174 “Snowman”
In the morning, Eleanora woke up with a terrible headache.
It was so severe that she felt her head spinning as soon as she sat up on her bed.
‘Damn, just how much drinks i had last night?’
The last thing she can recall is when she first started to drink...then she drunk more... Then she woke up this morning.
‘What have i done after drinking?’
Eleanora tried hard to recall but she couldn’t, right then someone knocked on the door.
“Your highness, I am Violet from the medical camp, May i came in?”
“Y-Yes, come in...”
Eleanora gave permission to enter as she wondered why the medical team would come to see her.
.....
“I, Violet De Florence, greet the future moon of our empire, Your highness.”
“What brings you here, Lady Florence?”
Eleanora asked as she recalled that Violet is the daughter of Marquise Florence’s family from the south.
She works as a senior doctor at the main imperial hospital in the empire.
But they have never interacted much in her previous life.
“His Majesty asked me to check up on you after i gave him medicine,”
“Medicine? What happened to his majesty?”
Eleanora was a little stunned as Cathain seldom fall sick or got injured.
“His Majesty caught a little cold... I gave him medicine, so he should be fine soon.”
‘How can a person with fire mana catch cold?’
“I see... Please give me some hangover medicine. Am having a terrible headache.”
Eleanora thought as she asked for some hangover medicine from Violet.
“Here, Your highness,”
“Thank you, Lady Florence.”
Eleanora thanked Lady Violet as she took the medicine from her and finally felt comfortable after drinking it.
After cheaking that everything else is okay with Eleanora, Violet packed up her medical bag and stood up to leave.
But then she suddenly stopped at the door and turned back to say something.
“Your Majesty and Her Highness must love each other very much! It’s rare to see a affectionate couple like you two now...”
“Huh?”
Eleanora become dumbfounded as she heard Violet’s words before she left the room.
‘Why did he suddenly said that?’
‘Moreover, Me and him...affectionate?!’
Eleanora felt weird because as long as she can remember, she have never treated the current Cathain like a partner.
Let alone showing affection.
‘Let’s not think about it anymore...’
Eleanora thought as she woke up from the bed but become astonished to feel something hanging on her neck.
She walked towards the mirror and touched the crescent moon shaped red locket on her neck.
‘Locket? Fire mana stone?’
It didn’t take Eleanora another moment to guess, who gave it to her.
Only the Valentino imperial family members have the purest fire mana running in their body.
The locket was full of his mana, which helped her to warm up her body.
‘Why would he give me this,’
Eleanora thought as she recalled how she had slapped and rejected him, never treated the current him properly because of the past.
Her pants was full of muds too.
Seeing everything, Eleanora was sure this had something to do with him catching a cold all of a sudden.
In the end, she couldn’t bear the heartache anymore and squat down on the floor.
There was no tears or any emotions showing on her face but she felt messed up inside.
‘You look so beautiful when you smile...’
‘Let’s get married,’
‘What if something happens to you!’
All kind of memories of the past few months with him, flashed through her mind.
And she let out a bitter laugh.
‘Even if i deny it, I know the answer of why am feeling like this... Don’t i?’
‘Am really miserable... A pathetic fool who keeps craving for love and attention, Even i, myself can realize this.’
‘He must knows this too... This is why he keeps doing this all... He also see me as a stupid person who can be easily moved by him.’
‘I don’t want to make the same mistake again... I don’t want to lower myself again to be loved, or love someone,’
…
“Your Majesty, how are you feeling now?”
“Am good... And you?”
Both Cathain and Eleanora felt awkward because of the last night.
Even if Eleanora doesn’t remembers, what she heard from others was enough for her to not wanting to recall anything anymore.
‘How could i give everyone a toast and drag the emperor to dance like that?!’
‘Where did my courage came from?!’
“Umm... Your Majesty, Did you gave this to me?”
Eleanora asked as she took out the locket, which was hanging on her neck and hidden inside her shirt.
