Chapter 33 - CHAPTER 32

"What do you think about that?"
"Aww! That IS cute! How about that?!"
"What kind of…"
"Wait, there is another one over there!"

Lucian ears perked up upon hearing murmurs and the sound of laughter from somewhere at the back of the academy's building where Meridia's lab is.

He came back to the academy with the purpose of visiting his daughter on her last day at the academy when he decided to visit the academy's garden first for some reason, and right when he was close to where it is, he heard sounds and was now on his way to find out what those noises are.

And what he found made his heart melt. Under the starry night sky, a group of 4 teenagers are all having fun watching the twinkling stars in the sky while all of them are lying at the picnic mat. And one of those teenagers is his own daughter, laughing freely and happily.

The smile on Eleanor's face unconsciously made him smile as well as he gazes at her with pure happiness. After watching for quite some time, he then decided to skip visiting the garden for him not to distract the bonding time of those teens and instead decided to go back to the inn/hotel where he and his son, Lucius, are both staying.

He looked up at the sky and murmured a silent prayer, "Please let my daughter be happy and laugh like that with us as well someday"













"Hey Eli, still awake?"
"Mhm"

A rustling sound was heard as Eli can't help but turn her head to the direction of the noise. Eleanor who is in between Daniel and Anette stared at Ren as he slowly stood up from beside Daniel.

"Want to take a little stroll since you can't sleep?", the girl nodded to the young man's suggestion but then awkwardly said, "Umm R-ren, ahaha…I'm kinda stuck you know"

Ren looked at where the girl is pointing and saw that she is indeed stuck between her 2 friends. Daniel is hugging her in the waist from the left and Anette is hugging her right arm with her left leg on top of both of Eli's legs.

"A little help?", Ren chuckled for a bit and in just a few motion, he miraculously succeeded in removing Eli from between the 2 sleeping teenagers.

Eleanor was busy fixing herself and her clothes when she felt something draped on her shoulders. "What about you?", she asked as she tried removing Ren's coat from her shoulder but the young lad stopped her from doing so.

"I'll be fine. Just keep it on", he said reaching out his left hand to her. "Shall we go m'lady?", Eli curtsied before answering him in a joking manner too, "We shall my good sir", causing the both of them to laughed a bit at their own silliness. "Oh, wait a minute!"

Eli came back to where Daniel and Anette are and out from the basket they've brought a blanket exact for the both of them was pulled out by Eli and draped to the 2 sleeping figures.

Ren then led Eli away from the 2 sleeping teenagers on the picnic mat that they've prepared for their stargazing tonight. The 2 walked side by side; both are enjoying the silence when Ren decided to tell her something and broke the silence first.

"I'll be leaving as well"

The flabbergasted girl stopped waking and faced her friend with lots of questions running to her mind. "W-why? Wh-where? I mean, wh-wha….", Ren held both of Eli's hands, enveloping both of them with his larger ones.

"Okay, calm down Eleanor", the stuttering girl stopped talking and just stared at their hands blankly. "You see, ummm, my hometown really isn't here in Orien. The house where I'm living is a simply a vacation house of our family that we bought before. I stayed here because my parents made me, and I was really thankful for that because I get to meet and be with you. But I ummm, I received a news that something happened to my hometown and so, I decided to go home and check on them first", he said but notice that the girl is still not looking at him.

"Hey Eli. Eli. Eleanor", Ren then reached out and using his index finger, he lifted her face through her chin. And his expression softens upon gazing at the girl's teary eyes.

"Hey, it's not like you're never gonna see me ever you know? I'll still come back here once I'm done checking on them", he said. Eli stared at his sincere eyes and spoke, "Then, may I ask where your hometown is? Maybe I can visit you…", but then she stopped when she noticed how his face changed.

His eyes faltered and he avoided her eyes. Looks like he's not comfortable saying where his hometown is. "Nevermind", she said with a sigh. She want to ask him, she really does, but, seeing the expression he had after she asked him about his hometown made her not to. It's just like her expression…her expression whenever she try to avoid the questions she don't…she can't answer. And she knows, she can relate to how that feels. You want to tell them but you can't, you just CAN'T. And thus,

"Instead of that, I want you to promise me at least one thing", Ren's gaze came back to her with a questioning look. "Never forget me and…"

"Of course I won't!", the boy immediately retorted. In a split second, his face came close to the girl's face, catching her off guard.

"Wh-wh-wha! O-o-okay! I get it!", she panicked as she can't help but push his face away from her using both of her hands. "Oh, haha, sorry", Ren laughed, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"Anyways, I will never do that. Because you're precious to me you know!"

*Lup-dup!* *Lup-dup!*

"Ah…", Eli touched her chest when she felt her heart palpitate after hearing those words coming out from her friend's mouth. "You okay?", he asked, his face coming close to her again. And this time, she can't help but stare at his eyes. His sparkling black eyes. 'Has his eyes always been this sparkly?'

