Thus six months passed: from the summer of 1516 to the winter of 1517, Marzio diligently studied at the academy. He excelled in some disciplines, such as medicine, shooting, metrology. Marzio also learned to stay in the saddle. He was still far from professional riders, but at the moment he could confidently sit on a horse. In other disciplines, Marzio got good marks, but not without difficulty. He had a particularly hard time in training and in cold weapons classes. However, he was much stronger now than he had been in the summer, and in addition, he now owned almost all known types of edged weapons. The training assumed that a knight should become a universal warrior, but everyone had their own preferences, of course. So, Marzio preferred the sciences that study antiquity, causality and the order of things. But most of all he liked firearms. At the academy, they were trained to shoot from all types of preserved weapons. For Marzio, and not only for him alone, but an amazing world of unprecedented small arms art also opened up, conquering the hearts with its specific science. At first, some shied away, but by the end of the training, not a single student remained indifferent.

At the end of the accelerated course of the academy, each newly minted knight was given his service weapon, depending on the personal qualities of the owner. So Marzio got a Heckler submachine gun & Koch UMP. Marzio was quite pleased, as he liked the speed of fire and the compactness of this weapon. In addition, all students received the uniform: tactical helmets with a built-in walkie-talkie, with a night vision function, a respirator and a beacon. Also, the visor of the helmet was covered with armoured glass.

The training was accelerated, as the situation in the world was critical, and the order needed new recruits. The total number of all troops in Italy in 1515-1517 began to increase sharply. Young knights were sent to task forces immediately after the academy. All the newcomers were assigned to already experienced groups so that the youngsters would get used to it, but Marzio did not expect that he would be sent to the Visconti group. As they explained to him afterwards: Bernardo's group were veterans, and they had served for several years in their unchanged composition. Usually, the task forces reached ten people, but Bernardo refused to accept anyone else even up to this point. Because of this, Marzio's mood was upbeat, but at the same time, the question was brewing - where to put Lily? Marzio thought about it for a long time: there was no one to leave her in Venice, it was madness to take her on a hike, but the most reasonable option remained - to send her to her father's castle. Since Hugo allowed him to use his property if necessary, Marzio decided that the only right decision would be to leave Lily in the care of Fermo's wife, that is, his stepmother. It was a little awkward for him to think about it because it is not known how he will be perceived in the castle, and how they will treat Lily is also a question. But that was the only thing Marzio could do.

The graduation ceremony took place after the new year. All in the same solemn hall in the citadel of the Hospitallers, the young knights were blessed for military exploits and sent to do their duty. Previously, a ball was arranged after that, but in such a pre-war situation, all kinds of festivities were cancelled. The very next day, the former students of the academy packed their things, vacated rooms for new students. After collecting his belongings and government property, Marzio set off with Lily, saying goodbye to Evalia and Chiera. His fellow students at the academy were also leaving somewhere. Marzio didn't have time to ask, but he knew that Batista and Anastasio were being sent somewhere to the west of Veneto, and Valentino and Carla to the north. One Maddalena was assigned to the southern border. This did not mean that they would not see each other again, on the contrary, there was a chance to meet them again if circumstances deigned. Marzio sincerely said goodbye to his friends and went to the Chateau de Fermo, which was located on the threshold of Austria, near the town of Villach. The way was not close, since it was two days to walk to it, but on horseback, it would take about a day and a half. Marzio prepared his horse and his belongings and set off with Lily on the road.

At the end of autumn, Marzio bought Lily a new fur coat: a nice brown rabbit fur, a hem below the knee, a cute hood and, in addition, beautiful white mittens. On her head, she had a light brown cap that covered everything from her forehead to her neck. The hood fitted snugly to the head, so there was no need to buy a fur hat. Under her fur coat, she had a calico dress bought in the summer, and scarlet boots on her feet. Marzio, on the other hand, was dressed in a Carolina – armour made of large plates, fitting the body was actually a cuirass covered with fabric, with a laminar skirt. Arm and leg protection was provided by gauntlet bracers with metal shoulder pads and greaves. He immediately put a helmet on his head, as it was warm to his ears, and he looked very pretentious. In general, Marzio liked the new uniform very much – he felt confident in it.

