The Cursed Prince of Italy - Volume 1 - The Cursed

Chapter 20 - Jesus takes the wheel

After weeks of working non-stop, Romina finally had a break that coincided with the weekend. It was a cold Saturday morning. Keeping her eyes closed, Romina clutched the blanket to her chin. She slowly opened her eyes to notice a single red rose on the pillow beside her. She knew instantly who had left it there. She recognised the dark red rose as one from Castle Elba. She picked up the rose and twirling it in her fingers thought of Ronaldo Visconti. For the past few days, he had been coming in quietly and leaving a rose on her bed for her to find when she woke up. The gesture filled her with happiness as she woke up each day.

Clutching the rose with her hands, she stepped down from the bed. She traced the rose along her naked body as she walked towards her desk. She placed the rose on a vase containing roses she had received from the previous days. She then headed straight into the shower, thinking of Ronaldo Visconti as she let the warm water fall on her body.

It had been several days since she had agreed to think over Ronaldo's proposal. She kept going around in circles. The curse placed on him by Esther haunted her. What Ronaldo had done to Esther was unthinkable, repulsive, abhorrent. However, she felt that after all these centuries, Ronaldo had paid the price and had repented enough. She felt sorry for the life he now lived. Knowing of his plight had made her sympathetic towards him. She felt a stirring of something for him in the depths of her heart. She wasn't ready to admit it to herself or anyone else just yet. She remained uncertain, to-ing and fro-ing between Ronaldo or Lorenzo. She wasn't too sure where she would land.

She came out of her bathroom dressed in a long white dress. She had tied her hair loosely at the top of her head and had put on some light pink lip gloss. She grabbed her beige handbag and left her room.

Since it was the weekend, Romina knew that Monica would still be sleeping. She walked quietly around the apartment trying not to make any noise or wake Monica up. After a haste breakfast, she left the apartment quietly.

Most days as she left the apartment, Ronaldo was there. She liked his company, the stories he shared. His absence today made her feel lonely.

Romina walked towards the Catholic Church at the outskirts of town. She had been wanting to go to the church for days but with her roster at work, she had been unable to do so. She had wanted to go inside to find peace

The church situated at the bottom of the hills was built from blackstone. Given it was the weekend, there was a crowd insides its gates. Romina deduced they were tourists. Despite it being busy outside, inside the church was quiet, peaceful. Romina looked around at the old church filled with paintings and statues of the blessed. She walked closer to the altar and slid into a pew at the front of the church. She looked into the eyes of Christ on the crucifix above her.

'Dear Lord Jesus, please have mercy on me. Please show me the right path' she prayed. She then walked towards the small confessional booths in a corner. She walked inside one of the darkened rooms.

'Lord, please forgive me for I have sinned' she said, outloud in a whisper.

'Sit down child and tell me why you are here' said the priest on the other side of the booth.

Romina voiced her troubles to the priest. She wanted guidance, direction regarding what she needed to do.

'Father, can you forgive a man that has committed horrible sins? Is it wrong to think you can make him into a better person? Is it wrong to help him out in a moment of need? Is it wrong to fall in love with such a man?' she asked gingerly.

'My child, if God can forgive, then we also should be able to forgive. As humans, we are prone to sinning. But by forgiving those who have sinned we are following God. If the devil himself is truly repentful and seeking our help, then we should help him. Wherever there is kindness, wherever there is love, there is God. You are speaking to God and you are calling out to him...'