The Princess is Going on Strike - Chapter 33
Chapter 33
He wore a mask, but his distinctive ash-grey hair showed that he was royalty. The audience applauded and cheered as the Prince finished his speech in front of the podium. I waited for an opportunity to approach him from a distance.
In any case, I don’t think I see Ethan around. Is he not guarding the Prince today?
There were 2 knights hovering around the Prince, one was male, who I believed to be Sir Velfor, and the other was a red-headed female. Ethan wasn’t amongst them.
Did he decide not to attend despite asking me if I would?
I looked around to see if I could find traces of him, but it was impossible since everyone was wearing masks. I gave up in the end and leaned my head against the wall, hoping the people would leave the prince alone, when he clapped. That is when the people surrounding him scattered with cheers and the music changed. A slow, melodic piece which I’ve never heard of started to play in the grand ballroom. People turned to find partners, headed towards the center, and slowly started to move one step at a time.
What’s going on?
As I thought to myself, a quiet voice was heard next to me.
“Are you available?”
I turned my head and familiar ashen-grey hair caught my eye.
Prince Estian? When did he…..?
“Would you like to dance, Aerylle?”
I was surprised and grew stiff as he recognized me, despite me wearing a mask. Others glanced our way, but Estian just smiled as if he weren’t interested in their gazes. I looked at him bewildered.
“How did you know it was me…..?”
“The dress.”
“What?”
I slowly looked down at my dress then back up at him.
“By chance, was it Your Highness…..?”
“No, it was Ethan’s choice. I was there to help him pick.”
“…..”
Estian slowly rolled his eyes as he explained.
“In any case, may I take your hand? This is starting to get embarrassing, so if you’re going to refuse, can you do so clearly?”
“…..”
I wanted to refuse because I wasn’t good at dancing, but I felt that this was the best opportunity to talk to him. I placed my hand on his with a sigh. He led me to the center of the ballroom and we got into position. It was the most basic dance, but it had been such a long time since I danced at all.
It’s not like I was given even basic education or a chance to dance in the first place.
I lightly placed my hand on Estian’s shoulder while he placed one on my waist and grabbed my hand with the other. We slowly started moving our feet to the beat.
“Just a warning, I’m not very good at dancing.”
“Relax. It’s not a difficult one.”
I saw a smile appear on his face.
Let’s focus on the dance first.
I thought it would make us look ridiculous if I stepped on his feet, so I paid all of my attention to the music and my steps when I heard a voice above my head.
“Someone might think that I dragged you out here by force if they say you. If you keep staring at the floor, people will end up making up stories for our situation.”
“What?”
I lifted my head in surprise and accidentally stepped on his toes. I flinched, but Estian just tightened his hold and pulled me closer. Thanks to that, my mistake was able to naturally go unnoticed. I blinked and Estian smiled.
“Don’t worry. I’ve been stepped on dozens of times. The amount of force you used to step on me was rather adorable instead.”
“…..”
Even if you say that, I can’t help but to worry.
I had a lot on my mind. There were questions I wanted to ask and also had to make an apology, but because everything felt so complicated I wasn’t able to speak. So, Estian continued on.
“You look great in that dress.”
“Thank you.”
“Maybe Ethan has an eye for choosing dresses. I thought a darker color would be better, but I guess I was wrong. Do I need to take art classes again?”
I looked up at Estian at the mention of Ethan’s name. Our eyes met.
“Now you’re finally looking at me.”
“…..Is Ethan here as well?”
“What do you think?”
What do you mean “what do I think”?
I looked at him smiling strangely at me. I sighed and decided it was better not to drag things out and spoke.
“Your Highness. I’ve been reflecting on what happened last time. I apologize.”
“Hm? Reflect? Apologize?”
Estian asked and looked at me as if he didn’t understand what I was talking about.
“By chance, did I do something wrong without knowing?”
“What?”
“It’s because you suddenly apologized. What do you mean when you say ‘last time’? Ah, are you referring to what you said to me?”
“That’s right.”
I was apologizing for being emotional in front of him who I never met in my past life. Estian blinked a couple times, smiled, then shook his head.
“Why is that something you, Aerylle, have to apologize for? On the contrary, I should be the one to say sorry.”
Why?
I tilted my head as the Crown Prince relaxed then looked at me with a serious expression. He lifted his head slightly and looked over my head.
What’s he looking at?
“I thought, judged, and spoke by my own standards. I should’ve thought about things in your perspective and what kind of life you lived, but instead ended up speaking carelessly. I’m sorry.”
His gaze fell.
“I hope you forgive me.”
“…..”
What do you mean forgive you?
I was feeling quite embarrassed for receiving an apology so suddenly. I wasn’t in a position to forgive anyone and never thought about why I had to receive one from the legitimate heir of the throne.
No, even dancing with him itself is a shocking thing.
“I judge and make conclusions based on what I see for myself. Your argument was reasonable and meaningful. Thanks to you, I think I’ve learned something new.”
“Ah, th-that’s…..”
“Which is why I prepared this meeting today. It’s for compensation. Moreover, I thought you wouldn’t attend the masquerade if I didn’t invite you.”
Well, of course. There’s no way I would’ve had the courage to show up at the masquerade after the chaos that happened in the last banquet.
When I looked away, embarrassed, he spoke to my ear.
“It’s the same for me, too. People aren’t curious about who I am. They only look at me as being the Crown Prince.”
He looked straight at me.
“Just like the masks you wear.”
“…..”
“I disliked it and felt that it was unfair, but never thought about how you lived. Man, I should probably fire all of those arrogant instructors at the palace who teach me, right?”
I stared at him as he chuckled with a grin. When the song ended, Estian slowly released my hand he was holding. He then slid his hand away from my waist and drew his head near.
“How was it? Have you gotten used to it now?”
“What?”
“Dancing.”
Dancing?
I raised my head as Estian slowly stepped away from me. I looked at him with a blank expression as he moved away and he pointed to the side. I turned around to see where he was indicating and I saw bright golden threads approaching me. Estian spoke behind me.
“Now that you’ve had some practice, make sure to enjoy yourself. We’ll talk again later.”
And then he walked off.
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