Chapter 2: Return

Amelia's POV

"You're alive?" He asked me with an expressionless face. I can't read his expression, whether he was relieved or surprised, he just looked at me with a stoic face.

"Yes, your grace.." I replied to him, my gaze downwards. "M-my! Your Highness! Let's fix you up, where were you?! What happened-" Sir Elias was cut off by my father, "You, where did you go?" He asked me in a stern voice, I felt nervous around this person. He isn't the type to be taken lightly, I took a deep breath, "I-I don't know...I just woke up in a cave about a week ago." I responded to him.

"A week ago?" He raised his eyebrow at me with a strong gaze, I only died I assume a week ago, maybe she was dead already?

"Get in the carriage." He turned his back to me and approached a carriage that would catch anyone's attention. If I want to live a happy and peaceful life, I shouldn't follow him back. I'll most likely get killed or be tortured by her stepmother.

I stood there while he turned his back to me with an annoyed gaze. "Get. In." He said with anger. I just stood there, while giving him a blank face. "M-miss, please get I-" Sir Elias was cut off by my father.

"Fine. If you don't want to go back, go die in the streets." He told me angrily, his face was filled with rage and annoyance. I bowed and turned around, I look to my side to see the duke with wide eyes and with a furrowed brow.

"Amelia Valentina Aloriya Revanche." My name rolled off his tongue. I felt chills run down my spine, I turned around at him again. But this time all of the people's eyes are on me, I and Amelia had one thing in common, we hated people staring at us. Sure I'm popular but not because I actively go see people, I'm popular because I was nice to people.

He knew how Amelia hated being stared at by strangers, I looked at him annoyed, I guess he was surprised. Who would look in the eyes of the terrifying noble?

Not even his children in the previous novel talk to him so carelessly. Nicolas Helix De Revanche was a royal member and my father. He was supposed to be the crown prince when the nobles overthrew the old king and made the Kyro empire formed and ruled by the Hexilia kingdom.

Even so, he was a family member so people started calling him, 'Your Highness.' The current crown prince is Prince Felix, even though in the novel he'll leave the kingdom to spend the days with the woman he loves.

"My lady...please just get in.." Sir Elias looked at me with pitiful eyes, I smiled at him and grabbed his hand. He helped me go in the carriage as the Duke looked at him with dismay.

---------

Nicolas's POV

Earlier I was just going in for business affairs but now I had found my eldest daughter. She went missing in the last 10 months and I just ordered the knights to find her, I felt empty in the 10 months she left.

Amelia would always wake up in the morning and greet me without fail, when I pass by the garden she was always there waiting for me. My other children are too small and too young to even do what Amelia had done.

She was the only person who was never scared to look at me in the eyes and smile, but, she did look at me earlier. With hatred, I knew she didn't like people staring at her but she never gave me that kind of reaction before.

I looked at Amelia who was staring outside. There were scars on her thigh and hand, and her hair was messy but it was always beautiful. Amelia had gained her green emerald eyes from mine, and red hair from her mother.

Her mother was a commoner who didn't let me see Amelia until she turned 4, when I killed her mother I took her and placed her in the manor. It was obvious she was just gonna use Amelia, I turned around and didn't realize that Amelia was staring at me all this time.

"Why are you staring?" Chills ran down her spine, she usually wasn't scared of my responses before. That was one of the reasons I like her more, she never saw me as a monster.

"Who did this to you?" I approached her and grabbed her arms. She looked at it and raised a brow. "Who placed you in that cave?" Her gaze looked at me as she tilted her head to the side.

"Your wife." She said to me in a clear voice. I was taken aback, why the hell didn't I think of that? If Amelia wasn't in the picture she knows all my fortune will passed on to her. She knows I have a high chance of dying because of my enemies, but still? I never knew she was that wretched that she would kill my firstborn.

I didn't realize that we already had gone back into the Duchy. My children were standing and waiting for me at the front gates with Duchess Bella, I carried Amelia in my arms, I look at Elias who had a shocked face, and signaled him to open the carriage's door.

As Amelia and I walked out of the carriage, I saw the duchess had a terrified look. I looked at the children who had a surprised gaze. Elias signaled the maids to open Amelia's chambers. "Do you need a physician? Or a doctor?" She nodded her head. I ordered Elias to get the Royal doctor,

--------------

Amelia's POV

He left the room as the doctor checked my vitals, he looked at me with shock when he first entered the room.

"Does it hurt when you breath your grace?" The doctor asked as I nodded my head. He looked at me with even more shocked, "Do you by any chance, coughed up blood?" I thought for myself in a moment, I did had blood coming out of my mouth when I first had been Amelia.

I looked at the doctor and nodded, he took out a herb and signal me to get it. I handed it to him and he smeared it on my wounds, I flinched at the pain.

"This should do it for now." I looked at the wounds that magically disappeared, I looked at it in awe, it was the first time real life action magic so close. The doctor got up and bowed to sir Elias and left, "Your grace, for now take a rest. I'll order some maids later to bathe you." Sir Elias took his leave and closed the door, I heard the door shut and sighed. 

I stood up and roamed Amelia's vast room.

It was as if she never left, I looked around and saw golden embedded walls with beautiful flower patterns. I noticed a mirror besides her bed, it was the royal mirror that another kingdom gifted upon this one.

Why did Amelia have this? It's only natural if the mistress or Nicolas had this. But it seems though Nicolas gifted her this, I shook off my curiosity and walked my way up to the window.

Amelia's window was right across the garden, she was really spoiled by either Nicolas or sir Elias. Maybe it's because she was the eldest? No, the youngest one is usually the spoiled one.

I took a sigh and jumped to my bed, it was so relaxing to be able to sleep in a real bed again. Soon enough darkness engulfed me in a warm embrace as I fell asleep.