Chương 19: CH 19 ~ Imperial Palace
A few moments later, Eleanora gasps at the scene before her as the carriage with Dalton Duchy's silver crest finally stops in front of the imperial palace's main gate.
She has been here quite a few times but not with her father like this and was always cautious to not get caught by him.
So, it felt a little awkward for her to come here like this, as her guilty conscious was mocking her for acting like a fool child who couldn't stay without their parents.
'Let's pretend that it never happened!'
Eleanora speaks in her mind as she looks at the other carriages of different families that stopped by there as only the imperial carriages were allowed to go inside.
While Duke Dalton got down first and extended his hands towards his daughter to come down with a gentle look on his face.
"Let's get down, my princess."
Eleanora widened her jewel-like blue eyes as she finally realized what he was calling her.
'P-Princess?'
Her white cheeks blushed a little as she put her hands above his extended hands and got down from the carriage.
'Is father alright?'
'Why is he also acting so weird like me?'
Eleanora looked around curiously as she fixed her dress in the meantime.
The sunlit made the white-colored palace look like a shiny gold building, and the thick green trees cast shadows over the marble-stoned road.
Servants and maids were walking briskly, officials talking to each other holding a handful of paperwork, and knights trading places with each other, dressed in fancy uniforms.
All these were the same familiar images that Eleanora had in her memories as she entered the palace through the huge main gate cautiously.
The guards slightly bowed to pay respect to her and her father as they walked in and Eleanora could see a familiar magnificent palace towering over lots of buildings.
Unusually large, it was the Emperor's Palace, the main and most important palace of the imperial palace as it's the residence of the emperor.
And her heart clenched with pain as another painful memory from that nightmare popped out of nowhere.
'Please...'
'I don't want to remember it...'
'Stop it...'
Eleanora felt like crying as she recalled the dream she had, where she would lose her first child in this place.
Her breathing started to get faster as she failed to stop those memories from repeating in her mind, but she couldn't look away from the tall building in front of her.
Her body wasn't listening to her, and she felt like being controlled by someone else's emotions which didn't belong to her.
She was still confused as if it was a dream or a reality, but all kinds of miserable memories started to come to her mind one by one to the point that she couldn't even hear anything around her.
~Empress...~
Eleanora's heart skipped a beat as that familiar deep voice echoed in her mind once again and felt as if the emperor from her nightmare would appear before her right away and say that she was dreaming now.
That nightmare was her reality and so she grabbed her father's sleeves with her trembling hands.
'No...'
'I don't want to live a life like that...'
'I want to be here... I will not annoy my father for attention ever again,'
'I will give up everything...'
'I don't want to die like that... live all alone and lonely,'
Alexander's face hardened as he felt her soft grip on his sleeve and looked at her strangely.
"What's wrong with you today, Elliee? Are you feeling sick again?"
"Should we go back?"
"Ah… No... Am okay..."
Eleanora hurriedly replies as she stops her father who was about to turn to leave with her and she starts to gasp for breath; the pain in her chest worsening as time passes by like someone was hitting it with a hammer.
Painful memories from that nightmare were eating her heart which she desperately wanted to forget.
'That was only a nightmare!'
'I was with Maria and everyone else just yesterday,'
'I can even say what I have eaten...'
'So that was really a nightmare, not a reality!'
Concern was written all over his face as he watched her face turning pale and he took a deep breath as he made up his mind.
"Let me take you to the imperial doctor."
Without giving her any time to respond, Alexander moved quickly and carried her up in his arms as his face turned serious, while she gasped in shock.
"P-Put me down, Papa!"
"I can walk!!"
Eleanora protested as she put her arm around her father's neck to secure herself before Alexander moved his hands to push her head; making her lean on his shoulder and she turned dumbfounded.
Her white cheeks slowly heated up and her anxious mind seemed to calm down as she felt her father's heartbeat.
It felt like the warmth she felt from his broad chest whispered to her that she was safe, she wasn't in any dream, and she was living in reality...those memories were only a nightmare.
Only then did her trembling and anxiety subside little by little.
'Everything was just a dream… that girl wasn't me; I am still here now with my papa.'
"Your Grace, The Duke?"
"Captain?"
!!!
Eleanora came to her senses with a jolt as she heard those greetings of the knights, but Alexander kept walking without any pause or expression on his face.
'Every...Everyone is watching!!!'
Eleanora felt embarrassed as she turned and looked around carefully to find the imperial knights in indigo-white uniforms standing stiffly nearby.
A few knights of the first squadron were following her father curiously and were looking at him in surprise as this was the first time that he had carried her after the death of her mother.
On the other hand, with his towering height and muscular body...she looked nothing more than a doll being carried in his arms.
Thus, all of them were staring at her in his arms.
Eleanora once again widened her round jewel-blue eyes and buried her face into her father's chest to hide her blushing face.
'This is so embarrassing!!!!'
"Please put me down, papa... I am okay now."
"We're almost there. So, hang on a minute."
"No, it's awkward. Please put me down, Papa."
Eleanora pleaded but her father didn't even reply to her anymore.
She pouted with embarrassment and glared at her father, but he just smiled at her gently which surprised her.
'What is wrong with him?'
'Why is he smiling again?'
Eleanora was really surprised to meet his gentle eyes with a smiling face which she wasn't used to seeing now.
Thus, she finds it extremely awkward.
"I'm honored to see you, Captain!"
"Welcome, Duke."
