Origin: Vampires and Werewolves

Sigrid was nervous. It wasn't every day that she got married either. She was standing on a stool, looking at herself in a huge mirror, while her mother and sister helped her with her dress. It was simple. But Sigrid had chosen it with care. It was just as she had always dreamed. She still couldn't believe her luck... After so many misunderstandings, she had finally made it this far. She would marry the man she loved. Nothing else mattered. She felt on cloud nine. She looked into the mirror again to examine her dress. It was full of small pearls.

Her mother didn't want her dress to be white because she was no longer a virgin, and Sigrid gave in to her mother's wishes and her dress was all pearl. She also could not wear a garland, which made her feel a bit rejected, because she thought the garland crown was beautiful. She took a deep breath. It was just a detail and she wasn't going to let it get her down about it.

"You look beautiful, my child." Her mother, Mrs. Cleuza, marveled, bringing Sigrid out of her reveries.

"Isn't your belly showing, Mama?" Her younger sister, Astrid, asked mischievously. As she straightened her light pink dress to sit down.

Sigrid and Cleusa lowered their eyes to her prominent belly. Sigrid looked at it with pride, and her mother with disappointment. How could she have been so careless with her little girl and allow this to happen? It was her own fault! Her youth flashed through her mind like a bolt of lightning. Could it be a mere coincidence? It was hard to believe. She remembered the day she learned of Sigrid's pregnancy.

Sigrid was feeling dizzy and vomiting. The doctor was called, Sigrid was taken to the doctor's presence and it was like a slap in the face that he found out his daughter was not sick. She was pregnant! Mrs. Cleusa, dumbfounded, let herself stay in her chair. In her mind, the days of Sigrid's childhood passed, always very shy and very sensitive. If it had been her other daughter she wouldn't have been frightened, she was so rebellious and impulsive... But Sigrid? Always so correct... I wonder what had happened? Suddenly, on the day she found out she was pregnant, she had a shock. Had she been raped?

Asking the doctor's permission to be alone with her daughter for a few minutes, the doctor agreed, because this was the wealthiest family he attended to in that region. Although there was another one richer than them, but he, even when alive, did not use the village doctor. He himself would go to some clinic that nobody there knew about. His fortune was enormous and he could afford to treat with the best and most renowned doctors anywhere in the world.

As soon as the doctor left, Mrs. Cleuza approached her daughter who was lying on her bed and sat on the chair beside her bedside, and held her hands and looked at her with concern and affection.

"My daughter... How did this happen?"

"Mama! I think you know how a girl gets pregnant. And by the way it's not with a simple kiss like you always told me..." Sigrid said ironically.

Mrs. Cleusa was reddened by her daughter's provocation, but she would know what really happened to her daughter.

"Did he force you? Did he ask for a proof of love?"

"Mama! So that's what you think of Flauber? He would never force me.... Accept that it only happened because we love each other so much." Sigrid spoke indignantly and her eyes were no longer watching that room, but rather the wooden roof and the smell of hay in her nose. It had been a night when she had arrived earlier than expected from the house of her Aunt Laura, who lived two towns away. She had no children and was always happy about her visits. But when she arrived home, Flauber was tending to some horses and she went to the stable to see him. By this time she was hopelessly and irretrievably in love with him. As soon as he saw her, he let the other employees finish their work and came to meet her. There he silently took her by the hand and led her to the barn. There, amidst the caresses, the intimacy between them only increased with time, and now it was no longer enough just to kiss and caress him. Their bodies demanded more than that. And it was their only time. Later, he left on a trip to accompany his father to buy some more oxen and cows, and there she was. Cradled up to her neck. Sigrid then went deeper into her memories and recalled the first time she had seen him. He had knocked on the door and she, being close by, opened it. When she saw him for the first time, she thought it was a mirage. He was the tallest man she had ever seen. And his honey-colored eyes stared at her curiously. Politely she asked where her husband was.

"I don't have a husband... Why did you think that?"

"So you're not the owner of the house? Mrs. Cleuza?"

"No. She is my mother. How could you confuse us?" Sigrid asked with a smile.

"I was told in town that she was a young lady of unparalleled beauty."

Sigrid felt her face flush and felt like biting her hand to keep from laughing like a fool around him.

"I appreciate the compliment... But come in. My parents will be home from town soon. It's just me and my sister." Sigrid said quickly when she saw that he was about to decline the invitation. She realized at that moment that he was a boy of honor.

