Chapter 206 - [Bonus chapter] 'Cathain’s Blood Oath'
206 [Bonus chapter] “Cathain’s Blood Oath”
Eleanora raised her head as she looked at her father’s painful face with bright eyes as her cheeks flushed red; which made Alexander understand her answer without even her speaking it out.
“Then don’t hesitate anymore... Only to regret it later. Go for it,”
Alexander spoke softly as he pushed her away from him after kissing on her forehead.
Indicating her to go to Cathain and solve everything, even if he didn’t wanted that; where he can’t watch her staying traumatised all her life because of the past.
Sometimes, the most dangerous place can become the safest place.
“But still...”
“How long do you plan to torture yourself when you clearly know your answer?”
Eleanora’s hesitation was still there, as she didn’t knew if she was doing it right or not.
“Go now... I don’t want to see you crying again. You must be happy, very happy from now on.”
.....
“I promise, Papa... Thank you everything!”
Eleanora’s blue jewel like eyes finally sparkled brightly again like she had finally found her old spirit back.
She turned around to rush out from her house, as she hopped on her horse to head towards the imperial palace.
Alexander watched her silver hair shining under the moonlight, till it could no longer be seen and fall on his knees.
‘Lia...I finally did something right, Our daughter is now chasing her happiness.’
‘Seems like it’s time for me to get used to live in this big villa all alone...’
‘She will no longer be here anymore...It’s time for her to leave my hands and hold someone else’s hands...’
A tear drop left from Alexander’s blue eyes as he looked up at the sky.
The moon was shining unusually bright today... Like it was celebrating the new beginning.
Unintentionally, Alexander started to sob while kneeling at the main door of his empty mansion.
The whole mansion was dark and there was not even a single sound as there was no one in the residence except him.
‘I have no one now...’
‘I miss you so much, Lia... I really miss you...’
…
“Who is this?! Please identify yourself!”
The guard at the imperial palace’s main gate asked as he saw a person stopping infront of them in a white horse.
As it was almost midnight, the guards couldn’t see who it was and thus they become alerted.
“It’s me...”
“Oh! CROWN PRINCESS!”
“WE GREET THE FUTURE MOON OF OUR EMPIRE, PLEASE FORGIVE US; YOUR HIGHNESS.”
The guards greet Eleanora as they recognised her voice and greet her politely.
“Am in a hurry... Please open the door.”
“Yes, Your highness.”
Eleanora watched the shiny golden metal door open infront of her and she took a deep breathe before she finally giddied up her horse to enter the palace.
‘For so long... I have walked into the darkness all by myself. But you came into my heart again...’
‘Through this dark misty moonlight, i finally reached the place where i always run away from...’
‘will you always be there... No matter where we are and hold me into your arms... really keep me safe?’
‘Lead by this moonlight, i will always end up finding myself to wherever you are...’
Eleanora thought as she finally got down from her horse and stared at the emperor’s palace infront of her.
Which would remind her bad memories not so long ago, but now, she is feeling mixed emotions of hesitation and excitement when she stood here and finally decided to step in.
‘Am closing my eyes to believe in you again... Will you be there until the end with me like everyone is saying?’
‘You were always the light shining over me... So long, i have been waiting to run into your arms...’
‘But you only turned back when i was no longer there…’
‘You were always my one and only desire... You are the only one i need, through the thousand years; but am not sure if you are still the same to me.’
‘Will you help me write an different ending for us?’
Eleanora hold the doorknob and letting out a heavy breathe, she finally decided to enter his bedroom.
“Father... If you are here to talk about patience again, you better go back-”
“It’s me, Your Majesty.”
Cathain, who was sitting at the edge of the window railing turned his head with surprise to hear her voice.
But soon a frown appear on his face as he stood up after putting down the wine glass on the tea table.
“Why are you here?!”
“Didn’t i told you to not appear infront of me?!”
“Your Majesty, About the annul-”
“AM TELLING YOU THAT I WON’T ANNUL OUR MARRIAGE EVEN IF YOU GIVE ME YOUR DUCHY!”
Cathain roared at Eleanora as he thought she came here again to talk about annul the engagement.
Eleanora tried to approach him and talk but he stepped back to avoid her touch.
“YOU ARE IN SO HURRY TO GET RID OF ME THAT YOU DIDN’T EVEN HESITATED TO COME HERE IN THIS LATE AT NIGHT?!”
“Your Majesty... Listen to me first!”
