108 “Different Story”

“What are you thinking, Ele?”

Alexander asked as he found Eleanora spacing out again. She has been like this since the coronation ceremony ended.

Because Cathain’s words kept ringing in her mind.

‘You have made me go crazy in love, My empress.’

Eleanora shook her head to get those words away from her mind and looked up to meet her father’s worried gaze.

‘No, don’t be foolish Eleanora. Everything will change again when i return from the battlefield just like before. He will meet Jena again and fall for her in my absence.’

“Nothing, am okay, Daddy.”

Alexander didn’t said anything anymore and patted her head.

They was currently standing on the imperial knight grounds, ready to depart for the war.

.....

“Raynor, bring it.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Alexander’s aid nodded as he went to bring the thing his lord asked for.

Eleanora was a little curious about that thing too. As her father was being too mysterious about it.

Soon, a very beautiful pure white horse came to her view which made her eyes widen in shock.

This was the horse that her mother gifted her during her fifth birthday, the horse which died while protecting her in the war with Rua Kingdom.

“Eva!”

Eleanora called the horse by it’s name and in response the horse started to ran towards her.

“Eva...”

“neighh!!”

The horse rubbed it’s face with Eleanora, as she wrapped her hands around it’s neck.

Alexander watched his daughter with a satisfied expression.

Finally he saw the bright smile of his daughter again.

From the crown prince’s coming of age ceremony to the assassination attack, the emperor’s death, funeral, the new emperor’s coronation; Alexander didn’t saw this bright smile of hers for more then three years.

So seeing her being happy like this, he felt satisfied.

“His Majesty, the sun of our empire, Emperor Cathain De Valerian Valentino is entering!!!!”

Everyone gathered up immediately at the imperial ground with their horses as the chief attendant announced the emperor’s arrival.

“We greet his Majesty, the sun of our empire.”

“Raise your heads up.”

Everyone looked up at the podium, where the emperor was standing after the emperor permitted them to raise.

In the lines of thousand soldiers, Eleanora was the only woman there; standing at the first row with her father.

The emperor took a deep breathe before he opened his mouth to speak.

“I, the emperor of the Valentino empire, Cathain De Valerian Valentino pray to the goddess for everyone’s safe return, I wish you all to return with a glory and bring victory for our motherland.

You people are the glory and pride of our empire, who is even willing to give up their lives to keep your family safe.

We all will be waiting for you people to return safe and sound, then celebrate our victory.

Accidents are inevitable during wars, but i hope everyone will also priorities their safety and help each other.

While i will try my best to protect and support ypur families in your absence.

When we are alone, it’s hard to fight; but if you trust someone else and share your burden, it’s easy win.”

“Hail the sun of our empire!!”

“Long live, Your Majesty!!”

Everyone was pleased to hear the emperor’s words, which touched their hearts.

They wear genuinely cheering for the emperor.

But Eleanora was a little stunned to hear his words, specially his last words which seem to be indicating to her.

‘When we are alone, it’s hard to fight; but if you trust someone else and share your burden, it’s easy win.’

Cathain’s words repeated again in her mind.

historical

‘But can i really trust and share my burden? Will you really not leave halfway and not turn away from me for her?’

Eleanora felt her heart clenching. She had decided to trust the current Cathain.

But still the possibility of seeing the current Cathain with Jennifer again breaks her heart.

She can’t endure the pain of seeing the person she loves with someone else, smiling at someone who is not her.

She won’t be able to handle the pain of breaking her heart again.

The past Eleanora was too strong in emotionally, this was why everyone used to call her cold.

But the current her who has gone through many betrayal isn’t strong enough to handle all the pain again.

This is why she was desperate to run away from her destiny and Cathain this time.

Four years has passed since she came back to the past, Eleanora felt herself standing at the same point from where everything started to go wrong.

Everything had changed after she came back from the war in the past.

Her relationship with the crown prince worsened, the empire was having a hard time to recover from the damages of the war.

She become the empress without any crowning ceremony or any royal wedding.

She got married and divorced just by signing her name twice.

Empress Eleanora started to bring benefits after benefits for the empire as the priests had predicted from the prophecy.

The biggest two kingdoms, Republic and Rua belonged to the empire because of their empress.

Everyone praised and cheered up for the empress with no ending, making the young king who always felt inferior to the empress feeling more agitated.

Not to mention the poison he was taking made it even more worse.

The empress didn’t expressed and the emperor didn’t understood, they kept hurting each other like this.

The empress was okay with the emperor’s cold treatment, till she saw another woman beside him.

The same woman whom she believed caused her first miscarriage.

But what made her more angry was, why it can’t be her beside him?

She is the rightful wife of him, the empress of the emperor’s.

Why he won’t look at her?

What does she lack?

Beauty, family, honour, capability, she have everything. Then why she is not the one he likes?

Was he trying to insult her by loving a mere maid, instead of her?

As time went by, the empress started to behave more cold as the poison she took increased in dose.

She kept drinking the poisoned tea happily given by her most trusted maid, Rena.

By that time, everyone knew about the mistress of the emperor.

The tale of the empress who was discarded at the abandoned palace with no escort or knights.

‘Isn’t she a war hero? Does a person who killed thousands of soldiers alone needs someone to protect and escort her?’

The empress silently endured the emperor’s mockery and moved to the abandoned palace to live all alone, where the mistress started to enjoy all the privileges of the empress.

Everytime the emperor wanted to see the empress, her face would always remain cold.

Which didn’t even reacted when he behaved roughly with her.

‘Indeed you are colder then ice and stronger the stone.

Others would scream by now in pain but only our empress can remain indifferent while doing it, even without any foreplay.’

‘Like some lifeless doll...’

.....

The emperor’s fingertips moved on her delicate face, wiping out a single tear drop which came out only after he finished.

Then he turn away with a mocking smile. Seeing her smiling was harder then finding a stick in mud.

Everytime he touched her, it felt like she was waiting for him to get away from her.

But he can’t help but want to touch her...

He only feels relief after he feels her warmth, which seems like calming him down.

It was because of the undiscovered holy powers inside the empress.

In that life, the prophecy didn’t declared the empress’s powers clearly.

Which was why her powers remained hidden from everyone, except the duke Dalton and the empress.

The emperor already didn’t liked her, so if he knew it, wouldn’t he only dislike her more?

This was why the empress begged her father, who discovered her powers by accident to keep silent.

As the emperor was controlled by dark magic for a long time, it had started to show side affects like sever headache.

So as long as he touched the empress, her powers would unknowingly pass to him which used to make him calm down.

But still, it couldn’t last long because of the poison in his meals and the continued mind controlling to believe that he loved Jena the most.

He should forgive her even if she does something wrong and protect her from it, no matter what he needs to do for it.

She is the only one he loves and the empress is someone who looks down on him, who thinks he is not worthy of her love.

The empress is cold and cruel, the duke is someone who thinks he can rule the empire more better the emperor.

This was all the emperor could think of in his mind, despite his heart wanting the empress.

Everytime the empress saw the emperor with her, all she wanted was to draw her sword out and kill the person beside him.

She wanted the emperor all to herself. His love, hate, everything should only belong to her.

She was going more crazy because of jealousy, which she kept hidden in her heart.

Till she couldn’t endure it anymore and decided to leave him.

And then, killed by him along with their child.

Will her destiny be different this time?

Eleanora thought as she started to move with her horse for the battlefield, where Cathain kept staring at her till he could no longer see her blue ribbon and shiny silver hair anymore.

‘It will be a different story this time...’