The Princess is Going on Strike - Chapter 22
Chapter 22
“Is someone insulting me right now?”
I tilted my head and scratched my itchy ears with my finger. The man sitting in front of me smiled and spoke.
“Are you uncomfortable?”
“No. Ah, please show that to me first.”
I pointed to the document the man was holding in his hand. It was the ledger of goods that the Brixia family had delivered for the past five years. The man handed it to me without hesitation. There was one reason why these people, who were unaware of the internal affairs, are giving me these documents when I’m nothing more than a princess from the ducal family.
“Do you need anything else?”
It was all thanks to Ethan who was smiling as he spoke next to me.
…..how did this man end up here?
His eyes followed my hand as I flipped through the pages, then finally closed the document. I had come out of my room in order to avoid running into Oledin and stop myself from thinking about Ethan, but coincidentally ended up running into him instead. As if he had been waiting for me, Ethan asked me where I was headed and I quickly answered that I was going to the barracks to check the records.
You might not be able to see them if you go alone, Aerylle. Since they contain sensitive information, you won’t be able to read them unless you’re the Duke of Brixia or have a letter of consent with his seal. If not…..
Ethan slightly lowered his head and continued.
“An officer of the knightage may be able to look at them.”
Therefore, I had no choice but to follow him.
Am I the only one who feels awkward about what happened yesterday?
Ethan looked so calm. He casually took the lead, opened the door, pulled out a chair, and took out the cookies from his arms as if he had everything prepared from the start.
This isn’t what I had in mind.
I saw him smile at me through my mask.
I wonder why he’s making that face when we haven’t met for long.
The way he approached me so naturally actually caused me to think that he might have some other ulterior motive. If Prince Estian was good at lightening up the mood in an awkward environment, then Ethan was good at hiding his presence. Even when he is standing next to you, it doesn’t feel strange and is quite comfortable. He changed his expression with such variation that it caused me to think that perhaps his unexpressive, stiff expression he first gave was in fact the mask. In the end, I followed him all the way to the barracks and was able to receive the ledger.
I subtly avoided his gaze and turned my eyes to read through the paperwork.
“Is there a problem?”
The manager of the ledger who was sitting in front of me asked with a questioning look.
Did he find it strange that I was looking through the records because of Oledin?
I placed the book down on the table and asked.
“Is this the initial ledger?”
“What?”
“The original entry book. I want to see the ledger that was written after the transaction was complete, not this one. This one was written with the information from the initial ledger that I wrote.”
I wasn’t sure whether he understood what I was saying, but the man raised his eyebrow, turned to Ethan, then looked back at me. He took the book that I had placed on the table, flipped through it, then said quietly.
“Not everyone can see that ledger, Lady. Even if you are the daughter of Duke Brixia…..”
“No. I can, because it’s me.”
“Pardon?”
“If you bring a master’s work to someone who doesn’t know art, then they wouldn’t understand it. To them, it’s only a picture. The same goes for this. Those who understand it should be the ones to look at it because for others, it’s nothing but numbers.”
“Does that mean Duke Brixia does not know how to read this?”
I didn’t answer him and just chuckled. It was unseen since I was wearing my mask, but my low-pitched laughter caused him to show a bewildered expression as he tapped his chin.
Does he think showing me the book will cause a problem?
I was about to speak in order to convince him when the person next to me spoke first.
“Bring it.”
“But Commander, this isn’t something I can carelessly show off. And it isn’t something I can just show anyone, plus it isn’t guaranteed that she’d be able to read it…..”
“Princess Aerylle’s contribution to analyzing this case was immense.”
“However…..”
Ethan brushed his hair back with a heavy sigh at the hesitant manager.
“It looks like I’ll have to convince your heavy ass to get up and bring it to me.”
The manager’s eyes trembled in helplessness then nodded his head.
“…..Please wait a moment.”
The manager glanced at my mask then stood up with a frown on his face. I watched him turn around and leave to go find the ledger and spoke in a soft voice.
“Didn’t you frighten him a bit too much? I could have just convinced him. I’m sure he’s only doing his job…..”
“I’m also just doing my job.”
“…..your job?”
I stared at the commander of the knights seeing him never leaving my side as if it was his main job to cling onto me. Ethan must have felt my gaze since he turned his head to meet my eyes.
“You’re wearing a different mask today.”
I lightly shrugged my shoulders and nodded.
“The one from yesterday broke, remember?”
“Isn’t it uncomfortable?”
Wearing a mask wasn’t particularly uncomfortable for me. It was actually more uncomfortable not wearing one.
“I feel secure when I wear a mask. Ah! It’s like that feeling where you feel like you forgot something after packing your things to go on a long journey. You’re sure that you prepared everything, but still feel anxious. So you go through your bags to double-check your things and finally realize that you really did pack everything.”
“Do you mean to say that the mask represents an object that gives you a sense of anxiety?”
That’s not it either.
I felt that whenever I spoke to Ethan I would become confused about the reason why I wore a mask and its existence. He continues to ask me the fundamental question of why I wore one, but it was difficult to answer him so easily. I could say that I wanted to hide my face in the past, but for some reason, I felt that answer wouldn’t satisfy him. We both tilted our heads at the same time. I fixed my gaze on him as he looked at me.
Does he want something from me?
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