Saving The Abandoned Empress

Maria, who came to wake Eleanora up, drew aside the bed curtain and opened the window.

Chirp, chirp!

Eleanora blinked her eyes because of the sudden light falling on her eyes, as she heard birds chirping here and there.

Her hair was scattered by the refreshing wind blowing through the windows.

When she opened her eyes, breathing in fresh air, she saw the garden dyed in light green.

After all happened yesterday, seeing this peaceful atmosphere today; Eleanora felt like something good would happen to her this morning.

“Good morning, Maria!”

“Good morning, my lady!”

.....

Eleanora washed up and got dressed up to have breakfast.

‘Something good might happen today. I spent a quite peaceful morning.’

After finishing her breakfast, Eleanora saw the two knights who always guards her without any rest.

They escorted her outside, to the garden.

Eleanora was drinking her afternoon tea in the garden, with a very happy and cheerful smile; while the royal guard Edmund and Anthony was still guarding her.

“You seem to feel good somehow. Did you have a good dream, My lady?” Sir Edmund asked.

“No, I didn’t, but I feel like there’s something good happening to me today.” Eleanora replied and took another sip of her tea.

There was a lot of thing going on in her mind. What to do in the future and many other things. But somehow, she was feeling very happy.

Right then, Jennie came to her running and Eleanora wondered what made her run like this.

“Was you chased by a dog, Jen?”

“That would be better... but, the crown prince is here at the door... what should we do?!”

Eleanora split her tea and coughed violently. She wasn’t prepared to hear this.

“W-Who’s here?”

“The Crown Prince.”

“...”

Eleanora leaned on the chair and heavily sighed.

‘Why is that bastard here?’

‘So it was the peaceful silent before the upcoming disaster?’

She was more irritate when she thought of preparing meals and all, just to greet him.

“Just prepare another tea cup, then.”

Eleanora told Jennie and everyone looked at her with bewildered eyes.

“My lady, it’s the crown prince... how can you serve just tea to him...?” Jennie asked hesitantly.

“...Is he in the guest room?”

Eleanora asked Jennie and proceed to stood up from her chair when she felt a sudden pressure on her shoulders that made her sit down again.

‘Huh?’

Cathain came directly to her garden and kneeled down as he hold her bare hands to kiss.

“Is your health better? I was very worried for you when you suddenly left yesterday. So, I came to cheak on your health, My empress...”

‘E-Empress?’

Anthony, Edmund, Jennie, Brayden and all the present people including Eleanora frozed.

‘W-What is this bastard saying? Who is his empress?’

But Cathain had his eyes only on Eleanora, ignoring the weird gazes of the people around them.

Eleanora was so flustered that she forgot to greet him. Cathain stood up and took a seat beside her.

She was still in a great shock to understand what was really happening.

“You are drinking tea?” Cathain spoke and took the cup of tea, which Eleanora was previously drinking.

He already took a sip before anyone could tell that it was already drunk by Eleanora.

“Blugh!!! Ewww!! What kind of tasteless bitter tea you people brew for the future empress?”

Cathain exclaimed as he wore a disgusted expression on his face and Brayden, his aid; immediately rushed to him with a handkerchief.

But then he noticed the horrible expression of Eleanora, as well the nervous expression of the royal guards and her maids.

‘D-Did i have done something wrong?’

Cathain thought as he still couldn’t come up with a possible reason for her this look.

Then finally Jennie opened her mouth to speak after she coughed a little.

“Y-Your Majesty... The T-Tea was personally brewed by her ladyship... according to her taste...”

“...”

Cathain just stared at Jennie with a dumbfounded expression.

‘S-So i called her tea horrible? as well her taste?’

‘Is this why she is mad?’

Eleanora sighed and started to brew another cup of tea, while Cathain started to scratch his neck and suddenly he found Eleanora staring at him with a bewildered expression.

“I was just joking earlier!”

But he thought she was still mad, so he just raise the cup again and drunk it in one gulp.

“The tea is very tasty! The best tea i ever had!”

Seeing him finishing the hot tea in one gulp, Eleanora sighed and mixed two sugercubes into the new tea before she put her hands above the tea cup.

Then she passed the tea cup toward Cathain and spoke in a rather annoyed tone.

“I have put a little bit of my mana that will help to heal your burned throat.”

Cathain kept staring at the tea cup and then finally took a sip of the tea which was cold but warm at the same time.

