Saving The Abandoned Empress

149 “We Never- Did That?”

‘What is wrong with me?’

Eleanora looked at Cathain to remove her useless thoughts away from her head and focused on the person infront of her.

“So, tell me what exactly happened last night.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Eleanora replied and was about to speak when they heard a knocking sound on the door.

“Your Majesty, I have bought your tea.”

“Come in.”

Getting the emperor’s permission, a maid entered the study room and Cathain gestured the maid to put it down on the tea table.

“Let’s sit on the sofa and talk comfortably.”

.....

Cathain spoke to Eleanora as he stood up from his chair and both of them sat on the opposite sofa of each other.

The maid served them tea and Eleanora was stunned as it’s the tea which she likes.

‘When did he started to drink this?’

Eleanora used to brew this tea for Ain every time he used to climb the windows to meet her.

Either it was day or night, it didn’t stopped Ain from wanting to have the tea she personally brew.

They used to talk for hours while drinking her favourite tea which become his favourite later on too.

But she didn’t expected him to drink the same tea even when he wasn’t with her.

This thing undeniably made Eleanora feel warmness spreading in her heart.

Eleanora took a sip of the tea but then, Cathain’s reaction surprised her.

“What’s this!!”

Cathain spoke as he put down the tea cup after a sip in disdain, his face was full of disgust because of the bitter tea.

The maid was also stunned as this is what the emperor is having for the past few years.

What happened today then?

“Y-Your Majesty, is there anything wrong?”

The maid asked timidly as she bow to him nervously.

“What’s with this bitter taste, where’s my-”

“YOUR MAJESTY!”

Eleanora intruppted Cathain before he could speak more as the maid might become suspicious for his sudden change of taste.

There are many spies in the palace and maids are the most reliable source to get information.

“You can go, i will brew the tea.”

“Okay, My lady.”

The colour in the maid’s face returned and she hurriedly left like she was spared as soon as Eleanora spoke.

‘Now no one will suspect...’

Seeing the maid leaving the room, Eleanora sighed and Cathain looked at her with amusement.

‘She... Will brew the tea for me?’

But unbeknown to her, the maid actually thought that the emperor wanted the lady to brew him tea personally so he did that.

‘The emperor is so romantic...!!’

Eleanora looked at Cathain whose temper remind her of the teenage version of the crown prince who used to vent his anger in everything.

And the crown prince’s reaction when he first had this tea at her house.

‘Stop thinking about the past, Elee...’

Eleanora thought as she took a new tea cup and put milk and tea leaf in the cup before she added three sugar cubes in it.

At the beginning, Ain reacted like that too.

So, Eleanora would add some extra sugar cubes and milk to make it sweet for him.

Later on, he become used to the usual bitter taste and Eleanora stopped making his tea with extra sweetness.

It has been long since she made this but she still remembered his preference.

She was so focused on making the tea, that she completely ignored the person who was staring at her with amusement.

Cathain could tell that this is not the first time she made it in another way then usual.

Her expression told him that she was thinking about someone while making tea for him.

‘Whom did she used to make it for?’

He thought as the past him didn’t knew it was her favourite tea and forgot that it was him for whom she used to make the tea in a special way.

“Try it now, Your Majesty.”

Eleanora spoke as she pushed the tea cup towards Cathain and he took the tea cup to take a sip.

And surprisingly, it tasted better to him compared to before.

“You seem to be good at this...”

Cathain spoke as he deliberately didn’t looked at her to act like he said it casually.

“...there was someone who didn’t liked bitter tea, so i learned it for him.”

“...”

Eleanora, who was once again lost in her memories with Ain didn’t realised his frozen expression as he heard her words.

‘Heh, how bold of you to mention your lover infront of your fiancee.’

“...Who is he?”

Cathain asked, still pretending to be calm where his heart was dying to know that person.

“He was my friend.”

Eleanora replied casually as she took another sip from her tea cup without looking at him.

‘His jealous nature will never change either he remembers or not...’

