“Invitation”

“My lord, Another letter has came.”

Duke Dalton’s aid Raynor spoke as he forwarded a letter towards the duke.

Alexander, who was working on his study, frowned as his eyes fall on the golden roaring lion seal on the envelope.

A letter which was sent by the emperor personally.

“What about that bastard again?”

“...”

Alexander looked vicious as he took the 7th imperial letter on this weak, addressed for his daughter.

Alexander tore the envelope directly and took out the letter, but the words written on it made him so furious that his face darkened completely, Making the people around him shiver.

‘Dear Father-in-law,

.....

Stop being childish and pass my love letters to your daughter while am being nice. As it’s hard to write love letters, more hard if it’s for your daughter.

I know you must be fuming in anger but it can’t be helped as the fact that am your son-in-law can’t be changed.

I also know you are going to burn this letter too like your daughter did to my letters during the war.

If you don’t want me to personally come over your house and take your daughter with me then keep your childish behaviour for your grand children’s and stop interfering between us.

Duke Dalton’s Dear

Son-In-Law’

Crash!

Alexander flipped up the table infront of him as his eyes was full of anger.

‘This bastard- He is going crazy again!’

‘Why is the medicine not working yet?!’

“MAKE SURE ELEANORA DOESN’T GET A SINGLE LETTER FROM THE EMPEROR!”

“...Y-Yes, my lord.”

Raynor replied in a trembling voice as he has never seen Alexander so furious before.

“As soon as you see one, next time...”

Alexander’s sudden pause on his words made Raynor flinch a little.

“BURN IT!”

Alexander completed his sentence as the letter on his hands turned into ash.

“...”

‘Is the emperor to soft to ignore such disrespect from his duke or the duke is to bold to treat the emperor like this?’

Raynor thought but then the answer was it’s both.

The emperor is ignoring such disrespect to get her where the duke isn’t going all out with the emperor to protect her.

The only thing that was holding them back from fighting each other is Eleanora.

...

“My lady, A letter has arrived for you.”

Maria spoke as she approached Eleanora, who was eating cookies in the garden as Jennie kept telling her about the changes of the empire during the time of war.

‘Letter?’

Eleanora thought as she crunched her cookies. She has no friends except Cedrick, Liana and Dominic.

Cedrick is someone who hates writting letters and because of the distance, it’s hard to get a letter from Dominic and Liana.

So who would have sent her a letter?

Eleanora took the letter and as she saw the seal on it, she recognised it.

‘It’s from count Arlo?’

Eleanora thought as she opened the beautifully decorated letter.

‘To princess Eleanora Ariande La Dalton,

You are cordially invited to Rosette Arlo’s 16th birthday banquet on the 6th’s of this month.

From

Count Arlo’

‘This is an invitation, Right?’

Eleanora thought as she recalled Rosette Arlo from her past life.

At that time, she had declined the invitation.

But now, Eleanora took it as an opportunity.

She doesn’t have any friends in high society, A friend whom would defend her and take her side which she didn’t had in her past life.

No matter what, Cedrick is the son of Duke Raven and the brother of Jennifer.

If something happens where he have to choose between his family and her, he would choose his family for sure.

In this life, Eleanora is determined to save her duchy and it’s people.

If Jennifer wants the emperor, the duke Raven wants the empire; this has nothing to do with her.

She just wants to live, without attracting any unnecessary attention.

‘Does it really have nothing to do with you?’

A voice rang inside of her head, Eleanora pondered for a moment and her expression become solemn as she remembered the current Cathain.

Who is not like the past one, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be like the past one.

His current actions are all like his past self, the only difference is his red eyes doesn’t contain any hatred anymore but full of possessiveness and...

Obsession.

‘No, it has nothing to do with me.’

Rosette Arlo was someone who always wanted to befriend Eleanora in the past.

She was the adopted by count Arlo, who had no child after her parents passed away in an carriage accident.

Her father was a distanced relative of the count Arlo but the count never saw her as an adopted daughter.

The count even celebrated Rosette’s birthday lavishly before her coming of age ceremony as she wanted a masked party this time.

He always doted on her and never let her feel the absence of her biological father, which was something the past Eleanora envied.

Not only she didn’t celebrated her birthday since her mother died, she also couldn’t celebrate her coming of age ceremony grandly as a duke daughter was supposed to do because she was already busy with the empress lessons.

Then, her all hopes shattered when she couldn’t even wear a wedding dress and walk on the podium like other brides.

