章 11: CH 11 ~ Worst Betrayal
Elenora felt ease as Rena was here and she would prove her innocence. She knew her better than anyone else.
But then she furrowed her brows as Rena walked up to the podium and looked physically fine, healthy even.
Where, they pushed her nanny Maria to her side brutally.
Elenora hurriedly tried to catch her and helped her to sit up, before kneeling down beside her.
"W...What happened? Why are you like this?"
Eleanora spoke with a confused voice as Maria was full of bruises, whipped marks and cuts.
She wanted to say something but couldn't.
These made Eleanora wonder why both of them were treated so differently.
Eleanora worriedly helped Maria to lean on the wooden box, before she stood up to hear Rena's testimony.
Another fear rising in her heart and Rena started her testimony.
"I am Rena. I have been former empress attendant for four years now. I treated her as I would my own daughter, caring for her and consoling her through difficult times."
"So I can confirm that I know her better than anyone else."
Eleanora smiled slightly at her because of her words but surprisingly, Rena avoided meeting her eyes.
"Therefore it is with a heavy heart that I stand before everyone today, bound by my oath to the God, to inform you all of the crime she had me perform whilst under her command."
Eleanora's smile faded and fell quickly as she heard Rena's next words.
'Crime?'
'No, something is wrong!'
'I had never committed anything of the sort!'
'How could she say something like that?'
'She knew I was with her all week, knew how upset I was!'
Eleanora felt sick watching Rena stand at the podium, refusing to meet her eyes as a feeling of impending doom washed over her slowly.
It was clogging her thoughts, nothing was making sense.
All she could hear was her short breaths of anticipation over the loud beating of her heart.
"Lady Dalton, the former empress, ordered me to present Lady Raven an herbal tea…A tea I believe caused the queen's miscarriage."
The last piece of hope Eleanora had inside of her died at Rena's words.
Rena, whom she considered as one of her close people had betrayed her. Sold her out and lied blatantly to everyone.
In the end, she was like those nobles too.
Eleanora could no longer feel any emotion and silently stared at Rena painfully.
Why did this happen to her?
What did she have done wrong to meet this tragic end?
She had loved Rena so much, trusted her, and yet Rena was now acting like she meant nothing to her.
Just… why?
Rena's eyes began to fill with tears as her voice trembled.
"The former empress persuaded me to try and escape with her, but I know now that she didn't tell me the whole story."
"I thought I was going to be helping a poor girl who needed someone to care for her. Instead, I ended up abiding a criminal with something so heinous!!"
She turned her teary eyes to their future queen, crying during her words.
"Lady Raven... I don't know how you could ever forgive me, but I truly did not mean you any harm."
"I believed I was bringing you a peace offering from her that day, not dosing you with the death of your child. I thought she wanted to make amends one final time before we left."
"But I was wrong... so wrong... I am so sorry...."
Her voice broke off into sobs and the crowd was whispering among themselves.
Another sneer came out from Eleanora's mouth as she observed everyone's reaction.
They all believed her.
They believed every lie she was telling.
And there was nothing Eleanora could do now.
She became a pathetic evil woman because of Rena's lies.
But everyone became silent as Lady Raven stood up from her seat, anticipating a violent scene towards the woman who had poisoned her.
Her walk was shaky and unsteady as she strode up to Rena as if to emphasize on her recent hospitalization.
However, to everyone's surprise, when she finally reached Rena, she engulfed her in a hug.
They hugged as if they had known each other as good friends.
'Or did they really know each other?'
Eleanora thought as she continued to watch them silently like the others, where the emperor's red eyes stayed glued on her.
Trying to say something, which he couldn't and only clenched his fists tightly.
When Jena finally broke away from Rena; she smiled benevolently up at the older woman, grasping Rena's hands in her own.
"...I forgive you, Rena,"
Jena spoke, making a show of her mercy.
"Pft-"
And everyone turned their gaze at Eleanora, who had accidentally chuckled out loud because of Lady Raven's generousness.
Jena ignored Eleanora's ridicule as she continued with her words.
"I know you did not mean me or my baby any harm, and so I can't blame you for the sins of your superior."
The crowd became enamored by everything she was saying, and Eleanora felt ridiculous.
So this was all their planning for so long before.
She trusted and loved a person who was sent for her doom.
'Fortunately I didn't mention my pregnancy in my letter or to her. Otherwise they would say I did this to make my own child the heir.'
Eleanora could see what Rena was doing now.
They had some sort of deal, she is sure of it.
Rena's co-operation and false testimony is for her freedom after post-trial.
As the head attendant of a sinner empress, she is supposed to be executed too.
But now, she will escape because of Jena, who is favored by the emperor.
And as she expected, Jena smiled at the emperor, before she spoke gently.
"I hope you can forgive her Cain… She had no choice."
Eleanora's blue eyes widened wide with surprise as she heard Jena's words.
'Cain?!'
Her heart clenched with pain once again and she struggled to maintain her cold expression.
'You gave her permission to call you by nickname, where I couldn't even utter your name…'
'I see… You indeed never loved me; I was just a fool who was obsessed with you!'
Eleanora's heart feels broken with another realization of her foolishness, as the emperor silently nods at Jena with agreement.
Calling the emperor by nickname was another power move by Jena; it showed everyone how close they were.
Even the late emperor had never called the current emperor by his nickname.
This was all a show to win the hearts of the people, to make them look up to her like she was a merciful saint.
'And I am the devil, a baby killer, a murderer.'
Eleanora felt betrayed, wronged…
Moreover, she felt hatred for this empire, to the emperor, to the nobles who are laughing at her poor state.
The crowd instantly filled with applause at the scene they had just witnessed.
Their new soon-to-be empress had shown great love and forgiveness to the person who admitted to poisoning her.
She was beautiful, kind and strong.
Eleanora knew they had never felt those things about her.
She had always held their respect, but never their adoration even after what she did for them.
"I think we've seen enough,"
The emperor said gently, standing back up.
He walked up to Jena and wrapped an arm around her possessively, before casting a glance at the expressionless Eleanora.
Where Eleanora wanted to kill them… tear apart that girl from the emperor's arms and then strangle the emperor for what he did to her.
Lash out at him like a mad woman and yell at him.
Ask him what was her crime to deserve this ending?
But then Eleanora felt her blood boiling with anger as her eyes finally spotted the necklace on Jena's neck.
There, on her neck, was hanging the ruby necklace that was passed down to empresses for generation at their crowning ceremony as the empress.
Something he had never given Eleanora, something he had always refused to give her even after they got married.
He had given it this girl, to prove her as his own, showing the world his favor for her.
'So this was all to remove me from her path,'
'It had only been a week and already he had already done this, maybe he will also marry her right after I die…'
Eleanora was angry, furious.
She no longer loved him, but to think she begged him to give it to her for years without him wavering, only to see him give it to someone else within a week.
Eleanora hated him.
She hated Jena and this empire.
She hated Rena.
'Yes, Rena, I hate her the most.'
'She has given me the worst betrayal one can ever get.'
'What did I ever do wrong to her?'
'I loved her, treated her like my own mother, and respected her.'
'But what I got in the end?'
'Nothing but her betrayal, which is sending me to my doom now…'
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