The Assassin And The King [Completed]

|Chapter Thirty : Let Me Be Your Protector|

*Trigger warning : Contains domestic violence*

▪︎ F L A S H B A C K ▪︎

Eleven years old Valerian was seated next to Eleanor on the bed with his head on her lap while the woman sat staring at the beige walls in front of her with an emptiness in her eyes.

The memories from a few days ago buzzed through her head like a broken record.

'I'm sorry, your highness. The fall was fatal. The baby couldn't be saved. It's a miracle the queen is still alive.' The old white bearded doctor had said with an apologizing look her way.

'Good riddance.' Her husband, King Alker, had retorted before his gaze had shifted to her and he had grimaced, 'She should've died too. Next time I'll have to push her harder down the stairs.'

The doctor had gasped at the king's words, his eyes wide. But that had been his fault since the reaction was the very reason to irk King Alker enough to kill the old man.

Her husband had wasted no time to pull out his sword from his side and slice it across the elderly doctor's neck. The human had bled right in front of her eyes.

'You shouldn't have heard the last sentence.' The king had grinned down at the corpse of the man.

Eleanor was too stunned by the news of her baby to even bother about her psychopath of a husband. Even when the man had turned to her, made a disgusted face and spat on her, she'd remained utterly quite.

Three days later since the incident, she still couldn't get the trauma of losing her child and the harshness of her mate's actions out of her head. Why? Why did her mate hate her so much? Why did he push her down the stairs to kill their own child? Didn't he love her even a bit?

Valerian raised his head from where he'd rested it on Eleanor's lap and looked up at his step-mother. His green eyes grew sad as he noticed how hollow those grey ones of his step-mother still looked. He wasn't used to seeing Eleanor sad. That woman was a ray of sunshine in the dreary darkness of the castle.

She was so happy when she found out about her pregnancy. She'd paraded Valerian about how he's supposed to be a good elder brother and what not. She'd even ranted on about how he'd still remain the favorite to her. The woman was crazy happy.

But now it was all gone. All because of his father.

At that moment, Valerian hated the man more than ever. First he'd taken away his mother and now even the woman who was more close to him than his own mother, had lost her light because of the man.

Young Valerian sat straight on the bed and extended his hand forward to hold his step-mother's face, "You should go away from here." He said, his voice low.

Eleanor's eyes snapped to the young boy, "And leave you alone here?" She asked with a sterness he'd never heard her speak in. Infact, this was the first time she'd spoken in the last three days.

Valerian lowered his head not meeting her eyes, "Yes."

Eleanor just stared at the stupid boy before taking his hands off her face and pulling him into a warm hug.

"You dumb little boy, I'm not leaving you. Ever. We're in this shit together." She affirmed firmly making the boy let out a small chuckle in her embrace.

"You swear a lot." He said with a laugh.

Eleanor's lips pulled into a small smile as she brushed Valerian's head affectionately. The boy was really her little jewel. He was the only thing good she'd gained after meeting her mate. She'd gained a son.