Chapter 3  : “Know Your Place”

Eleanora’s Pov~

I entered the palace and i was heading towards my office room to take some reports to finish, in my little hunted palace.

But in the hallway, suddenly Jena blocked my steps as she shouted my name.

Who stood several inches smaller than my five foot four height, with blonde hair and soft caramel brown eyes.

Somehow her looks reminded me of my Duke Raven, who also have blonde hair. I never noticed before but they kinda look alike.

“Eleanora!” she yelled out to me.

I was shocked. Even if she was announced as a queen, am still superior in terms of status then her.

.....

She stood at the end of the hallway towards the living room.

Even if she disrespected me, I didn’t stop to talk with her though, instead choosing to pretend I didn’t hear her and walked towards my office room.

“Eleanora, wait!”

Jena called after me. I could hear her begin to quickly chase after me.

The last person I wanted to deal with right now was her.

Why does she want to pour salt into the wound before I have even fully processed what’s actually happening?

Her hand grasped around my wrist forcing me to spin around to face her.

I frowned out sharply at her touch. How dare she touch me?

I am still the empress even if she is carrying the heir.

Her brown eyes went wide in surprise at my reaction and she dropped my hand instantly. She looked as if she was about to cry.

“Empress, I’m so sorry!” she whimpered.

“I didn’t want it to be like this.”

Hearing her words, i laughed at disgust. She was always like this.

Calling me by my name at first then addressing me as an empress when people started to gather around us.

“He’s the emperor, how could I deny him?”

she said as tears began to fall from her eyes.

“You know I never wanted things to go this far, but I love him too. And I love this empire as much as you do. Please don’t hate me or this child.”

She rested a hand on her belly as if to emphasise the point. I could feel my pulse beating loudly, deafening my ears.

Everything about her made me want to cut her neck off her body.

The audacity she had to say that to me as if she were the victim in this whole situation.

Not I, who had suffered and laboured for years, since even before we had been married.

Not I, who had sacrificed everything to stay with him, to be treated as coldly as he treats me.

She dares to come to me now with her tears for sympathy.

Being the Duke’s daughter, naturally, everyone had assumed i will be the empress and we already had an prior engagement because of a certain prophecy.

I had trained for empress duties long before we were engaged officially. I had given up years of my life for him.

My dream to become a knight commander.

historical

Jena was nothing. She was a fling everyone said would end once he become bored. But it never happened.

Ordinarily, I would have ignored her. I would have given her a faux smile and uttered a few small words before leaving to keep the peace.

But not today. Not today when she had crawled her way in and diminished any hope I had left to stay with Cathain.

“Get a hold of yourself and know your place!, even if you become a queen but a maid will always be a maid.” I snapped at her.

“Did you honestly think I would have sympathy for you? That I would console you? Congratulate you?

What did you hope to achieve by coming to me now? Did you want to rub in my face how you got pregnant by my husband?”

I could feel the stares as the maids of the palace gathered to watch the exchange.

They all looked on with mixed expressions ranging from sadness, anger and sympathy. I couldn’t tell if it was for me or for Jena though.

Jena broke down in heavy sobs, her legs giving out. I looked down at her in disgust and did not move even an inch to help her.

“Her Majesty!”

One of the onlooker maid shouted out, running to her aid.

Brayden, the aid of Cathain and third, no, he is now forth as we have this new drama queen as third in command of the palace, also rushed to Jena’s side to console her.

His eyes looked up at me with burning hatred but I only looked back with uncaring eyes.

“She’s pregnant, Empress! With the Empire’s heir no less. How can you say such horrible things to her when she only wanted to make peace?”

Brayden said angrily. I had a higher status than him but yet he still felt he could talk to me in that manner.

“And who do you think you are to talk with me like that, Marquis Hill?”

I asked him with an intimidating tone and he just looked down as he couldn’t find words to say.

I wanted to lash out at him as well but it was enough. I turned around to leave the main palace without taking my reports.

I had done enough already. His jaw clenched in anger but he bowed his head nonetheless.

That’s right, at least someone was forced to show me the respect I deserved even when they did not want to.

I normally conducted myself properly, as an empress should, but this girl didn’t deserved it.

I left the main building and reached my own abandoned palace, that no one visits.

Where i live alone, all by myself, only with my palace attendant Rena and my nanny, Maria.

I had my own private kitchen, dining area and bedroom all to myself, where I would not be disturbed even if it was a burned down abandoned palace.

The only people allowed access to this area were Maria, Rena, and Cathain if he so wished.

But he never came here.

I tossed myself in my bed the moment i reached my bedroom.

A sad looking Rena appeared at my bedroom doorway, her eyes were full of pity. She had obviously heard the news.

I turned my face, not wanting to look at her expression, and my own tears welled to the surface.

“Empress,”

Rena soothed and rushed to me, embracing me in her warm arms.

I began to softly sob in her arms and grabbed on to her as if I was grabbing on to my own life.

Rena was an older lady with greying dark hair who had acted as a mother to me ever since I had become the Empress.

My own mother had passed away when i was five, in a assaination attack while saving me.

Since then, i was accompanied by Maria, my nanny and over the last four years, Rena had looked after me as if I were her own daughter and they both showed me so much love.

“Shh, it’s okay, Empress,”

Rena whispered, stroking my silver hair.

“You are still okay and healthy, and that’s all that matters.”

At first, I felt like my world was ending but in reality it was just the pettiness I felt about dedicating my life to a man who did not love me.

“I’m thinking about running away, Rena,”

I mumbled against her chest.

“I can’t do this anymore. I have nothing else to give to anyone anymore.”

My interaction with Jena had only solidified in my mind that running seemed like the best option.

“Don’t say that!” Rena scolded.

“You feel terrible now, I know, but the empire still needs you. You are their empress. They love you.”

My mind wandered, remembering the faces that had surrounded me during my altercation with Jena.

.....

I was sure now they were in sympathy towards Jena, not me; especially thinking back to Brayden and his look of hatred.

They held no love for me anymore. I had helped raise this empire to the top but I knew their respect for me was never sincere.

I was sure it would continue to fade away more as the days of Jena’s pregnancy went by.

How they celebrated her first pregnancy, where my last both pregnancy ended up with a tragedy. No one celebrate their coming news or mourned for their unexpected death.

Someone must have poisoned me. But who and how?

No, I can’t risk my third child anymore because of them. I shook my head and pulled away from Rena.

I needed to do the one selfish thing I had ever done in my life. I knew my father might be disappointed in me, but I couldn’t take this anymore.

No, this was the final straw. I would finally run away for good with my child.

“I’ve made up my mind, Rena, I’m sorry.”

I reached my hand out and gently clasped her hand in mine.

“This is for the best, I’ve dedicated my life to the empire, to Cathain, I need to do this for me now.

I’m wasting away here, unwanted, discarded, humiliated in my own palace. Don’t I deserve better? Don’t I deserve a chance to be happy for once?”

Rena opened her mouth to reply but, before she could say anything, the door burst open behind me.

I gasped and turned my neck sharply towards the sudden intrusion. There was only one person I could think of who would dare to make such an entrance to my room.

Those familiar bloody red eyes met mine, filled with hatred and rage. He came to my place for the first and last time....