“Yes. Is there anything else you need?”

“What desserts are available right now?”

“All the cakes should be ready.”

“Oh, really? Then bring us one slice of each type.”

At her order, Dominic just blinked and looked down at the menu. There were five types of cake alone.

“You’re going to eat all of this?”

“Yes.”

Karina nodded as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

* * *

Dominic couldn’t take his eyes off her. Karina, stuffing herself with cake and looking happy, reminded him of a chipmunk with its cheeks full of acorns.

“Do you always eat this well?”

The five slices of cake that were quickly prepared disappeared in an instant. Dominic’s only point of comparison was the occasional tea time with Olivia. Even during long tea sessions, more than half of the prepared snacks would always remain.

To Dominic’s curious question, Karina swallowed her cake and answered casually.

“Sometimes. But don’t say that to your date. Some people are sensitive about such things.”

“Lady Crawford…”

“I’m fine with it. I do eat well. Besides, I couldn’t have a meal today.”

Perhaps it was because of all the sweet cream she’d tasted, or because her mood had become more generous, but Karina unconsciously let slip an honest comment.

“You couldn’t have a meal?”

Seeing Dominic’s frowning reaction, Karina waved both hands in panic. Dominic absolutely must not know how much effort she had put into today’s date.

“Ah, that! I had breakfast late so the timing was awkward.”

“If you had told me earlier, we could have gone for a meal.”

Suddenly, he found himself wanting to see her eat other foods. Would she eat them as deliciously as she did the cake?

“Never mind. What meal? Do you know any restaurants that are properly open at 2 PM?”

Dominic closed his mouth at Karina’s pointed question. She’s right, most restaurants would be taking a break for dinner service after lunch hours.

“Ah! That was delicious. Shall we talk now? We can’t just talk about food during date practice.”

With a stretching sound, Karina looked at him as she extended her interlocked hands forward.

“Hmm.”

“It’s okay. We can talk about anything.”

Despite her reassurance, Dominic struggled to lead the conversation. It was natural for him to feel awkward in this situation, given how he had lived avoiding women.

Karina felt genuinely sorry for him.

It was one thing to maintain an ongoing timid one-sided love for Olivia with such a decent appearance, but…

‘According to the novel, he’s supposed to lose his love interest to someone else.’

In his current state, she wondered if he could properly meet another woman even then.

He was beyond inexperienced.

She could now truly understand why he was the first to be eliminated from Olivia’s potential suitors in the novel.

That’s why she thought it might be for the best.

No matter how hopeless he might be, things might turn out differently if she helped him.

‘Since they say to dream big, let’s aim for winning Olivia.’

Though it might be as difficult as getting a hopeless student into a top university, it sparked her competitive spirit.

“What should we talk about?”

After much contemplation, that was all he could come up with.

The initiative had now completely passed to Karina. With a relaxed expression, she smiled while propping up one arm.

“Your current interests, or interesting stories from social circles. Well, anything really?”

“Hmm.”

Just as it seemed another groan would escape, Dominic opened his mouth.

“I have a concern.”

“A concern?”

“Yes. There’s something that’s been bothering me lately.”

“Oh, what is it?”

Karina’s eyes sparkled. A concerning problem. Something he would confide in a woman about.

‘It must be about love.’

Surely it would be about Olivia.

While Karina had wanted a suitable topic for casual date conversation, this was equally interesting.

However, what came out of Dominic’s mouth was completely different from what she had expected.

“It’s about the pirates appearing in Lev Bay.”

“Pi…rates?”

To Karina’s startled question, Dominic nodded with a calm face.

“I thought they would die down quickly, but their numbers keep growing. It will surely become a problem in the long term…”

Karina heaved a deep sigh.

“Brigadier General.”

“Yes.”

“Do you think that’s an appropriate question to ask me right now?”

“Didn’t you ask about my current interests, Lady Crawford?”

“No… well, yes. I did ask that.”