Winter was not fierce today, so the way was easy but long. After two hours of driving, Lilia whined that she was tired of driving, and it was necessary to make stops because of her. The road was safe, so there wasn't much to worry about. Moreover, Marzio was well-armed, and if firearms were forbidden to be drawn in public and for no reason, then his sword was always at hand. Marzio didn't have much time to take Lily, as by Friday he was supposed to arrive in Trieste, where the Visconti group was located. He left Venice on Monday and expected to arrive at the castle on Wednesday, and on Thursday he would go to Trieste, which he would reach in half a day. That's about how it turned out: after another couple of hours of the trip, Lily got seasick, and until the evening they reached the town of Udine at a calm pace, where the knight and his daughter were kindly placed in the best room of the inn with everything comfortable and respectful. Until that moment, Marzio had not known to what extent innkeepers were polite. Little Lily, though irritated, quite patiently endured the road. She really liked living in the capital, and the prospect of going to the wilderness to strangers did not please her. In addition, she shared Marzio's excitement about how they would be received in the castle, although she did not show it to him. In general, Lily became very attached to Marzio during this time: she had almost forgotten the events of that terrible night, although she was still afraid to be alone in the dark, she considered Marzio her family, although she realized that he was not her own. At the same time, in public, she used to call him either by his first name or "dad". No one knew what was hidden in that little head. During those six months of living in Venice, she learned a lot: Lily already knew how to read, did not count well, knew secular etiquette and some of the foundations of society. If Marzio brought her to the capital as a peasant, then he took her away as a child of a burgher. Lily showed promise because she was very smart. Therefore, a bright future was predicted for her if someone took up her education. Marzio could not give her what she needed, so he considered it his duty to find those people who could teach her. The young man himself perceived Lily with mixed feelings: on the one hand, he saw in her only a burden that accidentally fell on his still-young shoulders, and on the other hand, when the girl once again hugged him or did something nice, feelings akin to his father's awakened in Marzio. At some moments, he even proudly called himself "father", although he was well aware that he was too young for this title.

As Marzio had planned, they were approaching the Chateau de Fermo by the end of Tuesday. The castle itself was a new building, it was founded twenty years ago. It was a fortress standing on a ledge of a mountain slope.

The road to it was laid in such a way that aliens always face the castle with their right side, not covered by a shield. Directly in front of the fortress wall, there is a bare plateau lying under a significant slope. The first obstacle is a deep transverse moat, and in front of it is a shaft of excavated earth.

The bridge was of particular interest, it worked on the principle of a swing. One half of the bridge was inside - lying on the ground under the gate, and the other stretched across the moat. When the inner part rose, blocking the entrance to the castle, the outer part fell down into the moat, where the so-called "wolf pit" was arranged, sharp stakes dug into the ground, invisible from the outside while the bridge was lowered.

Marzio was approaching the gate, it was the most vulnerable part of the castle. They were double-leafed, and the doors were made of two layers of boards. To protect against arson from the outside, they were upholstered with iron. At the same time, there was a small narrow door in one of the flaps, which could be entered only by bending over. In addition to locks and iron bolts, the gate was closed by a cross beam lying in the wall channel and sliding into the opposite wall, while Marzio was looking at the lock from the outside, he noticed movement on the walls.

Approaching as close as possible, Marzio called out to the guards. He introduced himself and said why he was here. The guards opened the castle gate and let him in. Behind the gate, there was a lattice made of steel tetrahedral rods. She was hanging on chains that could be cut off in case of danger.

On top of the wall, there was a gallery for defence soldiers. On the outside of the castle, they were protected by a solid breastwork half the height of a man, on which stone battlements were regularly located. Behind them, you could stand tall and, for example, load a crossbow. In addition to the battlements, behind which it was convenient to hide, the castle walls were equipped with loopholes. The attackers were fired through them. Due to the peculiarities of the use of throwing weapons (freedom of movement and a certain firing position), the loopholes for archers were long and narrow, and for crossbowmen — short, with expansion on the sides. Inside the castle, behind the main gate, there was a small rectangular courtyard with loopholes in the walls — a kind of "trap" for attackers. The castle consisted of several "sections" separated by internal walls.

But the main attribute of the castle was a large courtyard containing outbuildings, a well, rooms for servants and so on. The main structure remained the central tower, also known as the "donjon", there were also a number of buildings that provided an autonomous life of its inhabitants in complete isolation: a bakery, a bathhouse, a kitchen, etc.

In the courtyard, apparently, he was already awaited – there was a group of people standing in front of the gate. From their clothes, one could tell that they were servants of the castle. In the centre stood a stately middle-aged man: he was dressed in a butler's uniform, noble wrinkles clearly showed on his clean-shaven face, and the thin grey hair on his bald head glistened at sunset. Behind him stood a group of ladies of different ages, dressed in the uniform of maids. They looked solemn, but they looked extremely gloomy. Marzio immediately felt that he was an uninvited guest here.

