They had all been so upset that they had not even been able to understand the pain that gripped their hearts. It exploded only when they found themselves, stunned and grey-faced, crossing the threshold of the royal apartments.
The young prince had followed Alfredo and Luigi when, according to the protocol, they had opened the great door of the royal rooms for the new ruler so that he could give precise instructions on how he wanted the rooms to be arranged for him.
There was only the master of ceremonies with them and, to guard the door, that same soldier who, a few years earlier, had witnessed the strange scene of the king holding his child by the hand like any other father in the world.
That same boy was now unable to hold back his sobs as he entered the room, where the memory of his
