Heavy Mask

Nicolin didn't expect the Princess to take him to her chamber. However, it was clear that the Princess had no idea of what he was thinking.

Vivien Casteveron simply walked inside her chamber only to notice how her father's right-hand man was hesitating to enter. She thought that he had already given in when he followed her.

What's his problem now?!

"I don't think it's right for me to enter your chamber, Your Highness," Nicolin frankly stated when he noticed the questioning gaze of the Princess.

"Then... should I come to your quarters?" Princess Vivien simply asked.

He was surprised but he didn't show it. After all, he was a master at keeping his feelings and emotions hidden.

"My quarter is not a place for a Princess to set a foot in," was his short yet honest response. "I can take care of myself, Your Highness. You don't have to feel responsible as this is just a part of my duty. It's normal to me."

"That again." Vivien Casteveron let out a sigh. "You might get used to it but that's not the case for me. I might be a royal but I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me. So, just come inside. You are only wasting our time."

He met the Princess gaze; an act that rarely happened. He observed her but he didn't see any sign of backing down. As someone who was way lower in status compared to a royal, he knew that he had to give in once again. Then he reluctantly entered the chamber.

Once he did, Princess Vivien told Jocea to get the necessities to treat his wound and the maid quickly left to comply with the order. Then they were now the only ones in the chamber.

Nicolin might only be 22 but he had served the King for years now. That means he was around for years but... it was his first time entering the chamber of the Princess. At other times, he would just stand before the chamber without walking inside. Even those times were rare as he directly served the King.

In fact, he was still feeling amazed.

What had happened to that little Princess who used to be afraid of him? Now, she even dared to be inside a chamber alone with him.

Things sure changed fast... just like how his whole life once turned upside down in a single night.

"Why do you keep on staring at me?"

Nicolin was snapped out of his thoughts.

Staring at her? Did he really do that?

Now that he realized it, the King's right-hand man was very quick to turn away.

"Do you know that you're very great at ignoring other people's questions?" the Princess asked him again.

"I don't know," he said. "Maybe I do it out of habit."

Out of habit? Princess Vivien didn't expect such a response and unlike Nicolin, her thoughts were written all over her face.

"Then that's a bad habit you know. You should get rid of it."

"It can be useful at times, Your Highness," Nicolin muttered.

"I don't really buy that," Vivien Casteveron stated. "How?"

"Try serving the King for years. You will understand."

Princess Vivien frowned at his response. "I'll pass then. It's already hard enough to be his daughter but... serve him as his subject? I won't last a day."

Nicolin only narrowed his eyes and kept his mouth shut again while the Princess had her gaze on him.

She meant it when she say that she won't last a day if she were to serve her father but... this young man has been doing just that for years. Not to mention that he was great at it.

"Why did you choose to serve my father?" she suddenly asked him without much thought.

Won't it be a hard and risky job considering how violent her father used to be at times?

The wound on Nicolin's lip from last night... she doubted that it was the first time such a thing happened.

Like he often did, Nicolin maintained his silence. His expression was just blank too and this confused the Princess.

Did he not want to answer her question?

"It's fine if you don't want to answer me. I'm not that curious anyway."

She didn't even know why she said that while she was already more curious than before. And when she stared at him for a while, one thing crossed her mind.

Maybe he wasn't emotionless but he just try hard to mask everything with a blank face.

If this was the case, then the mask will be so heavy. It made the Princess curious about the real person hiding beneath the heavy mask.

Time passed by in silence until Jocea returned with the items needed. Then Vivien cleaned and tended to the wound on Nicolin's arm. Though the wound was quite deep, it wasn't wide and she finished bandaging it in no time.

Once it was done, Nicolin put on his black jacket and turned to the Princess. "Thank you, Your Highness. I will take my leave now."

He seemed so eager to leave and the Princess hated that. Like always, her thoughts were written all across her face. But this time, she didn't protest. "Alright. Don't forget to treat it regularly. If not, I will have to drag you here again."

There was no response and just a nod. Then Nicolin bowed and walked out of the Princess's chamber.

While Jocea worked on cleaning up the items used to treat the wound, she noticed how the Princess's gaze was at the empty door all the time.

She had served the Princess for a while now but she had never seen her like that. Instead, she was always so lively that her chamber was rarely quiet.

"Why do you keep on staring at the door, Your Highness?" The maid couldn't resist her curiosity. "Is something there?"

The question snapped the Eslore Princess back to reality and she quickly shifted her gaze back to Jocea, flashing a smile like she always did. "No. I was only thinking of something."

Jocea didn't think much and only nodded a few times before she turned her attention back to her work. She had no idea that all the while, her Princess was thinking of the man whom she always dreaded and tried her best to avoid as much as possible.....