My husbands first love

Chapter || 28

Several months had passed since then. Elizabeth had soon recovered slowly with the treatment from the physician assigned to her, but the poison was slowly spread across her body. The veins on her back and wrists bulged, to the point she was insecure about them. She wore long sleeved corsets for the rest of the time.

"What! His royal highness is returning from war tomorrow? That quickly?" Albrecht had just informed her of the condition of the war. That means that Roman was coming back too. He had gone to war with the crown prince, battling by his side. It must've been a revolutionary moment in history, a picture that should be painted and put in a museum.

The months had passed so quickly she hadn't even realized that he was returning so soon. The pain in her wrists was the only thing that could change her focus from him. She winced at the pain. "God these things." She says, Clutching her wrist, she stopped coughing up blood since she took more and more of the medicine the doctor gave her.

But the blood instead redirected and got stuck in her veins, making them bulge. "Sister, are you ok?" Albrecht moved quickly and took a look at her wrist, moving her sleeve up a little.
"Should I call for the doctor again?" He asks, looking up at her with a worried expression. Elizabeth always was kind towards Albrecht, as he was the only brother in her family that deserved kindness. Johannes doesn't care about the Nuremberg title or family, making father give up on him and focus on Albrecht. With this Albrecht has to be ten times more perfect than Johannes to be accepted as the head of the Nuremberg family.

"No, I'm fine Albie. Don't worry about it, it's only a small pain for now." She cups his cheek and sends him away.

Elizabeth was in in her garden walking behind, she wanted to make a small bouquet for tomorrow when the crown prince returns. But she doesn't know which one would be a good fit for tomorrow's occasion.

She just wanted to give him something that had a good meaning to it. Her maid was following her through the garden with her, trailing behind. "Lady, which flowers would you like to pick?" She was cheerful as she asked, clasping her hands together.

"I don't know yet. Tell me what do these flowers mean?" She points to flowers that look purple, and a yellow core. The maid answers, "Oh, my lady, that is an Iris. It represents faith, trust, wisdom, and valor." Elizabeth thought carefully. It wasn't the best flower, it looked beautiful and smelled good too, but it wasn't the one she wanted.

"No, this isn't the one. Let's go around a little more. This might take a while." Elizabeth stands up, searching a little bit more through the flower fields for the right one. And then she did spot one. It stood tall in the middle of its bunch, looking like a white sock on a stem. "Lily, what flower is that?" She asks, pointing towards it.

Lily peeked at the flower Elizabeth was pointing at, and said, "Oh that one is the white hyacinth flower, lady." Hyacinth. That was a beautiful name.
"I want to get those ones. Please bring a bunch of them up to my room by tonight, I'm going to be doing something with them." Elizabeth had some preparations to make before she started working with the flowers.

That day was a busy day for everyone. The stage was being built at the city center, shopkeepers were in a hurry to get ready for tomorrow as so many people will be on the streets and would probably want to buy something.

Elizabeth reached home late that night after buying some stuff with her maid Lily, she wanted the bouquet to look perfect. The perfect colors, the perfect bows, and decorations. She hadn't even realized how much time she spent choosing what colors to get for each item.
"Lily, please take this all up to my room. And also bring my dinner upstairs." She orders to her maid, and her maid immediately did what she said.

Elizabeth was called to her fathers office that night, she must be in trouble for some sort of thing. As she never escapes from trouble, even though it's just minor mistakes.
Her father can be a bit of a perfectionist, all the time. "Father, you called for me?" She knocks on his door, standing nervously outside. Will she be punished? She's already hurting as it is, if he punishes her in this state, who knows how far her wounds would go.
"Yes, come to Elizabeth." Before she can focus again and return from her state of fear, a voice called her from the other side. Elizabeth reluctantly entered the room, preparing herself thoroughly for what's to come.

"What is it father?" Her father was working on some paperwork, in his casual clothes and a pair of glasses put on. He looks up from his work once, and gestures for her to take a seat before returning back to his work immediately. Elizabeth takes her seat, and asks again.
"Yes?" She could sense her throat watering.

"I think it's time that we move on and find you a new suitor. I realize that you are equally unqualified like your younger brother to do anything right. The crown prince has made it undeniably clear he's marrying that Ludovika girl after he comes back from war. After all the whole reason he went to war is for her. " What was he talking about? Elizabeth was thunderstruck. Her father, speaking of moving on from becoming the empress? She thought he would be furious and just banish her from the house forever. "I'm going to find you a new suitor, either from this empire or another kingdom. What do you choose?" He asks, never looking up.
"Father I don't really care who I get paired up with, I will do anything father asks of me." Elizabeth says quickly, as that would be the better answer than stating her opinions. He never cared for them anyway.

"So you can't even make up your mind either." He sighs, tired. "Fine, I've received many proposals from neighboring countries. Some of the princes and dukes looked at your photo and really liked you. I guess you are beautiful in some way, just not as much to capture the crown princes heart." It sounds like he's still disappointed in her.

"Choose which one of these you would like to meet." He lays down a few portraits for her to choose from, they all seemed to be well mannered princes of neighboring kingdoms. Elizabeth thoughtfully looked, and pointed towards one. "I think I'd like to meet him."

"Ah, Prince Soren, I see." Father says. So his name must be Soren. He looks like a handsome man, but a cheeky side to him. Elizabeth has always loved that type of men, it's who she finds more attractive than any other. Silly, funny, and teasing type. Also the ones that look cute.
"I'll set up a meeting for the day after tomorrow." He shuffles the portraits together and prepares to put them away. "Make sure not to mess it up this time and actually find yourself a husband. You may go now." It's like ever word or sentence he speaks is full of disappointment, and to remind her of her failure of something. Before she can bow, he spoke again. "Oh, and the crown prince has sent something for you. It's the antidote." He sets a vile of liquid on the table for her to take.

Elizabeth almost curled her lips into a smile, she can finally feel better again. She wouldn't be dying. He brought it to her just like she asked.
"Thank you, father." She says, taking the vile off the table. "At least you have the crown prince as a friend, that's the most you can do." He sneers, and returns back to his paperwork. And he was back at it again.

Nevertheless, Elizabeth smiled and bowed down from her waist before leaving. Frick him. She always hated him anyways. He's a father that doesn't deserve children. He thinks that Elizabeth and Albrecht are defective children while Johannes was born with the talent that they lacked.
It's often Elizabeth and Albrecht that faced punishment because they always supposedly did something wrong in his eyes. He didn't even ask if she was ok or if she had dinner. He got straight to the point and spoke business.

Elizabeth returned to her room, crossing the long stairs and entering. Lily seemed to have brought everything to her room like she asked, and her dinner too.
Good, she won't be bothered for the rest of the night.
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