Chapter 80 Exploding
"Search me!"
I don't know where that courage came from. Maybe I was just too tired, maybe it was the sleepiness stinging my eyes, or maybe I was just sick of this stupid scenario.
Instead of crying or begging for mercy like Claus probably expected, I just exploded. It's not like I can't get angry, right? No matter how patient I am, I have my limits too.
Claus stared at me, looking confused.
He even scratched his head. His hand, which had been moving forward, stopped instantly. He looked at me with furrowed brows, clearly not ready for this reaction. He probably expected a confession or tears, not a long-winded rant from a woman who was supposed to be cornered.
"Duke, don't you have anything better to do?" I gestured with both hands. "Do you know, this stunt of yours is destroying my entire time efficiency for the week? I have a schedule, I have strategic plans to take care of, and you're just doing some baseless intervention that's messing everything up!"
I ranted, letting all my frustration out.
The words just came spilling out. Strange terms about time management and operational efficiency that I used in my old world, a world far from here, just flew out.
I didn't care if he understood or not. It felt like venting all the annoyance I'd been holding in my throat since I got into this novel.
"Intervention? Efficiency?" Claus repeated the words with a strange tone. He sounded like someone who'd just heard an alien language. "What do you mean by efficiency and intervention?"
"It means you're wasting my time!" I shouted again, louder this time.
I wasn't scared. "I came to the harbor because I had things to do. Is that wrong? Does every step I take have to be suspected of being suspicious? You're a Duke, a famous General, fighting bravely on the battlefield. You should be thinking about how to run the empire,
not stalking someone trying to finish their chores."
I kept going. I ranted about how unproductive this kidnapping-in-a-carriage stunt was. I complained about how he ruined my neatly organized schedule. I even glanced at the pocket watch on my wrist, grumbling about how many minutes had been wasted because of his craziness.
Claus went quiet. He was completely silent. He stared at me with his mouth slightly open. This man, who was usually cold, calm, and calculating, now looked like a fool. He wasn't angry. He didn't snap back. He just looked confused, as if he were trying to understand a language I'd just invented.
He glanced toward the carriage window, then looked back at me. His gaze was searching for something on my face. The atmosphere inside the carriage became awkward.
The silence was so heavy that only the sound of carriage wheels against the ground could be heard. I was still panting, my chest heaving from the lingering emotion. I waited for him to draw his sword or order his guards to drag me to the dungeon.
But he didn't do that.
Claus instead tilted his head slightly. He stared intensely into my eyes. This time, his gaze wasn't sharp or intimidating anymore. He was looking for something. Maybe he was looking for signs of cunning, signs of a grand plan, or signs of the betrayal he'd been suspecting all this time.
He was silent for so long I started to feel uncomfortable.
Then, slowly, his expression changed. His furrowed brows softened. He didn't look at me like he did before.
Claus took a deep breath. His tense shoulders suddenly relaxed. He leaned his back against the seat, turning his gaze away from me with a rough movement that looked unlike him.
"You're really..." he muttered, his voice very soft, almost inaudible. "You really only care about your stupid schedule?"
I didn't answer. I looked away, staring out the carriage window. Let him think whatever he wants. At least now he knows I'm not as interesting or dangerous as he thought. Or at least, that's what I hoped.