“Was? Not anymore?”

Cathain asked with a little curiosity.

“He disappeared... Maybe died.”

Eleanora replied and ignored the emperor’s face which lit up with happiness the moment he heard the man was dead.

“My condolence for your friend.”

‘Whomever you are, rest in peace and don’t come back even if you are not dead...’

Cathain prayed without even knowing that, the man he wanted to disappear was himself.

‘Wait... Why did i prayed for that man to not come back?’

Cathain was feeling frustrated as his brain thought one thing but his heart wanted the other thing.

His expression turned dark again as he tried to focus on the real problem and put down his tea cup.

“Lady Dalton, tell me about what happened yesterday fully. I want to know how i ended up like this.”

Eleanora looked at him for a moment before she put down her tea cup too and started to speak.

“Last night...”

Eleanora told him everything about last night without leaving a single details out, not realising that the man infront of her didn’t even blinked as he kept staring at her the whole time.

“So the first emperor had black magic on his soul which was transfered in my body the moment he vanished and your holy powers which you used on my body to make him leave my body clashed with the dark powers?”

“Yes.”

“So this is what which made me forget all the things happened in the middle?”

“Probably so...”

.....

“I see.”

Both of them kept silent after this and then suddenly a question appeared on his mind.

“Well, i have another question...”

“Please ask, Your Majesty.”

Eleanora spoke but Cathain hesitated a few moments and his cheeks turned slightly red as he finally decided to ask.

“...H-Have we ever did it?”

Eleanora raised her brows in confusion and stared at Cathain, who was blushing.

“Did... what?”

Asked Eleanora, who didn’t understand his question.

“That... What couples usually do...”

‘couples usually do...’

‘!!!’

Eleanora’s face instantly turned red as she finally understood what he meant.

“I meant if we have slept together-”

Cathain decided to speak directly as he thought Eleanora still didn’t understand, which made her more embarrassed.

“NO! WE DIDN’T!!”

Eleanora denied it instantly with an impatient tone.

She couldn’t believe that, the first thing he would be curious about is this kind of things.

“We never- did it?”

Cathain asked in a dejected voice and Eleanora looked at him in ridicule.

‘Why does he looks dejected?! Why?!’

‘Did he want something to happen between us? the person he dislikes so much?’

‘In his dreams...heh!’

“Sorry to disappoint you, but it’s true. Nothing has ever happened between us.”

Eleanora spoke as she tried to calm down and hide her embarrassment.

How can someone ask something like that so directly?

“W-Why would i be disappointed?!”

Cathain asked with his flushed face and Eleanora glared at him with a face that seem to say-

‘...You sure? You aren’t disappointed?’

Cathain didn’t spoke any further and looked away.

He thought he felt attachment towards ger maybe because they had bond together physically.

So their mana powers and the bond kept attracting him towards her like a magnet.

But she doesn’t seem like lying...

So it must be true that the bond isn’t created yet between them.

‘Then why am i so attracted to the person whom i find annoying?’

“Your Majesty, It’s my training time. I have to go...”

Eleanora spoke as she hurriedly wanted to get out from the room.

She doesn’t know what weird things this man might ask if she stayed any longer.

“Training?”

Cathain asked.

“Oh, you don’t remember it... I am a senior knight in the first squadron. I was promoted for my contribution during the war with Republic.”

“You went to the war?!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Cathain had previously thought she was a knight as he knew she could wield swords from a very young age.

And she should be taking empress lessons at this time... Staying in the palace as the crown princess.

A sudden pain poked in his heart as he realised that was not the case.

He always believed that she belonged to him even if he finds her annoying and will always stay together.

But facing the exact opposite situation then he imagined before made him feel disappointment.

“I will see you later, Your Majesty.”

Seeing that Cathain wasn’t responding, Eleanora bid him farewell and left the room silently after closing the door.

Looking at the empty sit infront of him, Cathain clenched his left chest as the pain increased.

‘Why do i feel so sad?’