Francis was talking to his knight about the preparation for their return to the palace. Eleanor took advantage of that moment to take her stuff and flee.
But before she could take a step, she feel a strong hand hold her wrist. Without turning back, she knew to whom that hand belonged.
"Can you tell us where you are going like that?"
"For saving me from the wolves..I express my sincere gratitude to his majesty, but do remember that I saved you too in the forest. So please let me go." She said with her back facing Francis.
"You didn't answer my question."
"Sorry but I am not obligated to answer to that, since it doesn't concern you sir Fran...I mean your majesty." She replied while turning her face sideways and looking at him coldly.
He quickly noticed the change in her behavior, strengthened his grip, he put his other hand in her shoulder, so that she will face him properly.
"What is wrong? why the sudden change in attitude..is it because of the people that came suddenly? don't worry though they're my personal guard, they are here to protect you, not the contrary."
She firmly shook her head and said with indifference.
"I simply have no more businesses with you, your majesty, so if you could let go, I need to continue my journey."
At her reply, he looked at her with a serious and cold face, like when he first met her and said with a cold tone, "well, it will be difficult for us to let you leave, since we will have to check your background, to be sure that you are not related to the people trying to kill me. If we let you go, you may go and tell them all the information about me being alive. And if there is a chance that you are in any way connected to my enemies, be sure that I will show no mercy, even if you saved my life."
After he finished his warning, Eleanor was stunned and horrified by what she just hear. And before she could utter any protest, he quickly lifted her in his arms, like a princess and took her to the carriage.
He instructed his knight to enter by the back door of the imperial palace, so that they wouldn't be noticed by anyone in their way back.
The carriage moved and they were on their way to the palace. Eleanor who was still shocked by the rapid flow of event finally regained her consciousness, and said to the shameless man in front of her.
" Hey! are you crazy? who do you think you are? taking an innocent person without their consent."
" An innocent person?! I don't see anyone like that here...I don't know anything about you so to me you are a suspicious woman, who could be working for my enemies."
"How can you say that, I was the one who saved you in the forest when you were poisoned and took you out of there."
"About that, the poison could have been made by you on the order of your superior, because it was weird how you easily found a cure to the poison. Since, I was the target it surely wasn't a normal poison...." he said while narrowing his eyes and pursued "and now that you mention it, how did you know the way out of a forest, rumored to be deadly because it make any person stepping inside lose his way....hein? can you answer to that miracle?"
'Because I could read a spell in the witch's book! if I said that, I will be dead before we reach our destination. I myself don't know why I could understand everything in that book....what should I do!..but for now, I need to find an excuse', she thought for a while about what to do given the situation.
Francis looked at Eleanor with an amused expression, that he tried to cover with his hand. He knew that she wasn't an enemy, but it was also true that everything about her was unknown to him, so he decided to do a background check, to know more about her on the purpose of safety in case she was send by the enemies....well, that was the excuse he thought about to take her with him.
she poundered for some times about an appropriate answer and finally uttered.
"Well,....I~I was just lucky I guess, and about your poison, I learned since my childhood how to treat any kind of sickness or injury...that's why I could heal you."
"Oh really? but there is no one to prove that, is there?" he said while continuing to tease her without her knowing.
"What about you then, what give you the right to take me without my consent...even if you are a king...you can not just take people without proof."
"The reason is simple, I am the emperor of Clausius empire, also the evident fact that you are in my territory gave me the right to do an investigation on you, who look like a suspicous person that could have been send to kill me."
"I told you there's no way I could have tried to kill you...." she said with an exasperated tone but she didn't finish because of the word he said, that took her interest.
"Wait! did you say empire?"
"Yes." He replied with indifference.
"How? since when? I know that there was three kingdom, the Clausius, the Munoa and the Oasius kingdom....but when did it change like that." She said with her eyes wides, and slightly parted lips, showing her surprise.
He looked at her and wondered how she couldn't have been aware of that tremendous change that made history. He replied after concluding that it would be one of the answer, he will have to get after checking on her.
"Yes it was like that five years ago, well this change happened after my coronation, I went to war against the other two kingdom and unified them to make one prosperous empire."
"What?! seeing how you are saying it, it look like it was easy, you did that at the stake of many human life." She retorted with a horrified face.
While remembering every face he killed, and every person he lost. Francis grit his teeth with anger and his face became dark, while controlling his anger, his glare fixed her and he said.
"Do not cross the line woman, you don't know what you are saying...so do not go and speak nonsense."
Eleanor's eyes meet francis's gaze, and they looked at each other for a moment. Then Eleanor turned her face toward the window and enjoyed the view, without saying anything for the rest of the trip.
