Cathain's Pov~
Duke Dalton slowly placed her down on the bed before covering her body with a blanket.
Seeing how peacefully she is sleeping, I am sure that girl has used her powers.
Otherwise the way she was shivering, it would be difficult to calm her down… just like the second timeline.
As Eleanora's condition was the same as me, our souls failed to merge into the second timeline's body and thus that Eleanora only got the memories.
Thinking those things happen to her, she was afraid of the crown prince who didn't do anything to her and suffered for my sins.
This was why after seeing the crown prince after getting those memories; she had passed out just like this because of her anxiety.
At that time, it was also this girl who had helped her.
I tried to calm the raising fear in my heart but I couldn't.
Both pasts are getting mixed together as I am acting different.
But still every incident is being repeated in other way.
I couldn't help Dominic to escape properly; he still ended up on that road where Jennifer was.
Duke Dalton got hurt while saving her and her holy powers awakened to heal him just like when she awakened her powers in the battle field during the first timeline.
But her powers were awakened earlier this time.
This time, it wasn't the crown prince who triggered her emotions like in the second timeline but it was probably Maria.
As I thought about Maria, guilt flashed in my mind as I glance at the young lady sitting on the bed beside her.
Maria's eyes were full of affection as she stroked her shiny silver hair.
From Eleanora's birth till her death in my last life, she is the only person who never left her side.
Neither did she ever get married.
She is more like a second mother figure to Eleanora after her own mother.
Unlike my nanny, who only filled me with hatred against my father, killed my mother to take revenge and has ulterior motives. Maria loves her just like her own daughter and no one knows it better than me.
She has taken care of Eleanora even when the duchess was alive and she became more attentive after the duchess died.
She has never spoken badly about the duke or had any ulterior motive behind taking care of her.
Her love is selfishness and she is probably the only person who has ever dared to raise their hands on the emperor; which she did for her...
Flashback (A day before Eleanora's execution) ~
The emperor walked into a prison cell with a cold look on his face.
His secretary Brayden was walking behind him with a pile of papers and as soon as they faced the lady on the ground, the emperor took the papers and threw them over the weak lady on the ground.
"See this and then say… who is saying the truth?"
Emperor Cathain De Valerian Valentino spoke with a sneer and Maria weakly sat up on the ground with a smile on her face.
She didn't even glanced at those papers and continued to laugh.
"Even if the god says to me that the duke was planning for rebellion and what you accused her of is true… I will never believe it, Your Majesty."
"Rena is lying."
Maria speaks as she stood up on her feet to face the emperor, whose face had turned dark after listening to her.
Unlike before, his ruby red eyes looked completely blank which held struggle between his mind and heart.
"If the duke wanted to rebel, he wouldn't have waited till now… If my lady wanted to harm her, she had countless days and ways to do that… Why would they wait till now?!"
Maria questions the emperor as she approaches him and the emperor seem to be lost in thoughts.
Again his heart was telling him that what she is saying is right but his mind seems to not listen to it.
"But all the evidence is right before you, she harmed-"
But the emperor couldn't finish his words as his face suddenly tilted to his right side as a stinging pain rose in his left cheek.
Maria's eyes were full of tears as the imperial knights swords were pointing at her.
"Y-YOU!"
The emperor's eyes widened with rage as he glared at the older woman before him and right then, Maria started to shout like a mad woman.
"YOU WILL REGRET THIS, CATHAIN VALENTINO!! YOU WILL REGRET IF YOU KILL HER TOMORROW!!"
"YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WHEN SHE LOST HER TWO BABIES! THEY WERE ALSO YOUR BLOOD! THE LEGITIMATE HEIR OF THE THRONE! BUT WHAT DID YOU DO TO AVENGE THEM?!"
"DID YOU EVEN TOOK CARE OF HER AFTER SHE LOST HER BABY AND SUFFERED IN HEARTBREAK?!"
"AFTER THAT SHE WATCHED YOU WALKING WITH THAT BITCH, LETTING HER LIVE IN THE EMPRESS PALACE FROM WHERE YOU ORDERED HER TO MOVE AWAY!"
"SE GAVE UP EVERYTHING TO HER, INCLUDING THE MAN SHE LOVED!"
