When I opened my eyes, people seem to be displeased that I did so.
It seems like, they wish I was asleep for eternity.
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Palace Training Ground
The knights clapped as Fiona won his sparring with one of the Knights.
"You are amazing, Lady Fiona. Your father must have been proud to raise you following his footsteps", Charles praised her as well. Fiona gulped as soon as she saw the blonde commander. There was an incident that happened before and it involved Charles' daughter.
"Lady Fiona, your presence is being summoned by the Emperor", Aileen passed by. The lady excused herself.
Aileen and Fiona walked beside each other. An aura of competition envelopes the two. "I won't keep my mouth shut and feign ignorance of what I heard from you when Prince Keane left during your conversation. It is about Lady Eleanor", Aileen opened. Fiona gulped and looked at her.
"Does it ring a bell? Lady Eleanor fell at the cliff near their Manor in the Far East. They said she threw herself off the cliff. Knowing that girl, she won't be that weak enough to take her own life", Aileen looked at Fiona's bewildered expression. "Are you trying to impose something?", Fiona fought back with her stares. "You mentioned about stabbing her instead of pushing her away", Aileen stopped walking. Fiona grabbed her shoulder. "I was just..", Fiona was taken back by Aileen's calm eyes. She cursed herself for being involved with such a person. "Fine, I pushed her out of the cliff. We all know how annoying that girl could be. I couldn't stand what she was saying that time so I pushed her. If you wish to say that to the Emperor to disqualify me in my candidacy, you may do so. Your marriage won't get done without the palace drenched in blood", Fiona threatened. "If there would be a reason why I'd be telling the Emperor, it's to protect this Empire from having a rotten Empress like you", Aileen removed Fiona's hand.
"You're not telling the truth. Something must have happened before she fell. If you confess that it was all your fault, then I get it", Aileen looked straight into her eyes. Fiona looked away.
" My carriage needed a repair so we dropped by their Manor. She called me outside to have a conversation about the Crown Prince. She was boasting about how she made Prince Keanne fall for her. I wasn't interested to know more about that. She went on and on. I let her talk about the matters which amused her but I wasn't able to keep my temper when she mentioned my mother. My mother was a woman who was enslaved from the previous kingdom which my father conquered and everyone in the Empire knows about that. I am called a Slave's daughter. Even if my mother was called a slave and mocked in a social gathering. She would just smile at me and apologize to my father for bringing such a bad reputation. When Eleanor started saying things about my mother, I went physical and grabbed her neck. She struggled and pushed me. In the process, she slipped on a rock and fell on the cliff", Fiona narrated.
She turned around. "If you believe me, then stop any doubts in your mind. If you don't, I have no responsibility to prove myself to you", Fiona continued walking. "I believe you", Aileen walked behind her. Fiona peeked to see what kind of face she was making. She was startled to see her smiling.
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"What? Are you so pleased that she fell on the cliff? Or are you also making fun of me?", Fiona clicked her tongue. "You wanted to be the Empress because you want to fix the reputation of your family. A person like that wouldn't go kill someone because she would like to protect her family's name. Also, for Lady Eleanor, if you haven't pushed her, I think she will still be that selfish creature she once was", Aileen slightly laughed.
"How could you easily believe in me? I thought you were composed and logical", Fiona commented. "It's easy to doubt people. Everyone could do that but I don't want to be just like everyone. I want to be someone better than them that's why I will learn to trust people", Aileen walked passed the lady who was listening.
Xylan was able to hear that because he was resting under the tree near where the ladies were talking. They weren't able to see him because they were too busy talking.
Maybe, I can also change.
The next day, Crown Prince's Office
Eleanor entered and saw Xylan already working for the day. She bowed very low. "Forgive me for my tardiness", she peeked to see if he was looking at her. "Liam already fixed your tasks for today. You just have to place them on the envelopes", Xylan said without looking at her.
"What could be the reason why you're late?", Xylan felt like asking her. Eleanor sat down and looked at the papers.
Gilbert kept avoiding me ever since that night. Could he be angry that I opened that topic? Maybe I should go to his room later.
"I asked you a question, have I not?", Xylan looked at the daydreaming lady. "Pardon your highness", Eleanor bowed her head. "Go and wash your face. There's a lot of things to do for today", Xylan said with slight irritation. Eleanor followed right away. She met Claudia along the way and they both entered the office.
Claudia gulped and looked at Eleanor at the side. "Don't mind me. I'm just a passing air", Eleanor tried to whisper but Xylan heard it. He stopped what he was doing. "Lady Claudia, what brought you here?", Xylan asked. "I will just prepare tea for you", Eleanor took a sign.
Xylan sat on the couch with Claudia. The lady was melting in embarrassment since Eleanor was pouring her tea. "Don't mind her. It's part of her task to entertain my visitors", Xylan eases the lady. "Your Highness, I'm here because of a concern coming from the merchant faction", Claudia opened. "Tell me more about that", Xylan crossed his arms.
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"After the festival, the merchant gathered most of the coins. Most of them were merchants who hadn't gotten any shops because the street was occupied by nobles. I had them positioned on the outer courts where the visitors would be dropped by their carriage. A lot of nobles are complaining about that setup. Also, the nobles are occupying more and more shops on the street having the merchants lose a place to sell", Claudia opened. Eleanor was silently listening and being awed at how Claudia practiced speaking without stuttering. Not to mention, it is the Prince. "That will post a great commotion. I haven't heard of the entirety of the story. Council Eleanor, what do you think of it?", Xylan called her attention. Eleanor gulped and looked at the Prince. "This will be your first task for me as my council aid", Xylan said while looking into her eyes.
