Chapter 453: : Respect?


    ?


    "Dame Csille?"


    I look up and see S 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, S. 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 Paisleest night.


    I don''t understand what she was trying to convey. I thought she was in love with Prince Fraser, yet herst words left me confused.


    Prince Fraser being in love with me? I almostughed 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 reying in my mind. A royal having feelings for Princess Paislee? And Princess Paislee iming 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 S and shake my head. "Sorry, I can''t concentrate right now. It might be due to myck 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?"


    S 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    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 S, 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 nce 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. "S, 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 arger workshop and storage room that can amodate 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 nning to starve yourself to death? It''s past noon now."


    I look at Brother Pascal, who is standing in the doorway ring 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''


    training.


    That''s why I end up eating alone. But before leaving the office, I make sure to ask s to send the documents I''ve prepared to Prince Fraser''s office.


    As much as possible, I don''t want to talk to him for now. Not after hearing him say those words.


    I don''t want to hope again only to hurt myself once more. No, I''m done hoping for something that will never happen in this lifetime.


    I was about to step inside the cafeteria, but I stopped when I saw three people eating at one


    table.


    What are they doing here?


    I tried to turn back, but I was toote. Princess Paislee had already called my name.


    "Dame Csille? Are you here for lunch too? Why don''t you join us? It''s been a long time since west ate together."


    I almost want to roll my eyes at her. If only I weren''t with the two Princes, I could have pretended not to hear her. But it''s toote for that now.


    I simply smile at Princess Paislee and respectfully refuse her offer. I would rather starve to death than to sit with them.


    Not with the tension floating in the air right now.


    "I apologize, Sir Farren, but I''m only here to pick up some sandwiches and head back to my office. I have a busy schedule ahead, as much as I''d like to stay, I must decline. Please excuse


    me."


    I head straight to the counter to order sandwiches, opting for a lighter meal instead of the heavy one I had initially nned. I prefer to avoid any interaction with these three characters. As I wait for my order, I sense someone standing beside me. "Dame Csille, are you nning to stick to sandwiches only? "Are you sure it''s okay for you to only eat those, especially considering you just recovered from your injuries?"


    Oh please, Princess Paislee, could you leave me be, just this once? I''ve got a lot on my te right now, and I really don''t need another issue to deal with.


    I offer her a small smile. "I''m in the middle of something, so I''m just grabbing a quick bite. Once I''m done with the documents, I''ll have S bring me a proper meal."


    "But Dame Csille, isn''t that bad for your health? Especially since you''ve just recovered from an injury. Does Doctor Pascal know about this? I''m sure he wouldn''t approve of you having just a sandwich for lunch."


    As I''m about to reply, a hand suddenly grasps my shoulder. "Sir Farren is correct, Csille. You should eat more," Rufus interjects, his gaze filled with concern. "Why don''t you join us for lunch? I know you are busy but so we are. Yet, we still give time for a meal."


    I almost want to cry in frustration when I heard what he said. What is this guy doing? I know


    I told him to put distance between us. Is he angry with me that''s why he is deliberately putting me in an ufortable position?


    While I could easilye up with an excuse to avoid Princess Paislee, escaping a situation involving a Prince presents a greater challenge. How can a simple noble like myself dare to


    defy royalty?


    I offer Rufus an awkward smile. "As much as I''d like to join you for lunch, I really can''t. I have something urgent to attend to, as I mentioned earlier. So, I apologize, but I really ne-" "Prince Rufus, aren''t you aware that it''s inappropriate to hold ady in such a manner?" We''re all taken aback as Prince Fraser rises to his seat and strides over to us. His gaze fixates on Rufus''s hand, which rests on my shoulder. With narrowed eyes, he then turns his attention to me. "And Dame Csille," he begins, "isn''t it disrespectful to address royalty by their names alone? You''re the daughter of a count and hold the title of Dame. How could you forget such


    basic etiquette?"


    Rufus quickly withdraws his hand and positions himself in front of me, shielding me from view. ""I granted her permission to address me in such a manner. So, please refrain from reprimanding her for simply following a royal''s order."


    And this is the reason why I want to get out of here as much as I can. I don''t want to be involved in this argument.


    With so much already on my te, how can I have the energy to deal with this absurd


    argument?


    "Prince Rufus, may I remind you that Dame Csille is an unmarried woman. What would others


    say if they heard her addressing you in such a manner? Aren''t you at all concerned about her


    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 rtionship 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 cor.


    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 sarcasticugh. "How could I forget? Everyone seems intent on


    reminding me of who you are and where my ce is," Rufus responds with a scoff. "How can I forget? If you keep reminding me of it?"


    Despite hisughter, 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 downy 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 ce is. Isn''t that a p on Rufus face?


    It''s disheartening to see Prince Fraser continually disappointing me. I don''t understand how


    did hee 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''sughter caught my attention again. "Have you heard yourself, Prince Fraser? Disrespecting? If anyone here is being disrespectful, it''s you. So don''t make meugh 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.