With a horrific gasp, everyone stood up and distanced themselves far away from the duke of Dalton.
Who had just rebelled against the Emperor.
No one could believe that, the empire's hero, the father of the empress and the sword of the empire would point his sword at the emperor one day.
It was only Duke Hertz and Marquis Rosalie, who had stepped forward to stop the Duke of Dalton.
Eleanora was still too shocked to react as never in her dreams, she thought that her father will have such a reaction.
"ARREST DUKE OF DALTON AND TAKE HIM TO THE CELLS IMMEDIATELY FOR REBELLION!!!"
The emperor commanded furiously to everyone in the room and Eleanora's eyes widened in horror.
Her father, who has been always dignified and proud, the hero of the empire; will now go to the prison?
"PLEASE RECONSIDER YOUR DECISION, YOUR MAJESTY!"
Eleanora pleaded to the emperor, which made him more furious.
Thinking she really wanted to go back with her father., pleading for a man who just tried to kill him.
"Your Majesty! This is too much!"
"Duke of Dalton didn't spoke anything wrong!"
Duke Hertz got angry because of the emperor's decision and Marquise Rosalie also frowned as he tried to calm them down.
"...The Duke of Hertz and Marquis Rosalie, both of them will be detained for a month at their residence for helping the criminal!!"
The emperor ordered as he sneered at them, which made Eleanora who was about to approach her father stop on her tracks.
'No, I need to stay calm right now, so that I can find a way to get him out... The situation is turning worse,'
The knights all scattered quickly to obey the Emperor, not wanting to upset him any further.
They handcuffed her father with a magic binding silver cuffs, so that he can't use his magical powers and the duke just let them do it.
'Why did I react like this?'
'I only made it more complicated to take her out!'
Duke Dalton grit his teeth as his sudden act backfired his previous plan completely.
He had planned it well that he will join today's meeting to observe the situation and then talk with his daughter first.
But he ended up getting imprisoned all of a sudden, making it unable to help her in anyway.
"And you,"
The emperor said, turning his cold red eyes towards her direction with disgust.
"Get out of my sight and stay in your room until I say you can leave. You will remain there and conduct all your business from within those walls!"
"Do I make myself clear, Empress?"
"I-Yes…"
Eleanora couldn't talk.
Words wouldn't come out of her as she stared in fear at the emperor.
She was sure that he would send her down after her father or kill her if she misspoke at this moment.
She mutely nodded her head and watched the emperor leaving the meeting room with his stomping footsteps, as her father was being taken away to the cell.
Marquise Rosalie and Duke Hertz comforted her, before they were also forced to leave and stay under house arrest.
Eleanora's blue eyes filled with tears and she couldn't forget how her father smiled at her which seems to say;
'Everything would be alright.'
…
The days passed quickly after that as she organized the final touches of her escape, after she failed to get her father out of the prison.
No matter how many times she asked for an audience with the emperor, she was rejected every time.
There is no way that she can save her father now.
If she stays any longer and her belly starts to show up, she can't even imagine about the situation of the imperial and noble fraction.
Her father, Duke Hertz, Marquise Rosalie- three key figures of the imperial fraction who supports the royal family is absent.
Marquise Arlo doesn't hold much power to help her out.
And she knows that the noble fraction won't let go off this chance to take her down along with her child if they learns about her pregnancy.
In just ten days everything was now ready.
She had packed her bag, noted instructions for her empress duties over the following few weeks, and even left a letter for her father.
Eleanora wasn't sure if he would receive it given his current situation, but she needed to tell him she was thankful for what he had done for her.
It was nice to know he had actually still cared about her.
It pained her to even think of leaving him behind, but there was nothing she could do to save him now.
The cells were the most heavily guarded place in the whole empire.
Even attempting to break him out would lead to her being instantly caught.
The night of the escape, she was having her final dinner with Rena and Maria.
Maria her personal my maid since she was a little baby.
For some reasons Maria didn't liked Rena but she adjusted because of her.
After hearing her plan to escape, she came with her own bag and said to Eleanora that no matter what she do, she will always be support her.
In the end, Eleanora had no choice but agree to take Maria with her.
They had decided to leave once the sky turns dark so it would hopefully hide their presence a little.
Tonight there would be a large celebration happening in the main palace to celebrate Jena's crowning as the queen, so the guard patrols would be at their lowest.
Eleanora was sure everyone's opinions on her had only gotten worse now as her father had committed one of the highest offences possible; attempted murder of the emperor.
"It's time to go,"
Eleanora spoke nervously to Rena and Maria.
She was scared. She was scared that they would be caught, that she would be dragged back to this hell, and possibly executed.
But if they could pull this off, leave and finally be free, it would be worth everything.
She needs to do this for her unborn baby.
She can't watch another child to leave her.
Maria nodded her head as she grabbed Eleanora and her bags, getting ready to leave.
"Where did you put your bag?"
Eleanora asked, noticing Rena hadn't put anything by the front door yet.
"Oh, Her Majesty that's-"
Before Rena could answer though, the door was kicked open and several imperial knight warriors stormed in.
They grabbed Eleanora's arms and pushed her up against the wall, restraining me in magic ban silver handcuffs.
"WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING?!"
Most of them started searching the mansion and begin sifting through all her belongings.
And she was only just able to witness, in the corner of her eye, she saw Rena and Maria being forced outside.
It happened so quickly she couldn't even call out to them.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"
Eleanora screamed and her face was still pressed against the wall.
"As the empress, I demand that you stand down and explain yourself!!!"
She could tell the weight of her words washed over the knights, making them hesitate... but only for a moment.
The one holding her loosened his grip slightly but they didn't completely let go.
This meant the order had to have come from the emperor himself.
The emperor was the only one, who would have had enough authority to allow them to ignore the empress.
Another minute passed before Sir Barden finally walked in the door, glancing only quickly towards her.
"You can ease your grip and turn her around,"
Barden said to the one holding Eleanora and the knight spun her to face his unreadable look.
Were they doing all this because they discovered her plans to escape?
But it seemed a little over the top for something like that... something bigger was happening.
One of the warriors suddenly walked up to Barden, a few items in hand.
"We found these, Marquis Hill,"
He said, presenting them to Barden.
"It also looks as if she was planning to run away before we caught her. She had a bag near the door, full of clothes and supplies when we arrived."
Eleanora couldn't see what the second item was, but the first one was the letter for her father that she had left on the bed.
A sinking feeling hit her stomach.
She knew that letter could be misconstrued as sympathizing and thanking the man who had almost killed the Emperor.
Eleanora had planned to left before anyone read it.
Barden read the letter, his face still completely emotionless, before he sniffed at whatever else he had been given.
He grimaced and turned his face away.
"Is this yours, Your Majesty?"
Barden asked, showing her a neat bunch of herbs.
Eleanora didn't recognize them, as she had never been great at herbals.
The only thing she knew was how to rule and swing her sword to kill enemies.
"I've never seen that before in my life,"
Eleanora replied, spitting the words back at him.
"I don't even know what it is."
"They were found in her bedroom, Marquis. Hidden under the bed,"
The knight interjected after he heard her words.
"What?! You're insane! I don't keep herbs in here. I don't even know the first thing about identifying the different types!"
"It's Ephedrine,"
Barden answered calmly, his violet eyes piercing Eleanora and his next words made her gasp with horror.
"It induces miscarriages during pregnancy."