The Web of Knightspur-Chapter 233 - 231

Princess Eleanor sat on the bed and she blinked her eyes nervously. She had understood what Lady Gisella was trying to tell her earlier and knew that she still had some things that needed to be clarified.

"Looks like the Princess was waiting for me." A voice came from the window, making Princess Eleanor shiver in fright. She knew who that person was before she had a chance to look at him.

"I didn’t even know if you would come or not." Princess Eleanor laughed sarcastically as she shook her head, "Sir Kit... or should I say Grand Duke Christopher Beaumont?"

Princess Eleanor’s words were like hot needles piercing through his heart as Grand Duke Christopher walked towards Princess Eleanor in a hurry. His eyes looked straight into hers as he sat beside her. He could feel the aura around the princess change as if she was not ready for his closeness at all.

"I know that I am in the wrong and I have hurt you a lot. But please believe me when I say I have my reasons for doing so." Grand Duke Christopher pleaded his case. Princess Eleanor could not help but look at the man, only to realize that he was looking down at her with a gaze she had always known. It was Sir Kit’s eyes.

’They are the same person, Eleanor. Do not confuse them as two different persons. They are one and the same. Only that he has a new name and identity attached to him.’ Princess Eleanor tried telling herself but she still could not help from feeling a little uneasy.

"And what are those reasons you claim? You hide your identity from me. You are not just any ordinary escort. You are the Grand Duke of the Beaumont Empire! So what else are you hiding from me apart from this? At least, you have to tell me if your emotions were real or not? Did you even love me? Or was that a lie as well?!"

Grand Duke’s hold on Princess Eleanor tightened. "How can you say that? My feelings for you have never been fake. It was all real from the very start. My emotions and my thoughts are all real for you Princess. You’re the only one for me."

Princess Eleanor wanted to believe him, but she was finding it difficult. Was it because she was betrayed by so many people that she could not trust easily now? Princess Eleanor could not tell but Lady Gisella’s words ran in her mind again and again in a loop. They need to talk it out. Until she says what she was feeling, this situation might never end and she might never feel better.

’Do what makes me feel happy.’ Princess Eleanor thought as she looked up at Christopher. In front of her was the man whom she loves. He was not her escort or the man she fell in love with or even the Grand Duke. In Princess Eleanor’s eyes, the man was only Christopher - a person who she could talk to whenever she wanted.

Princess Eleanor took a deep breath as she brought her emotions under control. "So tell me what is all this about? Why did you lie to me? Why did you not tell me who you really were when you had a chance? Why did you let me think that I am in love with a man who does not exist?"

"I do exist." Grand Duke Christopher replied as he sighed, "But I understand what you’re getting at. So I will tell you everything from the start. Is the princess ready to listen?"

Princess Eleanor nodded her head as she bit on her lips nervously. She did not know what she was anticipating, but she could see the determination in the man’s eyes. And it made her think if she was actually overreacting from the start? Princess Eleanor shook her head as soon as the thought crossed her mind and she closed her eyes before nodding her head. She was ready to listen to Christopher’s explanations.

Grand Duke Christopher smiled as he looked at Princess Eleanor and said in a small voice. He turned his body towards her as he made himself comfortable in bed. He tried to make Princess Eleanor lean a little back so that she would not be in pain.

"It all started when I received a letter from your brother, Prince Edwin." Grand Duke Christopher said in a soft voice. His eyes looked at Princess Eleanor’s, whose gaze had question marks in them.

Grand Duke Christopher did not know if he should laugh or cry. But he was glad that the relationship between the two of them had grown stronger as she did not blame him right away in a stubborn manner.

"As I had already told you, due to the agreement between my father and the Emperor, the Royal family should not be using the symbol of House Beaumont but I soon got the report from Prince Edwin that he was able to find some spoilers in the territory that had Beaumont household badges and he wanted an explanation." Grand Duke Christopher explained as he continued. "But the situation was getting worse. By the time I went there, Prince Edwin was determined that it was me who had asked my knights to find the Angevin Kingdom’s weakness. But I still managed to convince him that it wasn’t the case, and I personally had to make a trip to the Angevin Kingdom without anyone’s notice. It was that time when the identity of a masked man called Sir Kit was created."

Princess Eleanor was silent as she listened to Christopher quietly. She nodded her head from time to time as she did not want to disturb the Grand Duke.

Christopher sighed as he continued, "When I knew that the Royal family was still using our name to do their dirty work, I was infuriated and I decided to come back and find out more information about the situation. But before I left, I saw you once at the palace, Princess. It was a brief encounter. So brief that you might not even remember it. But I remembered."