“NO!! I HAD LISTEN TO YOU ENOUGH THIS MORNING AND I DON’T WANNA LISTEN TO THOSE WORDS AGAIN!!!”
“DROP THAT IDEA WHILE AM BEING NICE!”
Eleanora felt frustrated as no matter how she tried to talk, Cathain would keep cutting her off.
He wouldn’t even let her get closer to him, in fear that he might do something out of control again.
Cathain looked into her blue eyes with pain as he confessed his true feelings, his obsession with her.
“If loving you means letting you go, then i rather not love you and chain you down with me... Fall into the darkness or shine together, as long as it’s you-”
“Then... Chain me down,”
Eleanora’s words left Cathain dumbstruck and look at her in disbelief with his widened red eyes.
“I hate you... I want to stay away from you but at the same time i feel suffocated!!!... You are just driving me crazy!!!”
She took a step towards him with each words she spoke with her clear blue eyes, which had nothing but truth and hesitation to trust him again.
“If someone knows this, i will be called a weak and pathetic person to do this... To be with you again...”
“No normal person can tolerate your crazy behaviour!”
Then Eleanora paused a few final step away from him and look at him again with a sarcastic expression.
“But why do you still affect me so much?”
“Why i can’t neither stay or push you away?”
“Does it really matters how they think of us?”
“No- it doesn’t... It doesn’t matter how they see our story as, everyone thinks differently... See, am already affected by you and became crazy to think like this!!”
“To some people, our story might be tragic, toxic, cruel fate...
I might be strong for trying to change my past, resist your love or pathetic for accepting you, falling for you again.
Where you might be cruel for treating me like that in the past or pitiful for suffering so much pain because of the past too.
Or still didn’t suffered enough...”
Cathain was still looking at her blankly as he couldn’t believe her words.
His red eyes kept widened as she finally took another step towards him and looked up to meet his eyes.
“But nothing changes the fact that we are similar... Yeah, am crazy.. I really went crazy because of you and i hate it!”
.....
“...I can’t tell if it’s my past obsession or love for you, but i know that only you are able to change my nightmares.”
Cathain stood still with no movements.
He couldn’t dare to think about getting back her love again, he just wanted to give himself to her this time.
Even his whole life can’t compensate her for what he did, but he is just too selfish.
He couldn’t bear to cancel their engagement and let her go, watch her marry someone else.
Be with someone which is not him.
Cathain’s head hanged low as his tears silently dropped on the floor.
“Look at me... Your Majesty,”
Eleanora spoke as she cupped his face into her hands and forced him to look at her.
“Since you don’t want me to take the blood oath... Then i want you to take that oath, Your Majesty.”
“Will you do that for me?”
Eleanora knew it was disrespectful for an emperor to take the blood oath but she wanted to ease the insecurity in her heart.
If he takes the blood oath, it means his feelings for her is genuine and if he ever break this oath, he will terribly suffer the consequences.
Even if it was too much for her to doubt on him, but she still wanted to do it.
“Do you, the 34th emperor of the Valentino empire, Cathain De Valerian Valentino;
Swear on your blood that you will cherish and only love, Eleanora Ariande La Dalton... Never hurt her again in this life?”
Cathain kneeled down on his knees as soon as Eleanora started to recite the blood oath, and took out her sword to place it above his shoulder.
“I, the 34th emperor of the Valentino empire, Cathain De Valerian Valentino; swear on my blood that i will only love and cherish, Eleanora Ariande La Dalton all my life.”
“My life, which was given by the goddess; i offer it to the only love of my life.”
“The blood that runs in my veins and the heart that beats inside of this body shall always be loyal to only her alone.”
“Never hurt her again in this life...”
Cathain spoke with determination and didn’t hesitated a second, and extended his right hand towards her.
Eleanora took a deep breath and without any hesitation, she cut his palm with her sword before she did the same in her hands.
With a slashing sound, both of their palm had the same cut mark and blood continued to rush out from the wound.
Eleanora then placed her hands above his hands to let their blood mix together to complete the oath.
A bright red light glow on where their bloods mixed together, before the cut mark vanished from their hands and the oath was sealed with their bloods.
A deep breath left out from her nostrils as Eleanora felt relieved, because there is no way that her fate might repeat again with this blood oath between them.
Cathain didn’t let go of her hands as he stood on his feet again, before pulling her into his embrace.
“I am yours now, My empress.”