Saving The Abandoned Empress

142 “The Ruby Necklace”

“Thank you everyone for coming to celebrate my daughter’s coming of age ceremony with us today.”

Alexander spoke as he took two champagne glass and pass one to Eleanora after he finished speaking.

He raised his glass to toast everyone and then they congratulated Eleanora for her coming of age.

“Congratulations, Lady Dalton!”

“We wish you a happy birthday, Lady!”

“Long live our future empress!”

After the toast, it was time for receiving gifts.

As the person with higest status presents their gifts first, the emperor came forward with his aid Brayden following him from behind to present his gift.

Everyone’s eyes was fixed on the big box in Brayden’s hands.

.....

Even Eleanora, herself was curious to know what gift he have bought to have that smirk on his face.

The emperor stood infront of Eleanora and Alexander tried his best to keep his expression normal by not frowning.

Cathain’s lips curved up a little as he noticed Cedrick in the crowd not to far away and looking at them.

‘Why- why is he smiling like a thug?’

But right then, Eleanora was stunned as Cathain’s face suddenly come closer to hers and his thin lips touched her cheeks.

“!!!”

“Happy Birthday, My empress.”

Eleanora’s face turned red and the emperor just looked like nothing has happened.

“Kyaaa! This is sooo romantic!!!”

“The emperor sure loves the lady a lot!!!”

“Who said they were going to break of their engagement? They are in so love!”

“The cufflinks was for the duke and their relationship is so stable... That must be a deliberate rumor to tarnish the lady’s reputation!”

“They must have done it a lot... The emperor was so natural when he kissed her.”

“Don’t speak anymore... The lady is shy!”

The whole banquet hall was in uproar and just by a single action of the emperor’s made all the rumors about her vanish.

The previous rumour changed completely and the discussion turned to how much the emperor loves the future empress.

‘This! How dare he to kiss my daughter!’

Alexander was so shocked and furious at the same time that the champagne glass on his hand broke and his aid Raynor panicked.

“D~Duke... Calm down! We are in public!”

Where Eleanora was so embarrassed that she wanted to hide.

“Everyone is watching, Your Majesty!”

Eleanora glared at Cathain and spoke in a low voice.

“Well, you looked so cute that i couldn’t help it.”

‘This should make those flies realise that you are not someone they can stare.’

“...”

‘Why do i feel that he is up to nothing good again?’

“Brayden, bring it.”

Brayden took a few steps forward with happiness as soon as he was called by the emperor.

‘Finally my existence was noticed!’

“Ahem~ This is my gift for your 18th birthday.”

The emperor spoke and Brayden opened the box with a proud look.

‘Huh! Can anyone here compare with my superior after seeing this?’

“!!!!”

“It’s~”

Eleanora was shocked to see what was inside of the box, including Alexander and all the people who was present.

“This- How can it be?!”

“The emperor... Isn’t he going overboard by this?”

“We understand he loves her, but this is-”

“This is too much... How can he give her this?”

“They aren’t even married yet...”

All kind of discussions kept going on where Eleanora stare at the necklace in the box blankly.

Flashback~

“Your Majesty, Can i wear the ruby necklace in the upcoming national foundation day?”

Empress Eleanora asked the emperor about the royal ruby necklace which was passed down from generations from generations to the empress’s in the royal family.

She should have wore it during her wedding but as they didn’t hold the royal wedding, she didn’t even got it during their wedding night.

Eleanora, who was insecure in her heart for the emperor’s cold treatment towards her wanted the necklace to burry her fears of being abandoned by the emperor.

The rumors in the upper society made her feel more insecure, where they discussed that the emperor doesn’t love the empress and thus he didn’t even hold a wedding ceremony.

Not to mention she didn’t got the ruby necklace yet. So, Eleanora asked for the necklace countless times.

Having the necklace meant her position is firm and no one can take him away from her.

She will always be the only empress of his.

“No.”

‘H-Huh?’

Eleanora couldn’t believe that the emperor would reject her directly like this.

After uttering two words, the emperor continued with his works. Not even sparing a glance at her.

Empress Eleanora stood like a statue and clenched the hem of her dress.

She was embarrassed, angry and sad...

‘Why... Why won’t you give that to me?’

‘Am the empress... That necklace belongs to me.’

‘Why?’

Eleanora tried her best to hold back her tears and left without bidding the emperor.

And then, finally the empress saw the royal ruby necklace again.

The necklace, which belonged to her was hanging on someone else’s neck as the woman called the man whom also belonged to her by his nickname.

Where, she was wearing silver handcuffs as a sinner who was about to executed for a crime that she never did.

~End of the flasback.

‘Ele...’

Alexander looked at his daughter with a concerned eyes.

The last time he saw this necklace was when it was hanging on her frozen dead body’s neck.

He knew how much his daughter liked this necklace even before marrying into the imperial family but she never got it when she was alive.

When she finally got it, she was no longer alive.

Alexander cursed the emperor in his mind to give his daughter such a gift on her birthday which reminded her of the past bad memories.

The emperor took out the necklace from the golden box and stood behind her to make her wear the necklace, which felt like a lesh to Eleanora.

But she stood emotionless as the emperor slide aside her shiny silver hair and made her wear the necklace.

.....

‘I liked your eyes when you looked away while pretending to care... I liked the way your lips used to curl up in a gentle smile.’

Flashback~ The emperor running to her with a worried face when she fainted during her first pregnancy.

‘But you wore them more with her and i knew that i was not the one.’

Flashback~ The day when the empress saw the emperor walking with a girl beside him and smiling gently.

Not even noticing the empress who was staring at them from behind.

‘Still i fall for you deeper and more deeper, but i was prepared.’

Flashback~ The empress crying in the middle of the night after the queen’s pregnancy announcement and the emperor left her alone like always.

Deep inside her heart, she knew this day would come one day.

Eleanora doesn’t know how she was not the one for him back in the past.

Is there anything she lacked or didn’t did for him?

She even transfered all her powers to him before dying to bless him.

The past her knew why he craved for her. It was not because he loved her but because only she could make him feel better.

His raging mana could only be calm down by her cold mana.

Still, She loved him every moment, even till her death and what he had done to her.

She missed him during her lonely days in the past.

‘Maybe we were just not meant to be...’

‘Does he thinks i will be honoured to get such a horrible gift?’

‘If i could, i want to take off this necklace this instant and stomp on it under my feet to crush it...!’

“!!!”

But then she felt a shiver down her sprain as his cold lips touched her nape.

To onlookers, it looked like he had bent down to lock the hook of the necklace in her neck.

Only Eleanora knew what he had actually done.

“Nobody can take you away from me now...”

The emperor spoke as he smiled at her before he stepped aside for others to greet her.

But as he stepped aside, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head and felt like his consciousness was going away.

‘What’s happening...’

By the time Eleanora finished receiving all the gifts, it was time for her first dance after becoming an adult.

Eleanora had to choose a partner and ask them for a dance.

Her first choice should be the emperor but she doesn’t want to dance with him.

She remembers that in her previous life, she had asked the crown prince for a dance but the crown prince danced so aggressively and fast that she failed to match his steps.

Resulting her falling down and become a gossip in the upper class.

This story was even published in the newspapers.

Thus this time, instead of the emperor, Eleanora thought of choosing her cousin Dominic.

There won’t be any gossip if she dances with her own cousin and the past thing won’t happen in this life too.

With that thought in her mind, she took steps towards the direction where Dominic stood but suddenly someone gently caught her wrist.

“Elee, Dance with me.”