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But one day her father decided to follow her on his horse without her noticing him, and he waited, hiding outside the store. When they left, he realized that it didn't take him long to come back; besides, they didn't take the road they took to his mansion but another home. The man followed the cart, always hidden among the bags, and at a certain distance, he discovered that his daughter was seeing the young shepherd. This enraged her father, who thoughtlessly entered the cabin, but what he did not count on was that the boy's mother would know him.

It transpired that Elizabeth's father had an affair with a peasant when he had been married for a year, and from this union was born his son, whom he did not recognize as such, but when he grew up was the living image of him in his youth. In other words, Elizabeth and Leonidas were half-siblings.

All this revelation was scandalous, but Elizabeth's father would not allow the bastard to interfere with his plans for fortune, so he threatened to kill Leonidas and her mother if they ever saw Elizabeth again.

Elizabeth resigned, and the servants returned to their palace, and this time poor Elizabeth was imprisoned in her room until the day of the wedding.

Lucy was on the edge of her seat listening to Harriet's story; the tension was killing her. "And what happened after that? Please tell me that everything went well with Elizabeth and Leonidas."

"That's what I'm going for. Anyway, where was he? So."

The wedding was less than a week away—two days, to be exact. All is set, and poor Elizabeth is doomed to be at the mercy of a man she never loved. Her parents kept a good eye on her, as did the servants who helped her, who were responsible for making their lives even more miserable than they already were. Elizabeth could only weep from the day she was commanded to separate from her beloved, though he was her half-brother, for this feeling was born in the purest way and accompanied her every day, making her greater.

When she suddenly sees through her window her lover arrive on horseback, the boy bursts into the palace, shouting Elizabeth's name, and is confronted by his father, who points a gun at him and demands an explanation.

He orders Leonidas to release Elizabeth from her engagement and consent to him, or else he will expose his sin of infidelity with a peasant girl to the entire community.

His father mocked him, arguing that no one would believe a dirty peasant bastard or his adulterous mother.

The young man had already planned to answer, so he invited his mother to go to the palace.

She admitted that there was a witness who heard and saw everything. From his engagement to her until the unpleasant night of Leonidas' conception, for it was the only time they had a physical relationship, his Uncle Adler, who at that time returned from his studies to visit his younger sister for a while, was the only one whose family member was able to go to school.

Again, the father mocked the people in front of him, arguing that although he was a lawyer, he was still just a person below his high lineage. But this time both Leonidas and his mother laughed at him and called for their uncle to stop, who had arrived with them and was waiting for them outside the door. The father's face turned pale, and he dropped his weapon on the ground. It turned out that Adler had long left home to devote his life to God. The witness to his infidelity who never worried it might cause trouble is now a Cardinal in the Vatican Church. His social status was nothing compared to a position in the Holy See.

The man was lost; he knew that if he wanted Adler with just one word, he could ruin his entire life. He quits before Elizabeth and Leonidas are together.

Since Leonidas used his mother's surname and was not recognized by his father as his son, the Cardinal had no moral objection to the marriage, as they were legally unrelated.

Elizabeth took a portion of what was left of the family fortune and fled with Leonidas and her mother to a new place they could call home. And so our family came to America.

Lucy was amazed by the story of her great-grandmother and the origin of her family tree. "That was beautiful."

"You know, it was my favorite story when I was your age."

"But I don't see how that helps me solve my attraction to my brother."

"Well, it's simple. The point is, no matter what society or the people around you think, there will always be hope for love, even if it's your own blood."

"You're right, thank you; your story really helped me a lot."

"I am always here for you, my girl."

"But how do I approach Lincoln to tell him how I feel?"

"When I met your grandfather, I tried to get his attention. I would stand behind him and then leave, so that he would notice me."

"But how? Lincoln can't see, but his hearing always detects me."

"Well, we became a couple at the dance. I just walked up to him, and I like that I haven't finally scared him off. I guess you could try getting up to your brother at a party."