Isabelle was now in the large, bright room which kept inside every object that could be useful for the growth of her child.
It was like that, she did not make her daughter lack for anything, nothing that she could serve her, she loved her more than anything else in the world.
In the middle of the room was the precious, comfortable cradle furnished with fine sewing blankets.
Illuminated by the faint light of day emerging from the numerous clouds in the sky, Charlotte rested in an adorable white nightgown embroidered with a thousand colored flowers.
While she slept, the little girl breathed slowly from her small nostrils and her thin parted lips.
Her baby's hair grew so fast that now, only a month after her birth, her little head was full of it, thin hairs, white as snow.
Charlotte's crib was placed in a shady part of the room.
In fact, Isabelle had been warned by her doctors that due to her daughter's albinism, it would hurt to expose her too much to the sun.
The baby girl had fallen asleep holding a finger of her mother in one of her little hands and now she was there, dozing and leaving the princess with a great joy in her heart.
Charlotte was small, sweet, and as she grew up, her mother saw many potential in her daughter.
It was nice to see how she grew up, a joy she had never felt in her life.
The door swung open, Isabelle sensed it, as one of the large, woody sides of it banged violently against a wall.
Fortunately, little Charlotte was already in a deep enough sleep not to wake up so easily.
-You lied to me!- a voice attracted the attention of the princess, who was still looking at her child.
Isabelle turned her gaze away.
She knew that voice, and that figure, she knew him too well too.
Why had Aleksei come all the way to see her? Couldn't he just wait in the study for her to get there?
His black, curly hair was wet with sweat and some of it fell on his pale forehead, his face was reddened as if returning from a mad rush.
On the other hand the little girl's room was three floors above the royal studio.
Isabelle noticed his hands, red from writing and fatigue, were closed into fists and in one of them he was clutching a letter, recently written.
-You said we could not do anything to save my brother, that there were not enough units and only this morning I did get the news that one of your battalions has won a guerrilla war on the border between Germany and Austria- as the one spoke a few words were interrupted in his throat, almost as if it hurt him to talk about it.
Isabelle looked at him better, more intensely, she took her own hands inside each other.
She really didn't understand it, a small victory today could mean a great success tomorrow for them.
-It was a battalion of only a thousand men, sent to the aid of Germany, we cannot afford any more losses, not now that the economy is going bankrupt...- remembered the young woman slowly moving one of the locks of her golden hair on her back.
But it did not seem that her statement had calmed the situation, it seem to Isabelle that her cousin was more enraged.
-Far fewer people would have been enough to save the life of my brother, who is now dead, now nothing can be done, now that the enemies have delivered his head to my father...- some transparent tears began to fall on the pale cheeks of the prince as if he were still trying to compose himself to discuss the subject.
Isabelle smiled lightly, she did not feel empathy nor cared too much about what the other was saying.
For her it was herself who was right, she had always been right.
She looked away from him.
-Do not blame me now, it was not me who asked perhaps that Russia open a conflict with Hungary- the princess tried to get herself out of the situation as soon as possible -if your brother had known how to govern with more wisdom he would still be alive...-.
Aleksei was infuriated with her, how could she be so insensitive towards him? How could she so easily let things pass and run their course without bothering to act, not just once...
The prince shook his head over and over and with it his curly black hair, still wet with sweat.
-What do you know about government?!- asked him almost as a harsh whisper from his tight lips.
-The English economy is going bankrupt, the aristocrats are protesting their lack of protection and the citizens who have nothing are turning against you...does it seem a wise government to you...your majesty?- retorted the prince taking the cousin's chin between two of his fingers.
Isabelle pushed him away, she didn't want to or could seriously believe someone was challenging her.
He could not win that argument, she would never have allowed it.
-It is only a temporary situation until the war against France begins...- the princess justified herself deceiving herself of her sure words.
-Do you not understand that everyone hates you Isabelle?!- Aleksei soon opened his eyes, taking the princess' small and narrow shoulders in his hands -we have thousands of battalions on break, soldiers with nothing left to do, in the time that the revolutionaries they will conquer the castle there will be no clemency, neither for you, nor for Charlotte, or for anyone else...-.
No! Isabelle didn't want to believe it, her little girl could never die, never like that, she was still so small, precious to her, she couldn't afford to lose her.
Hidden tears began to form in her eyes.
Aleksei was right, she hadn't made good choices during her reign but by now it was too late to improve, to erase everything.
Especially now, that everyone hated her, that she now found herself with more enemies than allies and with more dead than alive.
If only she could she would take time back, all from the strange day this had begun, right from the moment her cousin Juniper walked into her room to tell her about breakfast.
But by now it was too late and she was alone, with no way out.
She turned to Charlotte, her little girl, she hadn't done anything, she was innocent, small and sleeping, unaware of what was happening around her.
Isabelle looked at her daughter's small pale face, her numerous hair white as snow, she was her child, her daughter, the princess burst into tears.
She couldn't save her...