Konrad and Alexandra (pdf) - Rolf Gross

off her horse, and embraced her. Arm in arm they walked across the bridge to look at the
blooming roses in the castle’s garden.
On their way back Alexandra was pensive and downcast. She berated herself for her urgency
to confess her tryst—at least that was how it appeared to her now, unjustly she knew. She had
deprived herself of the possibility to let Konrad partake in her new knowledge.
But what depressed her even more was that Konrad had seemingly lost his newfound
spontaneity. Her vacillations had put them both back onto the old track: Konrad the generous,
smiling sage, and she the frivolous, young temptress.
"I do believe that my experience with Vladimir has a meaning for both of us, and yet I
feel guilty."
Konrad shook his head. "Why should you feel guilty? Because you made love to
Vladimir?"
"No, because I robbed you of the exuberant happiness which Katharina had given you.
We are back on the same road we were on before, and I don’t quite understand how that
happened."
"Beloved woman," he laughed and pointed to the path ahead of them, "don’t you see
that I have carefully chosen another, a new path for us?"
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