Chapter 5

As soon as the door closed, Eleanora erupted in a fit of hysterical laughter, tears flowing from her eyes once more and pulled up the blanket to cover her half naked body.

‘If he had just removed me from my position at the start then this never would have happened.’

‘If he had just rejected me immediately to take as his wife, instead of submitting me to this torture over the last four years, then maybe one day I could have learned to live a life without him.’

She was here only because of him. Because the empire and he asked her to be their empress.

She could have tried to live a normal life as a knight and tried to forget about him if he’d freed her earlier.

‘Maybe i could have even found someone to love me dearly.’

Eleanora kept crying till she couldn’t cry anymore and fall asleep after being tired of all the sobbings.

.....

‘Just what am i too you? How can you humiliate me like this?’

...

The next day Eleanora got ready at eight o’clock for the regular meeting with the higher members of the empire council.

Eleanora’s maid Maria tied her long silver hair into a bun where Rena was helping her with my accessories.

Underneath her blue eyes, Eleanora could see the dark bags from the stress and lack of sleep she had experienced the night before.

Unfortunately, using makeup had shown little results at covering it up.

Eleanora’s appearance was a clear representation of her family, Dalton Duchy.

The silver hair and blue eyes were a dead giveaway to their ancient Duke lineage.

Eleanora was born four years after the emperor.

It was almost guaranteed they would be married, their families always having been so closely knit because of their loyalty to the throne.

The priests had even got prophesied about their union, which would bring great success to the empire; they had been correct as she really bought great success to this empire.

...

Inside the meeting hall Eleanora sat to the emperor’s right side.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

She could feel the emperor’s gaze on her from time to time as always.

Before, she could feel shy because of his gaze but now she didn’t felt like that anymore.

Eleanora just kept her eyes glues on the papers infront of her without even knowing the context.

The eyes of the other ranked imperial members and nobles also bore into her as she kept het eyes cast down.

Everyone knew. They knew how humiliated she must feel, how scorned she was right now.

The meeting was the usual items; border patrols, country alliances.

No one dared to ask her any questions for a change.

They all acted as she wasn’t even there.

And to be honest, Eleanora wished she wasn’t.

She had told Rena, they would leave at the end of the week.

She still need to organise her things and ensure the empire had enough organised to keep it running for at least a little while.

Her hope was that no one would notice her missing for a few days.

With any luck, if she can make it out from the empire then they wouldn’t find her even if they tried.

“What do you think, Empress?”

Marquise Roselia asked her suddenly.

Eleanora looked up sharply in surprise, breaking out from her deep thoughts.

She didn’t expected anyone to address her during this meeting at all.

Eleanora coughed, clearing her throat, and tried to think back on whatever they had just been discussing.

She had carelessly let her mind wander too much.

“Well... that’s umm...,” Eleanora started.

Thankfully the door burst open at that moment, sparing her from having to answer.

However, A man with shiny silver hair, wearing silver armour and blue cape came to Eleanora’s view.

She didn’t expect it would be her father, Duke Alexander Dalton to come storming in so suddenly.

‘Wasn’t he on the borders for the past four years?’

He looked furious and internally Eleanora began to whimper.

‘Was he also here to pity me like them?’

Eleanora closed her eyes tightly but what she was waiting for never came.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Duke Dalton demanded.

But to everyone’s surprise, his eyes turned to the emperor, not her.

Eleanora looked up and saw the emperor staring back stoically, his face completely unreadable.

Or maybe he just genuinely didn’t care.

“What seems to be the matter, Duke Dalton?”

The emperor asked.

“You’ve shown up unannounced that also caused a huge disruption to our meeting.”

“Don’t play dumb with me!”

Duke Dalton shouted.

“You think you can humiliate my family like this and I’d just continue to loyally serve you?

She’s my daughter! The mother of our empire, your empress! And yet you let some mistress bear your child and name them heir?”

Then breath caught in Eleanora’s throat.

‘My father is... defending me? Against our Emperor?’

Duke Dalton had always been more loyal to the imperial family than anything else.

It was sad but the father- daughter pair had never been particularly close because of that after her mother died.

Her father become more loyal to the throne and kept himself busy in defending the borders; not returning home for several months.

The emperor’s jaw tightened in anger and frowned.

“I think you need to calm down.”

The emperor said slowly.

Everyone could hear the warning in his words but Duke Dalton seemed to either not notice or not care.

“Calm down? Calm down?!”

Duke Dalton yelled.

“No, I have allowed you to disrespect her for too long, Your Majesty!

She is a daughter of the Daltons and deserves your respect, even if only purely for her Duke lineage.

To think you would throw her aside as if she was trash and impregnate another woman is totally unacceptable.”

The emperor was clearing becoming angrier by the second.

“Duke Dalton_”

The emperor attempted to speak but her father continued to rant, cutting him off.

“Your father would be disgusted if he were alive! My daughter does not deserve this. Am going to take her away!”

That was it. The emperor finally lost it.

“What do you mean by taking her away?!

If she cannot accept that then that is on her. Lady Jena will be having my child, and they will be named as heir. That is final.

.....

Now I suggest you see yourself out from this meeting immediately and go calm down, Duke!”

A murmur of agreement echoed in the room from everyone present.

Duke Dalton, who was suppressing his ice aura released it in a fit of rage at the complacent attitudes toward everyone around him.

Everyone immediately became silent, bowing their heads as they was shivering from his cold magic aura.

His eyes darkened to warn that his aura was on the surface and was about to lost control and the room became tense.

Everyone could feel his power exuding off from him. He looked as if he was about to lose control at any second.

The emperor scoffed at his attitude and it was enough for all hell to break loose.

One could see Duke Dalton finally snap internally, making Eleanora feel worried.

“You dare disrespect my daughter like that? How dare you?!”

Duke Dalton said, eyes manic, as he launched himself with his sword across the table towards Cathain.

“Father! No!”

Eleanora screamed, but it was too late.

He took out his sword and hold it on the emperor’s neck, where the imperial soldiers who was gurding the emperor, pointed their swords at the duke’s neck.