My new university is a renovated medieval monastery in Slovakia called ‘Dux Ducis’ (leader of leaders in Latin). The university is run by professors from all over the world. Monks abandoned it many years ago, not exactly the place an eighteen-year-old girl wants to be, except I don’t have a choice.
I am Sweden’s Crown Princess Paola Katarina. My best friends are Crown Princess Sofia Eleonora from Finland and Crown Prince Oskar Niklas from Norway.
The sixth day in the monastery, a soft knock on the door woke me up. I glanced at the clock, and it was 1 a.m. No one was there, but I saw a boy wearing pajamas walking across the garden barefooted. The rigid, slow way he was walking made me think he was sleepwalking.
I followed him and a few minutes later he initiated a chilling conversation.
“You are so gullible, Paola. Always trying to help others even if they are strangers; I am about to teach you a lesson no professor in this university can teach you.”
When the boy said my name, I knew he was not sleepwalking. He was luring me to the praying room.
“Who are you? Why did you trick me into following you?”
The boy took a few seconds to respond without facing me.
“I used so many names the last three hundred years that I don’t remember my birth name any more; most of my acquaintances know me as Patryk Lucescu."
My new university is a renovated medieval monastery in Slovakia called ‘Dux Ducis’ (leader of leaders in Latin). The university is run by professors from all over the world. Monks abandoned it many years ago, not exactly the place an eighteen-year-old girl wants to be, except I don’t have a choice.
I am Sweden’s Crown Princess Paola Katarina. The monastery houses male and female royalty.
My best friends are Crown Princess Sofia Eleonora from Finland and Crown Prince Oskar Niklas from Norway.
Monks’ former cells were rebuilt into large dormitories that accommodate two students of the same gender. The boys’ dorms are on the left side, the girls’ on the right. A central garden divides us.
The dining room is by the main entrance, the kitchen and laundry rooms are on the right side. The classrooms are in the back of the monastery. Because students have different religions, the last room on the left, which was double the size of the others, was used by the students who wanted to pray or meditate. Half of the room had perfectly carved wooden benches, the other half was empty, and three beautiful chandeliers illuminated medieval castles paintings.
My father, King Rikard, and Sofia’s father, King Alpertti, arranged for us to have the same dorm. Oskar is also attending our university, and that’s perfect. We are the same age and have known each other since we were little.
I have been engaged to Crown Prince Dominick Sander from Denmark since I was six years old. He will be one more royal in the monastery.
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Italian
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Already translated.
Translated by Jennifer Ceconi
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Portuguese
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Already translated.
Translated by Josiane da Silva Mattos
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Spanish
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Already translated.
Translated by Àlex Rourera
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