Chapter 78

78 Chapter 78 ~ “Crown Princess’s Man”

‘Why did the atmosphere become more awkward now?’

Eleanora thought as she saw the two person beside her behaving weird.

The two royal guards who also followed them to the market felt it too.

“Ahem! Lennie?”

Liana, who was in a daze because she felt embarrassed to face Dominic, panicked at the sudden call of Eleanora.

“Y-Yes? Princess?”

“Umm... Jennie gave me a list of things she wants you to buy for her.”

“What does sister wants? It will be time waste if you guys continue to follow me, So how about i go alone and buy it?”

Liana suggested as all she wanted was to stay farther away from Dominic, who stayed silent all the way.

.....

“You are right but i can’t let you go alone, Dom should accompany you! What do say?”

“I-I... Of Of course i can!”

Dominic was hesitating for a moment before Eleanora stomped on his feet to agree.

Thus, Eleanora and the royal knights went in one way and Dominic, Liana went in anothet way.

Eleanora kept on walking as she particularly had no interest to buy something for the emperor, lest he thinks her as a perfect daughter in law.

But then she heard a commission which wasn’t too far away from her.

The two royal guards wanted to stop her and tell her to avoid commission’s but Eleanora moved before they could stop her.

“How dare you to dodge a noble’s punishment?!”

“Apologise right now!”

Eleanora was a little stunned to hear such a loud yell. Why does she always encounter noble bullying the commoners everytime she wents out?

But as always, she couldn’t ignore this and decided to take a look.

‘Who is so stupid? Hit them first and then tell them to apologise?’

As Eleanora glanced at the pot bellied man who fall on the ground, she immediately recognised him.

‘Another corrupted noble under Duke Raven.’

The squatting pot bellied old man was Baron Gold, who worked under Duke Raven.

But then a chilly yet familiar voice caught Eleanora’s attention.

“Didn’t you fall on your own? Why do i have to apologise?”

The tall young man whose half of the face was covered because of his long black cape was no other then Cathain in disguise of Ain.

Eleanora was taken aback a little because of Ain’s chilly cold voice, which she have never heard.

Ain was always gentle and soft in her mind. So, suddenly hearing his chilly voice somehow reminded her of the past Cathain.

Cathain spoke haughty words like baron Gold, the word of someone who looks down on others.

‘Your child will never be my heir, Empress...’

Eleanora shuddered as she recalled the past and immediately shook her head to remove those memories from her mind.

‘Why is Ain here now?’

Cathain was mixed up in his emotions. He wanted Eleanora to love Cathain not Ain, but he also didn’t had any rights to say that.

If he tells her now that he is Ain, he might lost his last hope to stay with her but as soon as the duke comes back, he will be terribly exposed.

With everything in his mind, he didn’t dared to face Eleanora thinking he might lost his sense and do something which he might regret.

“You... You lowly commoner!! How dare you to speak to a noble man like this?”

Baron Gold’s shout took out Eleanora from her daze and she focused on the situation.

Either It’s height or physique, Both Cathain and Ain are really familiar... but their appearance, status and behaviour is not.

Ain is friendly, funny, supportive, easy to get along, also a little cheesy and flirty.

Where Cathain is possessive, ruthless, domineering, cold, hard to understand and also supportive.

Eleanora felt a weird emotion as she recalled how Cathain had defended her at the negotiation meeting. But then she sighed.

‘Don’t let it move you again, lest it hurt you again.’

Seeing the unbothered Cathain, Baron Gold’s body started to shake in anger as he spoke.

“You inferior! What can you do to me?”

‘Should i just kill him?’

Cathain coldly looked at the shaking Baron and thought to himself as he didn’t noticed Eleanora’s arrival at the scene.

“Seize this insolent commoner!”

‘It will be hard to kill him once i put him in jail.’

Cathain was lost in thought as he recognised this man from his dream, Baron Gold who would later try to steal money from the treasury and blame Duke Dalton for it.

Baron Gold’s guards was about to rush in to catch Cathain but they suddenly couldn’t move.

“STOP!!”

All of them become surprised at the sudden shout and as they looked down, they was even more stunned to find their feet frozen.

‘I-Ice magic? But Duke Dalton isn’t here...’

The guards looked up and their assumption was true.

It was the duchy’s one and only Princess, The only saintess of this empire as well the future empress.

Eleanora Ariande La Dalton.

The only person who have this rare ice magic after Duke Alexander Dalton.

Eleanora stood infront of Cathain, who stood a fit taller then her and bearly reached his chest.

“You...”

Cathain murmured lowly as he was taken aback because of Eleanora’s sudden appearance.

Eleanora heard his soft murmuring and turned her head back. With a smiling face, she reassured him.

“Don’t worry, I will protect you.”

Cathain felt his heart skip a beat at her smiling face and gentle blue eyes that he rarely sees as the crown prince and clenched his fist.

‘Don’t be happy... this smile is not for you but for Ain. Her one and only friend.’

“Y-You are crown-crown princess?”

Eleanora frowned a little. She didn’t like being called the crown prince but she have to take advantage of this for now.

“Yes I am and also”

Eleanora replied in a cold and chilly voice which exactly sounded like Alexander, then suddenly paused in the middle of her sentence.

The crowd shuddered in fear amd started to talk among themselves.

“I am Eleanora Ariande La Dalton, The daughter of Duke Dalton and the Only Saintess of this empire.”

“Y-Yes... I-I greet the crown p-princess, the saintess of this empire, Lady Dalton.”

“I know you Baron Gold, raise your head up.”

‘Huh? The Crown Princess of this empire knows me?’

A smrik appeared on Baron Gold’s face as he thought about something.

‘Ah ha, this should be fun if i know how to use my words cleverly... she is only a 13 year old kid.’

“This is truly an honour to meet her ladyship here... this must be fate.”

Baron Gold extended his palm towards her to place her hands on his for a greeting kiss which was very normal at the empire.

Eleanora was also aware of this custom so she was about to place her hands on his palm when she suddenly felt a strong grip over her palm from behind.

As Cathain was taller then her, so no one saw him gripping her hands tightly as he entangled their fingers together so that she won’t be able to break free.

He lowered his head a little and whispered lowly.

.....

“Don’t give your hands to anyone to kiss it. I don’t like it...”

Eleanora’s ears instantly turned red as he finished his whispering and stood still like he has done nothing.

‘Why is my heart beating so fast...’

But soon Eleanora remembered the day when she was about to place her hand on Rua’s prime minister’s hand to kiss, Cathain did the same thing.

‘Why both of them are so familiar.’

A unknown pain and fear started to grow inside of her heart but she shook the idea off. It was fully impossible.

‘They are not the same person. They can’t be.’

But unknown to Eleanora, her act looked like she was looking down on the Baron by not giving her hand to him.

Baron Gold took away his hands and gritted his teeth in anger. A mere child dared to disrespect him?

“Your ladyship... why are you here?”

Eleanora, who was currently annoyed because of the risen suspicions about Ain in her heart glared at the Baron coldly and started to speak.

“Because am very PISSED OFF on your behaviour.”

“W-What do you mean...my lady ship?”

Baron Gold was stunned because of the sudden change in Eleanora, who looked no lesser scary then Alexander himself.

‘Am very angry now... he is a bad person so, i might as well vent my anger on by teaching him a lesson to not trample on the weak anymore.’

“You... A mere Baron, Dare to disrespect and harm MY MAN?!!”

‘... Her Man?’

Cathain’s face instantly turned red as he heard Eleanora declaring him boldly as her man, where the crowd fell speechless.

‘T-The crown princess’s Man?’