
In this haunting trio of novellas the reader is drawn into the closed world of medieval Iberia, where a newborn Infanta emerges from a night of fire and blood. Marked by a strange cross‑shaped birthmark and a gaze that seems to pierce the soul, she retreats from courtly revelry into solitary contemplation. When a beloved hunting hound unexpectedly turns on her, her cold‑blooded decision to end its life marks the first crack in her fragile veneer, hinting at a mind both curious and dangerous. The narrative swirls with whispers of occult studies, astrolabes, and prophetic dreams, painting a portrait of a girl caught between royal expectation and an inner darkness.
The other stories in the collection echo this tension, following characters who navigate secret societies, forbidden love, and the relentless pull of destiny. Each tale is suffused with richly described castles, moonlit gardens, and the oppressive weight of political intrigue, inviting listeners to linger on the fine line between devotion and obsession. Together they create a mosaic of melancholy and mystique that lingers long after the final line.
Language
de
Duration
~4 hours (246K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Markus Brenner and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2007-05-19
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1873–1934
Known for psychological novels that explored identity, conscience, and the pressures of society, this German writer became one of the most widely read authors of his time. His best-known book, "Caspar Hauser or The Inertia of the Heart," helped secure his place in early 20th-century European literature.
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