Chapter 453: : Respect?
"Dame Csille?"
I look up and see Sela watching me with concern. I give her a reassuring smile and continue reading the reports on my desk.
"Are you okay, Dame Csille? Is it really okay for you to work? You don't have to force yourse-"
"I'm not forcing myself, Sela. You heard Brother Pascal, right? I'm well enough to work. So, you don't have to worry about it."
I couldn't focus on work because of my conversation with Princess Paislee last night.
I don't understand what she was trying to convey. I thought she was in love with Prince Fraser, yet her last words left me confused.
Prince Fraser being in love with me? I almost laughed when I heard it. How could he love me if he's already in love with Princess Paislee?
I take a deep breath and set the paper down. No matter how hard I try to focus on work, I can't stop thinking about what happened yesterday.
The conversation between Princess Paislee and Prince Fraser keeps replaying in my mind. A royal having feelings for Princess Paislee? And Princess Paislee claiming that Prince Fraser is in love with me, even though she knows full well she is the one whom Prince Fraser is in love with.
"Dame Csille? Are you... okay?"
I look at Sela and shake my head. "Sorry, I can't concentrate right now. It might be due to my lack of sleep." I stand up and sigh. "Let's go check the workshop. You mentioned I need to inspect the quality of the weapons, right?"
Sela stares at me for a few seconds before leading me to the workshop.
I can see that she's worried about me and probably has a lot of questions she wants to ask, but she remains quiet. Perhaps it's because I don't look like myself today.
After a few minutes of walking, we arrive at the workshop near the garden. However, I frown when I see people forging weapons outside the workshop.
I look at Sela, who guiltily avoids my eye contact. "I'm sorry, Dame Csille. The workshop room is too small to store all the forged weapons, so we decided to forge outside to make room for the weapons."
I glance at the bright, shining sun and the people forging weapons. Even with the trees providing some shade, it's not enough to keep them out of the sun. If this continues, I'm afraid it will harm the forgers.
I heave a sigh. "Sela, tell them to take a day off for today. After that follow me, we need to discuss about something."
I don't wait for her response and return to my office. I need to arrange for a larger workshop and storage room that can accommodate both the forgers and the weapons. To do that, I need to prepare all the necessary documents.
That means I need to see his highness... again.
"Csille, I heard you still haven't eaten your lunch? Are you planning to starve yourself to death? It's past noon now."
I look at Brother Pascal, who is standing in the doorway glaring at me.
I sigh and set aside the documents I've been reading. I just finished preparing all the necessary documents for the workshop and storage room.
I will be sending these documents to Prince Fraser's office to seek his approval. I need his consent before proceeding with anything that involves funding.
"Apologies, Brother. I just finished these documents I'll be sending to his highness this afternoon. I was so engrossed in it that I lost track of time." I stand up and arrange the documents on my table.
Brother Pascal's eyebrows furrow even more. "Csille, I understand your dedication to your work. However, I must remind you that you've only just recovered from an injury. If you keep neglecting your health, we might have no choice but to return to the capital."
My eyes immediately widen when I heard what he said. I cannot allow that to happen. Mister Sewell already given me a warning, so I need to give him something useful or else I might mess up the storyline again. With Mister Sewell's temper? I'm sure he'll do something to threaten me again.
"I understand, Brother, and I apologize. This won't happen again. I had something urgent to attend to, which is why I couldn't eat lunch on time." I offer an awkward smile. "Did you manage to have your lunch?"
Brother Pascal shakes his head with disappointment. "Yes, I did. I came by earlier, but your staff informed me that you were deeply engrossed in work."
I smile at him and ask if he wants to join me for a walk to the cafeteria. But he declines, saying he still needs to talk to General Abarral and Colonel Randle about the soldiers'
reputation?"
Rufus's scoff is unmistakable. "How ironic to hear such words from you," he retorts. "Especially from someone who publicly humiliated Dame Csille by breaking off their engagement without even speaking to her first. If there's someone who needs a reminder, shouldn't it be you, Your Highness?"
My eyes widen at Rufus's words. While I'm aware their relationship is deteriorating, Rufus has definitely crossed a line with his bluntness.
I understand he's speaking the truth, but I can't help but wonder how he could be so straightforward, especially in front of Prince Fraser, who is known for his temper.
I was waiting for Prince Fraser response but I was startled when Prince Fraser rush to Rufus
and hold his collar.
Thankfully, Princess Paislee pulls me to the side, preventing me from being pushed alongside Rufus. Given the force with which Prince Fraser is acting, I'm certain I would have
ended up injuring myself again.
"Prince Rufus, allow me to remind you that you are addressing the Crown Prince of the
Vrawyth Kingdom. How da-"
Rufus interrupts with a sarcastic laugh. "How could I forget? Everyone seems intent on
reminding me of who you are and where my place is," Rufus responds with a scoff. "How can I forget? If you keep reminding me of it?"
Despite his laughter, I can hear the pain in Rufus's voice. Among everyone here, I understand the extent of what Rufus has endured simply because he is Prince Fraser's cousin. The bullying from the nobles, the sacrifices he's had to make, and the achievements he's had to downplay just to ensure he doesn't overshadow Prince Fraser.
"But here you are throwing those words at me? Don't you realize that you are disrespecting
the throne right now?"
Yet, Prince Fraser tries to remind him where his place is. Isn't that a slap on Rufus face?
It's disheartening to see Prince Fraser continually disappointing me. I don't understand how
did he come to be like this?
What did I do wrong?
I look at Princess Paislee who is currently watching the two Princes. I was hoping she might intervene to ease the tension between them. But I'm taken aback when I see her expression.
She looks indifferent to what is happening between the two Princes. There's no trace of emotion on her face, as if the two people arguing in front of her are strangers.
But why? Shouldn't she be at least a little concerned about Prince Fraser? Yet, I can't see any
worry on her face.
Rufus's laughter caught my attention again. "Have you heard yourself, Prince Fraser? Disrespecting? If anyone here is being disrespectful, it's you. So don't make me laugh by bringing up the throne. Because if you were a rightful heir, you wouldn't be doing anything to
disrespect it.""
My eyes widen at the rage in Prince Fraser's eyes. I recognize that expression, and I doubt I'll like what happens next.
Please, no! I can't let them ruin everything!
Hello! This your writer. You can skip this part if you want. I just need to fill in some words because I
need to have certain number of words. However, after editing this chapter I was missing a lot of words. So, please skip. I'm just writing just to fill in the missing words.
I would also like to apologise for the inconsistencies of my updates. As much as I would like to update daily, my schedule wouldn't allow. So, I hope you still bear with me. Just like I promised, I will definitely finished this story no matter what. In fact, I am already thinking of side stories. So stay tune everyone.