The Web of Knightspur-Chapter 263: Side Story 3

Empress Eleanor opened her eyes as she stretched and yawned.

Her eyes looked around only to realize she was alone in the bedroom. ’Is it morning already?’ That was the first thought that had struck her mind when she looked down at her body and realized that she was fully dressed. ’Did I fall asleep again?’

Empress Eleanor had gone through this many times. Many things have changed over the years. She could not believe that it had already been a little more than a year since she had been married.

Empress Eleanor got up from the bed and she walked towards the window. The sun was shining brightly. ’It is already afternoon. How long has this been going on? A few weeks?’

Empress Eleanor had initially thought that her stamina was too low. Doing it almost every day was making her tired, but then she realized that the chances of it happening was really low. It has already been a year and Christopher had never let her sleep alone. There were times when she was not feeling well or she wanted to rest. Even then, the Emperor would pull her into his arms and sleep quietly but never would he leave her to go to bed alone.

’Should I call a doctor?’ Empress Eleanor closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. She knew that once the Emperor found out that she had summoned a doctor, he would leave everything behind and come running to her side.

’But I cannot let this slide. Why am I getting so sleepy?’ Empress Eleanor decided to find out what was happening to her. So what if the Emperor came running at her side, she knew how to handle him. ’I need to let Commander Colt know that the Emperor should not get wind of anything.’

Empress Eleanor looked at the door and soon a summon was sent out for a doctor to attend to her.

Empress Eleanor would never have imagined that a single summon would result in such a dramatic situation. She touched her forehead as she looked around at everyone who was present in her room right now. There was supposed to only be a single doctor. Why was everyone here then?

"This is awkward." Empress Eleanor said under her breath as she shook her head. Her eyes focused to the side when she saw Commander Colt looking down guiltily. "I told you to call one doctor. One!"

"And he called me." Doctor Raul said as he took hold of the Empress’s hand, checking her pulse.

"And I was with him." Nia said with a smile. She was glowing happily. Empress Eleanor could not tell if it was the married woman’s happiness that was radiating from her or because she was pregnant.

"And I saw them, when they were making their way here." Lady Gisella said as she blinked her eyes nervously.

Empress Eleanor did not know what to say but soon her eyes moved to the other section who were yet to say anything.

"I was with the Emperor when I heard." High Priest Erasmus said in a natural tone. Soon he could see the Empress’s eyes moving as he gave an explanation, defending himself. "I had to call the chief healer here. He is one of the best healers in the Empire."

"He might be one of the best, but you already have ’the’ best doctor here." Doctor Raul looked at the chief healer before moving his gaze to the High Priest, "I should be the one treating the royal couple."

Empress Eleanor shook her head. She knew that Christopher and Doctor Raul were childhood friends and afterward when she realized that the High Priest was considered their brother, she had never thought that the relationship between the two would be casual. They were like kids who were always bickering around.

Soon the Empress felt a tight hold on her hand, making her look to the side. The pair of anxious eyes looked at her. "It’s okay." Empress Eleanor tried to ease the situation but soon it grew out of control.

"Do you not understand what is happening?" The Emperor said in a stiff tone. His voice was so deep that the room fell into silence. "I need to know what is wrong with her. If both of you cannot tell me that, then I do not think there is any point in keeping you around." The Emperor’s tone held a tinge of threat as he spoke.

Empress Eleanor knew that this was going to happen and held back from rolling her eyes. She knew exactly that things would be taking a wrong turn once she saw these people walking into her room. "Do not question them. Let them diagnose." She chided the Emperor gently.

Emperor Christopher sighed as he kept his mouth shut. He knew that he could not question the Empress. He had to listen to her but he could not let things slide too. He needed to know what was wrong with his wife.

Emperor Christopher nodded his head but his eyes looked at Doctor Raul and the High Priest with narrowed eyes. The darkness in his gaze was self-evident. He was not happy with the time they were taking to announce the result.

Doctor Raul knew what it was. It was time to tell the truth. "There is nothing wrong with the Empress, but these symptoms might get worse over time."

Emperor Christopher was about to burst. If nothing was wrong with the Empress then why would the symptoms get worse? There needed to be an explanation for the things that he was saying.

Doctor Raul understood that he needed to clarify things soon otherwise he had to die before he could see the face of his unborn child. "She will be vomiting some of the food she consumes and her taste may change too."

Emperor Christopher was losing his cool. He needed an explanation but no one was telling him anything. He could hear silent laughter at the side as his eyes turned to Nia and Lady Gisella. Something in their faces told him that both of them knew what was happening. Was he the only one who did not understand what was happening at all?

Emperor Christopher was panicking and soon he lost his cool. He was about to get up and point his sword towards his friend but soon Empress Eleanor’s hold on his hand tightened and he quieted down a little but his heart was still beating a mile a minute. No matter how he tried to cool it down, it was basically impossible for him.

"The Empress needs to be careful and rest well. And on the note of resting. I want to emphasize that you need to be extra careful. No night activities at least for a few months."

Emperor Christopher’s body stiffened. He could not understand anything, but soon Doctor Raul’s words brought him back to reality. "There should be a celebration soon. The Empress is pregnant."

As soon as the words fell, everyone was silent. All of the eyes were focused on the pair who were in shock. There were no emotions or reactions on their faces. A minute passed, and a joyful smile bloomed on the Emperor’s face as the Empress’ eyes were filled with happy tears.

