t to look at her worn gloves and work-worn features, and for the first time since she'd arrived, she felt a l

ce, in this universe where life was woven slowly, patiently, but without frills. And, strangely, it disturbed her. Wh

a hand on her shoulder. "There's no room for pretense here. If y

. But instead of physical effort, it was another kind of work that occupied her. Inner work.

pped for a moment, just to breathe in the fresh evening air. That's when she saw him. There he was, on the small path lea

e was, like a ghost from the past, a man who see

that intensity that seemed to read into her soul. Louisa didn't know why, but every time his eyes met hers, she felt as if everything aro

ral voice. But there was something in his tone that unsettl

r voice a little hoarse than she intended. "

s lips. "I'm walking. It's a quiet pla

dden in him, something he didn't reveal. It was like an invisible force e

ng the silence. "What keeps

used to it. It's hard, sometimes. But

ctly?" he asked, his

nd what she was saying. Her thoughts were jumbled. "I...

had just said. Then, after a moment of thought, he replied,

understand, but which disturbed her deeply. She had no time for serenity, for that