The Princess is Going on Strike - Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Alissa was more competent than I thought. Despite being young, her hands moved without hesitation as she helped me put on my dress and she was able to react quickly to my hand gestures. Not only that, but she even had a carriage waiting for me as if she had prepared one in advance, so there was no inconvenience at all. She may have smiled adorably, telling me to have a safe trip, as she helped me get on. But once the carriage departed it caused me to wonder.
Where did she bring the carriage from?
I wasn’t able to ask her for the details because we were too busy, but it felt suspicious. I looked around the passing environment to see if someone was planning on kidnapping me, but fortunately, I was able to arrive at the gates of the banquet hall which were brightly lit with colorful lights soon after. The coachman opened the door of the carriage and I felt the warmth coming from the banquet as I stepped out. This was a banquet which was held every 3 years and one hosted by the royal family, thus was extremely large. In the past, I gaped with amazement at the size and splendor of this banquet….. But in the end, it turned out to be disastrous.
I turned my head with a bitter smile. I could see the passing nobles talking amongst themselves, chuckling through their covered mouths, as I passed by. To them, I was incompetent and worthless. Despite being a princess of the Brixia family, I was only a laughing stock to them. The Masked Princess, Monster….. They were names which bluntly pointed out my mask. In the past, I would have been intimidated by their expressions, but now there was no need to be.
I’ve already given up on being accepted, so what’s the point in being concerned with what they say? I have no interest in it anyway.
I entered the banquet hall wearing a dark-colored dress which was quite different from the other attendees. The guards tried to stop me, paused, then let me through after seeing my mask. My mask alone indicated who I was. Passing by them, I moved toward the balcony and hid myself in the shadows.
Despite it all, I had no desire to become a spectacle like a monkey at a zoo. I tightened the mask on my face, leaned into the darkness of the terrace and proceeded to observe the hall. It was full of people who wanted to show off their powerful friendships and those who wanted to make use of them. There were also many families in which I’ve never seen before and those that I’ve never even heard of, as I’ve never been formally introduced in high society. In order to make themselves known to powerful families, they would attend social events such as this and the Brixia family were among those they flattered.
“There he is.”
In the distance, I saw a man chuckling while being surrounded by people and being praised for his work. Oledin boasted about the achievements that I accomplished as his own and his children’s. As I looked around, I saw the members of my family in various places. Verictus was in the middle of a group of women while Asterin chortled amongst men.
How can they look exactly like him? The only thing they know how to do is brag about their great family.
I clicked my tongue and turned my head.
They’re not important. What I need to be concerned about right now isn’t the Brixia family but Ethan who’s standing next to the Crown Prince. Even if he’s on the job as the personal guard, I’m sure he’ll take a short break at some point, which I’ll be aiming for…. But I wonder if other people will approach the Young Lord of the Berlstein family as well? And I’m sure they’ll take notice of me if I approach him with a mask on.
I felt a slight breeze while thinking about when my opportunity would come. I turned my body and saw the beautiful night sky. Despite the bright lights of the banquet hall, I could see the dark sky glittered with beautiful shining stars and the moon. It reminded me of how I used to enjoy looking at the moon. It reminded me of my face underneath the mask as it would shine its round shape then slowly disappear with the passing of time. The warm breeze caused me to close my eyes and think while I waited, when the doors of the terrace opened and the sound of shoes tapped on the floor. I opened my eyes, turned my head, and saw a familiar face.
“Sister Beritha.”
Despite flinching at my call, she continued to walk towards me. She was the oldest daughter of the Brixia Family. Unlike the annoying Verictus and Asterin, Beritha had a quiet personality and rarely bothered me. She did have a slight fear of me, but it wasn’t to the point where she would avoid me out of scorn. Rather, she would sometimes speak to me as if she had some sort of expectations. Her dark blue-colored hair, which resembled the Duchess, looked beautiful under the night sky. If Asterin was considered a tomboy, then, Beritha was a calm beauty. She was, in fact, kind to others as well.
“What are you doing here?”
“Looking at the sky.”
She walked, stood next to me, and turned her face up as we exchanged words. Beritha pursed her lips and gazed at the night sky as I stared at her silently from the side.
“I’m sorry.”
“…..What?”
“I tried to stop him, but it was in vain.”
Beritha turned away after she spoke.
Why did she suddenly…?
I gave out a nervous snort while staring at her back as she opened the terrace doors and went back inside.
What was that about? Why did she suddenly apologize? Did she do something wrong against me or is she apologizing in advance because she planned on doing something?
But I saw no particular change. People were busy dancing, enjoying the refreshments, and chatting amongst one another. You could even see some of the nobles already drunk because of how much time had already passed since the start of the banquet.
I’m sure there’s nothing for Beritha to apologize for.
I turned my gaze towards Beritha as she returned to the family with a smile.
What could it be?
I really couldn’t understand her sometimes. She would say strange things to me despite being afraid of me and flinching whenever I called out her name. I sighed, leaned against the terrace railing, and observed the banquet hall. I noticed that the main doors of the hall were closed and that there was a change in the atmosphere. The dancers stopped dancing and everyone gazed towards the platform. The Crown Prince stepped forward as the host on behalf of the Emperor. He slowly walked towards the throne, stood in front of the Emperor and looked at the guests then spread out his graceful arms. The sound of the applause was so loud that it could be heard from outside beyond the terrace doors. The ash gray-colored haired prince made gestures with his hands as he presented his speech which was followed by another loud round of applause. Then, the music started again once more in the banquet halls.
Regalius Tome: Hi, this is the two-man team of Jewlz and Eclise. We do all the translations and proofreading ourselves, and will do our best to stick to our schedule. Any amount of donations or words of encouragement are welcome! It also helps to motivate us!