"Well, that being the case, I will accept the invitation."

He walked in and Sigrid offered him coffee. Astrid came in and sat next to him, asking him a million questions. As soon as she got tired, she said she was going to help in the kitchen and left Sigrid and Flauber alone. At that moment they both stared at each other, with the same kind of gleam in their eyes. Both enchanted. They then began a conversation that took days. He got a job with his father, who admired him, and even got his father's permission to date his oldest daughter. He always came back and never missed a subject. One night he gave her her first kiss. Sigrid remembered everything she had felt in that kiss and that she went to sleep that night feeling the happiest of women. After that night he always said goodbye with passionate kisses. Until it became too little...

"What will I tell your father?" Her mother's voice brought her out of her reverie.

Sigrid caught a glimpse of the stern, arrogant man pointing a gun at Flauber and her heart froze.

"Is there no way you can hide this from him?" Sigrid asked tearfully.

"Not for long. Your belly will grow..."

"I'll marry Flauber before then."

"Are you sure he will commit to marrying you? Because usually when men get what they want from a girl, they leave and don't look back." Mrs. Cleuza wanted to make Sigrid understand that she could not keep that baby. Erick would never allow it. That was certain. And she also didn't want her to suffer the disappointment of being left at the most fragile moment of her life.

"Flauber is not like that. He loves me and would never abandon me." Sigrid said dreamily as she remembered those black hair and thinning beard. She wanted her son to look like him. Honey-colored eyes, a fleshy mouth and fair skin, plus of course he was tall. Sigrid had always liked tall men.

"But what can he offer you? There is no way to convince your father to allow you to marry him without having a strong reason for it."

"Daddy allowed us to date..."

"Yes. But a marriage now, would require immediate things. Like; a house, furniture, servants.... Those things are expensive my child. You can't get them overnight."

"Flauber and I will think of something. I don't need much mama."

"Sigrid, it's best not to have this child now. Leave it until you have children in a few years. You don't have to be in a hurry. In five years, Flauber will have saved enough money to build a little house for you here on our property and you can have privacy..."

"Mom... Are you saying I shouldn't have my baby?"

"Not at this time."

"I will talk to Flauber tonight and whatever we decide, we will talk to you tomorrow. But for now, keep my condition a secret."

And Mrs. Cleuza kept that secret for a few days. Until her husband arrived. Flauber looked at them and waved a greeting that extended to all of them, because they were all in the room when they entered. Astrid looked at him with indifference and turned to greet her father, and as always had been well received by him. Sigrid, on the other hand, knew that her father didn't like her demonstrations of affection, so she let herself sit on the sofa, staring at Flauber, waiting for him to look at her deeply so she could give him a sign about what was going on, but Flauber seemed to be far away. Far away from the farm. His gaze was too vacant. Erick, the girls' father, turned to the door, where Flauber was still standing and with a very friendly smile turned back to him passing his arm across his shoulders, which he did with a little difficulty because of the boy's size.

"Cleuza. Flauber is having dinner with us tonight. I want to tell you something new."

Mrs. Cleuza looked displeased, but said nothing and only asked everyone to accompany her to the pantry.

Flauber accompanied Erick very clumsily. It seemed that he was not used to all this luxury. At least that's what Sigrid thought at the moment. Although she knew that he had worked on a neighboring farm, where it was said that the owner was very rich and even had a private ship, she had heard stories that he owned all the land around her father's farm. And that many times he offered him money above the value of the property, so that everything would belong to him. But his father was stubborn and did not want to leave the inheritance left by his parents.

They sat down in the pantry and soon the maids began to set the table. Sigrid kept staring at Flauber, but after a while she felt that the insistence of his gaze was bothering her, which immediately reminded her of what her mother had told her when she found out she was pregnant just a few days ago. Did he really just want a fling? Sigrid felt her eyes fill with tears and then she focused on the spinning conversation and didn't look at him again until her father had given them the news.

"Cleuza, girls, you are standing before the new owner of the land nearby." Erick said and pointed at Flauber. "Of course he won't be working for me anymore, having so much more than me now." Erick continued laughing.

Sigrid noticed, that not only her, but Mrs. Cleuza and Astrid were also staring dumbfounded at Flauber who was getting redder by the second.

"But what are you talking about, Erick?" Dona Cleuza asked confused, "Where would Flauber have the money to buy all that land?"

"And he didn't have Dona Cleuza." He answered seriously and this time looked at Sigrid.

