Thy Empress (Erwin Smith x FEM! Reader)

part lvii

Word Count - 1,370 words

"I beg of you..."

Eleanor was taken aback when Sota kneeled down and lowered his head down on the floor, bowing to her. "D-don't do anything yet...to make her remember."

The young lady clenched her fist.

She told Sota everything about Y/n.

The man was more than shocked.

But what he first said is requesting her not to do anything for the mean time to help
Y/n remember her past.

"I-I'm not asking you to leave her alone...give her time...I don't know what will happen if we force her to remember her past...I think it's better to let her remember her memories by herself."

Sota lied. He only wants the time so he could be with Y/n for a longer time.

He knows that once Y/n remembers everything, she would go back, leaving him  alone. Even Elizabeth will have to leave his side.

Though he's also telling the truth.

There's a big risk of danger to Y/n if she is forced to remember her story.

"If you keep her...you could be charged with treason. She is the empress of the Eldian empire. The wife of the Eldian emperor, people mourned for her when she was thought to have died. Until now, the people are still longing for her ruling."

Eleanor closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She understands Sota, and what he's trying to say. But keeping Y/n in the dark, and keeping all this a secret will only make things worse. "My father..."

Sota looked up at Eleanor.

He saw the sorrow in the princess' eyes.

He knew right away that a lot of things must've changed in the princess' life after losing Y/n.

"He's suffering from losing her majesty...he's endured the mourning for a long time, he never healed nor forgot about her. That's why...I want to tell him. So that he can stop suffering, as well as the other people who were affected by her majesty's disappearance. We need to tell them."

Sota clenched his fists. He looked down, staring hard at the wooden floor. He knows that. But he doesn't want Y/n to leave.

"...i can't..."

Eleanor gritted her teeth. She slammed her hands on the table, causing a loud noise.

"You have to understand! The woman you took in as your wife is someone else's wife and not just an ordinary woman! She is the respected empress of the Eldian empire!"

Sota shut his eyes.

I don't want to let her go...

Sota has never been selfish.

His father raised him well.

But when it comes to Y/n...

He could become the selfish man he never was.

"Something...already happened to us."

Eleanor froze in her place.

She's young, but they are taught to understand mature matters as their royal duties. "If she comes back...won't she be shamed for that...? Won't she be deposed for that? Will the emperor and the Eldian people still accept her for having an intimate relationship with another man?"

The young princess wasn't able to answer.

She just stared at Sota who stared at her with nothing but a serious look on his eyes.