Emperor Christopher did not care where he was or who he was with. He moved toward his wife as he took her into his arms and made her sit on his lap. His hand went around her waist as he kissed her, portraying his raw emotions.

Christopher was happy. Happy beyond words. There was no other way to put it and he could not express his feelings at the moment. There was both happiness and fear. He wanted to embrace Eleanor, but he was afraid of hurting the baby.

"We are going to be parents now!" Empress Eleanor said in a small tone. Her voice was filled with joy as she blinked her eyes a little. "We are having a baby!"

Soon the congratulations came and the room was filled with silence, filled with cheers, and laughter. It was time to open a new Chapter of their lives.

—----

’Many things have changed over the years. There were three significant changes in my life. Every change gave me two options and I had made decisions that had brought me up till here today.

The first one was when I lost my family. It was a brutal murder and I knew the murderer or I thought I knew. I had a choice to make. Whether I should forget it all and be grateful that I had a chance to survive or to plan and get revenge. I chose the second option. I wanted revenge, but the path was never easy. It soon led me to the second big decision of my life.

I was in love with a knight but I was a Crown Princess candidate who wanted to kill the Crown Prince himself. Should I forget my love and focus on my revenge, or should I embrace the emotions that I was feeling and choose to be embarrassed by those feelings? But it was not easy. I realized that your best friends are your biggest enemies and I faced the worst betrayal of my life. It was difficult but we pulled through.

But I was not the only one who was hiding something. So was my lover. He was not the knight that he claimed to be, instead, he was a Duke. The brutal murderer that everyone feared. But wait! He was then the lost First Prince... but no, that was a lie too. He was actually the Duke who claimed to be the First Prince so that he could make me the Princess and allow me to take the revenge that I had always wanted to get. But by doing so, it would also fulfill his revenge plans.

I was confused. Did I love the wrong person? I had two options. Whether to accept the man or to walk away from his web of lies. But then I realized that he truly loved me. He was the one for me as I was for him. So what if he had woven a web? Was I innocent? No. I was no better. In fact, I was a deadly poison. A poison that had no cure. A poison that would go undetected. The poison of Knightspur. So we both were similar in a way. He and I were not that different after all. We both had created the web of Knightspur.

But that was all in the past. All of our enemies are dead now, and then we were blessed with two children. It was at such times that I missed my mother the most. I wanted someone to tell me how I was supposed to raise the babies. I wanted to listen to her stories of how both my brother and I would trouble her a lot. I wanted to hear those stories, but knew I could not.

But I am not that sad about it. It is something I can never have even if I wished for it with all my heart. But Lady Gisella is the one who had taken my mother’s place. She is happily guiding me and Nia on how to take care of the babies. Christopher had proved himself to be a good Emperor and the best father and a loving husband. There were times when many nobles indirectly hinted that the Emperor should bring in a queen. But before I could even say anything, Christopher was the one to shut down everyone’s mouth. Maybe the nobles had also understood that he did not marry me because of the prophecy but because he really loved me. And that love is fierce and burning even up till this day.

So well, many things have changed, but many things are still the same. The bond between Christopher and Priest Erasmus is still the same. They are brothers who love and respect one another. Lady Gisella is still as caring and motherly as possible. Nia and Doctor Raul are happy in their marriage. Well, Commander Colt had also found a partner who he is set to marry soon. The Temple of Knights is doing a wonderful job and the chief healer is recognized all over the Empire for his medical skills.

Not only that, but King Arlo had managed to stabilize the Angevin Kingdom now. When he declared war against the Cenid Kingdom, I was a little worried, but he had proven himself. I had asked him why he would do such a thing and his answer brought tears to my eyes. He said, if someone disrespected his sister then was he supposed to sit in a place and let it slide? My brother had really grown up. This move had made the people of the Kingdom respect and fear him as their King.

So my dear Diary, many things had changed yet many things had remained the same. I am happy now, so let’s enjoy what is there in the present. Let’s live out today.’

"Done with your diary writing?" Emperor Christopher’s voice came into Eleanor’s ears as she shivered. She looked to the side only to see her husband being extremely close to her.

"Is it just a hobby?" Empress Eleanor said with a smile. "I was telling Kia and Siya that they should try writing a diary if they want to practice their writing. So I thought I should do it too."

"I know, my love." Christopher kissed Eleanor’s forehead as he smiled. "I know, but you tend to write a lot about the past."

"They are the memories of me... of us." Eleanor blinked her eyes as she shined, "But from today onwards, I will be writing more about our family. About Kia and Siya. About us."

"So I should make sure that the memories you would write about would be beautiful and happy ones." Christopher leaned in closer as he kissed Eleanor’s lips only to be pushed away by two sets of hands. He looked down in rage only to see his son and daughter looking at him as if he was a thief.

"It is a good thing that you both have your mother’s eyes." Christopher bent down as he took both of the children into his arms, and squeezed them. "I cannot even scold you." He then pursed his lips and squinted his eyes at them.

Eleanor could not help but laugh merrily at the scene of her husband and their children interacting with each other. She then kissed the cheeks of her daughter and son before kissing Christopher’s lips softly, only to hear small gasps. She burst into laughter again before she said, "Let’s make some really wonderful memories together..."

{The End}