"AND NOW YOU ARE TELLING ME SHE TRIED TO HARM HER?!"
The emperor became quite as another headache kicked in and everything around him feeling like spinning as some feign memories flooded in his mind.
He was smiling at someone… but the girl's face suddenly changed as her silver hair turned into light blonde.
Her jewel like blue eyes became caramel brown and looking around, he saw another girl who was looking at him emotionlessly.
But the disappointment in her face and hurt look in her blue eyes couldn't be hidden.
Her shiny silver hair swayed as she turned away from him without saying anything and his heart skipped a beat.
Wasn't she walking with him just now?
How come she was standing that far away?
'Don't go!'
A voice echoed in his mind as he took a step to run towards her direction, but before he could reach her, someone seems to hold back his arms.
'Where are you going, Your Majesty?'
An intoxicating voice rang in his mind and his headache increased before he felt completely calm but confused.
'Where was I going…?'
This short memory made the emperor fall on his knees as the headache increased even more.
The pain was so intense that he wanted shout, destroy everything around him.
Maria was shocked to find the emperor on his knees but the concern in her eyes changed as a woman with light blonde hair immediately rushed in.
The girl was wearing a simple but elegant light yellow colored dress and having no jewelry on her made her look a little pitiful.
"TAKE HER AWAY AND PUNISH HER SEVERLY!"
Jennifer roared at the guards but Brayden hesitated.
The emperor has clearly ordered everyone to not lay a finger on this lady.
Even when this lady slapped him, he didn't order anyone to punish her.
But now… Brayden become lost in thought and then a firm voice echoed in the room.
"Sir Brayden… Did you not hear me?"
Jennifer's deep voice made Brayden to come out from his thoughts as he blinked a few times.
But unlike before, his eyes held no emotion and his purple eyes turned darker than before and nodded towards Jennifer politely.
"Guards! Take her to the inner dungeon and punish her severely!"
Brayden spoke to the knights and was about to step out when the emperor suddenly opened his eyes again.
She was gently stroking the emperor's silky black hair as she made the half unconscious emperor lean on her.
He felt confused again and watched the guards to drag away Maria, who was cursing at the emperor till she was out of the prison.
Brayden let the guards go first as he squatted down to help the emperor but his next words made Brayden completely stunt.
"Destroy the Dalton Duchy."
The emperor said as opened his eyes and stood up on his feet like nothing happened and Jennifer followed him from behind as she held his upper arm.
Where Brayden was left shocked because this was not what the emperor had discussed with him earlier.
This matter has something wrong as everything is against her, thus they need to proceed through the trial for capturing the main culprit as everyone thinks that she will be executed tomorrow.
So when she will not be executed, the culprit will surely take a wrong move in panic and reveal themselves accidentally.
The emperor found everything strange since the day he had returned from the abandoned mansion and revealed that he has no memory of giving any order to let her move out from the empress's palace.
Brayden found it weird but thinking it more deeply, he also couldn't understand why does he hate the empress for no reason?
But they had no evidence, and clearly no one will believe the emperor if he said something like this without any solid evidence of being poisoned or anything which is making him acting strange.
Whoever the culprit was, they were really cunning and thus when the queen suddenly had a miscarriage, the emperor got even surer that it was Duke Raven.
Thus they immediately put her on cells so that she will be guarded and wouldn't be harmed by them.
He even completed the divorce drama to mislead them that the empress is no threat to them as she is already discarded from her position.
They had planned to reduce the influence of Duke Dalton and sent him back to his estate with a no return in the capital warrant.
And Brayden knew this was because the emperor feared that the duke might take her away after this.
Thus they also planned to make the former empress the next duke of Dalton after giving her a light sentence in tomorrow's trial and keep her away from this until they catch the culprit.
She will be right before his eyes and also safe.
But now the emperor suddenly ordered him to destroy the duchy?!
Brayden watched the retreating figure of the emperor and Jennifer with a confused mind but then suddenly a voice whispered in his mind which sent chills down his sprain before making his mind going blank.
And he found himself chanting the same sentence that the voice told him.
~Destroy the duchy and tomorrow…
Make sure she dies at his hands~