Chapter 29 Corporate Speak vs. A War General
The question just hung there. My stomach dropped so hard I thought I was gonna throw up right on his boots.
But my face? I kept it blank. Years of dealing with corporate disasters at my old job kicked in.
Never answer the damn question. Pivot. Throw them off balance.
I didn't blink. I just looked him in the eye and acted like we were talking about the weather.
"Script? Your Highness, you've spent way too much time in the mud if you think a noble girl like me has the brain for a script," I said, keeping my voice cool.
"I was actually more interested in that pincer movement you pulled at the Iron Pass. Everyone talks about the infantry, but cutting the supply line from the eastern ridge three days before the engagement? That was ruthless. You saved about four thousand lives, right? Pure efficiency."
Claus's hand on my waist stiffened.
He stopped moving for a split second. A real, total freeze. The guy was staring at me like I'd just started speaking in tongues.
"You studied the Iron Pass?" His voice wasn't an executioner's whisper anymore. It was just... confused.
"I get bored easily," I lied, leaning back into the dance.
"And I'd rather read military logistics than gossip about who's wearing what. Honestly, the attrition rate you managed while keeping morale up? That's not military luck. That's just top-tier crisis management. If you'd pushed the front line any harder, the whole thing would've folded.
You knew exactly where the breaking point was."
I wasn't just talking. I was throwing every bit of corporate strategy, resource management, and risk analysis jargon I knew into a blender and dumping it on him, dressed up in military talk, Moreover, i remember to read that Claus really respect conversation about strategy,
especially war strategy that he had already made, from novel that i read.
Claus's grip on me was still tight, but the killing vibe in his eyes was gone. He looked like he'd been slapped. He was trying to figure out if I was a spy, a genius, or if I'd just lost my marbles. He didn't know where to put me anymore. I wasn't the 'spoiled brat' in his head anymore.
"You talk like a commander," he muttered, sounding genuinely rattled.
"I just recognize a good plan when I hear one, General," I said, giving him a tight, polite smile. "And let's be real, this ballroom is full of people who wouldn't know a logistical failure if it hit them in the face."
The music started to die down.
Thank god. I was about to pass out.
As the last note played, I ripped my hand away. He didn't stop me. He was still processing the weirdness. I didn't give him a second to think. I dropped into a sharp, fast curtsy. I looked up at him one last time. He looked pissed, confused, and annoyed. Perfect.
"I'm just a girl who loves peace, General," I said, flashing him the fakest, most innocent smile in my arsenal. "Really hope we don't have to do this again."
I didn't wait for him to talk. I didn't care who saw me running. I just needed to disappear before he decided to stop playing games and started digging.