"Then explain it properly." Dona Cleuza asked impatiently.

"Calm down woman. Flauber inherited all this land and everything the old man had. Billions of dollars and companies all over the world. Not to mention the properties, which we thought were only about what he had here. But we were wrong. He has many properties like this, all over the world. This one was just his favorite. That's why he spent so much time here. Erick explained satisfied as if he was the one who had received the inheritance.

Mrs. Cleuza looked at Sigrid with happy eyes. Her problems were over. Her father would not refuse such a suitable groom for his daughter, but before she could say anything about it, Erick came forward with his ideas.

"He's going to be our son-in-law Cleuza!"

Flauber bowed his head, and Cleuza found his attitude strange. That was all he wanted, wasn't it? Sigrid would marry him and they would have a child. There was no better happy ending than that. But then why did Flauber look embarrassed?

"That's great. Because this news came just in time. Sigrid..."

"Forget Sigrid, Cleuza!" Erick scolded her. "Flauber is marrying Astrid. What he had with Sigrid was just a.... Passing of time. It meant nothing to them. They were just having fun."

Astrid first widened her eyes in surprise. But after seeing her mother's and Sigrid's expression, she decided that she would not object. She really liked Flauber. She just wouldn't say anything about him starting a romance with Sigrid, and she was enjoying knowing that she would be the richest lady in the area.

"That can't be!" Sigrid looked at Flauber in distress. "Is that really what you want? Look at me!" Sigrid shouted and then he stared at her with pain in his eyes.

"It will be better Sigrid..."

"Better for whom?" she asked and got up, running to her room where she threw herself on the bed and cried rivers of tears.

After half an hour, she sat up in bed and set herself to thinking about what her mother said. And then she knew that she was right about everything. She would not go through with this pregnancy. The thought of this pained her heart. It weighed on her conscience. But she couldn't put a child into a world where single mothers and their bastard children were persecuted by society. She didn't want this for herself, nor did she want such a fate for her child. Suddenly she began to think about the differences between her and her sister. Astrid looked like her father. She had black hair and almond eyes. She herself had very pale skin, and her hair was golden. Her eyes were blue, and she didn't know who she inherited them from, because neither her mother's nor her father's background had eyes the color of hers, from what they always told her. I wonder why Flauber wanted to marry her sister, after showing so much love for her? He was so confused. Could it be that for him, she was just an entertainment and his sister was seen as a girl to marry? She heard a knock at the door and, dismayed, went to open it. It was her old nanny, who had been kept in the house because her mother had grown attached to her for helping her raise her two daughters.

"Daughter, your father demands that you come down and apologize to the guest..." Aida said with sadness in her gaze, for she knew the romance of the two. She was Sigrid's confidant. Astrid, on the other hand, respected her as an authority because her mother obliged her, yet she showed no affection for her.

"It's very humiliating, baba. How am I going to watch my sister get engaged to the man I love and would still father my child?" Sigrid said hugging her nanny.

"Would he? What do you mean would be?" Aida asked confused.

"I'm pregnant nanny! And you know I can't have a child who besides being a bastard, is going to be the brother of Astrid's children. She is my sister. That's not right. I don't feel good about this situation, Nanny. And I have to do something about it. I also don't want to hurt Mom and Astrid, because they are very important to me. I don't see any other way than to get rid of this baby so that everyone can live their lives in peace."

"Your situation really isn't easy. But I don't think your mother will agree with him in this marriage, no. Give it time. Wipe some water on your face and remove all traces of tears. You should go downstairs and keep calm. Everything will work out. I know many stories like yours, not with sisters, but you are not the only one who has experienced this anguish. Many girls have been through this. At least you won't be abandoned by your parents. You will be able to count on their support, and you may even manage to get a good husband. There is nothing more important than having a good husband. I can even teach you how to pass for a virgin. You can have other children and you won't even miss this one. Put him up for adoption and your problems will be over. You don't have to abort. That is a sin. Don't be distressed. There is always another way to go. I know you will choose what is best for you and your child. Now I have to go downstairs. I haven't been your nanny for many years. Now I'm just an expendable maid, in case I don't fulfill my obligations. I love you, Sigrid, as if you were my own daughter. Even I myself can raise this child you are carrying in your womb, and you can always visit her with the excuse that you want to see your old nanny. Think about it. And I don't think it will bring relief to your mother or even Astrid." Aida said and withdrew after kissing her cheek.