Jumping off the horse and lowering Lily from the saddle, Marzio approached the gloomy old man, who was two heads taller than the young man. Meanwhile, the girl was looking with interest at the surroundings of the courtyard.

'Good evening, senor,' Marzio began, 'My name is Marzio Variatle. I am the son of the owner of this castle – Mr Hugo de Fermo. I was allowed to come here.'

'My name is Adalarik Herman,' the butler began to speak with a German accent. I am the head of Lady Fermo's retinue in this castle. We were aware of your possible visit,' These words were uttered as coldly as possible so that Marzio felt uncomfortable.

'However, we don't know who this young lady is,' the butler continued in the same tone. After a moment's hesitation, Marzio answered.

'This is Lily Variatle, she is my adopted daughter. I would like to ask Madame Fermo to take her in,' The old man mumbled ambiguously, but then answered.

'I wouldn't count on my mistress's favour if I were you,' You are already a stranger in this house, and in addition, you want to leave your stepdaughter here? If Monsieur Fermo had not allowed you to come here, then we would not have let you on the threshold,' Marzio realized that he was being greeted very "warmly" here, but he decided to insist on his own.

'I'm not asking you for anything, but I'm asking Madame Fermo and I'll talk about these things with her, with your permission,' Marzio replied in a more dry tone with a hint of rudeness. The old man immediately frowned.

'Especially since my father, and therefore your Master Hugo de Fermo has allowed me to ask for anything if I need it.'

'A young man,' the butler began a little more rudely.

'It's not appropriate for you to speak in that tone in Fermo's house. I can also turn you out.'

'Well, but then Mr Fermo will definitely find out about it, he would unlikely be happy with the news that his own son has been put out the door, especially since he gave clear instructions to his servants to receive him. Do you want such an outcome?'

The old man croaked faintly but apparently agreed with the words of the young man.

Marzio's horse was taken to a stall, and the young man himself, along with the girl, were taken inside the castle.

Already in the front room, they were forced to wait until they announced his arrival to the lady. This was said with the obvious hope that she would refuse him this. However, fifteen minutes of agonizing waiting under the eyes of the guards were crowned with success for Marzio.

'Madame de Fermo has deigned to receive you,' one of the maids said in a cold tone.

Then Marzio was led into a large hall: on each side, there were two grand staircases that descended to the stone floor in a semicircle parallel to each other. There was a luxurious chandelier hanging above, on which many candles were burning. There were paintings on the walls depicting people in noble clothes. They could not be the ancestors of Marzio's father, so he assumed that they were people on the stepmother's side. A blue carpet was spread out under Marzio's feet, which led directly between two staircases to the opposite wall, where there was another large door. Red paths were laid on the stairs.

With a frown, Marzio was looking around the pretentious hall when he suddenly saw a young lady coming down the right stairs. Even from his angle, he could clearly see that the girl was young, perhaps even younger than Marzio himself. This confused the young man. He thought if this was really Madame Fermo. Was she his possible stepmother? Wasn't she too young for his father? However, Marzio was distracted from other thoughts when he saw the lady closer. The young lady, no older than Marzio, was coming down the scarlet steps. She had long silver hair: two long strands hung down the sides of her delicate face on a luxurious burgundy-blue dress. The girl lifted her low hem, from under which beautiful shoes peeked out at every step. The maiden's eyes were a beautiful lilac colour. She had a cap on her head, under which, apparently, the rest of her hair was hidden, since she had nothing but two long strands and a bun on the back of her head. Her height was clearly lower than that of Marzio, but it was not her beauty that so riveted the young man's gaze. The fact was that this lady was terribly similar to Marzio's Father Hugo. At first, Marzio recognized her as his named dad, only in the female version. Due to the fact that the young man had not seen his father for a long time, memories of his appearance woke up more vividly in him. The same look, the same shape of the face everything spoke of Hugo.

'Mrs. Julia Fermo!' The butler exclaimed with pride.

Marzio remained motionless until the girl came down the stairs. Then Marzio greeted her according to all the rules of social tone. Julia Fermo responded in kind. Her gaze was timid and elegant. It didn't seem to stop at anything but covered the entire hall. At the same time, Julia was looking directly at Marzio. However, he could not read any emotions.

'My young lady... ,' Adalarik began.

'Let me introduce you to Mr Marzio Variatle,' it is worth noting that the butler pronounced the name of Marzio with reverence, even despite the dislike.