"Eleanor? Eli?", she then snapped back to reality soon after. "Oh! It's nothing!", she exclaimed shaking her head and immediately distancing herself from Ren. "You sure?"

"Mhm! Anyways, since you're already THAT sure about not forgetting about me, us, then how about changing the promise?", Ren nodded. "How about trying to send me, us, letters as much as you can?", she asked fidgeting a bit. "That way, we can relax and be at ease because we at least know how you're doing through that", she added.

What shocked her was the next thing he did. He kneeled in front of her, taking both of her hands again into his, and looking straight at her eyes, "I promise. I will NEVER forget about you, and I will try to send some letters to you to at least be able to inform you about how I am doing. Thanks for trusting and understanding me, Eli"

Eleanor smiled at Ren, removing her left hand from his just to pat him in the head, "Yup, always. Take care of yourself okay?"

"Okay, I will"


















"Be careful on your journey"
"We will"

Meridia, who's now becoming teary eyed, can't help but pull Eleanor into a hug again. She's going to DEFINITELY miss this little assistant of hers. "I'll miss you too master", but Meridia only answered Eli by tightening her hug.

After that, Eli faced Historia and Raul next before slowly coming towards them and hugging them both. "If you need something just tell us, we'll always be here for you. And you don't have to worry about the guild, an attack like that won't make us hate you that easily, you're very important so us, so please take care of yourself", she nodded at what Historia said as Raul looked towards the duke.

"Your grace, please…"
"We will take care of her, always"

The 2 men nodded at each other as they both looked towards the young girl again who is now hugging her priest friend. "Be careful on your way back to the temple" Anette nodded burying her face on the crook of Eli's neck.

"You too, don't forget to send me letters okay?"
"Mhm"

She then faced Daniel, "If you need anything, I'm one call away. Okay?", she nodded as she hugged him as well. Daniel hugged her back as he caressed her head gently. "I might be busy but remember that I'll always have time for you. Visit me in the palace when you can, and I'll make sure to visit you in the south as well"

The two broke out the hug and finally, she faced Ren. "So, looks like this really is it", the young man tried to make her laugh, but instead, Eli's warm hug enveloped him. "Remember your promise", she whispered while still hugging him.

He smiled and hugged her back with the same intensity, whispering to her ears, "Yeah, I won't forget it", he replied. The two remained in that position, hugging each other, for a long time.

When they finally broke from the hug, Ren saw Eli still trying to cling to him unconditionally. He held her right hand that's holding the hem of his shirt and held it with his left one while his right hand caressed her face, making her look at him eye to eye.

"You'll be okay, okay Eli? You'll do fine. Because you're you!", he said, trying to cheer her up upon seeing her anxiety come out. The girl nodded her head. "We need to go now", Lucius said, directing her to the carriage. She slowly went towards the white carriage where she, together with the duke and the young master, was supposed to ride.

Lucian and Lucius both helped her board the carriage before they themselves boarded too. "We'll take our leave then", everyone started waving to them when the carriage started to move when they heard a faint shout.

"Wait!", the carriage stopped and Lucius helped Eli open the window beside her. They were met with the panting Ren that seemed to have run after them. And he's carrying a big box half the size of Eli. 'How did he even manage to run while carrying that?', the girl wondered.

"We forgot to give this to you. It's from everyone. These are supposed to be our gifts for you for your birthday", he said, the door of the carriage open and Ren put the box inside the carriage, he then stared at Eli's touched face for a while more before bowing his head as his final goodbye to her.

Eleanor stared at him a bit more through her window until he was nowhere to be seen anymore. She looked back at the box Ren just delivered to her earlier, and there, her final batch of tears run down her face.

Lucius and Lucian looked away from her, giving her the space she needs to let out her emotions she needs to let out. The carriage they've been boarding was then filled with small sound of sobbing after that.




























The travel towards the Southern Sirthyna, Meridio, was a bit longer than what she expected. It actually took them 5 days to get to the border and took them 1 day to arrive at the Donati's mansion in the main city, Eximus.

During those days, Lucian, Lucius, and the other people from the dukedom that joined them on their journey treated her well, they all took care of her but still made sure that they won't cross her comfort zone. They're taking…making slow steps just to make sure she won't feel uncomfortable with them.

And finally… "Slowly now. Here, take my hand and be careful of your steps", Eli reached out her left hand and let Lucius help her get down from the carriage, with Lucian supporting her from behind.

After hopping off the carriage, her jaw almost dropped after finally seeing the so called 'mansion' of the duke. 'This is not a mansion! This is a palace! It's so big! Well it's not bigger than the royal palace itself but it's big!', the girl exclaimed inside her head.

"Welcome back your grace, young master. And welcome home, young miss", the maids lined up in front of them greeted them with a bow. "Eleanor, you okay?", she felt a tap on her shoulder making her snap back to reality. It was Lucius with Lucian, looking at her with worried eyes.

'I guess they're still worried that I might not be comfortable with all of this', and with that thought in her mind, in order to let them know she's okay, she smiled.

