Chapter 32 - Eavesdropping is Never A Good Idea

An annoying constant between Eleanor and Rowan was that they seemed to ignore each other a lot after they had some sort of disagreement or falling out. In Eleanor's defense, she did try to talk it out with him, but he seemed adamant about not saying a word to her.

The next morning, she woke up with the hope that she would be able to get something out of him. An entire night had passed, surely Rowan was ready to speak to her?

No, he wasn't. And not even a good morning got tossed at her before he walked past her in the kitchen as soon as she stepped in. It was fair to say that Eleanor had done a lot of childish things in her life, but she never imagined that the gladiator would be the one doing it.

"You are such a child." Eleanor twisted her mouth. He didn't even stop to retort.

It took a week for Rowan to speak to her again. But it was over the last thing that she would have expected. Eleanor wished he had continued to ignore her.

The note he left her in the morning was not what she was talking about.

*'My friends are coming over at one today.'*

Eleanor sighed deeply. At least he found some means to communicate with her. And at least he told her about it. His vulgar friends were the last people she would want to say on any day. Good or bad.

So, she went about the beginning of her day, normally. Rowan had left home and so she took her time in everything she did. Slowly eating fruit while she enjoyed the view of the blooming camellias and mandevilla. Next, she went to the laundry room, which was located behind the kitchen, and washed some of her clothes before she hung them out to dry. Every time she did it, her heart ached for her maids who did this on a daily basis. Eleanor never wanted the servants to touch her clothes, especially her undergarments. Even if it was their job.

Then, she ate a light lunch before noting that the time was nearing half past twelve. So Eleanor took some water and fruit up to her room, ready to camp out for a few hours.

She eventually heard the rowdy group enter the house, They were louder than usual. Eleanor had remembered to open all the windows as well as the door to the backyard.

The noise faded after some minutes, and whatever Rowan did with his friends began. Eleanor had thought about it and concluded that they were probably gambling. If a group wanted to meet and have fun, and it wasn't gambling, why would they convene in Rowan's small dining room?

Among the many books on the gladiator's bookshelf, Eleanor happened to come across some romance novels. Classics that anyone would own, but not everyone would read. Eleanor was never really allowed to read romance books because her parents only wanted the idea of the Coming of Age Trials in her head.

She had heard of romances from the people around her, the whispers of them among the servants, and the mentions of them in history books when one fool did something in the name of love.

Romance books were polluting and would dull Eleanor to the real world.

*"It's all fiction Eleanor, and digesting such nonsense won't do you any good. It would be bad to have you believe that these things in these books are true, right?"*

*"But that's what they are. Fiction. They aren't real, Mother, so I won't believe them. I promise."*

*"It's still a no Eleanor. Now go on, you have many other books in the library to keep you entertained."*

All the romance books were removed from the Louis estate the next day.

Eleanor knew of the classics and really popular novels because of her maids. They were always happy to regale her with the tales of star-crossed lovers.

Eleanor picked up one of the books that weren't considered a classic and began to read it. Love between a royal and their servant. They knew each other since childhood, the servant being born around the same time as the royal, was given to him as a gift. She was his and would do everything he asked of her.

They grew up together, and now as young adults, were now discovering their feelings for each other. The Prince being enamored by every breath the servant took and the girl refusing to give in to him no matter how many times he coaxed her.

*The young Prince had dragged the servant down into the bed with him. She was red to the ears with embarrassment and although she tried to get up, she could not move too much for fear of hurting the royal that lay under her.*

*"I'm not in the mood to attend my classes today. Why don't we stay here for the day? Sounds like a marvelous idea, no?"*

*"Your Highness... please... I need to get back to work. If I'm caught again then I will be beaten." Pain shook the poor girl's voice as she pleaded with the Prince.*

*His grip tightened around her waist. "I would never let you get hurt. Even if the King himself called for the order. I would protect you." His voice turned into a soft timbre, his emerald eyes stared into her brown ones.*

*"Highness..."*

*"So with that being said, how about you relax with me... for a little while. I promise I'll let you go back to work soon enough. But I'm tired, and could really use the sleep."*

*The Prince rolled them to the side, she was tucked into his chest, her soft breaths causing his heart to palpitate. The royal was asleep in a few minutes, but how could she sleep, knowing that he was so close to her when he had been out of reach for so many years? After all, she had loved him first.*

Eleanor had to put the book down. She knew why her mother had banned them from her now. She was angry she didn't listen.

It had been many hours since Eleanor had retreated to her room, and she was beyond thirsty. The sun was setting, so Rowan's friends should have been gone by now. The house was quiet as she descended the stairs, so Eleanor took that as a sign of an empty house.

She got some water and drank it in the kitchen before fixing herself a simple sandwich. The pickles that were sent to them were something Rowan and Eleanor both loved to eat, so she made sure to get more sent to the house. As usual, she cut off the crust, which is something Rowan obviously had a problem with. Something about wasting food, and then added cheese paste and the pickles.

While walking back to her room, she heard the faint murmur of voices. Eleanor's head whipped to the side and zoned in on the door to the dining room. It was open. But just a crack.

Curiosity got the best of her.

"If the groups were to take the west, then it would not make much sense because that's where most of the military power is. It's always close to the royals." A masculine voice said.

"It would be over too quickly. Now that we have the numbers, we should be focused on how to properly use them." Another commented.

Numbers?

"The oil mine that's located in Otari is obviously the biggest thing to hit since the economy can't survive without its exports." said a feminine voice.

"Oil, crops, nobles. All those things need to be on the list. The most important things to this country. Then and only then can we bring it down."

Eleanor sucked in a sharp breath. Were they... planning a coup? No, that's ridiculous. Why would a group of commoners-

"We have to make sure our demands are good enough to get the royal's attention."

Rowan.

His voice sounded close and Eleanor moved to run back to her room, but it was too late. Rowan opened the door.