At these words, Julia's face instantly changed. Her eyes widened, a blush appeared on her cheeks, and her gaze ceased to be detached. She stared at Marzio, not daring to speak. Marzio was a little embarrassed by this metamorphosis but did not show it. Adalarik took the initiative.

'Monsieur Variatle has come to Fermo's domain to ask a favour of your mother,' the butler said with a certain note of disgust.

A sister... A bullet flashed through Marzio's brain. He had already guessed this, but now all doubts were completely gone. Julia must have thought the same thing because her gaze changed for a moment, and a fire lit up in her eyes.

'I'm glad to meet you, Mr Marzio...,' the girl began, becoming more and more embarrassed.

'I am also glad to meet you, Ms Fermo,' Marzio said without losing his proud bearing. Although, in fact, he was as excited as she was. 'Damn it, sister, I have a sister!' thought Marzio at that moment.

'Mr. Variatle wants to leave his stepdaughter in the castle,' Adalarik continued in his cold tone, pointing at Lily.

Then everyone remembered the forgotten little girl who stood modestly beside Marzio. Lily was holding up well, but it was obvious that the girl was nervous. Instead of a clear greeting, Lily mumbled something under her breath and awkwardly bowed.

'I've come here...,' Marzio began, 'Since I have no one to leave my adopted daughter Lily,' he pointed at the girl.

'It's really embarrassing for me to ask you for such a favour, but I have a service in the order waiting for me, and I have no right to linger.'

'I understand,' Julia replied in a quiet but cheerful voice.

'I don't think my mother will refuse you,' Especially since you are the son of my Lord Fermo, which means this is your house too,' At these words, the butler blinked nervously, and Marzio hid slight gloating over him.

'Let's go to the refectory hall,' Julia suggested.

'My mom is just waiting for you there.'

'Of course,' Marzio replied respectfully.

They started up the stairs. Julia walked in front, Marzio walked one step behind her, followed by little Lily, and the old butler brought up the rear.

'To be honest...,' Julia began after a moment of silence.

'We were expecting you, Mr Variatle.'

'Really?'

'Yes. You see, when we received a letter from my father, that is, from Mr Fermo, my venerable mother and I were very worried,' She spoke in a hushed voice, clearly embarrassed.

'We thought that you were in dire need, but we could not send you someone, since Monsieur Fermo ordered us to help you only if you come yourself.'

'What are you...,' Marzio began politely.

'You shouldn't have worried so much. I'm terribly embarrassed to ask you for something myself, and if it wasn't for an urgent need, I wouldn't bother you.'

With that, they went upstairs. In front of them was a large oak door, at which two maids were standing. When the group approached it, the servants opened them inside and Marzio opened an amazingly beautiful hall. It was decorated in warm colours, golden chandeliers hung on the ceiling, and in the centre, there was a large wooden table with a painted blue tablecloth and carved chairs. Tapestries and paintings with hunting scenes hung on the walls. A servant stood at attention in the corners, and a woman sat in an armchair facing the incoming person. She looked to be somewhere in her thirties. She had a lovely, otherwise, you can't say, figure. She had the same hair and eyes as Julia, only her mother's hairstyle was much lusher. Her long locks fell over the graceful shoulders of the woman, emphasizing with its silver shade the beauty of her embroidered dark blue dress with gold inserts. It was immediately obvious that young Julia had adopted grace from her mother. The lady stood up, greeted the guests, and walked towards them.

'My lady' the butler began.

'Mr. Marzio Variatle,' After these words, Madame Fermo's eyes flamed, and her face lit up with a charming smile.

'Let me introduce you,' Julia said.

'My venerable mother, Madame Patricia Fermo,' Marzio bowed.

'My God!' Patricia said, walking up to Marzio.

'Is it really you, Marzio!?' Marzio did not have time to utter a word, as Madame Fermo came up to him and hugged the young man tightly. This action amazed not only Marzio but everyone around him. The servants froze in a daze, Julia opened her mouth, and Marzio could not even breathe.

Mrs Fermo was slightly taller than Marzio, so his face pressed tightly against Patricia's warm shoulder, covering his mouth and nose. However, this did not really bother the young man, since something else was also tightly pressed to Marzio's chest.

'Poor child...,' Patricia continued, stroking the young man on the head. Marzio, on the other hand, did not move, keeping his hands at his sides. They were not taught at the academy how to behave in such situations. Therefore, he assumed the pose of a staunch soldier on the parade ground, who listens to curses from the commander. The only difference was that now he was pleased in his own way.

'Madame Fermo!' the butler tried to intervene.

'Wait, Adalarik,' Patricia interrupted him.

'The boy recently lost his mother ...,' here Patricia began to sob softly.