Sigrid went to the basin in her room and washed her face. She pulled herself together and followed her nanny's advice and went down to the pantry. Her entrance seemed to be noticed by no one, but she could not have been more wrong. Her father stared at her angrily as she took her place at the table.

"Have you no shame? Can't you see that you hurt your sister? And what is this lack of decorum with our guest? You don't even deserve to be family! You're a disgrace!" Erick continued to attack her nervously, and Sigrid listened quietly. Her father had just made it clear that he hated her. But this did not make her suffer. For some reason unknown to her, having that hatred formalized in words freed her. She waited quietly for him to finish his offenses. In that time, she looked at Flauber, and he looked at her too. He seemed uncomfortable with the situation, which was not surprising. As soon as Erick vented all his frustration on her and shut up until he was out of breath, Sigrid looked him in the eye. And raised her head.

"And what should my reaction be when I hear that my boyfriend is marrying my sister? And you want to know something else? He's not the saint you imagine. I know that in that twisted head of yours you will put me down as the seductive snake, but we both got into bed. And I got pregnant from that "accident" along the way. Why didn't you give Astrid to him as soon as he got here? Don't answer." Sigrid said raising her hand, as her father with surprised eyes, stared at her dumbfounded. Sigrid didn't know if the surprise was because she had lain with him, or the way she was addressing him, without any shame, or was it her pregnancy. "I know the reason. His skin didn't yet have the glow of fortune. When he was just another peon, he was good enough to be my husband. But he got too interesting and you, convinced him it would be better to marry his younger sister." Sigrid finished speaking as if she was very calm, but she had to hide her hands so that no one would notice that they were shaking. But to her surprise, before her father could pull himself together to give her an answer, and to her own surprise, Flauber stood up with an angry look on his face.

"Our agreement is broken mister Erick. I can't give up marrying the woman I love to marry Astrid. Even more so now that she is expecting a child of mine. I will not allow this child to be born rejected by society. I don't know why I let myself be taken in by your words..." He said firmly and turned to Sigrid. "If you still love me, even after all this humiliation, pack your things and come with me. We will get married. And now not even your father can stop us. You belong to me now, and I'm willing to put the church on this case if your father tries anything against us."

Erick also stood up.

"This doesn't have to be solved like this..." Erick said trying to calm Flauber down. "After your marriage to Astrid, we can work it out. There is a solution. Astrid can confine herself at home after the wedding and when Sigrid gives birth, she takes him as her own son."

Sigrid and Mistress Cleuza looked at Erick in disgust, but said nothing. His desperation to marry his youngest daughter to a millionaire exceeded the norms of common sense, morals and ethics. They were speechless.

"No. Either you give me Sigrid's hand, or I will run away with her. I will no longer allow you to threaten me not to let you see her ever again. Things have changed now. She is carrying my child, and any judge would go in my favor."

"But Flauber... She is so mediocre... Astrid would make you a better wife..."

"I have no doubt that Astrid will make a good wife for the man who is lucky enough to win her heart. But, besides the fact that she is not a commodity, she is the Sigrid I love. Now I can see clearly that it would make no sense to marry another woman if she is the one who occupies my thoughts and my whole heart. You underestimate Sigrid. She is also a good woman and has everything to make a man happy. I hope she accepts my proposal, and so do you. Because one way or another, unless she doesn't want me to, I will take her away from here.

Sigrid felt her heart warm up. Then her father threatened Flauber not to let him see her again if he didn't marry her sister. She looked at her father who was red with anger, searching for words to refute Flauber's arguments. She hated him. If before she had begged him for attention and love, which he had always refused to give, now she wanted nothing more from that man. Her love as a daughter had died there. If she understood correctly, he offered her as Flauber's mistress, while Astrid went out on tours and trips as his wife. She didn't understand her father's unbridled preference for Astrid, she was even rebellious. She didn't obey him at all. It was so strange.

"That's fine. You will marry Sigrid. But before you marry, I have two conditions. First, that you will not meet again until the wedding day and you will pay for all expenses. And I also demand a dowry. The amount, we'll talk about that after dinner." Erick said and stared at Flauber.

"I accept." Flauber said and sat down again, but he had lost all hunger. He was thinking about Sigrid. What was she thinking now? Surely he desired both sisters. But that was not true. He had never looked at Astrid as a woman. He loved Sigrid. But the fear of never seeing her again, as Erick had promised, if he did not agree to marry Astrid, was greater than his lucidity. He would not allow anyone else to take him away from Sigrid. He no longer had an appetite and turned back to Sigrid. "Sigrid, I love you. Will you agree to marry me? I cannot allow your father to decide that for you."