A smile escaped from her lips. Only then did Dominic realize that his chosen topic might not be very suitable for conversation with a woman. It was certainly a topic that could be boring to someone uninterested in international affairs.

Just as Dominic was about to reply that he hadn’t particularly expected an answer–

“It is certainly something to worry about. I heard that most of those who joined the pirates were originally honest people living in fishing villages.”

“Huh?”

He was dumbfounded by Karina’s accurate summary of his concerns. To Dominic’s blank stare, Karina smiled while propping her chin.

“What? Did you think we couldn’t have a proper conversation?”

“No… it’s just that it’s not typically a topic women would be interested in…”

“And you brought it up knowing that?”

Dominic’s mouth closed at Karina’s teasing. Karina smiled at his reaction.

He was a good student. In the sense that he realized his mistakes without needing explicit pointing out.

“While I can maintain a conversation on most topics, as you said, other women might not be able to. It would be good to know some gossip or latest social trends.”

“But I don’t know any current gossip or social trends.”

“I meant for others. Okay? With me it’s just practice so it doesn’t matter.”

Her eyes curved into crescents.

“Then shall we talk about pirates today? So. Your concern is about what to do with these people, right?”

* * *

Their conversation flowed endlessly.

He thought they wouldn’t be able to communicate well due to Karina’s appearance and her equally flashy private life. That she was someone who had nothing in common with him from start to finish.

But that wasn’t the case. Though he didn’t show it, Dominic was quite surprised.

“Then how about this?”

“What do you mean?”

“You said the recent decrease in fishing yields in those waters was the cause of the increase in pirates, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

To be precise, it happened because several years of indiscriminate fishing occurred when too many ships concentrated in one area.

The sea needed rest when sufficient fishing couldn’t take place. Eventually, the country ordered a mandatory reduction in fishing quotas.

As a result, fishermen who became desperate for livelihood took up guns and swords instead of nets and began plundering. This was the most fundamental cause of pirates appearing in Lev Bay.

“Even if fishing is prohibited, the fishing yields will recover in a few years. However, it’s unreasonable to ask people who are struggling to survive right now to endure for years, yet we can’t turn a blind eye to piracy either.”

What started as casual conversation at Karina’s suggestion turned out to be unexpectedly enjoyable.

Had he ever connected this well in conversation with someone other than his military colleagues? And with a woman at that.

It was simply surprising that Karina Crawford was the first person to make him feel this way.

Unaware of Dominic’s thoughts, Karina thought seriously before clapping her hands with an “Ah!”

“Then how about incorporating the residents of that region into the military for training during the periods when they can’t fish?”

“Huh?”

Dominic was genuinely impressed by this unexpected change in perspective.

“Incorporating them into the military for training…”

“They didn’t become pirates because they wanted to. That’s why the military is having trouble with cleanup operations. If we can just solve their immediate survival needs…”

“The problem would disappear.”

Though it was a somewhat bold plan, it wasn’t unreasonable. Dominic stroked his chin, lost in thought for a moment.

“Indeed… that’s true.”

“I heard from my brother. Though there are many people volunteering to become soldiers these days, there aren’t many who have the proper qualities to become ‘naval’ personnel.”

That was true as well. Many who volunteered for the navy struggled with being on ships and hoped for land-based duties instead.

“So it would be much easier to train people who have been on ships since childhood as naval personnel. And if fishing quotas are reduced, the sea conditions will naturally improve in a few years.”

“That’s not all. People who have received training once could volunteer for the military again anytime.”

“If needed, they could even become maritime vigilantes.”

This all started because too many ships concentrated in one area. Karina’s alternative could also help protect the coastal waters from illegal fishing vessels from other countries.

Dominic’s face brightened. He had found the answer from an unexpected place.

“I see, right. I’ll formally propose this as an agenda item at tomorrow’s meeting. Of course, I’ll mention that Lady Crawford helped with this.”

“I’m glad I could help. You don’t need to mention my name specifically.”

Karina shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t think it mattered that she had suggested the idea. After all, nothing would change because of it.

But Dominic stubbornly shook his head.