The Princess is Going on Strike - Chapter 24
Chapter 24
It was your own fault not mine.
My incompetent father has always been like this. He had no idea how incompetent he was nor was he willing to admit it. He only knew how to blame others, and when things didn’t work out, he would make sure that the arrow was always pointed at me every time. When I was young I always trembled in fear when Oledin pointed his finger at me while I was enclosed in a dark room.
“You insignificant bitch! How dare you make a mistake like that? Do you know how big of a loss I suffered because of you?! If you ever repeat this mistake one more time, I’ll send you back to your mother, got it?! Lock this bitch in her room and don’t even give her a single drop of water!”
I recalled my childhood when I trembled with fear wearing my mask. It was like a stormy night where Nanny Aubera held me as I cried myself to sleep after Oledin left. But now, I’ve given up on wanting to receive his love and recognition. The only thing that I wish for now is to live and watch this man fall to ruin. So, I cared less about what he said to me now.
“Did you forget that you slapped me and injured my face yesterday?”
Oledin glanced at my finger, which I tapped on my mask, and replied.
“What’s so serious about a small wound? Don’t you know how troubled your Father is because of yesterday’s incident…..”
Oledin’s word faded and his eyes narrowed. It was then when his anger settled and he let out a heavy sigh. He gave a serious expression and spoke with a calmer voice.
“You’re right. Since I was the one who injured you, I’m sorry. Forgive me.”
“…..?”
What did he just say?
I was in a daze from hearing Oledin’s unexpected words. I frowned while sincerely thinking whether this man was sick in the head. But he continued, still showing that serious expression.
“Yesterday was entirely my fault. So I wanted to talk to you about that incident. You and I, just the two of us.”
Which meant he wanted to exclude Ethan. I heard the sound of breath being exhaled behind me. When I looked up, Ethan clicked his tongue and gave an expression as if he couldn’t believe what Oledin just said.
“If you have anything to say, say it now, Duke Brixia. If it isn’t a secret, then that is there to be ashamed of? You’ve got nothing to hide, right?”
“Young Master Berlstein, that isn’t so. I have the right to talk to my daughter privately.”
“What ‘right’ are you referring to?”
“Well, of course…..”
Oledin grinned as he looked at me.
“…she’s my daughter.”
“…..”
“So do you mind giving us the room? I wish to have a normal conversation in a state where I am not drunk, but sober.”
Ethan stared at Oledin with a blank look contemplating what he should do. I placed my hand on his arm and looked at his troubled expression. He turned his brown eyes on me as I shook my head. I didn’t want him to be caught up in this any longer. I appreciated his kindness, but didn’t want him to get in trouble for it. It was only right for him to leave. Everything fell to me, from here on out and I needed to draw a clear line. Ethan looked down at my hand, nodded, then moved. He glanced at Oledin with his sword unsheathed, then turned around. The room became empty as he left the room with the other knights.
Oledin’s expression slowly changed since it was only me and him left in the room. It became one of self-importance, which he always expressed. He sat in the chair opposite of where I was, crossed his legs, and clasped his chin, revealing his true colors since no one else was around. His words and expression just a short moment ago were most likely not even sincere. Sorry? Forgive him? They were just words that even a passing bird would laugh at. The only reason why I let Ethan leave the room was because I was curious what he wanted to say since he was one who would never, ever admit his own mistakes. Just as I was about to tighten the strings on my mask, he spoke.
“Why’re you fixing your mask? I don’t think you need it, right?”
I looked at Oledin with a puzzled expression and responded bluntly.
“I should be polite since it was my father who put it on me. I’m sure you do not want to see my face.”
“That was when you were a monster with spots on your face. You don’t have to do that anymore.”
Anymore?
I frowned as Oledin smiled and tapped his chin.
“How did you get rid of them?”
“What are you talking about? They’re still-”
“It looks like you’re still bad at lying.”
Oledin rubbed his chin then brushed his eyebrows, as his eyes lit up. I stared at him thinking why this man was suddenly like this. Oledin frowned when he recalled what had happened yesterday and frowned.
Did he see my face when my mask flew off? I don’t think so since my hair was covering my face and Ethan came over right away and covered me with his cloak.
I looked back at Oledin as he grinned.
“I may have been drunk yesterday, but it wasn’t to the point where I couldn’t remember things. I’m sure what I saw wasn’t a simple illusion, right, daughter?”
“…..”
Oledin was a man who had an unpleasant intuition in the strangest cases. He would convince himself that what he saw and heard were true, such as this. Normally, a person might doubt themselves with the excuse that they were too drunk to have seen properly, but not him. I thought about how I should react. If I disputed him, he’d insist on taking my mask off to prove himself. And if I refused to do that, I don’t know what he’d do once we went back since the man named Oledin that I knew of would burn down an entire forest just for a small gain. I stared at him, narrowed my eyes, and spoke in a quiet voice.
“What is it that you want to say?”
Regalius Tome: Thank you for reading~!