Book 12: Chapter 12
When I saw Freya, who was sleeping at the table, I let out a heavy sigh.
“Freya. Freya.” I called her twice and gave her a nudge.
Freya jerked her body in an irritated manner, and then extended her arm to push me away. I didn’t quit. I nudged her again. She narrowed her eyes and pulled her body away feeling slightly irritated. Then, she jumped to her feet as though she suddenly remembered something, which gave me a fright. She looked at me with a look of terror. She trembled as she tried to explain herself: “Onii-sama?! I… I… I was just… having a short rest… I am not slacking! I was just… having a short rest…”
I pressed my hands down on her shoulders. I then tried to calm down: “It’s fine. It’s fine, Freya. I’m not reproaching you. I actually hope you can rest for a bit. You’re already so tired, so go back to your bed to sleep.”
“No… Onii-sama… We have just received the funds from Miss Nara. I need to confirm the numbers, and then send a reply. The consensus information for the population in the North has also been sent to us. Additionally, Empress Elizabeth will be coming to the North. I, therefore, need to arrange the banquet and deploy the guards…”
I frowned: “Why didn’t you tell me about all of this. Couldn’t I have just done it with you? Even though I have to look after my two wives, I’ll work properly. Why do you have to do so much work yourself? It’d be fine if I just did it.”
“No! I cannot let you!! If you do it, what will I do?!!” Freya shouted in a high-pitched voice, giving me a fright.
I almost back off. I looked at Freya, who was agitated, and in a puzzled tone, asked, “Freya, what’s wrong? Those jobs were supposed to be my responsibility in the first place. You can help me, but you can’t do everything for me. Look at how exhausted you are. Seeing you so tired hurts my heart. Go back and sleep now. We’ll finish the work tomorrow morning.”
“No! That will not do! I must do these things… That way, you will not need to do anything tomorrow and just need to spend time with the Princesses. If I finish this work tonight, then you won’t have to do anything tomorrow. If I finish the day after’s work tomorrow, then we won’t have any work the day after, and we can go to see Miss Ling Yue… I just need to finish today’s work…”