The Clausius empire

Francis was talking to his knight about the preparation for their return to the palace. Eleanor took advantage of that moment to take her stuff and flee. 

But before she could take a step, she feel a strong hand hold her wrist. Without turning back, she knew to whom that hand belonged.

"Can you tell us where you are going like that?"

"For saving me from the wolves..I express my sincere gratitude to his majesty, but do remember that I saved you too in the forest. So please let me go." She said with her back facing Francis.

"You didn't answer my question." 

"Sorry but I am not obligated to answer to that, since it doesn't concern you sir Fran...I mean your majesty." She replied while turning her face sideways and looking at him coldly.

He quickly noticed the change in her behavior, strengthened his grip, he put his other hand in her shoulder, so that she will face him properly.

"What is wrong? why the sudden change in attitude..is it because of the people that came suddenly? don't worry though they're my personal guard, they are here to protect you, not the contrary."

She firmly shook her head and said with indifference.

"I simply have no more businesses with you, your majesty, so if you could let go, I need to continue my journey."

At her reply, he looked at her with a serious and cold face, like when he first met her and said with a cold tone, "well, it will be difficult for us to let you leave, since we will have to check your background, to be sure that you are not related to the people trying to kill me. If we let you go, you may go and tell them all the information about me being alive. And if there is a chance that you are in any way connected to my enemies, be sure that I will show no mercy, even if you saved my life."

After he finished his warning, Eleanor was stunned and horrified by what she just hear. And before she could utter any protest, he quickly lifted her in his arms, like a princess and took her to the carriage.

He instructed his knight to enter by the back door of the imperial palace, so that they wouldn't be noticed by anyone in their way back.

The carriage moved and they were on their way to the palace. Eleanor who was still shocked by the rapid flow of event finally regained her consciousness, and said to the shameless man in front of her.

" Hey! are you crazy? who do you think you are? taking an innocent person without their consent."

" An innocent person?! I don't see anyone like that here...I don't know anything about you so to me you are a suspicious woman, who could be working for my enemies."

"How can you say that, I was the one who saved you in the forest when you were poisoned and took you out of there."

"About that, the poison could have been made by you on the order of your superior, because it was weird how you easily found a cure to the poison. Since, I was the target it surely wasn't a normal poison...." he said while narrowing his eyes and pursued "and now that you mention it, how did you know the way out of a forest, rumored to be deadly because it make any person stepping inside lose his way....hein? can you answer to that miracle?"

'Because I could read a spell in the witch's book! if I said that, I will be dead before we reach our destination. I myself don't know why I could understand everything in that book....what should I do!..but for now, I need to find an excuse', she thought for a while about what to do given the situation.

Francis looked at Eleanor with an amused expression, that he tried to cover with his hand. He knew that she wasn't an enemy, but it was also true that everything about her was unknown to him, so he decided to do a background check, to know more about her on the purpose of safety in case she was send by the enemies....well, that was the excuse he thought about to take her with him.

she poundered for some times about an appropriate answer and finally uttered.

"Well,....I~I was just lucky I guess, and about your poison, I learned since my childhood how to treat any kind of sickness or injury...that's why I could heal you."

"Oh really? but there is no one to prove that, is there?" he said while continuing to tease her without her knowing.

"What about you then, what give you the right to take me without my consent...even if you are a king...you can not just take people without proof."

"The reason is simple, I am the emperor of Clausius empire, also the evident fact that you are in my territory gave me the right to do an  investigation on you, who look like a suspicous person that could have been send to kill me."

"I told you there's no way I could have tried to kill you...." she said with an exasperated tone but she didn't finish because of the word he said, that took her interest.

"Wait! did you say empire?"

"Yes." He replied with indifference.

"How? since when? I know that there was three kingdom, the Clausius, the Munoa and the Oasius kingdom....but when did it change like that." She said with her eyes wides, and slightly parted lips, showing her surprise.

He looked at her and wondered how she couldn't have been aware of that tremendous change that made history. He replied after concluding that it would be one of the answer, he will have to get after checking on her.

"Yes it was like that five years ago, well this change happened after my coronation, I went to war against the other two kingdom and unified them to make one prosperous empire."

"What?! seeing how you are saying it, it look like it was easy, you did that at the stake of many human life." She retorted with a horrified face.

While remembering every face he killed, and every person he lost. Francis grit his teeth with anger and his face became dark, while controlling his anger, his glare fixed her and he said.

"Do not cross the line woman, you don't know what you are saying...so do not go and speak nonsense."

Eleanor's eyes meet francis's gaze, and they looked at each other for a moment. Then Eleanor turned her face toward the window and enjoyed the view, without saying anything for the rest of the trip.