Saving The Abandoned Empress

196 “Give Him A Chance”

Eleanora’s POV~

“I am also sorry, Father... But i never blamed you...”

“I’ve always loved you...”

I sobbed hard as i hugged my father tightly.

In my past life, there was a moment where i didn’t even considered about him.

He was just the Duke of Dalton to me, because i blamed him for not giving me attention and the love i wanted from him.

I distanced myself from him as i grow more older and specially after i became the empress.

He called me ‘Her Majesty’, where i called him ‘Duke of Dalton’.

I only understood his feelings for me during my last moments.

.....

“I have always love you, princess. You was and will remain my lovely little Elee forever... Either good or bad, nothing can change my love for you,”

Father spoke as he kissed my forehead and tucked me under the blanket.

“Sweet dreams, sleep well. Father will take care of everything...”

His voice tempted me into sleeping as vaguely sensed someone standing at the door, but before i could think more... I found myself falling asleep.

…

The next day~

I couldn’t believe that all of them colluded together to plot against Duke Raven.

And this all happened during the funeral of the late emperor!

I comforted him, thinking he was feeling low but there he was plotting with my father and brother.

All of the events was pre-planned by them.

They acted like they was moving as duke Raven wanted, where they just deceived him like that.

The emperor ordered my father to not participate in the war against Rua, because he had to keep an eye on Duke Raven’s movements for rebellion.

Basically, everyone knew about this except me.

And because I didn’t knew it, their plans succeeded smoothly.

Am i that terrible in acting, that they excluded me from their act?

Or i was just a realistic no-paid actor for them?

I continued to wonder as i kept walking towards the last prison cell.

Where Jennifer is, where i was once…

I paused on my steps as i saw Brother Dominic, who was probably coming back after meeting her.

“Elee... Are you alright now?”

“Yes, Thank you for concern... Brother;”

Both of us felt awkward, specially brother Dom.

The girl he loves is probably going to die and he can’t even go against the empire rules, against me to save her.

“I have works to do... See you later, Elee...”

Brother Dom awkwardly left without looking back, his back felt so lonely and helpless.

I averted my gaze as i continued to head towards the cell where she was.

Wearing a white shabby dress, her light blonde hair was messy and her caramel brown eyes looked tired.

She was sitting at the same place, where i was once sitting exactly in the same position.

I should be happy, shouldn’t i?

“...Why did you saved me?”

Without even calling her or anything, the first thing which came out of my mouth was the thing i was curious about the most.

If it wasn’t for her, i would never be declared as the saintess that early.

At that time, i thought it was unfair, people would target me for and i would be chained down with the crown prince.

But now i know, that it saved me...

No one dared to do anything to me because i was the saintess, no one dared to gossip or talk about me disrespectfully.

Because i was the holy saintess.

The first step i took to change my fate by saving those slave girls, was also because of her.

She made me realize that i can change my fate and taught me how to express my feelings.

How i shouldn’t keep bottling up and share my concerns with my father, she taught me that communication is the key of everything.

I was no longer mistaken by anyone.

She was the one, who created the antidote for the crown prince, who was being poisoned by her father.

If she didn’t did that, probably the current emperor would be the same as the past and i might have end up doing something which i would’ve regretted later.

Her father thought his plan was getting successful when he sent his man and saw the emperor losing his calm with me.

And my natural reaction, who was afraid of the past helped them to succeed into deceiving the duke.

Jennifer kept making antidotes for the emperor with her revival healing magic, which she inherited from the former duke of Raven; her grandfather.

So, no matter how strong poison was given to the emperor; her antidote would help him to clear it all.

Jennifer inherited rare twin magical attribute, Dark powers from her mother and Healing powers from her family linage.

When she was with me as the priestess, i would feel comfortable whenever she was with me.

Because she used her dark abilities to control my mind and calm it down.

As my over thinkings would stop, i would feel light and happy because my negative concerns used to get away.

She concealed her dark powers from duke Raven and played dumb, useless; so that her father won’t target her.

Where at the same time, she continued to collect evidence against her father’s conspiracy to help the emperor.

Brother Dom used to give my father those antidotes from Jennifer and Sir Brayden would get them from my father.

As too many people was involved, it was hard for Duke Raven to detect a thing or suspect anyone.

He thougth as someone who loved herbs, it was normal for Jennifer to make medicines.

He didn’t suspected her much as he made someone investigate her medicines and nothing came out.

She was the one, who convinced lieutenant Zachary to go against Mendel and saved us in time.

Why?

Why did you go that far for me?

