The Princess is Going on Strike - Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Dressed, I stood in front of the parlor and waited. This was because I was only allowed to enter when I was signaled to. To others, my existence was a nightmare and a symbol of a monster, not much different from a devil. I was someone who didn’t exist for my family. The one son and two daughters that the Duchess gave birth to were Oledin’s pride and joy, but I, his illegitimate child, was someone who was insignificant living in the annex building away from the main mansion.
My only merit was the knowledge that I had accumulated in the past, which I learned to survive; and Oledin needed that knowledge of mine. He would often use my knowledge for his or his children’s benefit then make it seem that he was protecting me by stating that it was all for my sake. Because of that, the young girl that I was, would become happy hearing those words, which was pitiful. Since that was the dream I had always been longing for.
When I was 17, Oledin became drunk and took off my mask during the first banquet that I had attended, making me into a laughingstock; like a monkey at a zoo. I was a fool to believe that he would one day really acknowledge me.
“Come in.”
I raised my head when I heard a voice spoken from beyond the door. I turned the knob, entered, and saw the knight Velfor and my Father sitting inside. I forced myself to suppress my feelings behind my mask as I looked at the two, but I will not be killing my emotions any longer.
“Good morning, Lady Aerylle.”
Velfor rose from his seat and greeted me. He was a young and highly talented knight who was known to be gentle and polite, but in reality, Velfor had little interest in others. After glancing at him, I returned his greeting and sat across from him.
Oledin, who was already seated, looked at me and glared. I laughed at him behind my mask when I saw his reaction and ridiculed him in my mind.
‘Did you think that would scare me? The 17-year-old Aerylle who used to tremble before you, no longer exists.’
“I had actually told His Grace that there was no need to summon the Lady, but he insisted which is why you’ve been invited here. I heard you were unwell….. How are you now?”
“I’m alright.”
Velfor looked at me without interest and nodded at my response. His question about my health was most likely a formality. He then turned to Oledin and spoke with a faint smile.
“Of course. I heard that you came today because you believe there to be a problem with the military boots that we supplied, isn’t that right?
Velfor nodded, wearing a businesslike expression.
“Yes. There have been reports of water leaking in from the soles when stepping on wet ground. The problem doesn’t seem to occur in all of the shipment, but only in some cases. It may not seem like a big deal, but when the soldiers train in cold environments, leaky shoes will increase the risk of frostbite. With that in mind, I’d like to check if there were any problems with the manufacturing process.”
“How strange. There wasn’t much trouble during the manufacturing process. If it only happens in some cases, as you mentioned, then perhaps it is the fault of the one who manages the equipment or even the soldiers themselves?”
“The knightage headquarters keep the equipment under strict management. Rust and other kinds of defects are taken care of separately. However, 1 out of 10 cases have reported this problem; it is not a matter that can be easily overlooked.”
“Hm…”
After hearing Velfor’s logical argument, Oledin rubbed his chin while leaning back. He may have seemed to be distressed as he thought about the problem, but it was all an act. He stared at me while lowering his head which signaled the meaning that I should solve this problem myself. But since he didn’t openly ask me for an answer, I just returned his gaze without saying anything.
“Because it’s an issue that affects the military boots, we will have to inspect all heavy and light armor, and the other equipment if the cause of the problem is in the manufacturing process. If we find that the same problem occurs in them as well, then we will be requesting compensation.”
“C-compensation?”
Whenever the military demanded compensation, the amount was never little since it included a year’s worth of indemnity of military maintenance. In other words, it wasn’t an amount that could be covered by the tax revenue collected by the duchy.
I laughed behind my mask as I looked at the two. It was quite nice not having to do a thing, since the Duke never asked or requested me of anything. Since that was the case, the situation proceeded without my involvement. It was a satisfying state of peace.
I knew the answer Velfor was searching for. As he mentioned, the problem, indeed, lied with the manufacturing process. In the process of mixing iron into the iron boots, the specifications for the screws used weren’t met causing some of the boots to become defective. And that wasn’t all, this was also done with the full-plate mail and the steel armor in order to save money on the manufacturing costs.
‘I think I remember it being especially bad for the armor.’
In the past, I was the one who looked into this problem. As a result, I pinned this problem all against a military official I found to have been turning a blind eye to corrupt dealings while receiving bribes. Because of him, the Brixia family was cleared of all charges. But thinking about it now, I finally understood that Oledin was much more incompetent and greedier than I thought.
I looked up after glancing at Oledin rambling and thought that there was probably no need for me to help out. So I rose from my seat. Our gaze met and Oledin asked me what I was doing and glared at me with the meaning that I should quickly sit back down. But I didn’t care.
“I apologize for doing this in the middle of your conversation, but as I am feeling extremely unwell, I will be excusing myself first. As I mentioned earlier….. It seems that I cannot endure it any longer. I apologize.”
“What?”
Unlike Oledin who was shocked, Velfor smiled and nodded his head. He commented that I did well enduring thus far, said farewell, then turned away from me. I stepped out the door and smiled behind my mask.
‘…..Good luck.’
I wasn’t in the least bit interested in it anyway. Oledin can go to ruin for all I care. I left the parlor while ignoring the bewildered gaze of the rotten old man. There was no need for me to help him nor get revenge. The incompetent Oledin Brixia will have a lot of work to do and at a level where he won’t be able to deal with, since he was far from capable of handling them. All he has ever done was take my achievements and claim them as his own. A person like that would only cause problems which was why I had always wasted much time fixing them. But now, there was no need to do that anymore.
‘Do it yourself from now on, since I don’t care anymore.’
“Where’s Father? Why did you come out alone?”
As I was opening the gate which led to the annex building, I heard a voice and turned toward it. It was Oledin’s son who was the spitting image of him, Verictus. He was so similar that if you added a few wrinkles then anyone would agree that he was Oledin.
“I wasn’t feeling well.”
“Oh~ I didn’t know monsters could get sick. I guess people really do live and learn.”
Verictus frowned and looked down at me as he came closer.
‘Who would argue that he wasn’t Oledin’s son? They even act the same.’
Of course, all he saw was my mask.
‘It’s a relief that I’m wearing one since I don’t want his dirty breath on my face.’
“Since I’m a person, not a monster.”
“You call yourself a person with that hideous face of yours?”
“That’s none of your business.”
Verictus particularly liked to keep me in check. Unlike my younger sister who avoided me out of fear, this person continued to find opportunities to talk to me. At the same time, he seemed to feel a certain sense of rivalry and would always argue about everything I did. He would always have a displeased look on his face even when he stole credit for the things I achieved and just like Oledin, the only thing Verictus knew how to do was boast about his identity.
He extended his hand towards my mask, but I took a step back to avoid his touch. Veritus smiled and reached out once more. He was always like this. While others would desperately try to avoid seeing my face believing it to be cursed, Veritus would cause scenes in an attempt to take a look at it. This is when he would shout insults and humiliate me. I raised my arm to block his hand, but because he was persistent, I had no choice but to slap it away.
“Don’t bother me.”
With that, I closed the front door.
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!