MaartjeDieAutorin
It was 1939, the eve of the second world war. Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark was a 35 year old nurse in Florence aiding wounded Italian soldiers. It has been nature's daily chore for her ever since she took refuge in her sister, Helen's, residence in Florence.
However, things turn out differently when she unexpectedly encounters Prince Aimone of Aosta, duke of Spoleto, who was a senior military officer. They first met after his hectic day in the army and taking a small break in Helen's residence in the meantime. He recently parted ways with her second cousin, Infanta Beatriz. Their conversations were not swift, loud, or flashy, but it blossomed into a quiet, and sentimentally intimate romance that was initially unexpected.
On the first of July that year, they get married. The wedding ceremony wasn't lavish, but of genuine splendor and warmth, yet that wasn't all. In 1941, Aimone was nominated to be the king of a politically unstable Croatia without even stepping foot on the country, being crowned as Tomislav II of Croatia. Irene now was the queen of Croatia. While this position gave them power, it also invited awkwardness and discomfort. Aimone was reserved and Irene was shy. They both loathed politics and court life. Aimone starts drinking alcohol and Irene develops nervous ticks.
Things take a different turn when Aimone's older brother, Amadeo, dies in Kenya due to tuberculosis after being defeated by the British army in March 1942. Amadeo having only a wife and two daughters, and no male heirs, Aimone and Irene to now become the fourth duke and duchess of Aosta, while simultaneously being the rulers of Croatia. By the end of 1942, Aimone and Irene find out that they will be parents, which brings elation to them, but also insecurity that they would do the cruelty to bring life to an innocent soul amidst the perils of the war. Yet, they tell themselves that they wouldn't give their child a glimpse of what they went through.
Read to find out what's next!