"Aiden, please proceed in arranging our stuffs"

"Yes, your grace", the man that seems to be in his mid-50s with grey hair and dark blue eyes replied with a bow. He signalled the maids and butlers and soon, everyone started sorting everything they brought from their journey.

That's when the head butler noticed someone staring at him. He looked at where he felt their gaze and his eyes met purple ones. He smiled and bowed, placing his right hand on his chest as he does so.

"Hello young miss, my name is Aiden. I am the head butler here in the mansion. It's nice to finally meet you", he said with a gentle smile on his face. A blush made its appearance on Eli's face as she tried on greeting him politely. "Oh, nice to meet you too", she said as she curtsied, which is something she learned after watching a lot of princess movies when she was still Ammiel in the past.

Aiden, well not only Aiden, but every single person stopped on what they're doing as they all stared at her making Eli anxious. 'Did I do it wrong? But this is how they did it in the movies though!', she started to panic when Lucian finally spoke.

"Where did you learn that?", he questioned her, making her more nervous. "I…ah…ahm…", and Lucius noticing this, came towards her. "Calm down si….Eli, father is just asking you", he said trying to calm her down. Eleanor nodded and answered, "Umm, I saw it before?", with an unsure tone. But even so,

"You learned by just watching? Heh, MY DAUGHTER is a bright kid indeed", Lucian said, clearly complimenting her. Aiden wasn't only the one who noticed the small grin appearing on his face, 'Your grace, you're clearly boasting right now, please maintain your composure', Aiden facepalmed as he looked at his master who's now not acting like what he used to act like before.

"Well then, I'm sure you're tired from the journey right? How about going into your room and taking a rest?", Lucian stretched out his hand to his daughter. "Let me escort you there"














"A-are you sure?"
"Yes"
"Really sure?"
"Pfft! Yes"

Lucius can't help but laugh at his sister as she stared at the room in front of her. Her room is 4x bigger than her room before as Ammiel. The walls are covered in white paint with some gold linings. Inside the room is her bed, a desk and chair where she can write things, a dressing table with a very big mirror, 3 sofas in front of a small fireplace, bluish curtains were hanged on her windows, there is also a small door which Aiden opened, and it seems to be her walk in closet! And not far from her bed is a windowseat with the view of a lake that is on the back of the mansion.

Eleanor's eyes wander around while the servants began in arranging her things that were brought inside the room. Lucian and Lucius just watched her while Aiden was supervising everyone.

"So, did you like the room?", Lucius finally asked, Eli faced him and with hesitation, she asked back, "Are you sure this will really be my room? It's too pretty for me", but Lucian just cupped her face.

"This room really is for you. Your mother and I decorated it for you. The designs and color of the room is not that girly because we still don't know your gender, but after finding out that you're a girl, I did my best to make preparations and some improvements to make this room a little girlier before your arrival. I hope you like it", Eli held her hands on her chest, feeling butterflies circling around inside her tummy. She's touched.

The effort they gave just for this room and even towards their actions just to make her comfortable really touched her heart to its core. They're really making an effort. 'I wish you're here to witness this Eleanor. You deserve this. But since it is I who got to experience everything, as my thanks to you, I promise that I'll take care of your family for you. I will make sure they won't end up being villains that will be slaughtered again in the story'

"Yes, I love the room. Thank you for this, I really appreciate it, f-father…b-brother", the 2 men, and even the servants can't help but stare at the girl in shock.

"D-did I just hear it right?", Lucius stuttered, but before anyone can answer him, Lucian already can't stop himself any longer, he crossed the space between him and his daughter and finally gave her his biggest and warmest hug.

They acted like they're stepping on eggshells because they want to make sure that she won't get uncomfortable. They want her to feel comfortable around them first and get close to her no matter how slow the process will be, but her saying those words made a great impact to them. It made them feel a bit closer to her.

'They deserve it. I might not be that comfortable yet but as a repayment, I'll at least give them this privilege since they not only deserve it, but they have the right to be called this way. I know the duke and young master since before, and I know how good the both of them are. No matter how bad they sound like in the original novel, that won't bother me anymore since I already decided to accept what the reality of this world is now. It is no longer the world of the original novel but instead a world for my 2nd chance in life. And that's why the duke and young master in the original novel won't matter to me anymore, I'll treat them base on how I met and get to be with them, just like how I treated Anette and Daniel as my friends instead of one of the main or supporting characters'

Lucius also joined the hug as the servants watch the heartwarming scene in front of them. Lucian and Lucius just hugged Eli tight, not letting her go anymore. "I appreciate everything that you've done for me, not only as my brother and father but I also appreciate what you've done for me even before you found out that I'm umm connected to the both of you. It still might be awkward for me right now but I want to try getting close to the both of you. I want to try to make this work. So, please take care of me and let's work together?"

'Wait that sounds like I'm going to be doing a job or working on a job with them, okay that's weird, let's rephrase it…'

But before Eli could speak again, she heard a low voice spoke first. "Thank you"

With Lucian's simple words, a smile appeared yet again on Eleanor's face.