The Veil of Darkness -
Chapter 226: The Truth (Part Three)
Chapter 226: The Truth (Part Three)
"Your mother was on cloud nine of happiness when she first saw you in my arms upon my return to our home. Till that point, she was only worried about my safety but as soon as she saw you..." the Grand Duke chuckled while shaking his head as he recalled the beautiful moment from his past.
Beside him, his wife also carried a fond look on her face, especially her beautiful sapphire eyes, as she too seemed to be recalling that wonderful moment when she first got to see the child that became her entire world.
But as for Annalise, she was a complete mess of emotions as she listened to her father’s story. The only thing keeping her from breaking down right then and there were her husbands who were also listening to the story as she had allowed them to. She didn’t want to keep her story a secret from them, and neither was she comfortable in telling everything to them on her own which would have needed her to experience all the painful emotions all over again.
Their presence right there with her, their support, their elemental powers surrounding her, and their bonds - kept a strong hold over her to not let her lose her composure and she was more than just thankful for their efforts.
"To make sure that the world will know you as our daughter, we made full preparations with the late King’s help. It was announced that your mother was two months pregnant and that we both wanted to spend some time as a family away from the hustle and bustle of the capital life. So, I took a break from my court duties and we left the capital to live in the countryside."
The Grand Duke continued with the story - "Of course, rumors were flying all over the capital because of our sudden departure but all of them were mostly related to politics and no one questioned the authenticity of your mother’s pregnancy. We spent two years away from the capital before finally returning. Fate also seemed to be working in our favor because despite being older than your fake age, you looked exactly like a baby around fourteen or fifteen months."
"The late King organized a huge banquet upon our arrival in celebration and it was on that very fateful night when the High Priestess got to see you and named you as ’The One’." The Grand Duke stopped there as he once again turned to look directly into Annalise’s eyes.
"She called you the biggest good luck charm our empire could ever have... but she also said that you have a completely different destiny awaiting you to follow."
Once again Annalise found herself thinking about the High Priestess. Despite her close connections with the royal family and all the noble families of the Capital City, the only person she never interacted with was the High Priestess. The only time she got to meet the woman was at her wedding ceremony but that day she was too lost to pay attention to anything.
Finally, it was the Grand Duchess who spoke this time, bringing Annalise’s full attention to her - "We have always treated you as our own child, Ana. Your fate or your destiny is your own but nothing can ever change the fact that you are my beloved daughter and the most precious person to me in this entire universe..."
Her sapphire eyes reflected the pain, longing, and immense love she had for her daughter, her only child, and the way her voice faltered at the end of the sentence, made it pretty clear that she was also overpowered by her emotions. Annalise just wanted to run to her and bury herself in her mother’s familiar warm embrace that would have taken away all the pain and suffering she was going through.
But she remained sitting on the couch with her body frozen there like a statue. She was unable to move despite her wanting to do it.
"My father..." This time, it was the King who spoke for the first time since her father started speaking. He too turned his face to look at Annalise with an unseen warmth in his eyes as he continued - "... used to tell me that you are very special and as your cousin, I should look after you and protect you. That’s why despite my busy studying schedule, no one ever stopped me from coming to your home and playing with you and it soon became my favorite thing to look forward to every day as it was the only time I wasn’t the Crown Prince but a normal kid."
He stopped to take a small but deep breath before continuing - "It was a night before my father passed away when he summoned me and shared some really important secrets and information that I needed to know to rule this Empire and one of those secrets was about you. He told me all about how he and your father found you in a cave and how you were prophesied to be our good luck star. He again reminded me to always protect you no matter what."
As the King stopped again to collect both his breath and thoughts, the study was filled with silence for a couple of moments which made Annalise pick on the rustling of leaves, chirping of birds, and squirrels’ rattles through the open window on the other side of the study.
"Then the bad news started coming, villages started getting attacked, people started disappearing, and we were left with no choice but to seek help from someone or something that can lead us out of this situation. That was when the High Priestess advised me to seek help from the dark lords and offer them a marriage alliance with you."
"Only I know how hard it was to persuade your father to allow this alliance to take place. If not for his duty toward this empire and the people, he would have never given in. I won’t ask you to forgive me, Annalise, but all that I have done is for my people and this empire."
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