Sigrid stared at him with a piercing gaze and took a deep breath.

"Yes. I do. Because I love you too." She said and everyone at the table became silent and no one else touched their food.

This moment of embarrassment was a long one. Mrs. Cleusa suddenly stood up and turned back to her husband.

"Let's talk in the library. Then you and Flauber can talk alone. But now I am the one who needs to speak to you urgently." She said and walked toward the library without waiting for an answer.

Erick excused himself and also retired to the library.

As soon as he left Astrid also stood up. She had a contented smile on her lips. She turned to them.

"I'm going to my room. That will leave the way clear for you to talk. Because after today, you won't see each other for another month or so. Don't leave anything unresolved between you. Good night." Astrid said throwing kisses to them and retiring.

Sigrid looked gracelessly at Flauber. Now that they were alone, she didn't know what else to say. She had prepared a speech for when they were alone, but it went blank in her head .

"Sigrid... Forgive me. I was driven to accept this arrangement from your father for fear of never being able to see you again. I'm really sorry."

Sigrid stood up suddenly and held out her hand to him.

"My father has always committed many injustices against me. I don't care about him anymore. But there is something more inside this decision of his and my mother knows what it is. Let's go. We'll listen behind the door."

Flauber stood up and accepted the hand she extended and together they proceeded down the hallway, stopped and stuck their ears to the door.

"You will not sell my daughter!" Mrs. Cleuza said energetically, as Sigrid had never seen, for she was always very submissive.... "I don't care if you don't like her. I don't even think she cares about that anymore. But I won't let you charge anything for her hand. You wouldn't charge for Astrid! They are marrying for love. They met exactly to be united!"

"Astrid is my daughter. Your Sigrid, on the other hand, is her mother. You can't tell me what to do, because I saved you from shame, when I agreed to marry you even though you were pregnant by another man! And I'll be rewarded yes, for all the years I've fed that damned Sigrid!"

"Don't be cynical. You only agreed to marry me because you were about to lose that farm and my father bought you for me! If this farm is still yours, it is thanks to my family. How many times during these years we've been together, you were about to lose it again and my father gave you money to keep it? You don't even know how to manage what you have. You want money? Work. Because I won't allow Flauber to give a cent to get my daughter's hand, which was already his by right. If you keep insisting on this, I will send a letter to my father, explaining the situation and withdrawing your pension. I want to see how you will live without my family's money." Dona Cleuza said haughtily.

"I have to get something out of this marriage! I didn't raise and feed you for nothing in return! Your father paid me to get you out of shame, not to get your daughter out of shame and not even to have to feed her. You owe me much more than you ever gave me!"

"You fed her with my father's money. She and not even I owe you anything. Everything you have done for us, you have been well paid for. I even gave you a daughter, when I should never have lain with you."

"You are as disastrous as your daughter! I hate it when I look into those eyes and see him! Because I can see what her father looked like staring at her. And you were never a good wife, because you only gave me a daughter, when I needed a son. You didn't keep your end of the bargain. And now you want to throw in my face that I was paid for it? Do you really think that the alms your father sends is enough to keep you under this roof, to pay employees and the easy women I need?

Mrs. Cleuza looked at him with contempt.

"You disgust me. If the money my father sends you doesn't cover all my expenses and my daughters' expenses, I will ask him to send it to me and I will leave this farm. I know very well the amount he sends you. And I also know that with this amount I can live comfortably with my daughters in the city. Say one more word and I will take back everything you have. You will not be able to maintain this farm without help from my family, because you are nothing but a failure."

Erick turned red and his eyes showed the fear he had that his wife would keep her word. Because he was aware that it was all true.

"Cleuza..." He said in a loving voice, to try to convince her. "He has plenty of money now. A dowry won't make him poorer. And it wouldn't be for me. It would be to guarantee the future of the child that is going to be born."

Dona Cleuza looked at him as if he were a worm. How dare he try to fool her with that stupid line?

"What are you thinking of asking him for? Money?"

"No. I want the land he has around ours. All of it."

"That's a lot for a dowry..." Dona Cleuza said thoughtfully.

"For him it's nothing."

"I agree with you, but just as you have given him two conditions, I also demand two conditions for this deal to be done."

"Yes." Erick agreed suspiciously. Cleuza was not an easy woman to convince when she took a stand to defend something.

