Alexander groaned in pain as he wrapped his hands around the shocked Eleanora's tiny body to shield her from the strike.
The person who just tried to hurt her was already dead as a piece of sharp ice sword pierced through his body.
But the sword still falls over his shoulder and caused a deep cut on his shoulder.
His red blood splashed over her face as another memory flashed before her eyes.
[A/N: This scene wasn't mentioned that clearly in season 01. Alexander got injured to protect the 16 year old Eleanora from a strike during the battle with Kingdom Republic.]
A really familiar scene; where a man with silver hair suddenly hugged a silver haired teenage girl on his embrace.
The 16 year old teenage girl's jewel like blue eyes widened with surprise as the time seemed to stop.
Everyone around her was fighting with swords, they were killing people.
Even that girl had a bloodied but beautiful silver sword on her hands, which was decorated with blue gemstones.
Her surrounding was chaotic, yet she seemed to stop hearing.
And then that girl mumbled in a soft voice as she called out for the man who just protected her.
Papa…
"Papa…"
Eleanora found herself mumble too as her tearful eyes gaze down to stare at Alexander, whose face had turn pale.
"Papa…"
Eleanora called again but there was no response.
Those sword contained poisons and thus it affected him so deadly.
But still Alexander managed to move his hands as he used his magic power to send a signal for others to know his location.
He needs to send Eleanora from here soon.
In an instant, a large snowflake blasted on the sky like some fireworks and Alexander's hands dropped on the ground again.
His forehead was resting on her shoulder and seeing him lifeless like that, Eleanora panicked.
"Papa… Wake up…"
Eleanora held his shoulder with her tin hands as she tried to shake him up.
She doesn't even know him; it's been only a day since she became his daughter.
Then why does she feel so sad seeing him like this?
She shouldn't be affected.
But she is deeply affected, just like those strange feeling she had felt earlier.
Dead bodies of the assassins were all around her and she sat on the middle with her unresponsive father.
There was no one around her and she felt helpless, like she has gone through this before too.
"Papa, wake up!!"
"Wake up, please!!"
Eleanora continued to yell as she shook her father.
Alexander desperately wanted to response to her, but he couldn't.
He couldn't move his body like he has become paralyzed.
But Eleanora, who didn't know this, was terrified.
What if he is no longer with her?
Just this simple thought made her anxious like he was her own father.
"Papa…Wake up, please!!"
She sobbed as she hugged her father tightly on her arms and soon the Dalton knights reached up to them.
But none of them could dare to approach her, they were to stunt and shocked to see her like that.
"I won't annoy you anymore…"
"I won't follow you secretly to the imperial palace…"
"So wake up please, Papa…"
Eleanora doesn't know what she was even saying but words were coming out from her mouth automatically.
"Princess…"
Sir Rayon whispered as this is the first time they saw the young lady like this.
She was always so mature and dignified that they forget about her being a 12 year old little girl.
They always ignored her stalking behavior, thinking she just loves her father so much.
But it never occurred to them that she was just trying to hold someone to breathe and feel alive.
She was just a little girl who lost her mother and her father was everything that she had.
She was afraid that if she stays away from her father, those assassins might attack them again and then she will never see her father.
So she just wanted to stay close to her parent this time, instead of how the duchess made her escape last time.
Because if the duke isn't here, then there is no one else she can hold on to.
The princess was bought up in a happy family, but then it shattered one day and she literally lost her both parents at that day.
One was dead and another was living dead with no emotion.
As her wailings continued to grow louder, the dark sky growled with lightings.
Everyone was shocked to see the atmosphere as heavy rainfall starts to pour down.
There shouldn't be a rainfall during this winter.
What's happening?
Is it the true power of a Dalton, who can even manipulate the weather?
But on the meantime, Sir Rayon came out from his thoughts before he commanded the knights.
"KNIGHTS! CARRY HIS GRACE TO THE CARRIAGE AND SUMMON THE DOCTOR!"
His loud voice made other came out from there daze too and everyone hurried to pull away Eleanora from her father.
"Princess, leave the duke…"
"We need to take him back to the duchy…"
The knights tried their best to pursue Eleanora to loosen her hold over father but she thought they were trying to separate her from her father.
No,
She can't loosen her grip.
If she does, then her father might vanish just like her mother!
She will be all alone then…again.
"NO! I WON'T LEAVE PAPA! LET ME GO!!"
"PAPA!!"
"WAKE UP!!"
Eleanora yelled out loudly as she held her father tightly on her arms.
The ground she was sitting on had turned bloody red as the rain water washed away the blood of her father from them.
She felt like she was sitting on the pool of blood with their parent's blood.
She caused harm to both of them, a murderer.
She is the reason of them being like this.
Everyone is right… she is a curse in the name of blessing. This is why she is different than her peers of same age.
She is really a trouble for her father like everyone said.
"I WON'T DISTURB YOU ANYMORE OR LOOK FOR YOU!!"
"SO, JUST STAY WITH ME!!"
"PLEASE PAPA, JUST DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!!"
Eleanora closed her eyes tightly as she finally loosens up her grip and the knight felt heartache to see her in this state.
Her hair was damp and her beautiful dress was full of blood, her beautiful jewel like blue eyes looked lifeless as she finally lets him go.
"I am sorry, mommy… I couldn't look after papa… I caused him harm just like I did to you…"
"Forgive me for being useless, papa…"
Eleanora murmured in a low voice as she kissed her father's forehead and let the knights pull her up from him.
Her head was dropping low as she tried to get up but then everyone's vision turned white as a bright golden light glowed and they looked astonished.
"What's happening?!"
Sir Rayon spoke as he shielded Eleanora on his arms from the unknown danger but then everyone realized that this light meant no harm.
Everyone felt warm and their body felt stronger than ever all of a sudden as the rain stopped at the same time.
Where, Eleanora was uninterested into whatever was happening around her; she killed her father too just like her mother.
She felt drained out like someone has sucked out all her energy.
But then her lifeless eyes widens with shock before it fills up with tears as she hears a familiar voice again.
"Elle, my princess…"
"…Don't cry,"