Surviving His Royal Highnass, Prince Ashton

Chapter Thirty: Elena

Or perhaps I was being too possessive.

He laughed, "Well, Ev is good at everything."

The admiration in his tone made me smile.

"Actually, Ash, you haven't had a chance to catch up on the accounts yet, have you? I can summarize them for you today." I suggested.

Before he could protest, Adele intercepted, "That's a wonderful idea! Elena, you haven't seen the gardens in a while, have you? I think all the new plants we've imported will intrigue you! Would you like to take a look?"

Before she could protest, Adele dragged her away.

Ash looked at me inquisitively, "What was that about?"

I shrugged and kept walking. He had no choice but to follow. Once we were in the record keeping room, I wordlessly took out a file from the stack and leafed through it. He cleared his throat.

I looked up, "Would you like to hear about last month's tax collection or—"

He leaned against the table and shook his head, "Evelyn. Those papers are from three years ago."

I winced when I noticed the stamped date. I had no idea how to navigate the organizational structure of this room—that was Aunt Claire's specialty. I merely knew how to read and correct the ones she passed to me on occasions. He slipped behind a shelf and returned with a different pile of papers, which he gently placed on the desk in front of me. I mumbled a thank you before flipping through them. He studied my expressions. After a few minutes of reading, he reached out for my hand, grabbing my attention.

"Ev... are you jealous?" He mused.

I scrunched my nose, "Why would you think that?"

He chuckled, "It's a little obvious."

I trained my eyes on the paper before me, although I knew his were on me. I couldn't help but squirm under his gaze. A few moments of silence passed before he cleared his throat.

"Have you noticed any errors?" He asked.

I twisted my mouth, "Not yet."

He took the folder into his own hands. I watched his eyes dart from side to side as he scanned the calculations. It only took him a few minutes to reach the end. He placed it back on the table.

"A few farmers seemed to have skimped on the taxes last month, but I suppose the harvest hasn't gone too well this season either," he shrugged, "We can let it slide."

I watched in awe, "How did you do that?"

He quirked an eyebrow at me, "Do what?"

I shook my head, "It seems you've been hiding a lot of talents from me."

He smirked, "Well, they just haven't had the opportunity to present themselves."

I didn't want him to elaborate on the opportunities.

I returned the file to its original place and turned back to face Ash, who was looking at me expectantly.

"I do not want to go back out there." I mumbled.

He ran his fingers through my hair, "Why?"

I rolled my eyes, "There's something about her that I just don't like! And it's not just now, I've never been fond of her."

He let out a low chuckle, "And you claim it's not jealousy."