Chapter 26

26 “Marked”

Eleanora’s pov ~

My father looked at me and i felt like he wanted to say something but he was debating internally.

After a long time, he sighed and looked at me with a affectionate gaze.

“You know... Daddy will support you in everything you do and want. So don’t be afraid.”

I was confused at his words.

“Daddy loves you Ele. Daddy have never once blamed you for anything.”

I kept stare at him blankly and tears filled up my vision.

This was real. I am really back in the past. That’s why everything was feeling so real, this was what the goddess meant by third life.

But then, what happened in my first life?

.....

How can i prevent things from my second life occur again?

Should i find Jennifer Raven, then kill her?

Or should i find evidence against Duke Raven to take him down?

None of this made any sense. Then i heard my father speak again, his eyes was full of concern.

“Ele, Today an incident happened...”

“W-What incident?” I asked.

“The day you collapsed, we all heard the new prophecy. It’s about you being the lady of the prophecy, who is supposed to marry the prince.”

“The day?” I asked in confusion.

“You have been in coma for three days, as the priestess has said.”

I was shocked to know that i was in coma for three days! Time really passes either very fast or too slow in the abyss.

But who is this priestess? Sensing my question, father replied without me asking.

“Prince Dominic De Caisson Arendell bought that priestess, Liana. She came here to deliver and discuss about the prophecy.”

I frowned as i knew about this damn prophecy that made me engaged at the first place.

And that name Liana... also felt familiar.

‘But as per i remember, prince Dominic was actually heavily injured and died after a long suffering, in my last life.

So how is he here? That too with a priestess, who didn’t appear in past?’

“The priestess, she swore a oath to you.”

“Oath?” I asked in surprise.

“Yes.”

I was in deep thought about this when father told me something unimaginable.

“We found something on your body... It’s the mark of saintess Ariande, Now you are called Eleanora Ariande La Dalton, Ele.”

If my jaw could have hit the floor then I’m sure it would have. Is the goddess playing a prank with me?

Before i fall into the abyss, she said she will help me, write my own fate. How can i write my own fate when she is constantly trapping me with him?

“What?! How is that possible?”

“You seem to have been marked in the right side of your back...”

Internally I cringed and wanted to curse the Goddess.

So much for letting me choose my own fate, she seemed to have plans of forcing me to stick around.

If what my father was telling me was true, then it would appear the Goddess had now marked me as her own daughter, Saintess Ariande.

Any plans to run away in the future were now nearly impossible.

“Do you know what that means, Ele?”

I knew what it meant of course.

No one had seen the choosen saintess mark in over a thousand years after the last saintess of our empire, Ariande died.

But since the goddess said my name means what i am, this indirectly indicated that i was the choosen bride for the prince, who will help the empire to prosper.

And as per what the goddess said, it seemed like the world collapsed after my death.

So the purpose to sent me back was to prevent the world from collapse. But how can i save it without knowing anything about it?

My life was about to become infinitely more difficult now. Seeing me silent, father understood that i knew and kissed my head.

“Do you know why you were marked?”

I could hear the worry in his voice. I can’t imagine what he must have gone through finding this all out.

All the ranked nobles and elders would be pressuring him for information whilst trying to figure out what will happen from now on.

“No.”

I replied to him, hanging my head down.

I don’t want to tell him about my sufferings in the abyss. I can’t let him know about those painful memories.

He hesitated but didn’t push the topic any further.

“Don’t worry about anything and tell me what you want.”

My father looked at me with a warm gaze. That seem to telling me that, i can tell him anything. So i did.

“Father, I don’t want to get married with the crown prince.”

“...”

Father paused for a moment, before speaking again,

“Impossible.”

[He meant, it’s impossible that, he will let her marry the crown prince; But as always Alexander uttered misleading sentence and Eleanora misunderstood.]

Father’s expression changed and a frown appeared in his forehead. I clenched my fist under the bedsheets.

You just told me that i will get anything i want then why?

Is my marriage with the crown prince really that important to you?

Maybe because i was the perfect daughter in my last life, he said those things. Which am not now.

He doesn’t know about my past sufferings yet. But, i will really not let myself suffer like that, in this lifetime!

No matter how, I have to pursue my father to break of this engagement.

“The emperor has requested your presence as soon as possible to urgently discuss the prophecy.”

He said with a calm voice which seem to indicate that i can put that off for a few more days in the name of being sick.

I thought about it for a few moments. Should i push of the meeting?

But I knew it was something unavoidable that I would need to do eventually. I am completely fine other than the shock and stress that came from the recent mark revelation.

“I can meet with him tomorrow,” I confirmed.

“Okay, Then we will meet him a week later.”

“...”