CH 17 ~ Another Chance

Eleanora's father, Duke Dalton had been a loyal servant of the imperial family for generations, always putting the interests of the empire before anybody else including her.

But in the last moments of their life, he thought of her first rather than the empire, realizing that she was having an extremely hard time.

Her father said he loved her always; he didn't blame her for anything.

Eleanora was afraid that she could not see him anymore if she did not find him right away.

The servants and maids looked at her running in surprise, but Eleanora didn't care.

After running a long distance with her short legs, she ran out of breathe and stopped for a moment to catch her breath and looked around.

Eleanora saw his silver hair shining in the sunshine far away and her heart began to pound.

'Father...papa!'

She once again clenched the hem of her skirt and put her feet down to run faster.

"…Princess?"

"It's dangerous!"

"What are you doing? Hold the lady! She still hasn't recovered!"

Maria and the other maidservants were speaking among themselves as they run after Eleanora.

She saw knights sparring or training in the middle of the training field looking at her in surprise when she was running across the field.

Some of them seemed to be groaning while they were withdrawing their swords urgently, but she didn't care.

Normally, Eleanora wouldn't be bothering them, nor visit the training field as Sir Rayon personally trains her, but that was not important to her right now.

Duke Dalton, who was training the knights, was shocked to see her running towards him.

"Eleanora?"

"Papa!"

As Eleanora approached him quickly, he was surprised and looked at her with a confused gaze.

The storm in Eleanora's heart had finally calmed down as she saw her father's face.

She ran faster and reached out to the dumbstruck Alexander, hanging on to him desperately.

Eleanora felt him stiffening when he instinctively held her in his arms.

She felt his warmth from practicing when he hugged her.

She had never felt it for years.

Eleanora buried her face in his chest and rubbed her cheek against him, hearing his heart beating fast.

Ah, how fortunate!

When Eleanora fully felt his warmth, she could confirm that he was alive with his vivid heartbeats.

She hoped that she was not dreaming anymore now.

"Eleanora…Elle?"

Her blue eyes widened as she finally realized that he called her nickname.

He had never called her by nickname since her mother died and she had become the empress.

He always referred her as 'Her Majesty' during the time she was the empress.

Till they bid each other farewell in the cold prison and he called her 'Elle' again before she was killed.

And now he called her that again.

'I can't understand… he shouldn't be calling me that right now. Just what is happening?'

But she doesn't want to think about that now and only feel his warmth.

For fear she might fell, her father carefully embraced her and spoke in a hesitant tone.

"…Elle? What happened?"

Eleanora was choked with emotions when Alexander stuttered, calling her nickname in embarrassment and finally hug her tightly like she did.

Eleanora noticed his concerned eyes and his voice full of anxiety.

It was the first time she felt his warmth.

Was it because she felt relieved?

Tears kept coming down her cheeks, and her father carefully wiped her tears and asked in a low voice.

"What's the matter with you, Elle? Are you still feeling uncomfortable?"

"Papa, Papa…"

"Are you really here?"

"I am not dreaming right?"

Suddenly, the more Eleanora called him and spoke, the more he stiffened; at a loss about what to do, breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Papa is here now, Elle. Don't cry…"

Alexander hugged his daughter in his embrace tightly as he closed his eyes with a warm feeling spreading in his heart once again.

After a while and lot of sobbing, Eleanora come to her senses and realized the situation.

As she took a deep breath and looked around, she saw her father looking at her lovingly while holding her on his arms and the knights brightly smiling at her.

"Are you okay now, Elle- Princess?"

"Hum…Papa."

Eleanora barely answered with a feeble voice as she was ashamed.

How come she cried like a child in front of these knights?

She didn't have the nerve to raise her head, so she buried her face in her father's chest.

"Are you still scared?? Did something bad happen in your dreams?"

"Hmm..."

Eleanora nodded her head as she still had to understand the situation.

Alexander carefully put her down on the ground, kneeled on one knee and made eye contact with her.

Eleanora folded her hands together and hesitated at his unusually kind posture.

There was a moment of silence between them.

"What happened, Princess? Tell Papa."

"..Nothing...Just a terrible nightmare..."

"Really?"

Alexander asked in disbelief and there was a deadly silence throughout the training field.

As Eleanora carefully looked around, she saw her father with a rather hardened face and the knights staring at her blankly or with a burdensome expression.

Eleanora regretted that she came here.

That was so stupid of her!

She should have looked around before expressing her genuine feelings or childish behavior in front of her father.

It wouldn't be this embarrassing if her father was alone, but she just had to cry in front of the whole duchy people!

What is her father also thinking of her now?

She just did something so out of manner as a duke's daughter.

Eleanora just wanted to get out of here before she got more embarrassed.

Not realizing that her father has changed the way he used to call her, or he has started to call her like before again.

"It was just a nightmare, princess… forget it. You are safe and sound now with your papa."

Her tiny little face had become full red as her father consoled her and Maria, who finally caught up with her put her slippers in front of her.

Eleanora was shocked.

So the maids was calling her so desperately not to stop her but to make her wear her slippers?

And she ran all the way till here bare foot?

Looking down on her dirty feet and her father's white shirt full of the dirt's that her feet carried, Eleanora was more ashamed.

Eleanora silently put on her slippers without looking at anyone before she ran fast again.

She heard someone calling her from behind, but she ran out of the field without looking back.

'This was really embarrassing!'

Returning to her room, Eleanora tried to calm down her throbbing heart.

Eleanora felt so ashamed, but didn't care much about it.

As long as father and the other people's are okay nothing else matters.

She was not sure if she was dreaming now.

The future she saw feels like someone else's life, which she had accidentally seen.

But that person was also her.

The pain she felt was too real to be a dream.

Or it might be God's final consideration, who listened to her prayers to be saved from that darkness as she was innocent.

Perhaps she gave her another chance out of pity.

Save her and the one whom she couldn't protect.