Eleanora turned her head slightly as she gave up protesting, to see a couple of knights bowing to her father and stiffened at their burdensome look.
They were wearing a blue suit with a long silver cape attached to the shoulders, which was opposite of her father as his suit was silver while the cape was blue.
She recognized them as the knights of the first squadron because of their silver-blue uniforms; the first-class knights trained by her father after the imperial knights.
The difference between them is the imperial knight works for the imperial family, protecting the imperial family and joining the war first is their top priority.
Where the first and second squadron knights are under the direct command of Duke Dalton and Duke Hertz.
They are the backup reinforcement for the imperial knights and protecting the duchy is their main job.
One can only become an imperial knight after getting promoted from the first or second squadron.
They were known for looking serious like their captain, but now Eleanora highly doubted that.
'Why are they making such expressions? It looks like they are looking at some puppies!'
Eleanora wondered as they kept stealing glances at her from time to time while following her father from behind.
"Well, Captain."
A knight in a blue uniform spoke as he sneaked up beside the duke.
"What?"
Alexander asked in a cold voice.
"Should I carry her highness? You look tired…"
The knight replied politely, but another knight immediately pushed the other one before taking over the previous knight's place.
"No, Captain. I can do it because this guy is very tired because of heavy training today…"
There was no change in Alexander's poker face as the other knights fought over to carry Eleanora, as she looked way too adorable today.
Her hair was tied with ribbons cutely, and the slight blush on her face made her look even cuter.
They all like her very much, especially because of her cute appearance; but don't dare to approach her because while she stalks her father, someone else stalks her too.
Not to mention the cold look on her face which makes her the perfect female version of the duke.
"Do I look tired to you guys?"
Alexander asked with a hint of warning in his voice and the knights shivered.
How stupid of them!
The man in front of them is Duke Dalton!
The mighty war hero of the Valentino Empire, even enemies think twice before messing up with him.
How can he get tired by carrying a little girl?
Eleanora saw lots of wistfulness in their eyes when her father rejected their request and her lips curled up slightly playfully.
'Just what am I to them? A doll they came to carry or a puppy to play with?'
After rejecting them brutally out of hand, the knights didn't dare to follow him anymore and Alexander continued to walk towards his office room.
Although Eleanora told him several times that she was okay, he still called the imperial doctor as soon as he arrived at the office.
"The imperial doctor is here, Your Grace."
Sir Rayon the aide of Duke Dalton announces, and Eleanora was astonished as she didn't even sense his presence till now... while Alexander responds with a nod.
"Come in"
As soon as Alexander responded, an old nobleman in a white apron came in with a briefcase in his hands.
"Greetings, Your Highness the crown princess..."
"I will be checking your pulse now, so please excuse my rudeness."
The doctor spoke professionally while maintaining the proper manner according to their custom and Eleanora smiled in response before, she took off her gloves to let him check her pulse.
He checked her up cautiously as she was not only the princess of the Dalton Duchy but also the crown princess of this empire.
Even the slightest scratch on her body can get him executed.
Not to mention the predatory glare the duke was giving him already.
"Her highness is fine, my grace. Her body must be a little weak as she still has a slight fever."
"Just let her rest for a few more days and her Highness will be completely fine again."
As the doctor said she was okay, Alexander finally felt relieved, and the doctor left the office room after bidding goodbye to them.
'Why did he look like he was running for life?'
Eleanora thought as she recalled the tense expression of the doctor and looked around the office room, which was filled with various books and necessary things.
Chairs and simple tea set for his visitors and guests.
It was a typical office with documents stacked on a large desk, which was probably the pending work of her father.
But noticed those mounds of documents, suddenly one thing flashed into her mind.
In the past, the older her would always handle a lot of documents.
If everything in that dream was true, could she understand and deal with her father's documents, too?
With that though. Eleanora moved from the sofa to pick up a document from Sir Rayon's table and Alexander gave her a surprised look before he focused back on his work.
Contrary to her expectation that it was difficult, the thick paper was surprisingly easy to understand.
If so, were those memories not from a nightmare?
Those events were real?
Or is she dreaming now?
Eleanora looked up at her father with confused eyes as her mind became numb.
If it's a dream… then will her father's warmth vanish from her once again?
Her family and loved ones would be gone, and she was dead?
Sensing her gaze, Alexander also looked up and she averted her gaze as soon as they made eye contact while lowering her head.
Pretending to be casual, Eleanora kept flipping the documents like she didn't understand them at all and Alexander focused back on his work to finish them faster.
But her heart was in turmoil again.
'So, is this warmth just an illusion of mine?'
'And those nightmares are real?'
But then she becomes surprised as her father suddenly takes away those papers from her hands and carries her to his table before making her sit on his lap.
"It's too early for you to read this. You should just play and have a lot of fun according to your age."
Eleanora stared at her father with strange emotions in her eyes as he started to work again.
Just why is he so different from the memories she remembers?
It seemed like he changed in a day as she still remembers following him around before she fell on the lake.
On a normal day, he would just ignore her or stay expressionless.
Then how did he change all of a sudden?
'But it's not like I hate it...'
Eleanora thought as she moved closer to his body which stiffened him a little, but she didn't care and wrapped her arms around his torso.
'Oh God, Goddess, whoever is hearing me now please don't separate me from this warmth.'
.
.
.
Eleanora prayed wholeheartedly but soon came to realize that those memories weren't a simple nightmare…
The moment her jewel-blue eyes met his bloody red eyes, once again.
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