The Beloved One!

Chapter 08

Five days had passed since Ellen Smith had that uneasy feeling. Now she knew why. The silver head woman who stood in front in her doorway was Archduchess Tazanna Morley, the daughter of the two who had murdered her family and had almost caused her have a miscarriage when she had been pregnant with Ashnah. 

The nails of her ball hands chewed into her palms as she recalled the scenes of the terror from that rainy night. The loathe of the Morley Family that she thought had distinguished when she had given birth to her daughter was still there. The emotion was just waiting for the door that had it tightly bound behind chains to be unlocked and finally opened.

Tazanna obviously sensed the atmosphere. Her azure blue eyes nervously looked from left to right before she stepped forward. The gift was tightly clutched in her arms. "Um... Ellen-san....here!!!!" She held out the gift. The silver head had heard from her father and mother that Ellen loved ceramic incense burners. The one that she had wrapped was made out of pure emerald jade.

The scent that came from the gift immediately caught Ellen's attention and so did that perfume pouch that hang on the waist of Tazanna's baby blue gown.

'.....Poison.' The brunette felt her head spin for a moment. She had almost lost her daughter due to poison by the Morleys! They hadn't done enough, but came here to send her Ashnah to the other side! "Leave."

Hearing the dark chill in Ellen's voice, she trembled. But she could not be afraid and just up and leave. She recalled the lonely expressions of Anzor as he had gazed up at the full moon at nights. She recalled the moisten eyes of Anzor whenever he had visited the graves for the Smith Family. She recalled the smile that had been taken away from Anzor, when he thought that his beloved one was dead. She recalled everything. She had to do this for Anzor! Tazanna stepped forward even closer with the gift holding it in her hands. "Ellen-san, please listen to me! Cousin Anzor-"

Before she could say anymore, Ellen said, "Archduchess please leave. I have nothing to do with your Cousin Anzor or the Morley Family."

"Yes you do!" Tears brimmed in Tazanna's eyes. "You have everything to do with the Morley Family because you are the Archduke's.... Cousin Anzor's beloved one!"

Ba-thump!

Once she heard the final statement of Tazanna, Ellen's heart uncontrollably skipped a beat. She couldn't believe her heart would do such a thing.

Did the Morleys desire to play around with her emotions before they erase her and her daughter off the face of the earth? A glacial smile graced her face. Fine, then she will play along. Do not blame her for turning their scheme back onto them. "Before I talk to you Archduchess, can I examine your perfume pouch? It has exquisite stitches."

Relief poured over Tazanna once she heard Ellen's words. She set the boxed gift aside and reached for the flowery scented pouch.

Before the brunette could receive it, her wrist was gently grasped. The rate of her heartbeat quarreled with her brain as it quickened.

Ba-thump!

She knew this mana signature.

Ba-thump!

It was all to familiar for her not to know.

Ba-thump!

"Ellie."

She recalled the sound of his warm voice as he had called her name.

Ba-thump!

But why?!

BA-THUMP!

But why was her heart still beating erratically for him?! Even after what he and the Morleys had done to her and her family ... to her Ashnah!! And they still didn't leave them alone!!!

BA-THUMP!!!

"An-"

"-Cousin Anzor!" Tazanna was surprised. She was not expecting him to be here. But now that she thought about it properly, it wouldn't be so shocking. If she had heard about Ellen being alive and not dead, then of course Anzor as the Archduke, he would have knowledge of such a fact well long before her.

Ellen caught herself and pulled her wrist away from the silver head Archduke.

"Tazanna, as you may know Ellen and I have several matters to discuss." He stated.

"We have nothing to discuss."

Anzor dryly chuckled a bit at the brunette's statement. "From your perspective. Peter."

One of his shadow guards appeared before him in a crouching position. "At your service, Your Grace."

"Make sure that the Archduchess arrives safely to Hale's Inn."

"As your wish, Your Grace."

Tazanna was about to leave with Peter before Anzor said, "oh and Tazanna, leave the gift behind. It's suppose to be a present for Ellie, right?"

"Oh yes."

And they were soon left alone by themselves, Anzor Morley and Ellen Smith.

"Hmph." Ellen scoffed, folding her arms against her chest. "You Morleys love to scheme against others and do anything to protect those with your blood."

Anzor glanced that the boxed gift then to Ellen. "Ellie-"

"-You do not have the right to call me Ellie."

The Archduke's lips parted then closed. He took a step forward that made Ellen take a step backwards. Anzor then got down on his knees. "Ellen Smith, please allow me to explain everything from the beginning." He pleaded.

Ellen's amethyst eyes widened that the sight of the Archduke. His actions and his voice were sincere. She could not be subjugated to her emotions; she will not allow them to reign over her. "There's no explanations to be said Archduke Morley. I already know of some of the gruesome sins the Morleys have committed and I bet they are only just the tip of the iceberg."

"Ellen Smith, will you please lend your ear to listen." He softly asked. Anzor's azure blue eyes moistened over.

"For what?!!" Ellen shouted. "For how you massacred my family in cold blood?! For how you almost took the life of my precious Ashnah?!! For how you betrayed me?!!!" Hot tears simmered in her eyes, seeping down to her cheeks. Her voice cracked. Hatred. Sadness. Disappointment. Love. All of these emotions blended together into one to form into a devastating hurricane that wreaked havoc inside of her. "Tell me Archduke Morley, for what?!!!!"

"....E-Ellie." Anzor  stood up ready to embrace her, but she rejected his advance.

"Archduke Morley, just please leave."

Seemed like Ellen was too much in an emotional state to listen to him which he understood and had predicted. The last thing he desired to utilize was this method. But he had to. "Then, I will do as you ask, Ellen." The tone of his voice changed to a hard one. "But I will be taking my daughter, Ashnah Morley with me."

⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️
⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️

• In the original otome game Tazanna Morley dies because of the original scheme with the ceramic incense that her parents had set up to kill Ellen and Ashnah. But because of Ashnah greeting her father and giving him a herb for his wound, he decided to quicken his plans which led them to being under his constant watch. Knowing about how scheming his uncle and aunt was and Tazanna's personality, he immediately placed an end to it. He didn't want either Ellen or Tazanna to get caught up in the schemes of the retired Duke and Duchess of Morley.