The sky became cloudy, it started to rain and there was a lot of thunder. the rumble of the thunder became more intense and it scared Eleanor who closed the window and squeezed tightly her hands on her arms and slightly trembled. Francis noticed and thinking that she was freezing, he handed her his coat. She didn't want to show him her fear of the thunder, so she took his coat in order to make him believe it was out of coldness that she was trembling.They keep on moving forward even in that rain and Eleanor thought that while they were safe in the carriage, the knights outside must have it hard. Being out in the rain and having to support the cold. And while she was thinking about the knight's situation, she suddently saw an image of the carriage being destroyed by a tree struck by the lightning of a thunder. That vision was quick, so she didn't understand what was happening, and holded her head with her hands because of th
It was morning, you could see the first rays of the sun through the window, and hear the singing of little birds. the bed feel really good to Eleanor who wasn't used to this kind of luxurious life, it was smooth like cloud so she wanted to stay in bed longer.But her sweet moment was interrupted by the step of the maids that rushed in to prepare her for breakfast. They took out of the wardrobe a light pink dress with laces around the chest and the waist, it was a simple yet beautiful dress. One of the maid carefully combed her hair and was making a braid, the other maids excitedly decorated her hair with little flowers accessory. As they were busy making Eleanor pretty, they chatted with her and covered her with praise about her beauty and the unique color and softness of her hair.Their eyes was sparking with joy and excitement, so Eleanor was embarassed and befriended them easily. Since she wasn't a noble, she didn't see the need to keep distance with p
In the office, Francis was immersed in his work, organizing all the documents related to the empire's affaire and all kind of requests. Between every documents he signed, he thought about Eleanor's reaction and a smile appeared on his face. He keep thinking that she was an odd one, because for him womans were sophisticated and elegant, in short 'artificial'. It was like they always played a role and were acting every word they were spewing to him. He didn't mind it since he only spent time with them to play around but it irritated him when they were clinging to him. Compared to them Eleanor was different, she was honest and maybe too honest some times. She doesn't know how to hide her feeling. It was a first but he found it adorable that he could read her like a book.Someone knock the office door and after getting Francis's permission to enter, a man appeared. He was radically tall not as much as Francis though, and he had scarlet red hair and clea
Eleanor was peacefully strowling in the imperial garden, while trying to figure out her thoughts. 'If I recall all the events that happened, I can say that I am quite lucky to still breath. And on top of that, I am well treated by them even though I am not their acquaintance, but I can not let my guard down after all he is a royalty.' Eleanor keep thinking while looking at the beautiful flowers for a moment, then while walking and being absent minded she suddenly tripped on something and fell."Ouch!...What the hell was that....ah!" She paintefully uttered after opening her eyes from the fall, and saw herself lying on top of an unknown man.He looked calm, and had a look of someone that was just awakened. His hair was dark and fell on his forehead, and he had intense dark blue eyes. He was handsome but had a kind of a familiar aura around him that keep people at a distance. After staring at her for a while he said,"Do y
"Francis, you are misunderstanding the situation here. I am the one at fault not Lea,....I went too far with the joke, I just wanted to tease you a little, but did you really need to yell at her like that?!" Shouted Alphonse toward Francis who was finishing his fifth glass of wine."This doesn't concern you, and what I told her was the truth, it had nothing to do with your situation in the garden....I don't care about what happened between you.""Are you kidding me?! we all saw that you released your anger on her, because of what I said. Don't try to fool me, I know you better than anyone." Alphonse said, after loosening the tight tie around his neck."So what?! even if you pushed me to my angry state, it doesn't change the fact that I thought every last words I told her.""But why? Lea is a good girl though, and you know that, I saw on your face that you don't hate her.""STOP CALLING H
He pondered for a while in front of her door, then after gathering his thought, he knocked on the door."Yes, come in.""Ah...Sorry to have come unexpectedly....."After entering her room, he was stunned and interrupted what he was about to say. Eleanor was standing absent minded in the terrace with her elbows on the balcony ledge, her hair fluttering in the air and eyes closed.'No wonder his majesty said that she fell from the sky, she look like an angel.' He thought, as his eyes didn't leave her figure in the balcony.The one who answered the door was her maid so he told the maid,"Tell the lady that I would like to have a talk with her, it is about the investigation. I will be waiting in the garden terrace.""Yes Sir, I will tell the miss." Miel replied while bowing her head.Then, Sebastian left
Meanwhile, Francis was coming out of a meeting with the most prominent nobles that were in charge of a lot of territory around the empire. After the formal meeting where he listened to their reports and gave many instructions, he went toward his office because of the mountains of work that were waiting for him. He thougth about how Sebastian was doing his investigation and asked Val who is the man with the scar and the commander of the knights,"Did you see Sebastian?""No, but the last time I saw him, he said that he was going to meet the lady.""I see,...what about that stupid count Silvio, after the attemps he plotted against me, did he show himself in Oasius?""Yes, Sir Alphonse send us another report about this matter. We are still following him to find out about his other accomplices.""He still think that I disappeared?""Yes, that seem to be the case but he still didn't go to any nobles's house.""Heh! The bastard's cauti
"Now, can you tell me why this happened?!" Francis threw those cold words at Sebastian while clenching his fist with his back facing Sebastian and Val as he looked outside the Window in his office."I...I was having a conversation with lady Eleanor about where she lived up to now. And I confirmed that she did not lie by using the magical stone, but I am sorry I didn't think that it would affect her in this way.""And who told you to use that on her for the investigation?" He shouted while controling the anger rising within him."I thought that, it would certify us about her innocence..that's why I used it.....I am sorry if I stepped over my boundaries.""Yes you did go over your limits Sebastian! I never doubted her innocence, but I let you do as you wanted so that you would believe her and it seem like I made the wrong choice.""...But your majesty the location of her hometown is still unclear and.