For me, whom you once pushed into abyss?

Jennifer’s caramel brown eyes stayed glued on the floor and a self mocking smile appeared on her face.

“...Because i regretted,”

“I shouldn’t have trusted the newly found warmth from my father, who has been an orphan all her life.”

“I shouldn’t have tried to please him so that he doesn’t becomes disappointed at me for being useless...”

“At the age of 16, i wanted to rescue my sworn sister- The real Jena. So i escaped from the place i used to work and look for her but on my way, i meet the dying prince Dominic.”

“I saved him when he wanted help but then, i meet that man; who had the same blonde hair as me. Who had came to make sure that Prince Dominic was dead. But found his lost daughter, who seem to have the dark powers he wanted.”

“My first request was to save my sister, but later i found out that she has been killed... By Duke of Dalton, because of the crown prince’s orders and the new law proposed by the crown princess to stop slavery.”

She paused on her words, every words she uttered was coming from the bottom of her heart with heavy pain.

I remembered this rule before.

I proposed to stop the slavery, so that the people’s opinions changes a little towards the imperial family during the conflict at the borders.

We stopped illegal human trafficking, slave auction but then, we found a hidden dungeon.

Where hundreds of slave girls was rumoured to be massacre and then burn down that place.

.....

People started to point out at us and demanded explanation, to save me from the criticism; the crown prince told me to prove my worth.

Which i only understood now.

He coldly sent me to the war, to achieve my dreams and faced all the criticism alone.

“Then you disguised as Jena to enter the palace?”

I asked her as finally things started to made sense to me.

In the past, she suddenly become the lady Raven from a mere palace maid.

Now i understand why it went so smoothly.

She blamed me and the crown prince for those girls and Jena’s death.

She helped her father to covet the throne, take down our duchy which was the biggest obstacle for his plan.

Because as long as i, my father and the imperial fiction existed to help the emperor; Duke Raven would never succeed.

He even used his own daughter.

Jennifer kept on explaining the situation about the past, what happened after my death, how he went crazy and their sacrificial to turn back the time.

The story i heard from her seemed like a fantasy to me, like it wasn’t my story.

But even if she was taken advantage off... What was my unborn children’s fault?

“Then why did you killed my babies?”

“What was there fault?”

“Why did you got closer to me this time, despite knowing about your sins?!”

I roared at her, who seemed to be not affected by anything and lazily looked up at the ceilings.

“...I didn’t knew about that, it was Rena... Your maid, who was arranged by my father...”

She spoke and paused on her words for a moment, before she started to speak again.

“I was always curious about you... Before i entered the palace as a maid, i heard a lot about you..”

Curious about me? Her words made me surprised.

“I was a country bumpkin, didn’t knew how to act like a proper noble and this is why my father kept me at home in the name of concern about my safety.”

“Every teacher, who came to teach me would show you as an example. The perfect example of good scores, elegance, beauty, etiquette and a monarch...”

“I got even more curious when i learnt that you are much younger then me. Your shiny silver hair is still rare in this whole continent.”

“I wanted to befriend you, as both of us was duchy’s princess. But compared to you, i was nothing.”

“I wanted to learn more from you, follow your examples... It hurted me everytime i had to hold his hands and act like i loved him to show you.”

“I felt disgusted and questioned myself, about my shamelessness to act like some mistress.”

Act like love him? I was again surprised by her words. Does it mean she never liked him?

“But your pregnancy...”

“That was fake... He never even touched me, neither did i, atleast i was never that low or wanted to lower myself more to please my father. I still had my own pride.”

Never touched her... A part of me felt relieved for some reason, it felt happy suddenly.

Was i happy because he didn’t touched anyother woman beside me?

That i was the only woman for him?

“So, when i got another chance in this life... I wanted to get to know you truly, get close to you, befriend you. I couldn’t help it, you are such a great person that you make everyone around you wish to protect you...”

“We know you don’t need our protection, but we still want to protect your smile... We didn’t wanted you to lose yourself again, we wanted to give you some happy memories.”

Jennifer confessed as she finally look at my eyes with a painful smile on her face.

Maybe we could be friends in our past life if all those things didn’t happened, but there is no ‘if’.

“Am sorry for making you two suffer so much, am sorry for separating you from your love and all the sufferings you went through because of me...”

“I also know that my sorry can’t fix anything and i don’t have any complaints with this ending of my life... But i want you to know this...”

“He really loved you a lot... Either it was in the past or in this present life, you was the only one in his heart.”

“Please, give him a chance;”