'Poor boy... How hard it was for you,' she finally pulled away from him and leaned her palms against his cheeks, gazing intently and tenderly into Marzio's azure eyes. The young man still stood motionless, not knowing what to do now.

'Well, it's ok, everything is already in the past. Now you have a family, a home...'

'My lady...' the butler wanted to politely intervene again.

'Adalarik!' she stopped him, now stroking the young man's shoulders in parallel.

'I hope you met Marzio appropriately?' she said it not so much with a question, but with a statement. To this the butler only respectfully replied:

'Of course, Mistress.'

'I'm so glad to meet you, Marzio,' Mrs Fermo continued.

'Hugo told me a lot about you. He was so worried about you...,' here Patricia Fermo saw Lily standing modestly behind Marzio.

'My God, what kind of a cute creature is this?!' She immediately pulled away from Marzio and leaned towards the girl.

'This is my stepdaughter. Adopted daughter,' Marzio finally gathered the strength to answer her something.

'What's your name?' Patricia turned to Lily with tenderness.

'Lily...,' the girl said modestly.

'Oh, what a beautiful name!' admired Mrs Fermo, and then hugged the girl as tightly as Marzio. Lily, though embarrassed, did not resist such a caress.

'Hugo didn't tell me anything about her,' Patricia continued.

'My father probably doesn't know about Lily yet. I sent him a letter only when I had already arrived with her in Venice. He couldn't have known about her before.'

'It's still very nice!' Patricia said happily, releasing the girl.

'Well, let's not behave like strangers, but sit down at the table. Adalarik...,' she did not have time to continue, as in a moment the butler nodded his grey head and gave instructions to the servants.

In a matter of minutes, a table was set, on which a lot of various dishes were put. Marzio and Lily were sitting next to each other, and opposite them sat Madame Fermo and her daughter. There was no one else at the table. Little Lily had to put a couple of pillows because the table was too high for her. During dinner, Patricia tirelessly asked Marzio about his life. The young man told her his whole journey and the latest events. Of course, he omitted some details, but otherwise, he was truthful and sincere. Ms Fermo expressed the whole range of emotions: she was laughing, sobbing, frightened, surprised. It was clear that she really cared about Marzio's life. Her daughter sat mostly silent, only asking questions a couple of times during Marzio's story.

The feast lasted quite a long time. After the main courses, Lily attacked the desserts, devouring them one by one. Madame Fermo insisted that Marzio finish the freshly cooked goose. The young man had already choked on this fat bird, but out of respect, he could not refuse. Patricia also told Marzio about her life. She was the daughter of an influential Liechtenstein nobleman. Their family – Calabrien is one of the oldest in the whole country. However, in this generation, it was in decline. Patricia's father lost all his brothers and sisters before they could give offspring. Because of this, the only representative of the genus was Alexander Calabrien. He had only one daughter, Patricia, but he could not have other children with his wife. When the girl was only four years old, her mother died, and Patricia was left alone with her father. Since Patricia was the sole heiress of the Calabrien family, Alexander dreamed of marrying her off sooner and better. Although the Calabrien family was one of the noblest, but not the richest, it was impossible to count on a relationship with someone from the highest circles. Alexander was very worried about this because he wanted not only to attach his daughter but also to become related to a noble family. The search continued for a long time, although many young men from less, but still noble families of the state asked for Patricia's hand. Alexander could not decide on a choice until he found out about the young talented General Hugo Fermo. At that moment, the promising commander was making a successful career in Hungary, and for his merits, the King of Liechtenstein granted him nobility. Here was the most successful moment to marry his daughter. All the ambitions of old Alexander were satisfied and he made all his efforts for marriage. As a result, Patricia Calabrien married General Hugo de Fermo, thereby sired a young nobleman with a noble family and successfully strengthening the status of the family. A year after the wedding, Julia was born and then old Alexander's heart calmed down. He fulfilled his duty to his ancestors – he did not discredit the surname and left heirs. After ten years of a quiet life, Alexander rested in peace at the age of sixty.

However, old Alexander did not know what his daughter knew. Hugo told Patricia that he already has a young son who lives in Bologna. Patricia reacted kindly to this. But she could not see her half-son, as she was busy raising her daughter, and Hugo was sent to the front line again. Everything was calm until the moment when a messenger from Hugo arrived with a letter telling the latest events. After that, Patricia began to look forward to the arrival of her "what son?".

Marzio was flattered by this reception, but at first, he was a little uncomfortable, but when Lily climbed onto Patricia's lap after dinner, the tension in him subsided.