“Smoking much isn’t good for you. So i thought it might help... Afterall we won the last battle mostly because of you.”
Cathain added the last words as he realized Eleanora might feel uncomfortable or won’t accept it, if he said that he did it for her out of concern.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Y-You don’t remember anything?”
Cathain asked and Eleanora felt confused as she tried to recall, what more crazy things she did except dancing with the the emperor.
But in the end, she couldn’t remember anything and shook her head to answer him.
“Have i done something else... Like was it something important?”
Eleanora asked.
Where, Cathain’s face dropped and he looked gloomy as he understood that she really doesn’t remember anything.
But he decided to not pressure her and smilled at her gently before he spoke.
“No problem... It was nothing important.”
Last night~
“...Remember what?”
Eleanora tilted her head in confusion as she looked at Cathain, who chuckled after seeing her acting like kids.
“Will you remember that you kissed me?”
“Of course! Why would i forget it?”
Eleanora spoke with confidence and Cathain pinched her cheeks.
.....
“Why are you so cute?”
“Because my dad is handsome!”
“Pff-”
Cathain decided to not speak anymore as no matter what he says, this drunk Eleanora will not understand anything or think properly.
Where Eleanora kept playing with the locket on her neck as the mana stone glowed everytime she fused it with her own mana.
The cold wind blew and Cathain’s red eyes filled with gentleness and... love for her.
His feelings for her is getting higher and he’s finding himself falling more deeper for her.
The more he stared at her, the faster his heart beat, which made him unconsciously reached out to hug her from behind.
But right at that moment, Eleanora noticed a little bird chirping under her leg.
‘B-Bird?!’
Which made her jump in fear and pushing Cathain back in the process, as she is always afraid of small animals.
“Aaah! It’s a bird!!”
Eleanora yelled and at the same time, she noticed Cathain who failed to keep his balance and was about to hit the tree behind him.
“Watch out!”
“!!!!”
Cathain thought he was about to hit his head but instead of pain, he felt cold over his body.
“...”
“…Pfff- Am sorry… Hahhahhh!!”
“...”
Eleanora had unconsciously used her magic powers to create snow over him, so that he doesn’t get hurt.
This resulted him being covered with snow all over his body as he leaned against the tree.
“...”
“You look like a Snowman!”
‘Ice Man!’
As soon as Eleanora called him ‘Snowman’ Cathain recalled the scene from his childhood.
Where he once fall from the big tree and the barely one year old Eleanora awakened her magic powers to save him from getting hurt.
Then he felt ashamed as he also recalled how he, the almost five year old crown prince couldn’t catch the barely one year old crawling Eleanora.
‘Haiz... My empress saved me again...’
Cathain also laughed as he made a snow ball and threw it on Eleanora.
But he unintentionally used much strength and thus Eleanora fall on the ground, covered with her own snow.
“Sorry! Are you okay?!”
Cathain spoke as he hurriedly walked towards Eleanora with concern.
But as soon as he reached her, she hit him with another snowball and chuckles as she managed to fool him.
Eleanora stood up as she continued to laugh at Cathain, who was sitting on the ground with snow all over him.
“You dare trick me?”
Cathain spoke as he pulled her down on the pile of snows and both of them kept throwing snows at each other.
In the end, Eleanora got exhausted and fall asleep over Cathain; where he laid on the snows and looked at the dark sky full of stars.
‘Is this what people call happiness?’
‘This little things with her is so fun... Time seems to ran whenever i am with her.’
‘I don’t even feel tired or exhausted, no- i feel livelier then ever when she is beside me...’
Cathain wrapped his hands around her protectively as he kissed her forehead.
‘I will solve everything that’s keeping you away from accepting me, My empress...’
And that’s how, the emperor caught a cold as he played with cold snow for a long time, not to mention laying down on it.
Where, Eleanora didn’t caught cold as he kept her warm by his own mana; instead of using it on himself to not catch a cold.