Mateo was sitting on the living room sofa, curled up in one corner as his mother stood in front of him. She had just finished reproaching him for disappearing the night before and was now waiting for him to provide an explanation for his actions. The young wizard knew he had to tell his mother the truth but it was difficult: he did not think he could bear the disappointment he knew she would feel.

"Well, Mateo?" Rafa said. "Why did you leave last night?"

"I honestly didn't mean to be gone all night, Mama," Mateo replied. "But things happened…"

"What things?"

"C-Chancellor Esteban nearly arrested me and Elena. And Naomi, Gabe, and Isabel…"

Rafa's eyes widened. "What? Why would he try to arrest you?"

"Because we broke the law. You see, I'm… I'm…"

"You're what, Mateo?"

"I'm in love with Elena and I've been dating her in secret!" Mateo blurted out.

A pause followed his words as Rafa stood perfectly still, staring at her son. The royal wizard braced himself for the worse, certain that the yelling would soon start.

"Oh, Mateo…" Rafa said, sighing quietly. She sat next to him and pulled him into her arms, stroking his hair. Mateo blinked, not having expected this turn of event.

"Mama?" he asked uncertainly.

"You truly are my father's grandson," Rafa said.

"What do you mean?"

"Your grandfather was in this very same predicament. He, too, fell in love with one of the members of the royal family when he was young."

"He did?" Mateo was astonished.

"He did. But, unlike you, he didn't do anything about it."

"Who did he fall in love with?"

"Queen Lucinda. Princess Elena's paternal grandmother."

"What? How do you know all of this? Did Grandfather tell you?"

"I found his old journals years ago. He wrote about how much he loved Queen Lucinda, but only from afar," Rafa explained.

"So he never told her how he felt?" Mateo asked.

"He never approached her on the matter because the law forbade him from doing so. But, considering how she fell deeply in love with a prince who would later become Princess Elena's grandfather, it was probably for the best."

"Poor Grandfather… I never knew. I have a pretty good idea of how he must have felt when he watched Queen Lucinda fall in love with someone else: when I found out Elena was engaged to Prince Alonso, I was devastated beyond words."

"Is that why you didn't want to come to the ball last night?"

Mateo nodded. His mother kissed the top of his head. "And Princess Elena was with you the whole time? That's why she wasn't at the ball either?" Rafa asked.

"Yes. She doesn't want to marry Prince Alonso, Mama; she doesn't even like him. Elena loves me as much as I love her," Mateo replied.

"But the law says you cannot be together, which is a shame. Princess Elena is a fine young lady: I would approve of your relationship if it were possible for you to have one."

"It might be possible. Her grandparents might end up deciding to change the law."

"Really? Well, I hope things turn out for the better."

The royal wizard gave his mother a hug. "Thank you, Mama," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

Rafa smiled and stroked her son's hair. They remained silent for a long moment before a thought crossed Mateo's mind.

"Did Grandfather ever get over Queen Lucinda?" he asked.

"It took a long time but he eventually did. He always did maintain a soft spot for her, though," Rafa replied thoughtfully. "But then he met your grandmother and he loved her more than anything."

"I guess if that law hadn't existed, we probably wouldn't be here."

"You're probably right. Judging by the way your grandfather wrote his journal entries, it sounded as if Queen Luncinda did not return his feelings. That could be just how he viewed the situation, however. It is entirely possible she had feelings for him but that changed after she met Prince Salvador. But, since my father never approached her, we will never know the answer."

"That's what I wanted to avoid. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life loving Elena from afar and wondering whether she ever returned my feelings. Regardless of how things turn out, I will not regret what I did."

"Good, because you shouldn't. That law is wrong and archaic. You showed them it was wrong to implement it with your kind heart and I couldn't be prouder."

The young wizard smiled. "Thanks, Mama," he said happily.

Rafa ruffled his hair. "I need to go into town today," she said. "Do you want to come with me?"

"Sure," Mateo replied.

"All right. Let me just go get my things and we'll head down there."

Mateo nodded as his mother went upstairs. He leaned back against the sofa and let out a sigh of relief. He was glad that his mother was not angry about his relationship with Elena, and it pleased him even more to know that she approved of the princess as his girlfriend. The young wizard was surprised to learn that his grandfather had been in the same situation he was currently in – Mateo had never thought that Alacazar would have had feelings for anyone other than his grandmother. Did Elena know about this? Had King Raul? It was possible that Queen Lucinda had known about Alacazar's feelings for her. If she had, would she have shared that information with her son? Mateo made a mental note to ask Elena about this, only to remember he was not permitted to see her until the ruling of the Grand Council.

The royal wizard heard his mother come back downstairs and he got on his feet. He absolutely hated the idea of not seeing the princess but he knew there was nothing that could be done apart from continuing to live his life as if nothing happened. Mateo sighed and ran a hand through his hair before joining Rafa in the hallway, hoping a day of shopping would help distract him from how much he already missed his beloved princess.