Heroine On Strike

With her eyes half opened, Ella woke up and gave Smila a groggy look. Her consciousness was moving back and forth between the memories of Ranhee and Ella. Then she asked herself who Smila was. When she was fully awake, she focused on Smila and remembered that she wasn’t Ranhee anymore.

“Oh, Smila. Did he arrive?”

“Yes, I have. I’m right in front of you. Don’t tell me that you slept even when you heard that I was coming. Or is it that the men in this household don’t send their master messages from the royal prince?”

Cladis spoke as walked into the tearoom and approached the couch where Ella was. With a drowsy look on her face, she stared at him. If he despised her this much, then why did he come here? She didn’t know why he was so angry with her. Ella didn’t even try to hide her sleepiness, so she shook her head as she sighed.

“Ah. I fell asleep even when I got your message because I was too tired, your highness. I figured it’s better I sleep ahead, so I don’t fall asleep in your presence. By the way, don’t you find it rude to march into a lady’s room like this, even if we’re engaged?” asked Ella.

Cladis shrugged at her accusation and said, “Your butler kindly invited me in and opened the door for me to the room. You have a good butler.”

Once again, Ella sighed. She could feel the duke’s influence behind the butler’s work. The emperor probably ordered Cladis to come here. “He’ll truly die instead of playing dead if my father wants him to. So, what brings you here, your highness? Was it an order from his majesty?”

“There’s no other reason why I would be here.”

“Hah, I see.”

“Why else would I come here?”

Cladis looked arrogantly at Ella who was still on the couch. Then, Ella smiled. It was a kind of smile that would make Evan want to run away, but Cladis didn’t know what it meant. All he knew was that Ella was a kind girl. Ella then jumped up, stood on the couch, and looked down on Cladis as she spoke.

“Why didn’t you send a message that you were coming before you left the palace? If you had given me enough time, I would have gladly vacated the premises. You wouldn’t have seen me at all.”

Cladis couldn’t find the words to reply to her. He almost showed her the look of a fool. He tried to find an answer to Ella’s question but soon realized that she was right. If he had sent a message before he had left the palace, he wouldn’t have seen Ella. He would have been free to go to see Clara instead. Instead, he had sent a notice to the Constance household after he had left the palace and barged straight into Ella’s room as soon as he arrived.

‘As if I don’t want her to run away,’ thought Cladis. Cladis seemed a bit shocked by his own words.

‘He’s so handsome,’ thought Ella, as she looked at him deliberating. As Ranhee, she had seen many handsome men in the media, but this man was the best of his kind. He was much more handsome than she had imagined while reading the book. The only downside to him was his character. ‘Hmph!’ she scoffed as she became uncomfortable looking at him and turned her head.

Cladis couldn’t believe that Ella refused to become the crown princess. He thought she was bluffing this whole time and dared her to try. He was brought up to be the next crown prince and lived only as one. He thought it was the same for Ella. She was raised as the crown princess the moment she was born. Seeing Ella’s poise and self-control after he had insulted her at her debutante left a scar on him.

He never expected that she would act like a crown princess. Because of that, his plan failed. Still, he didn’t dislike her change in personality. Surprisingly, he was proud of her. That was until he talked to her at the Glass garden. The defiance that she had shown at the garden was shocking. It was unbelievable. Eventually, he concluded that it was a bluff. He couldn’t imagine Ella as anything other than a crown princess.

But the moment Cladis was greeted by the butler when he first arrived at the Constance family mansion, he had to accept the truth. Ella’s attitude towards him from moments ago had shocked him once more. Everything Ella said must have been the truth. It felt like the world he had believed in was crumbling. As such, he tried his best to keep his ground.

‘No way. That can’t be true.’ Cladis tried to calm himself. Instead, he snapped at her. He wished for an apology, but his wish couldn’t be granted. And with a few more words, he had to accept that Ella had changed.

‘She seriously doesn’t want to be the crown princess.’ Cladis was disappointed by this. He almost let it slip that her words had affected him. He was, however, more surprised by his own disappointment.

‘Why am I…?’ He wanted to deny all of his emotions and the truth. But Ella, who turned away, couldn’t be denied. She seemed certain of her decision. Then he remembered a young Ella, who did whatever she wanted regardless of the consequences. Ella at the garden yesterday had that same look. Cladis was a fool to not realize that until now. Cladis still had faint hope of denying all of it and feigned calmness as he asked her a question.

“Do you truly not want to be the crown princess?”