Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
It was mid-autumn. A pair of brown horses galloped along a path they had taken many times before. A few moments later, the rider of the larger horse grabbed the reins.
"Stop, Leonor," Umberto said, waving at Leonor, who was still running on her horse. "What is it?" Leonor turned towards Umberto. Umberto stepped off his horse and responded. "Let's just walk for a while." "Okay, but why?" Leonor also got off her horse and pulled the reins slowly. They walked together and each held the horse's reins. "I have a gift for you." Umberto took out a piece of paper from his pocket. "Gift? You gave me a gift for my birthday 2 days ago. What is this?" Leonor still didn't understand. "Read it. This is our anniversary gift." Umberto smiled slightly. "Oh, God. How could I forget? Happy first anniversary, cariño." Leonor gave her lover a kiss then opened the paper and read it carefully. "What? You are going to move to MADRID?" Leonor was very surprised. "Yeah. You're happy, right?" "Why didn't you tell me beforehand that you were applying for a job transfer?" "Because it's called a surprise, mi Princesa." Umberto replied impatiently. “But…” There was doubt in Leonor's tone. "What's now?" "If you move here permanently, the paparazzi will be even more brutal. Especially later in..." "To hell with the paparazzi. I just want to be close to you, with my family, Leonor. I'm tired almost every week going back and forth from London to Madrid. I often don't get enough sleep, sleep deprivation. I..." "I'm sorry, Umberto. I was selfish and only thought about my own. We have the right to be happy. And I agree. To hell with the paparazzi!" Leonor extended her free hand from the horse's rope and grasped Umberto's hand.
Soon they arrived at the horse stables of Zarzuela Palace. _____
Almost everything went smoothly in 2025. The paparazzi were tired of their love affair. Parliament was led by the pro-monarchy PP party. Demonstrations in Catalonia are significantly reduced. The kingdom's reputation continues to improve. At the beginning of 2025 there was indeed bad news of the death of King Emeritus Juan Carlos, a few days after his 87th birthday. But actually it's not all bad news either. Through his death, the King, who had abdicated more than 10 years ago, gathered his entire family and even all the other royal families sent representatives to his funeral. Death is a celebration of the end of physical suffering.
____________
If there had not been a scandal at the end of the year, Umberto and Leonor's relationship would have continued normally.
This time Lecturas magazine managed to take a photo of Umberto with a woman. The problem is, that woman is not Leonor.
There were two photos. The first photo of them walking together and Umberto putting his arm around the woman's neck. In the second photo, they were holding hands, looking at each other and smiling. The photos were taken on the snowy streets of Madrid. Yes, the winter at the end of 2025 will be the coldest season in the last 20 years. _________
"Leave me alone." shouted Leonor from her room. "It is Papa. Come on, open it, Leonor." "No, Papa. Go." "Papa has a duplicate key to your room. Papa could have entered easily. But Papa respects your privacy. Papa loves you. So open this door for Papa." No answer.