He suddenly felt his heart beating faster as the warmness of the tea spread through his body.

“So, why are you here... Your highness?”

Eleanora’s question bought back Cathain, who was lost in warmness.

Then he gaze throughout the people around them and Eleanora understood that he wishes to speak alone.

“Please, excuse us alone for a moment.” Eleanora spoke to the people around them and everyone left after bowing to them politely.

“You are quick to understand the situation.”

Cathain spoke and Eleanora seemed rather uninterested in hearing him talking nonsense.

‘Why does this guy, who rarely spoke in my past life; speaks so much nonsense in my present life?’

Eleanora sighed and looked at him seriously as she folded her arms.

Cathain understood that any further nonsense will lead him to kick out from the house so he started to speak.

“Didn’t you asked me to stay away from the palace for sometime?”

“Yes, I did.”

“So, Am going away from the palace for quite sometime.”

Eleanora’s eyes jolted as she heard him. ‘So he won’t be in the palace for a few days and i won’t have to see him?’

But, she was too blant with het thoughts that Cathain could read her mind even without hearing her. But he just smriked before he started to speak again.

“And you are coming with me... here’s the royal order.”

Eleanora thought he was joking with her. What does he meant otherwise by taking her with him?

She took the royal sealed letter and her eyes widened as she continued to read the letter.

.....

‘What? I have to go with him to the kingdom Rua for a negotiation?’

In Eleanora’s past life, this negotiations seemed to work out a little for only some months before they started a war against the empire that lasted for more then five years.

It was also the first war she had participated at the age of thirteen.

Although Eleanora bought victory but they also lost a lot soldiers and resources.

In the past, it was Duke Raven; who went to negotiate.

The negotiation seemed normal on the above but after calculating clearly, it had the upper hand for kingdom Rua.

‘Was the duke foolish or deliberate?’

Eleanora was lost in thought, because it seemed like to her that; their is indeed something fishy with the duke and the negotiations.

Maybe it will help her to prevent the past losses even if she is at personal disadvantage.

“I have promised to trust you even without asking the reason. So, you need to come with me.”

“Okey, when will we leave?”

Eleanora asked and Cathain was silent for a moment as he didn’t thought she would agree so easily.

“T-Two days later...”

Cathain shuttered a little but seeing Eleanora, who had a devilish smile as she was scheming something; He frozed.

He even found it funny as even if he knew she was plotting something evil, he not only minded it but is also looking forward to see what she is plotting.

Gradually the burning sun turned bloody red to set and spread it’s chilly warmness.

Eleanora’s silver hair was looking like a shiny golden colour under the warm sunset, which made it impossible for Cathain to took away his gaze from hers.

Suddenly the wind grew stronger and messed up her hair a little. Eleanora put down the letter to fix her hair but before she could do so, Cathain had already leaned towards her to tuck her hair; behind her ears.

Both of them was staring at each others eyes and they felt their heart beating faster.

Cathain was so close to her that, if he only moved a little, his lips would touch hers.

But they was intrupted as they heard Brayden knocking on the door, because it was time for him to leave.

Eleanora backed off and looked in the other way with her cheeks blushing crimson red, where Cathain was the same as her.

He took away his hands and sighed a little before he stood up to leave.

Seeing him walking away, Eleanora stood up to see him out but she suddenly bumped into his back and rubbed her nose a little as she looked up to him.

‘Why did he suddenly stopped?’

Cathain was holding the door handle and suddenly turned to face Eleanora who barely reached his chest.

He suddenly realised about why in his every vision, Eleanora always looked up. Because she was still shorter even after she become a adult.

Under the fading sunlight, his shadow had completly trapped her into his darkness but her silvery hair and blue eyes was still shining.

He suddenly leaned down towards her to meet her eyes and Eleanora was little surprised because of his action.

They was directly staring at each other because now they were in equal height.

“Your highness?”

Eleanora called out to him but unexpectedly moved his face towards her body and Eleanora closed her eyes tightly as she clenched on her dress.

Cathain chuckled because he found her expression to be very cute and moved his face away from her lips.

He slide up her bangs from her forehead and kissed her there before he meet her surprised blue eyes again.

“See you soon, My empress.”

Saying this, he opened the door with a bright smile and left alone because Eleanora was still in a shock that she even forgot to see him out.

She just kept standing and looking at the way from where he just left, till the warm sunset fade away into the darkness of the night and the shiny moon rose up, spreading it’s chill everywhere.