She has indeed walked on a podium, which was towards her execution with false accusations.

Eleanora got married just by a signature and become the empress by a public announcement notice.

Rosette Arlo’s 17th birthday banquet become quite the gossip topic for the upper class as the party was really lavish.

‘An invitation to a birthday banquet which is happening on three weaks, My coming of age ceremony will be held three months later...’

“Maria...”

“Yes, My lady.”

“Bring me some flowers from the garden and Jennie, bring me laces and ribbons.”

‘It’s time start building up my image. I have to fix it first to get rid of all the death flags...’

Eleanora spoke in a serious tone but Maria and Jennie was still confused.

‘What the lady wants to do?’

Count Arlo’s mansion~

A teenage girl with ginger red hair and sparkling yellowish green eyes kept staring at the letter in her hands with great admiration.

historical

The light blue coloured letter on her hands was decorated with flowers and ribbons perfectly and the handwriting was also very neat.

.....

‘Dear Lady Arlo,

Happy 17th birthday. I wasn’t expecting to get a invitation directly from you to me. I hope it won’t be too awkward for me to join.

Am looking forward to meeting you in the banquet.

~Eleanora Ariande La Dalton’

“Her ladyship wrote and decorated this letter personally for me??!!”

Rosette spoke as she felt her heart beating faster because of the excitement. Her face was also blushing.

“It’s soo pretty!!”

Rosette hold the letter tightly on her chest as she kept rolling on the bed happily.

“Merely responding to my letter was already a miracle, to think she would also accept the invitation...”

In fact, Rosetter has always admired Eleanora.

Her shiny silver hair was rare in the empire, especially a natural beautiful face without any make ups.

The way she talked, walked and conducted every single thing was admired by Rosette.

Specially when she went to the war as the first female knight and returned with victory.

In the upper class, whenever someone spoke bad of her, Rosette would stand up and fought with them for badmouthing Eleanora.

As everyone knew that the count was going to settle everything for his daughter, no one talked bad about Eleanora infront of her.

She was a crazy fan of the future empress.

But, Rosette never got the chance to approch her as Eleanora only attended royal balls.

She also didn’t attended any social activists for people to approch her.

Everytime Rosette wanted to approach Eleanora, the crown prince would appear out of nowhere.

‘Lady Dalton-‘

‘My empress, are you feeling stuffy? How about we go to the balcony?’

‘...’

Eleanora didn’t used to refuse either as staying in a party where everyone was looking at her was uncomfortable.

So the embarrassed Rosette would stand still and watch Eleanora as she was escorted by the crown prince.

She was totally ignored by Eleanora unknowingly.

Rosette even thought that the crown prince was deliberately doing that.

He would drag her to the balcony right after their first dance would finish, not giving any chance to Rosette to approch Eleanora.

Where, the crown prince actually used to do that to keep unnecessary ants away from the sugar.

But she forgot everything now.

The emperor won’t attend her birthday, so there is no way that Eleanora would be snatched away this time from her reach.

“I should sent her a reply too, Right?”

Rosette spoke as she continued to roll on the bed with the letter in her hands.

“My lady, please be careful...”

Rosette’s maid spoke as she was really afraid of her lady falling from the bed.

...

Infront of Eleanora was a sloppily decorated pink envelope, which contained another letter from Rosette.

‘I didn’t expected that she would reply again...’

Eleanora was a little awkward as it was her first time conversing with someone through letter.

‘Pff-‘

Eleanora chuckled when she saw how Rosette tried to copy her decorations from her previous letter but it all came out as Rosette couldn’t do it properly.

‘Did you imitate the letter i sent you? You are so cute, Rose.’

The feeling Eleanora felt was warm, she finally got someone to talk.

A friend by her side, who can help her in need.

Eleanora was feeling happy to see that someone cared for her so much, also regret that why she didn’t tried to get along with others in the past.

She was always so busy with her lessons, training and duties that she never had time for herself.

This was why, when she was in need of help, no one was there to help her.

One should help others to get help, no matter how skilled or prestigious one is.

‘But... It’s too long!’

The letter Rosette sent contained 10 pages, as someone was too excited to get a reply from her.

Where Maria and Jennie was happy to see their lady finally getting a friend.

They never approved of any male friends of hers, what if they take advantage of their innocent soft lady?

‘That’ friend was Cedrick Raven.

So to them, if their lady becomes friends with the count’s daughter and ditch the duke’s son, wouldn’t it be perfect?