“Late Emperor’s Gift”

Duke Raven was furious because of the new emperor’s attitude and got the feeling that it won’t be easy to trap him.

‘I need to think of something else, otherwise it would be hard to control him...’

Ignoring the duke, Cathain once again looked at the crowd, where everyone was debating about the fact.

‘How can girls be trained with boys at the same place?’

‘Who will take care of the house and kids?’

The discussion was endless, which made Eleanora felt a little fearful and she looked at Cathain with a sympathetic gaze.

Is he... Okay?

But to her surprise, he turned his head at the same time and smiled at her to reassure her.

‘Everything will be okay.’

.....

At that time, Eleanora felt like everything around her has been paused.

As Cathain’s smile was just like Alexander in the past, who smiled at her exactly like this before going into the prison.

Eleanora felt like crying. Why everytime, she always somehow ends up relaying on this man?

She also wants to help him, share his burdens, like she did in her last life, but he always tries to endure everything all alone.

She thought she was always helping him in the past, but never knew what he did for her in secret without even telling her once.

Where, she just misunderstood his intentions.

Turning his head as he faced the crowd, Cathain heavily sighed before he opened his mouth to speak again.

“If a woman can cook, look after your house and your kids... she can also fight for her motherland.

If a woman can make a monthly budget for her house, she can also make a montly budget for this empire.

She can also took the charge of her household and fight for her motherland, instead of hanging between her father and husband’s orders.

There are no rules in the empire where it says that, woman can’t be officials. But, we have made it like some unspoken rules.”

Eleanora was surprised as this are the exact same words she had once casually spoke to Ain.

Ain had asked her to tell him her three wishes... this was her first wish.

She didn’t expected him to remember those so clearly, also help her to achieve it.

‘His Majesty is right. There is no such a rule.’

‘We can work and support the family instead of keep beaten up by our husbands.’

‘We can protect ourself now!’

‘We don’t have to rely on our father’s or husband’s anymore and be ourselves.’

The crowd downstairs started to murmur between them and most of them agreed with their new emperor, except some nobles like Duke Raven.

To them, it was an insult to their male ego to work along with a woman or give them the chance to have more power then them.

But they can’t fight the emperor or the crowd of the commoner’s who agree with the new system publicly.

They could only stand and clench their fists in anger, looking for an opportunity to protests.

Eleanora kept looking at Cathain in amusement, as there was no one else but him in her eyes.

She knew, Cathain never liked gender discrimination but never thought he would start working on it so early in this life.

Is this change, also because of her?

“So, from now on, there will be common institutions where every commoner children can attend without any fees and they will be provided with foods if they attend.”

‘Free learning and food?!’

The poor families often had to struggle to feed their children, so if they can get free food just by attending and learning, who want to protest it?

Even if some men had problem with this new system where woman can work, but this just made them force to accept the new system.

Cathain knew very well that only by using people’s weakness, he can achieve what he wants.

“But we need someone to lead the way, Your Majesty.

You are still young so you don’t understand, but which noble family will allow their lady to work or be a knight?

They are delicate and soft, none of them can wield a sword...”

Some nobles spoke up as they got orders from Duke Raven and got the courage to protest.

Cathain had been doing exactly what Eleanora wanted to do in the future like creating institutions for commoner children’s.

As she thought of the third wish she had shared with Ain, Eleanora’s heart sank.

She looked at Cathain, whose lips had been curved up devilishly after hearing their words.

‘He isn’t going to do what am thinking... right?’

‘It’s a very risky move... if he does that now-‘

Even Alexander, who always kept a poker face no matter what happened, felt tensed and tighten his grip over his sword.

But that was exactly what Emperor Cathain was going to do.

“Good question... To train the girls, we will open a third squadron knight unit. They will be trained under a female leader.”

“But... Your Majesty, There is no noble woman who is a sword master in our empire.”

“Can you shut up for a moment, Duke Raven?”

“...”

Emperor Cathain was really becoming irritated with Duke Raven’s continued interruptions. He glared at Duke Raven one last time before he continued to speak again.

“So, the first one to end our discrimination system will be no one but, the future moon of our empire, Eleanora Ariande La Dalton...

Who will be the first female knight in our empire’s history by becoming the leader of the third squadron and participate in the upcoming battle with Kingdom of Republic!!”

Everyone fall silent again.

‘The future empress, will go to the battle?!’

‘A barely fourteen year old girl?!’

‘Does the emperor wants her death?’

‘This doesn’t makes sense!’

“Your Majesty!!! This has gone to far!! Think about the decreased late emperor! How sad he will be-”

Cathain raised his fingers and put them on his mouth to gestured as he glared fiercely at the duke to shut up again.

“Prime Minister!! Announce his execellency’s will!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Marquise Roselia took the red envelope from the knight beside the emperor and with a cough, he read the late emperor’s will loudly.

“After a long consideration, I, the 33th emperor of the Valentino Empire, Valerian De Xavier Valentino, permit the crown princess, Eleanora Ariande La Dalton to learn swordmanship and be the first female knight in the future to take our empire into a new level.”

“!!!!”

‘T-This is the gift, the late emperor has left for me?’

Eleanora felt a rush of warm emotions, filling up her empty heart.

It was more for Cathain then the late emperor.

Without him, it wouldn’t be easy or possible to make the late emperor agree or write something like this.

Only god knows, how many times Cathain had pestered his father for this...

Where the emperor had to agree in the end to make his son stop him to annoy anymore.

Marquise Roselia stood at the back again after announcing the will and Cathain spoke again.

“I can vouch for Lady Dalton. She has been trained under the duke since she was small and... i personally trained her for the last three years.

She is capable and she will prove herself to everyone during the upcoming battle.

I trust her.”

“...”

“Hail the future moon of our empire!!”

.....

“Congratulations!!! Princess Dalton!!”

“Hail His Majesty and Her highness!!”

A tear left Eleanora’s eyes silently as she felt the world has stopped around her.

She never thought the man she would fear and hate so much would go this far, for her dreams.

‘I trust her...’

historical

This words was something Eleanora badly wanted to hear in her last life from him.

When she begged him to believe her...

He didn’t believed her when she needed his trust the most.

He left her, abandoned her, killed her.

But now, he says he believes her. She finally heard those words when she no longer expected them to hear.

In her past life, he took her out from the dark world where she originally belonged...

He made her rush out from her original place with a hopes to run into his warmness.

Wherever he was, she passed all the obstacles to reach him, chasing after his light.

To that Eleanora, she was sure that her Cathain was standing with his arms wide spread for her.

To hold her into his strong arms.

Only to crush her all hopes into pieces as she saw another woman passing her one step ahead and rush into his arms before her.

He embraced another woman who was not her.

Making her lost into the darkness forever...

Eleanora doesn’t know how many days or years she was into abyss, before she got reborn again.

She kept wandering into the darkness, which only made her wounds more deep, till she opened her eyes and felt the sunshine again.

Her father’s warm embrace and everyone’s love.

The past shadows kept trying to devour her and

She kept running from her nightmares, fear to face the same fate again.

But then she stood up strongly to face them rather then running away like a coward.

Face what she is meant to face...

But it made her run into his embrace eventually again, forcing her to accept the light that might crush her into pieces again.

Under the morning warm sunlight, Cathain looked like a shiny light, which was knocking on her darkness again.

Like the sun above her head, wanting to light up her dark world again...

Eleanora closed her eyes to feel the cold breeze inside and looked at Cathain again.

‘Will you be there untill the end...?’