Long, long ago, there lived a nobleman who wished with all his heart to find a place where happiness, peace, and beauty could dwell together. The nobleman traveled far and wide, visiting foreign countries, always with his dream in mind, seeking knowledge in the best schools of the time. When the time was right, and he was already well-educated, he found the enchanted place in a gentle country, on the edge of a village surrounded by forests. Here he decided to build a house like a castle, more beautiful than any seen before. The house was to be built only of large stone blocks, so that it would be durable, and it had to be the tallest in the village, just like the feelings it would shelter. The garden surrounding it was to be a friend to nature, with fir and oak trees keeping evil at bay, roses bringing fragrance and color, tulips bringing happiness, and the orchard bringing abundance all year round.

The nobleman had a strong character and an equally strong name: Vlad. When he gathered all his strength, his dream came true and this stone house was built. The grass turned green and tall trees began to grow from the ground. At the end of the magical incantations, green and living walls rose up, and at the entrance, a large iron gate.

Troubled times had come. Times when thirsty chimeras took what belonged to others and fed on their power, times full of fear, which made the beloved country resemble a prison. The wise nobleman wanted to preserve what he had built with so much love, so he made his dream house almost as tall as the ones around it, so that it would not be seen by the evil forces that roamed the land. He divided his lands among his close friends so as not to arouse the malice and envy of those same forces. He kept only enough of the garden to feel protected and left the tower he could not give up. Peace, happiness, and harmony found shelter here, and the garden was a place of play and joy for his children, then for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren...

Time passed, and the nobleman laughed and rejoiced with one eye as he looked at the marvel he had built, and cried with the other, thinking that it could have been "much brighter and much more beautiful." Bitterness overwhelmed him, and, so as not to spread it, one day he passed away, leaving everything in the care of his grandchildren. They had to guard and care for it so that the noblest feelings would always find their place here. It was not an easy task, as there were many who loved and desired it. In order to avoid it becoming a "bone of contention," the descendants decided to give it to the one who would fulfill three wishes: to raise it as their grandfather would have wanted, to destroy nothing, only to increase its beauty, and to preserve the place in such a way that peace, harmony, and love would never leave.

Years passed, the garden began to grow with ups and downs, and the castle, as they called it in the village, began to look sad and abandoned. Just at the right time, a simple girl appeared, so simple that only she could make a big dream come true, the nobleman's dream. Helped by kind-hearted people, craftsmen, and the power of love, for five years the girl made sure that everything was as it should be. She would never have succeeded if a gentleman from Latin lands had not come with his vitality and clear mind to guide and support her. Only then was Maria Castle ready to welcome guests.

The hard work had only just begun: guests expected to be served not only with exquisite dishes, but above all with peace, beauty, and harmony. This was impossible for one person alone, so help was needed. After a long search, she chose only those who had three essential qualities: a pure heart, joy in helping others, and the desire to become better and better.

Only together, united, could they fulfill the wishes of those who crossed their threshold and face the three- or seven-headed dragon (for the chimeras of old had not died, but had transformed into new ones). The place only lacked a name—a protective name, but also a symbol of creation, so it was called Maria Castle, after both the Holy Mother and the fruit of the love between the girl and the Latin gentleman.

The years have passed well, and now, with each season, the garden becomes more beautiful. In its hidden corners, guests find ever more peace, and even though each one takes some of the harmony that reigns here with them when they leave, it continues to grow.