If I Could Live Again

CHAPTER 24

Elin was quiet after hearing Nero’s words. She couldn’t understand the feelings that she currently had. Whether it is happiness, sadness or betrayal, she couldn’t sort out what was wrong with her.

It could be due to the fact that the family that took her in when she was still young was actually her real family...

Or was it because Nero knew all along about the truth behind her sufferings and that he knew why the Duke and Duchess didn’t love her...

Or maybe because her family didn’t tell her the truth from the very beginning...

And Lastly, the fact that she was actually a princess of a neighboring country...

Elin had a lot of questions to ask but because of her confusion, she remained silent. The room was awfully quiet. They waited for Elin to first utter her words after hearing such news but to no avail, not a single sound came out from her mouth.

“Let me explain”, Nero broke the silence. He couldn’t bear how the lady tried to take everything at once. It’s about time for her to know the truth. Elin need not shoulder all the weight she was carrying. He would even gladly take responsibility for keeping everything a secret.

****

Summer breeze crept inside a window covered with light curtain. The air was getting colder as summer was ending and autumn was fast approaching.

“How are you feeling, love?”, Callahan entered the room where Nera was resting.

“I can feel that she will be born not long enough”, Nera smiled while rubbing her pregnant belly.

“Then we need to prepare already”, the King seemed more excited than his wife.

“But before that, we need a name”, Nera chuckled at the sight of a doting father.

“Oh! That’s right. With all this unsettling atmosphere going about in the palace, we have been too preoccupied”, Callahan sighed.

“Will there be a war?”, Nera was worried for Callahan. He has been up all night trying to settle the dispute between the two Kingdoms. But it seems that the King of Fraus will not listen to any proposal Callahan could think of. Although the people of Caris will not lose, he would like to avoid any unnecessary blood shed. Before he could answer Nera’s question, his aide arrived.

“Forgive me for intruding, Your Highness. An unexpected visitor has arrived”, his aide seemed wary.

“I have to go now, love. I’ll be back as soon as possible”, Callahan kissed Nera’s forehead before leaving. The Queen did not ask any further. She knew that her husband doesn’t want her to worry that much but she couldn’t shake the feeling of an impending danger.

“What a pleasant surprise! To think that his Highness would visit me in the dead of the night. Did you miss me that much?”, Callahan sat down across a man wearing a cloak.

“It wouldn’t be a surprise if my brother would not try to persistently assassinate me. I would have come here like a normal person. Now, I look like a rat trying to avoid people”, Redmond sighed resting his head on the sofa while looking at the ceiling.

“Did I make a right choice? No, forget it. That was a stupid question”, Redmond shook his head.

“Well, you just answered your own question, my friend. You didn’t have a choice. The previous King was uptight on his belief”, Callahan sipped his tea as soon as it was served.

“Right? Father didn’t allow me to marry Alexandria. ‘If you will marry her, you should give up the throne. I don’t want someone like you as the crown prince’, he said ”, Redmond took the tea offered to him.

The previous King was strict when it comes to a Royalty’s marriage. He would choose a bride among the 4 households for his sons. But Redmond chose Alexandria, an elf with no status. Both of them became friends when Redmond always slip outside the castle. Furthermore, elves where regarded as an inferior being as what the Kingdom of Caris thought to all the people. However, Redmond didn’t see them that way. He treated everyone regardless of race and status as equal. He willingly gave up the throne to marry Alexandria.

As his brother ascended the throne, everything was going smoothly. Redmond believed that his brother would be a good ruler or so he thought. The day came where his brother was drunk with power. With all the whispering corrupt noble beside him, they instigated a war to conquer other lands.

“My brother was not like that before”, Redmond stared into space.

“Maybe you didn’t know your brother well”, Callahan continued to listen to the rants of his friend.

“Maybe because of those scheming corrupt nobles?”, Redmond contemplated.

“It’s either that or your brother’s just an idiot. So, what are you going to do now?”, the King made an assumption.

“Alexandria died giving birth to Ansel. Now, I need to take care of my two sons. If I still continue to turn a blind eye on what is happening, war will break”, Redmond stared at Callahan.

“A coup d’etat?”, Callahan sighed.

“I know it’s selfish of me to ask for help, but once I will take the throne, I will immediately stop the war. I will take advantage of the opportunity as the army will be deployed towards your kingdom. That will be the time, I will force my brother to step down. By that, please hold on my friend”, Redmond warned his friend of the upcoming battle.

“There is no need for you to tell me that. I will win without a doubt. But the problem here is your plan. Once you face your brother, do you have the resolve to kill him if worst comes to worst?”, Callahan pointed out Redmond’s weakness.

“If I can’t even do that, then I might pay the price. If this war will not stop, I won’t be able to protect my sons for a long time. Especially that my brother is trying to assassinate my family so that the throne will be his forever”, Redmond’s eyes showed a glint of fury.

“Then take my aide. He will also choose some of our soldiers to help you out with your plan. Do not worry, their absence will not cripple my army. All of us are strong enough to withstand this attack”, Callahan assured his friend.

“Then I will take up your offer and I will forever be in your debt”, Redmond bowed his head.

“Just do you best to succeed. Nera’s going to give birth soon. I don’t want my children to grow up with such an environment”, Callahan said.