If I Could Live Again

CHAPTER 36

The princess went to the secret chamber as Nero led her underground. A room where all of the secrets are buried deep within. As Elin entered the room, she saw a nostalgic figure that brought back a lot of memories.

'E- lin? No, she looks like her but her eyes are different', the crown prince kept on looking at the princess and was beginning to get skeptical. He reached the monocle he kept inside his pocket to verify his conjecture. He slowly pulled it out and took a glimpse of it. What he saw was undeniably astonishing. The monocle was reacting to the youngest Princess of Caris he never met before. The glass was full of colors and later revealed the woman he has been searching. As the monocle swirled with intensity as he approached the princess, it suddenly cracked and began to vanish into thin air.

"Greetings to the Crown Prince of Fraus. I am El, the youngest daughter of King Callahan and Queen Nera. It is my honor to meet you in person", Elin slightly curtseyed but she didn't lower her head to signify that both of them are of equal status.

'Wait. Even her voice is the same', the prince was absolutely sure that the princess is the one he has been looking for.

"Greetings, Your Highness. Edric is my name", the crown prince reached out Elin's hand and kissed the back of her hand. Edric poured a little mana unto her and the princess's abdomen, where she was stabbed by the sword of Orcus, glowed. Edric's eyes was wide open with surprise. His speculation was right

"Elin! It really is you. I have been searching all over for you", his eyes gleamed with exuberance.

"May I inquire as to what you are inferring to?", Elin kept a straight face unbothered by what was going on.

"That glow awhile ago, that was the mark of Orcus. So I'm sure you are her", Edric still kept holding Elin's hand. The princess paused for a few minutes. It took awhile before she decided to end this deception.

"It seems that I no longer need to pretend", she touched the back of Edric's hand for him to let her go. The prince understood the signal and released her. She sat down across the crown prince and proceeded with the meeting.

"So you came here to look for me? You left the Kingdom just to look FOR me?", Elin said in a shaky voice.

"What were you thinking?! You are the Crown Prince of the Fraus Kingdom and you're just going to leave like that while your brother is planning a coup d'etat? Are you INSANE?", the princess was vexed at the thought of his action.

"Did you believe that I'll be jumping for joy because of what you did?", Elin furrowed her eyebrows.

"I already left a letter saying goodbye? Wasn't that good enough?", although Elin was a bit irritated by what he did, she couldn't put aside the effort the crown prince had made in search for her. The more she reveals her plan, the more likely it will fail. She couldn't afford to let more people in. She was more afraid that there are people lurking around ready to strike her down. It was hard to tell who has her back and who has the sword ready to stab her and later tells the world that they were the ones who are bleeding. The saddest part of betrayal is that it never came from your enemies.

"I just wanted to know why you left? Your reason of leaving. I know there is more to it than meets the eye. If I can help with your burden, then ---", Edric was interrupted by the princess.

"My burden is mine to keep. It is my responsibility to solve it. You also have responsibilities as a CROWN PRINCE as well, Edric and mine is not part of it", Elin clenched her teeth to stop herself from speaking any further.

"Am I that unworthy of your trust? For you to not share your burden?", Edric lowered his head in sorrow.

"Trust is not a right but a privilege. It is something that should be earned. So I advice you to not trust anyone", Elin slapped him with the truth.

"So are you telling me not to trust you too?", he raised his head to look at her.

"Yes", she replied without hesitation.

The crown prince contemplated with the current situation. It seems that Elin would no longer change her mind.

"I like you, Elin. No, I love you. I have been in love with you since I saw you at the academy's library", the words he buried deep within his heart suddenly gushed out like a stream of violently flowing river.

"Are you telling me that you liked me since then?", Elin asked with a melancholic face.

"Are you perhaps trapping me using your emotions, Edric?", the princess was already filled with disturbances.

"No, it's not like that. I just wanted you to know", Edric tried to reached Elin but she dodged him.

"There are words that should have said at the right time and you just made a wrong one", her eyes was getting redder and redder.

"I was supposed to be your fiance but my brother was the first one to propose", the crown prince clenched his fist in dismay.

"Your brother proposed to me a few years after our graduation. So why did you not propose since the very beginning? You told me you loved me, so why?", her feelings started to well up.

"Because I made sure to stabilize everything before you enter the palace", he told his reason as to why his proposal was delayed.

"Why? Is it because the other dukedom will oppose", she asked with an annoyed tone.

"Yes. I want them to accept you", Edric was already trembling trying to keep his emotions in check.

"I don't need their approval, Edric! If you're scared that I might get hurt because of political struggle, then it means you don't know me too well", a single drop of tear flowed slowly on the rosy cheeks of a distressed princess.

"I am not like other ladies. That's where you made your first mistake", Elin was trying to stop before she succumbs to the whirpool of emotions

"You're the CROWN PRINCE, Edric. As long as the King approves your choice of fiance, then their opinions don't matter but I am happy you didn't. That means you have lived up to the title of the crown prince. Unwavered by unnecessary emotions", the princess controlled herself.

"But if you were concerned about the problems of the Kingdom, we could have solved it together", her eyes was woeful.

"If only I have crossed the line but I couldn't. You were my brother's fiance. I can't steal you from somebody else just to have you for myself", Edric lowered his head again to hide his tears.

"You had a CHOICE, Edric! You had a choice from the very beginning when I was still not your brother's fiance. You had the DAMN CHOICE! YOU. JUST. DIDN'T. CHOOSE!", Elin had an emotional outburst.