Saving The Villainous Monster From The Male Lead-Chapter 105 - 104: The Bell That Rings In The Heart
In the greenhouse of the royal palace, a maid entered with a tea pot. She was shocked by a loud, joyous squeal. The tray almost slipping out of her hand, as she felt a sudden jolt. Once she had stabled her hold on the tray, she exhaled in relief.
Slowly, she walked ahead to the table from where the squeal had come. She elegantly filled the empty teacup for the crown prince of this kingdom.
Alastor had received a letter from Eleanore, approving his request to accompany him as his partner. He didn’t expect that she would truly accept it, after his untimely proposal in the last ball. Thus, when he read the letter once, he couldn’t stop himself from reading it over and over again.
"Good evening, Queen." The maid greeted the queen who had just arrived in the greenhouse.
Isador Seraphine, the Queen of Seraphine kingdom is known to be a loving mother. She loves her son and desires him to marry the woman he likes. Isador never believed in those political marriages and had always made up her mind to keep her son safe from that hell. King Rowen, who had himself fought with his father against a political marriage, never opposed her idea. Like her, he also believed in true love and the strength it holds.
"What’s so great about that letter that you can’t even bat an eye on your own mother?" She asked.
Alastor, embarrassed, closes the letter and slips it into the inner pocket of his white coat. He smiled, "It’s from Lady Eleanore. She accepted my request to become my partner, for the founding day."
"She did?" Her eyes widened. "Son, does she know what it means to appear with the crown prince at the Founding Day celebration?" She asked, as she worried, she might not be aware that and thus accepted the request.
"I think so."
"Alastor, dear, she refused your proposal, remember? If she knew it, she wouldn’t have accepted your request."
"Or maybe she changed her mind." He frowns.
"Alastor, if you like that girl then you can marry her. I don’t mind. However, marriage is not a joke and the crown princess seat is a heavy burden. Not anyone can sit on it." She tried to give her son a reality check.
"But you said, I can marry whoever I want." He tried to remain calm.
"Of course." Isador closed her, as he leaned back and exhaled. "You can marry whoever you want, but that person should be your one true love, son."
"Lady Eleanore is my one true love." He argues.
"Are you sure?"
Alastor went quiet on that. He was not yet sure if he truly loved her, but he did have some strong feelings towards her. Every time he thought about her, her crimson eyes would appear in front of him, softly staring at his amethyst ones. Her blond hair shining brightly like gold and her pale skin complementing her facial features.
Her image would always make his heart flutter and his cheeks heat up. He feels this strong attraction towards her. Isn’t this one of the stages of love?
"I think you should give yourself and her some time." She speaks up again.
"Yes."
Isador looks around at the garden, as she continues. "Your father was just like you. He was also not sure about me at the beginning. For he also had felt attraction towards many other women. Every time, I asked him how he knew I was the one, he’d say just one thing. I heard a bell ring." She turns back to her son.
"Bell?"
Isador chuckles a little. "Yes, he heard his heart ringing a bell."
"How can one’s heart ring a bell, though?’ Alastor asked out of curiosity. He had never heard of any such phenomenon.
"I have been wondering the same thing for the last twenty-five years." She laughs.
_____
A week passed as the cold of the winter grew. The blue tint in the air was now no longer only visible in the evening but also in the morning and afternoon. The sun is nowhere to be found. Eleanore could see her breath, when she exhaled and somewhat liked to play with it. She had witnessed snow just yesterday and had gone out to play with Marina.
To her amusement, moments later her brother joined in as well. It felt like they had been transported back in the past, when they were little. When they could play as much as they want without a care in the world.
However, that didn’t last for long as Hael had to rush to the royal palace, only an hour after he had joined her. Before leaving he promised he would play with her again in the snow some other time and with that she let him go.
The golden dress Eleanore had purchased without even trying it once, after it arrived, was bothering her. Not because it didn’t fit her or anything of that kind. But because it was too bulky and shiny and eye- catching. Moreover, this color even camouflages her blonde hair. Her hair was no longer highlighted and instead looked dull.
She almost cursed herself for that. She can blame no one but herself. She should have been careful and should have thought about this before buying the dress. For a moment there, when she had asked her brother to buy that dress, she had forgotten what she looked like. She assumed she was the Eleanore from the real world and possessed her jet black hair. Thus without thinking much she ordered this dress.
Marina was working hard on finding ways to make her mistress look better. This color was just too difficult, she couldn’t even find jewellery to pair with it.
There sitting in the cabinet chair, Eleanore was rather focused on remembering her appearance from the real world. All she could remember was her jet black hair, unique light brown eyes and her colored skin. Other than that, she couldn’t quite imagine her face. As if she had forgotten her appearance completely.
She looked at herself in the mirror and felt goosebumps down her spine. ’Is my mind adapting to this appearance?’ She wondered.
"My Lady, I think a bun would look good on this dress and since there isn’t much skin showing. I do not think a necklace is required." She picked up a pair of golden eye rings, having ruby in the middle. "For ear rings, I think these are perfect." She placed them in front of Eleanore’s ear, to let her decide whether they truly go well with her dress or not.
Eleanore sighed. She couldn’t focus on this, while her mind was wandering off to different destinations. "Do whatever you think is right."
"No, my lady. You can’t just rely on my judgement. You are going to appear there as the crown princess candidate."
As if another mountain had fallen over her head, she got out of her chair and turned to Marina. "What nonsense are you uttering, Marina? I am not becoming the crown princess or anything like that." She says in horror.
"But didn’t you say that you are going to the celebration as the crown prince’s partner?" Marina tried to confirm whether what she had heard two days ago was true or not. She might have misheard. Who knows?
"I am going as his partner but what does that have to do with me being his crown princess candidate?" She asked.
"Don’t tell me, my lady? Did you not know that the partner of the Crown Prince in the Founding Day Celebration is considered to be the Crown Princess candidate?" She asked, as a hole dug between her eyebrows.
Eleanore was flabbergasted. She had no idea of any such custom. Alastor didn’t mention anything like that in the letter.
"God!" Eleanore caught her head in her palm. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
"What’s wrong, my lady?" Marina asked, puzzled.
"Nothing." She sits back in her chair. "Do whatever you were thinking to do." She orders and Marina obeys.
Once she was ready, Eleanore quickly rushed down her stairs to talk to her brother, before he leaves for Stella’s shop to pick her up for the party. Her eyes were fixed on her left, keeping an eye on Hael’s study, if he were come out. When her injured leg felt a sharp pain and she tripped from the remaining stairs, but instead of falling down she was caught by strong yet slender arms.
She hears the person’s heart racing at a dangerous speed. Her neck bended backwards, as she looked up and found Alastor smiling nervously at her.
"Good evening, Lady Eleanore." He says, as he picks her up from the last stair, turns around and helps her stand on a stable ground.
Eleanore stumbled a little but she caught his arm immediately and supported herself with the help of it.
"Are you injured?" He asked.
"No, umm— I am fine." She answers, looking at her legs and adjusting her gown, before turning her gaze back to Alastor.
"Where were you running to in such a hurry?" He asked, scanning the hall ones.
"I was looking for my brother." She answers, her eyes travelling back to the corridor that leads to his study.
"Ah, duke Hael left minutes ago, when I arrived. He said he was in a hurry to pick up the Baroness and asked me to wait here for you" He lets go off her arm.
"Damn it!" Eleanore said under her breath.
"Sorry?"
"Nothing." She shook her head.
"Was it something important? We could stop by the Baroness’ shop before going to the royal palace." He offered.
"No, that’s fine. I can tell him at the party." She speaks.
