Chapter Forty-Three: A Talk with Aurelia
After Eleonora went over what happened during the Battle of the Sirius System, one of the guards approached the table that all of them were sitting at.
"Ren, Princess Aurelia wishes to speak with you." the guard said.
Scarlet looked at Ren and asked "What did he say?"
"Princess Aurelia wants to talk with me." Ren replied "You guys can explore the ship safely, but speaking maybe an issue. Look, I'm not saying trust them. I know it may be hard for you, but the translator doesn't hurt to have."
Ren understood why they were skeptical about the procedure to get that translation device; after all, literally last week they were fighting these exact people, but he did want them to start to warm up to the Volarians, as the best way for this was for everyone to start to understand each other, and the only way they could do that besides him translating everyone was for them to get the translation device.
After Ren left, the others all looked at each other with similar expressions on their faces.
"Should we do it?" Lily asked.
"Not all of us." Eleonora said "I will test it first..."
"Are you sure, captain?" Sakura asked, worried.
"Yes, I'm sure. No matter what, we are stuck here with no way home. It would be best if we could talk to them and understand each other, but we shouldn't all go under at the same time. I trust what Ren says, but I also need to see it for myself." Eleonora replied.
Everyone nodded in agreement, and Eleonora said that when Ren gets back, she'll tell him about the plan to get the device.
Ren was walking in the hall with a guard on his way to the bridge. He honestly didn't know what to expect, as he hadn't met another princess besides Lucilia before, and this would be the first time they had talked without Lucilia being around.
Would she act differently? She was kind to Ren when everyone was together, but sometimes people hide their true intentions in the presence of others, especially someone she seemed close with, like Lucilia.
He had many curiosities regarding Aurelia that would soon be answered.
The guard knocked on a fancy door in the middle of the hallway.
"Come in." a female voice said from behind the door.
The guard opened the door, and inside was a fancy office with everything seemingly uniquely designed and very expensive.
"Hello Ren, please come in." Aurelia said, looking at Ren.
Ren nodded his head and walked inside the room, with the guard waiting from the outside.
"Please sit." Aurelia said as she prepared some hot tea on the table. "My sister said you enjoy this flavor, so hopefully you enjoy my version of it."
It was the same tea that Lucilia had made for him all the way back when he first stayed in Lucilia's mansion.
"Your version?" Ren asked as he took a seat at the table that Aurelia was sitting at.
"Yes, I tend to like my tea sweeter than Lucilia. If it's not to your liking, I can always make another pot." Aurelia said kindly.
"No, it's fine. I like sweet things too." Ren said.
Ren looked at Aurelia and couldn't help but once again notice her beauty. She definitely had a princess look to her; her long, beautiful silver hair and her bright blue eyes made him think about something.
"Are all the princesses this beautiful?"
Ren had only met two of them, but both of them were drop-dead beauties in their own right.
Ren took a sip of the tea and smiled "This is pretty good."
Aurelia smiled in response "Good, I'm glad you like it."
"So, Princess Aurelia, what did you want to talk about?" Ren asked.
"Please just call me Aurelia; after all, you will be family to me very soon." Aurelia teased.
"Well...your not wrong about that, Aurelia..." Ren said.
"And that's what I wish to discuss with you, Ren." Aurelia said getting a more serious expression on her face.
"What about it?" Ren asked.
"The fact that you have no idea what you are stepping into, being a prince of the empire." Aurelia said.
"What do you mean?" Ren asked, trying to see where she was going with this.
Aurelia sighed "As a prince, you will now be officially vying for the throne; even if you say you don't want it, your name is going to be brought up, especially since Lucilia is very popular with our people. Then comes the case of the others who wished to marry Lucilia."
"Others?" Ren asked.
"She had over a dozen suitors before she met you, Ren; those suitors are going to want to win her over showering her with gifts, some even trying to make you look bad, and some even will try and remove you from her life." Aurelia warned.
"Some may try and kill me?" Ren asked.
"Of course, you're taking away their opportunity not only to be a prince but also to marry my sister, who's quite a beauty, as you well know. Jealousy will also make certain people irrational." Aurelia said.
"So I just have to deal with the suitors, then?" Ren questioned.
"No, because then comes the worst of them all—my father, the emperor." Aurelia said with a darkened expression on her face. "My father will be your biggest opponent in your goal of marrying Lucilia. He had selected the suitors and hates when his daughters don't follow his wishes."
"Pardon me if I offend you, but you sound like you speak from experience..." Ren said, noticing the changes in her expressions.
"That's because I do." Aurelia said it with a noticeably sad look on her face. "I don't like talking about it, but you will need to know what my father is like..."
"A few years ago, when I was of age, my father wanted me to marry a noble from one of the most prestigious and wealthy families on Volaria. I, however, refused to marry because my heart belonged to another...someone my father disapproved of. A commoner by the name of Sitri, she was a waitress at a tavern that I met once. She was beautiful and so kind...as I got to know her, I fell deeper in love, but once my father learned of this...he did something I could never forgive him for. He had her killed, but not before the guards tortured her...I didn't even know about it. I was on another planet on a diplomatic mission...I didn't find out until I got home...ever since, I've hated that man. So take my story as a warning, Ren. He is not someone to take lightly; if you or Lucilia need my help, you have it, no questions asked."
Ren was shocked at her story "How could your father do such a thing?"
Aurelia said "He never understood that I liked both men and women; he refused to accept that part of me, and when I found someone I deeply cared about...he took her away from me, trying to force me to accept what he wanted for me. So ever since, I've been on this ship, trying to avoid him and my assigned fiancé. Sadly, with the news of Lucilia and you being together, I have no choice but to go back and help my sister; she's all the family I have."
"Aurelia I'm sorry that happened to you truly." Ren said still shocked at what Aurelia had revealed.
"My story is one of many regarding the emperor. There's a reason most of his children and wives want him dead." Aurelia said taking a sip of her tea.
"Does that include Ivy?" Ren asked.
"That it does...she also has a reason to hate him, but that's not for me to reveal." Aurelia said.
Ren sat up from the chair after finishing his tea and looked at Aurelia "Thank you for telling me...and revealing such a painful memory for you."
"It was necessary...and thank you for your thanks. Just be careful, Ren...for Lucilia's sake." Aurelia said.
"I will...I'll do everything I can to protect her." Ren said as he left.
"It's not her that will need protecting, Ren..." Aurelia said.
Ren walked down the hallway, furious with what he heard from Aurelia—just how bad of a person he is and what he has done. He was also furious, and Ivy also had a horrible memory with him, which meant he did something to her as well...
"Dammit..." Ren said as he punched the wall with the side of his fist.
"Ren?" Eleonora asked, seeing the sight of Ren being so angry.
Ren quickly put on a different expression, as he wanted to hide what happened to Eleonora.
"Yes?" Ren answered.
"Are you okay?" Eleonora asked.
"I'm...fine just some things to work out. Is there something you needed?" Ren asked.
"Can we talk? There's something that I want to run by you." Eleonora asked.
"Sure, that's fine." Ren answered.
"Well...I want to get the translation device installed."
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