Leaving the past behind

"Ellie, are you ready?"

Eleanor looked up and saw her parents smiling at her.

"Yes, I am ready to leave this kingdom. Anna, what about you?"

Eleanor turned to her only loyal maid. Anna excitedly nodded her head with a big smile.

"My lady, I am ready whenever you are ready."

The family lovingly smiled at their daughter and sister before hugging and sending her kisses all over her face. The family bonding was interrupted by Roger, who ignored the deathly stare of the Kaleighden family.

The Duke and Duchess took the first carriage. Eleanor and her brothers took the second carriage while Anna took the carriage behind them with the other maids she had gotten close to these past few days.

Roger checked the carriages once more before sitting at the carriage ahead of the Dukes'. Sitting inside with the guards inside and some stationed at the sides, back and front on their horses, the long journey headed to Ausira Drakonis Imperium had started.

Eleanora had fallen asleep on Richard's shoulder throughout the ride. The farewell banquet, which was yesterday, took a toll on her body. Mainly the exchange between the Marquis De Evergreen household and the crown prince's fiancé, Everyn.

The Kaleighden brothers wanted to step in and defend their sister but were stopped by Eleanor. Giving up half-heartedly, they didn't lower down their guard and kept being alert.

A few miles ahead of the Kaleighdens' family were the carriage of the Royal family. The emperor and his empress, with their two children, sat in one carriage.

Avianna was in high spirit as she shared what happened at the banquet from the beginning to the end—never missing any information. The emperor and his empress watched her with loving eyes.

Meanwhile, Albrecht closed his eyes and leaned his chin on his hands beside the windowsill. He could not sleep well last night as the youngest child of the Kaleighden family, Eleanora, occupied his mind.

Holding her hand, playing with her hair, and being close to her did not bring any sick feeling towards Albrecht. Instead, it brought him to wanting more of touching Eleanora. His small act to Elanora was a feeling of joy and satisfaction, especially her calming scent of herbs and flowers.

Avianna watched her brother from the corner of her eyes and knew that his attention was focused on someone. Taking this opportunity, she gossiped to her parents about what she had seen last night.

"Did you know that when that lowly crown prince came and interrupted the argument, brother stepped up?"

"Of course, he's the crown prince, and it is his responsibility."

"No, mother, you don't understand. Let me tell you the whole story of what happened. That lowly prince tried to blame Lady Ellie, and without her permission, that prince dared to take her hand and kiss it with his disgusting mouth.

"This is when brother stepped up. He quickly grabbed her Lady's hand and held her like some fragile and precious treasure while standing close to her. We all know that brother doesn't get close to any women aside from Gia and me.

"If you take us out since we were like his younger sisters, which I am, but that's beside the point, Lady Ellie is the first woman he got close to. Not only does he hold her hand but also plays with her hair."

The emperor and the empress changed an unknowing look, and each understood the question without saying anything.

"It was exactly like that!"

"What?"

Both her parents whispered with questions etched on their faces.

"The look that both of you had was precisely that look that they both had when they were arguing with that lowly prince. Both Gia and I, including my other friends and Gia's brother, were a witness to what happened."

"We saw how close he was to here, but we didn't know what happened. For Albrecht to do this, he must've had taken a liking to the young Lady of Kaeleighden."

"Well, she is a beauty indeed. Since she is at the same age as Avi, her beauty complemented Albrecht in a good way."

"Exactly! They were both also standing so close to each other at the end and were whispering."

"I saw that one too."

Both her parents exclaimed at the same time before all of them glanced at the sleeping crown prince.

"I think our son's spring has come."

"Indeed, it has. We should try our best to make him see his feelings for her before it's too late. I don't want him to turn out like you from the past."

"My empress, you still haven't forgotten what happened back then? We were just kids. I was a fool for being so slow, but I'm pretty sure I made it up to you in any possible way."

"Hmph!"

Avianna watched her parents bicker like young lovers. Sighing defeatedly, she remembered Cecil looking handsome but knew there would be no chance that he would see her as a woman.

Avianna smiled sadly while looking outside, and Cecil's laughter from last night's banquet echoed in her mind. No matter how much she tried to forget about him, her heart still trembles whenever his name was announced, making it hard for her to hide her emotions.

Oblivious to their daughters' inner thoughts, the emperor continued to coax his sulking wife lovingly.