"The first condition, is that because of the amount of the dowry, you will bear the expenses of the marriage. After all since the early days the father of the bride has paid for the wedding expenses."

"I can't accept that. She is not my daughter."

"Okay. Then you also have no authority to ask for dowry for a girl who is not your daughter."

Erick ran his hand through his hair nervously.

"Where am I going to get the money to afford a wedding? We can't just throw a party like we're poor. Our friends are all from high society. I can't go through this embarrassment."

"I know you'll die living on appearances.... Talk to my father. He won't deny a perfect marriage for his granddaughter."

"He's already given me too much money this month.

"And what have you done with the money? He always sends more than we need..."

"I... I went out at night..."

Cleuza looked at him understandingly. It was clear as day that he had spent the money on drink and women.

"I'll send him a letter myself then."

"Yes. If he doesn't refuse, I agree. What is the other condition?"

"No. There are two conditions. You couldn't fulfill the first one I gave you, so since I'm the one who will settle the marriage, that one has become invalid for you."

Erick stared at her with hatred, but he knew he had to accept it. All his life he would have to put up with this woman. Unless he found another woman who would give him everything he could get out of Cleuza's family.

"So the first condition, is that I will participate in this deal that will be made with Flauber and you will accept the proposal he makes to you. You will not demand anything from him!" She said willfully ignoring the hatred in her husband's gaze.

"I accept."

"The second condition is that this dowry will be passed into the name of Sigrid's son."

"We can't do that." Erick was finding it difficult not to hit that woman and put her in her rightful place. "We don't even know if it will be a boy or a girl. You can't put an asset in the name of a person who hasn't even been born yet. You're out of your mind. If we let him marry Sigrid before he gives us that dowry, he might not do it later.

"He will put it in Sigrid's name, who will have to sign an agreement that she will only be the guardian of the dowry until the child is old enough to take care of what is hers."

Erick walked around the room in circular motions as he thought. Then he had an idea. He knew that he really wasn't going to be able to profit from that marriage. The fact that he had never treated Sigrid as his daughter had eventually paid off. Sigrid, as guardian of the dowry would leave him with nothing. She didn't like him, and that feeling was reciprocated. But she could still enjoy Flauber's fortune, just as she did Cleuza's father.

"Okay. But we will move to the mansion on the land that our grandson will inherit. I even think that if the wedding is there, it will be more suitable. And I want to be the lord of those lands, while my grandson is not old enough to command what is his."

"If Flauber agrees to this nonsense, I will not object. And what will you do with this farm?"

"One day our grandson will grow up, and we must have somewhere to go back to. I will continue to take care of it. It is my father's inheritance and has been in his family for centuries."

"Now he is your grandson?" Mrs. Cleuza asked rhetorically. "Then I will return and tell Flauber to accompany me here."

Upon hearing those words, Sigrid, who was holding her hand to her mouth and her eyes shedding tears, for finding out that way that that man was not her father and all that disgusting story, turned scared to Flauber who also looked shocked. But it was necessary to get out of there, before Mrs. Cleuza opened the door and discovered them there.

Flauber took Sigrid's hand and quickly guided her back to the pantry. She didn't know what to say. It was horrible, everything that man was. And he would punish him. For Mistress Cleuza and for Sigrid.

"I'm going to my room." Sigrid said with a choked voice. "Then we'll talk about it. I'll ask for mom's help, so we can meet before the wedding." She said and gave a quick kiss on his mouth and hurried up the stairs.

Flauber sat down at the table and took a drink of water. He needed to pretend he knew nothing. It would be very embarrassing for Mrs. Cleuza and her daughters if he acted with the aggressiveness with Erick that he was willing to and he needed to calm down so that it wouldn't happen.

As he was about to open the door to leave Mrs. Cleuza stopped for a moment and turned to Erick.

"Just one more thing. Don't you ever dare touch my grandson. And always remember this. He is my grandson. Not yours. Just as you have made it clear that Sigrid is my daughter. Not yours." She said and seeing the shocked expression on Erick's face, she opened the door and walked out satisfied.

She found Flauber with his honey-colored eyes sitting at the table alone and staring at her curiously. She stared at him for a moment, feeling that she owed him an explanation. But she couldn't give them at that moment.

"Where are the girls?" Dona Cleuza asked curiously looking around.

"They... They asked to be excused and went to their rooms." He answered calmly.

"And they went up together?"

Flauber stared at her for a long time before answering.

"One at a time."

