Saving The Abandoned Empress

152 “War Declaration”

“Noora... Don’t look back and find you daddy!”

‘Mommy...’

Eleanora tried to speak but couldn’t.

Neither she could move.

She just stared at the beautiful lady with dark blue hair and golden eyes infront of her.

People was screaming as slashing and swords clashing sounds was heard.

Then she finally noticed the black shadow approching her mother from behind.

Tears kept flowing out from her eyes as she refused to let go of the hem of her mother’s dress.

‘No...No...it’s today...my mother will die today...’

.....

‘I need to stop this...’

‘I can stop this...’

She tried to move again but couldn’t.

‘Why can’t i move?’

‘Oh...’

‘This is just my memory...another dream...’

‘I can’t move as i want...’

“Agh!”

Eleanora realised what she thought was true as a sword just pierced through her mother’s chest as she remembered.

‘Mother...’

“Run...Noora... I love you...and, your father a lot...”

Eunicelia spoke with a smile on her face as she stuffed the sword tassel which she was making for Alexander before and she cut off the fabric of her dress which Eleanora was holding.

“RUN, NOORA!!!”

Eunicelia yelled and the horse she was put on by her mother started to run fast.

Eleanora looked back with tears filled her blue eyes, making her vision blurry.

She vaguely saw her mother fighting someone with her dagger and then another person stabbed her from behind, which made her mother kneel down on the ground.

‘No!’

‘Mother, Run away!’

‘Come with me!’

“Mommy!!!”

The little Eleanora yelled and Eunicelia also looked back.

Her bright golden eyes lost it’s glow but still she tried her best to curl up her lips a little to smile at her daughter, so that Eleanora wouldn’t remember her painful face as their last goodbye.

She wanted Eleanora to remember her happy face.

Remember that, she should brave even facing the death and protect the people she loves.

Never bow down and admit defeat.

‘Live well, my daughter...’

By the time Eleanora came back, she found her house totally destructed and her father sitting on the ground with no expression.

Until she called her and looked at her with his cold eyes.

“Take the lady away.”

“ELEEE!!!”

Same cold voice rang twice in Eleanora’s mind and she opened her tear filled blue eyes.

Both voice was same but the first one didn’t contained any emotions where the second one was full of worry.

“Father...”

“Am here...”

Eleanora hugged Alexander tightly but she didn’t stopped crying.

The memory was really painful for her to dream about.

She couldn’t sleep countless nights after this incident.

Her mother’s smiling face as she died to protect them kept lingering on her mind.

“Elee... What happened, dear?”

Alexander asked as he pat on her back.

“Nothing...i just had a nightmare.”

“Are you okay, now?”

“Yes.”

Eleanora replied as she rubbed her blue eyes to clear her vision and her father wiped away her tears.

“Do you want to rest a little more?”

“No, it’s time to wake up anyway.”

“Duke, we should hurry up-”

Alexander glared at his aid Raynor for speaking and Eleanora realised something is wrong.

Her father was wearing his official suit instead of normal clothes in this early morning.

Even the knights was in a panic state.

“What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“Sir Raynor, tell me!”

“...”

Alexander sighed as he knew she won’t listen to him now.

“There is an emergency in the imperial palace... The duke have been summoned with you.”

“...”

‘I have been summoned and he was telling me to rest more?’

Eleanora shook her head as she could do nothing about her father being over protective.

She pushed away her blanket as she asked Maria to help her get ready.

“Wait a little, i will go with you.”

Alexander nodded as he left her room to wait for her downstairs.

While getting ready, Eleanora tried her best to recall what had happened during this time in the imperial palace but she couldn’t.

The empire had suffered financially because of the lose in the war with Republic.

But this time, there is no shortage in funds.

What really happened?

With that in her mind, Eleanora headed to the imperial palace along with her father in her official suit.

Everyone in the palace was in hurry and panic.

Especially the higher up officials and the knights.

“Duke of Dalton and the future moon of our empire, Dame Dalton is entering!”

The attendant announced before the door of the meeting room opened.

The emperor was sitting on the high chair as the other officials discussed something with him.

.....

.

‘Why is there another chair beside him?’

Eleanora thought as she entered the meeting room with her father.

Their is no empress, so what is the use of that extra chair which was not here before?

The previous emperor had moved away this chair after the death of the empress and in her past life, the chair was moved in only after she got married to the emperor.

Cathain’s red eyes moved away from the papers infront of him and looked at her, who just entered the meeting hall.

He wanted to not look at her but in the end, he failed.

“Hah, it’s an imperial emergency but Duke Dalton still dared to make us wait for him.”

“Indeed, the duke went too far this time.”

“He is this daring as the emperor is his son-in-law.”

A few nobles whispered among themselves but both father-daughter pair decided to ignore them.

You can’t shut them up or be good to everyone.

So just let them be.

Eleanora noticed Cedrick, who smiled at her and she smiled back at him.

Not noticing the person who just sneered seeing their silent ex-change greeting.

As all the heirs sit together, Cedrick was sitting on her right where Dion was sitting on her left.

There was another empty sit beside Dion, which was for Duke Heartz’s son.

Who never comes out in public.

Even in her past life, Eleanora have never seen him or heard something about him.

With an bewildered expression, Eleanora was about to seat in the middle of Cedrick and Dion, in their fixed sit for the duke heirs; when the emperor’s cold voice was heard.

“Sit here.”

Cathain spoke as he gestured her to sit on the similar chair as his seat, beside him.

This is the first time Eleanora attended a official meeting after her reborn except the time when she got the prophecy and in kingdom Rua.

‘The seat of the empress...’

Eleanpra felt heavy in her heart as she could see her past self sitting there and plotting war strategy to bring down nations to make him more powerful.

“It’s alright-”

“I said sit here.”

Eleanora was about to refuse but the emperor’s cold voice along with his intense gaze made her shiver and unknowingly, she found herself walking towards the chair.

Which she wanted to avoid.

Seeing her hesitation to seat on the chair beside him, Cathain grabbed her wrist and made her sit on the chair beside him.

“Do you wanna two-time me? You are called the dame where you are also called the future moon.”

“...”

“You are fulfilling the heir role so well, so you should also fulfil your duty as the future moon unless you are not called that anymore.”

“...”

Cathain spoke in a low voice and Eleanora kept silent, not knowing what to say.

‘He sure has changed...’

The past Cathain was always guilty for his past behaviour, thus he was always over careful to not force her in fear that she might push him away totally.

But as he doesn’t remember those now, Cathain has no reason to be over careful or think about those.

As he believes no matter what, she belongs to him.

If she want to be the heir, he can let her do that but she has to fulfil her duties as the empress too.

If she can do both duties well, then he will have no problem with it.

‘If they lack a heir, then we can just make one and let the duke to raise him up as his heir...’

Cathain thought as he kept stealing glances on her time to time.

He can’t believe he went that far as to change his appearance to get close with her.

Cancel the long term negotiation with Kingdom Rua just because the king didn’t respected her.

Took an arrow for her and nearly died.

Create new rules just to fulfil her dream.

‘Just what made me go crazy like this for her?’

Cathain thought as he felt his heart beating more faster and his body heating up.

‘This happens everytime she is near me... She didn’t cursed me, right?’

Cathain decided not to look at her anymore and his eyes scanned the meeting room.

Seeing that everyone is present, he cleared his throat a little before he stood up and started to speak.

“I, Emperor Cathain De Valerian Valentino, for the safety of the people in this empire...

DECLARE A WAR AGAINST KINGDOM RUA.”