Every day, Luana would walk to her mother's chamber door and watch her lost in her own thoughts. Sometimes she stayed there late, leaning against the wall until she slid down to sit on the cold floor. Hugging her knees, she sank deeper into the darkness that seemed to have swallowed her life whole.
Her suffering didn't go unnoticed by those around her. Among the few servants left, some looked at her with pity, others with mockery, but none with respect — after all, even the lady of the house no longer recognized her as a daughter, and her father, who once loved her dearly, now ignored her completely.
That day, as Luana passed the door, she heard her mother speaking alone — without the company of her lady-in-waiting. Hesitant, she stepped inside. Her footsteps echoed softly in the silent room until her mother turned, and a faint smile made Luana's heart flutter with a shy hope.
"What do you think, Anna? This one seems cozier than the last, don't you agree?" her mother asked.
Though she felt small inside, Luana forced a smile.
"Yes, ma'am," she whispered, barely audible.
"He feels so cold at night, Anna. You have no idea how much. No matter how hard I try, his little body never warms up," her mother lamented, as if speaking of a gray, rainy day. But Luana knew it was much more than that. The complaints went on, twisting something inside her with every word.
"Let's make it together, Anna, like I showed you," she proposed, pointing to a basket filled with yarn and needles. Luana hesitated, debating whether to remind her mother of the truth.
Afraid of causing more pain, she carefully took the wool and started awkwardly knitting, hoping her clumsiness would go unnoticed. While playing with the colorful threads, she noticed a movement in the shadows — the real Anna watching her in disbelief. Eager to escape, Luana quickly stood and gave way to the lady-in-waiting.
No matter how powerless she felt waking up each morning, no matter how much she wished to turn back time, she always rose to face the same scene.
"NO!" a scream stopped her. "What do you think you're doing? He won't be able to breathe like that!" The voice rose, full of anger. "YOU WANT TO KILL MY BABY! I KNEW IT! YOU WITCH! AHHHH!" The shouting went on, followed by the sound of things being thrown around the room.
Soon, Anna returned, calming the woman and allowing Luana to slip away. Before leaving, she caught a whisper between them.
"It's alright. Your son is safe somewhere. I can feel it."
"No, Anna, this torment has no end. I'm so tired," her mother murmured uneasily. "It's her, Anna. I knew it. She's a witch, she did all this…"
Until the last moment, her mother wandered lost in delirium. Where had Luana gone so wrong? she wondered, sitting again on the floor in front of the door. In the days that followed, she didn't dare enter but could feel the madness and pain that filled that room. Her mother deluded herself, desperately wanting to believe her son still breathed and needed her care. But in rare moments of clarity, her smile withered and the world around lost its light again.
The radiant sun and blooming garden seemed to belong to another plane — a place where light and beauty reigned, but never touched that room or her mother's mind.
Luana felt that feeling again. Maybe, like her mother, she was going mad. Time seemed frozen, nothing moved — only her. If she could measure it, she would say she spent hours invisible, as if she didn't exist at all. It was a light relief to know that, for a few moments, no matter how sad she was, no one would look at her or say a word.
She hugged her knees and hid her face.
A stubborn tear ran down her cheek, followed by another, until she was crying uncontrollably. If only her little brother had survived, if he hadn't died that day… Maybe her mother wouldn't be crazy, her father wouldn't have left, and they would still be a family.
"I wish he had been born alive," she wished with all her heart. If she could go back in time and rewrite his fate, she would do anything. Luana just wanted her family to be happy again, willing to pay any price for it.
Sensing a presence before her, she lifted her head to face the unknown. An enigmatic man, his face hidden under a hood, watched her seriously. Were tears blurring her vision? She blinked rapidly, and when she opened her eyes again, the visitor had vanished.
The thought that she might be going mad crossed her mind, but she quickly pushed it away. Her family needed her — and Luana needed to be strong.