Mrs. Cleuza looked at him and nodded, as if he had told her a story. Flauber knew at that moment that she was a woman of great wisdom.

"Come with me, please. We need to come to an agreement."

Flauber immediately got up and accompanied her to the library, where Mistress Cleuza locked the door from the inside and invited him to sit in a chair facing the table where Erick occupied the other side and she then sat on Flauber's side.

Then, with apologies and with the justification that he was very hurt that his daughter was getting married pregnant and that he was a victim, because according to him he had been deceived by Flauber, who had secretly violated the innocence of his beloved daughter, he said that he himself would bear the wedding expenses and made her the proposal about the land.

Flauber already knew all of this, knew every lie, but he didn't want to hand over that he had heard everything behind the door and didn't feel obligated to be decent to that man. It pained Flauber to have to let him live comfortably in the mansion that had been his father's. But he would allow it for a while, until he thought of something different than what he was going to propose.

"My son is my heir. He will inherit everything I own anyway. I see no reason for such an arrangement. If Sigrid, my wife will take care of not only these lands, but all our assets. She doesn't need any paper other than the marriage certificate to prove that everything is hers and my son's. I make a counter proposal. Sell me this farm. I will give you three other farms elsewhere, to keep this one and include Sigrid's dowry."

"No. That will never happen. This farm is an inheritance from my parents. I will not part with it." Erick said impatiently.

"Then ask for something else. Because everything I own is also a family heirloom.

"Family heirloom? What consideration can you have for this family if you barely knew your father?"

"Still it is an inheritance, isn't it?"

"I'm going to get some coffee." Dona Cleusa said with satisfaction in her gaze, getting up and walking away.

As soon as he found himself alone with the boy, Erick tried to convince him.

"Flauber... My situation is not as good as you may be thinking. This farm is good, prosperous, but my resources end there. By living in your father's mansion and taking care of his land, I will have more resources to arrange a good marriage for Astrid. Here my resources are minimal, because I support three women and you know that women are only a source of expense. They don't help us with the manual labor on the farm. And even here in the house they don't do anything. I pay for maids because they are useless. So at least let us move into your father's mansion and enjoy the profits for a few years until Astrid marries. Then you won't be giving up anything. Everything will remain yours."

Flauber listened to him and looked at him thoughtfully. Maybe if he hadn't heard the conversation he had earlier with Ms. Cleuza in the library, he would have believed him. But now he would give him a chance to begin his revenge.

"I will allow you to move into the mansion."

Erick gave a satisfied smile and leaned back in his chair.

"But there's a catch. I don't know how fond my fiancée is of this region. So she'll decide that. Suddenly she's thinking of living in the mansion. I will never take away her wishes. Then you will have to ask her. And I want it to be done in my presence.

Flauber saw his dream come true when he saw Erick's face full of wounded pride. At that moment Mistress Cleuza arrived with a tray containing three cups and served them before sitting down again.

"Well? Have you come to an agreement?" Mrs. Cleuza said observing the hatred of her husband in her eyes. She had been married to him for a long time and knew that when he was short on alternatives, hatred was his response.

"Not yet Mrs. Cleuza." Flauber said quietly. "The coffee is wonderful."

"Thank you." Mrs. Cleuza thanked him, turning red. And this did not go unnoticed by Flauber who did not know how, got a glimpse of her younger. She was a young woman still. She must have gotten pregnant very young. Her features were still attractive. Which gave Flauber another idea of revenge.

Flauber stood up and left the cup on the tray that had been placed on the table. He noticed that Erick's remained untouched and that this didn't bother Mrs. Cleuza.

"I'll be going now. I'll be back tomorrow to get your answer Mr. Erick." He said and turned to Mistress Cleusa. "Thank you Ms. Cleuza. Both the dinner and this coffee were worthy of a king." Flauber said and nodded to Erick and left.

Mrs. Cleusa was left alone in the library. Erick didn't want to talk anymore after Flauber left and she continued finishing her coffee quietly, while Erick went to his room without saying goodbye. It couldn't have been nine o'clock at night yet. She was sleep deprived. As soon as she finished her coffee, she got up, checked that the wooden window was closed, and turned off the lamp. And so she went room by room. When she climbed the stairs to the bedrooms, she saw light underneath Sigrid's room. She looked at the door opposite hers, which was Astrid's room, and saw that it was unlit. She knocked. As there was no answer, she went in, imagining that she might have slept with the candle lit. But she was startled and took a step back when she saw her sitting cross-legged in the center of the bed staring at her with her intense blue eyes. Dona Cleuza could see that she had cried a lot. Her eyes were swollen. Then she came closer, after the impact of the surprise, and sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at her with immense tenderness.

"You were meant to be happy my daughter. You are going to marry the man you love and they will be able to have your child without worrying about society's rejection."

"Who is my father?" Sigrid asked dryly. Her mother had no right to have kept that secret from her for so long. Not by watching how she was treated by that man she believed her entire life was her father. Watching her suffer with his rejection. She was furious with her mother. Even though she understood that her mother should have had no way out. Her grandfather had bought her a husband so that she would not have the fate of many young women she heard about. Her mother was a warrior for having agreed to marry so that she would not have to give up her daughter. But she did wrong by not telling her when she was old enough to understand.

"Don't be hard on me Sigrid. I... I don't even know where to begin."

"Start from the beginning. I want to know everything."

Dona Cleuza sighed deeply.

"Your father was my father's sister's son."

"So... You were cousins?"

"Not really. He was adopted. He was beautiful and dreamy. We played together in childhood and he and his parents always came to visit us. My aunt and uncle couldn't have children, and one day someone left a basket with him in it asking my aunt and uncle to raise him. My aunt was overcome with love for him as soon as she held him for the first time. My uncle didn't like the idea very much, but later agreed to raise him as a son. And it was a happy family. We were about the same age and we understood each other from the first visit that I remember, but my mother told me that since we were babies, we seemed to have a connection. We started dating at the age of thirteen. While our parents thought we were going out for ice cream, we were just making an excuse to meet each other out of their sight. And so we had our first kiss. All our experiences were unique and first time for both of us. His eyes were the same color as yours. He also had golden hair. He was a good man. Erick started visiting my parents around this time. I didn't pay much attention, because he was eight years older than me, and that, in adolescence, is a big age difference. Then he asked for my hand. But I made a scandal and did not accept. By this time, I was already fourteen years old and had already crossed the limits of decency with his father. I became pregnant. The two of us were two children. We didn't know what to do. My aunt and uncle moved out of the country, taking his father with them, and I was left alone. So Erick took advantage of Dad's desperate situation and ended up accepting all the conditions Erick gave to marry me pregnant. Mom was against it, but at that moment my father wouldn't listen. Later, my father regretted it and realized that he had acted imprudently, he found out that he should have listened to Mom, but it was already too late. The wedding was only a few days away, and all the friends and relatives had already been invited. And Erick threatened to tell everyone about my pregnancy, and said that he had already slept with me too, if my father stopped the wedding..."

"So it's like you and Grandpa are being held hostage by this man.... Because of me." Sigrid concluded sadly.

"In a way yes. An eternal prison."

"My father, didn't you try to look for him afterwards?"

"I haven't seen your father since the day we told you together that I was expecting a baby. I haven't even said goodbye to him. My parents and his parents made sure we never saw each other again. Our country is huge. And I ended up on a farm. I would have no way to meet him again. I'm sorry, my daughter. Maybe Flauber can take you to see the world and, knowing this story, hire a detective and find out where your father is. I never had the opportunity to know.

"Mom... Do you still love him?"

Mrs. Cleuza lowered her eyes. Her daughter deserved the truth.

"I never, at any time, stopped loving him. It's a kind of love you never forget."

"And Erick? Do you still love him?"

"I never did. I didn't lie down with him until I was sure his father wasn't coming for me. That's why you and Astrid are four years apart. Erick had been pushing me too hard and I saw no other future for myself than this one. So I gave in."

"Why don't you come live with me and Flauber as soon as we get married?"

Sigrid saw the glint of interest pass through her mother's eyes.

"I would take away your privacy, and there's also Astrid. I can't leave her with only her father's influence. I want you to be happy my child. I won't be a burden to you and your husband."

"I'll talk it over with him. Oh, that reminds me, I promised him we'd talk about it before the wedding. Can you help me with that?"

Dona Cleuza smiled as if this request took her to remote places, memories hidden by the years and silence. Then she stood up.

"Yes, I will help. Tomorrow he's coming to finish the deal with your father, so I'll talk to him."

"They haven't gotten along yet?"

"Not by the looks of it. Now blow out that candle and go to sleep. I'm going to my room too." Dona Cleuza said and left.

Sigrid lay down and her heart felt lighter. She knew she would be happy. And she fell asleep right after these thoughts.