Was it around dawn after the night had passed?

“Still awake?”

As Kian stared at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep, Theodore’s voice reached him. Judging by his half-closed eyes, he must have just woken up.

“You should force yourself to sleep. We’re leaving early tomorrow, remember?”

“I can’t fall asleep.”

For some reason, Kian’s heart was pounding and his fingertips tingled. Whether from nervousness or fear, he couldn’t fully explain the complex feelings swirling inside him.

Theodore yawned, stretching his arms out wide. Then he rolled over onto his stomach and propped his chin up.

“Want me to keep you company?”

“No need. Just go back to sleep if you’re tired.”

“How can I sleep with someone tossing and turning next to me? You must be nervous.”

Despite his attempts to hide it, his inner feelings had been exposed.

“I’m jealous, you know. I wanted to go on a ship too.”

Seeing Theodore’s gentle smile, Kian silently lifted the corners of his mouth. He had grown up with Theodore like a true brother. Their personalities complemented each other perfectly—Theodore was easygoing and cheerful, while Kian was sensitive and quiet.

“Do I really belong there?”

“The master himself invited you, didn’t he?”

“Even so…”

Tomorrow’s voyage would include the Duke of Larson and Joshua. They needed a boy to run errands for Joshua, and Kian had been offered this role.

Though officially going as a servant, to Kian these men were his father and brother.

“You deserve to be there. More than enough. So stop feeling uncomfortable about it.”

He had no right to refuse when the master wanted him to go, but he couldn’t help feeling uneasy. It felt like a place where he didn’t belong.

Kian had never dared think of himself as a Larson. Even when Tom constantly mocked him as “the noble Larson,” he never embraced that identity.

“Theo, can I make an embarrassing confession?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for me?”

“…What nonsense are you talking about?”

Theodore snickered as he made the light-hearted joke.

“Wake up from that dream. I like women. When I become the captain of the knights someday, I’ll find the most beautiful wife in the world and cherish her deeply.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but I like women too.”

“Really? Jenny’s been spreading rumors that you prefer men.”

“Let her.”

After Kian rejected her confession, the gardener’s daughter seemed to be spreading false rumors out of spite.

After exchanging a few more playful words, the atmosphere relaxed considerably.

“Go ahead and tell me. There’s nothing we can’t talk about.”

Looking at Theodore’s expectant gaze, Kian hesitated briefly before carefully opening up.

“Actually… I’m a bit afraid of the sea.”

Upon hearing this, Theodore burst into laughter.

“Is that all? That’s perfectly normal. Want me to go on your behalf?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Kian covered his eyes with his arm and murmured, “They say fears are mostly nothing once you face them. That’s why I want to experience it.”

“Good thinking. But you have to tell me everything when you get back, okay?”

“…Sure.”

He should try to get some sleep. Being mentally foggy would only inconvenience everyone.

Hoping morning would come quickly, Kian pulled the blanket over his head.

* * *

It had truly been a hectic day. Time flew by the moment the Larson ship set sail. Between unpacking Joshua’s luggage in the cabin and helping prepare meals for the crew, Kian hadn’t even had a chance to go up on deck. He barely caught a glimpse of the sea.

By the time he finished his chores, the sun was already setting. Kian came up to the deck to catch his breath.

“…”

His face turned pale as he looked around. He had thought his vague fear would disappear once he experienced it, but surrounding him was nothing but sky and sea. Facing the vast, empty ocean made his hair stand on end and his toes tingle with numbness.

Then a familiar voice reached him, “There you are.”

It was Joshua.

“Oh, y-young master. Were you looking for me?”

“Yes, I was.”

“What can I…”

“Nothing special. The ship’s rocking makes it hard to focus on reading, and I’m a bit bored.”

Joshua met Kian’s gaze and smiled kindly.

“Would you play with me? Well… I mean, would you keep me company?”

Kian slowly nodded.

Their positions and lives were worlds apart, so Kian wondered what they could possibly talk about, but the conversation flowed more naturally than expected.

Joshua told him about novels he had enjoyed reading when he was Kian’s age. When he asked if Kian could read and Kian confirmed he could, Joshua promised to lend him some books he still kept in his room.

He also asked what children did for fun these days and what Kian enjoyed. As Kian stammered through his answers, he gradually became absorbed in their conversation.

Joshua shared what he learned at the academy and what he had hunted during a trip to Baron Würgen’s territory with the Duke of Larson—small but fascinating stories that would capture any young boy’s curiosity.

Kian had sensed it when Joshua first returned his compass in front of the main house garden: Joshua was truly kind.

The Larson golden hair shone like the brilliant sun, and that warm smile was equally radiant. The more Kian looked at him, the more Joshua seemed to inhabit a different world.

Mirrors were precious items that Kian rarely saw, but whenever he caught his reflection in a stream, he found it gloomy. His pitch-black hair held no light whatsoever.

They were complete opposites, like day and night.

Could the same Larson blood really flow through his veins as through Joshua’s?

Something must be wrong, he thought.

“By the way, are you afraid of the sea?”

“H-how did you know?”

“I noticed you keep looking at your feet whenever you glance at the water.”

Kian’s face turned bright red at this accurate observation.

“Nothing to be embarrassed about. Actually, I was the same when I was younger.”

“You too, young master?”

“Yes. My father forced me onto a ship… and well, with nothing but sea and sky around, I was terrified.”

They feared exactly the same thing.

Kian secretly felt a connection as he swallowed hard.

“That’s when father gave me this.”

Joshua pulled out a compass from inside his jacket and showed it to Kian. It was the very same compass Kian had picked up for him before.

“Want to see it?”

“…Yes.”

The golden cover was engraved with the Larson family crest. When opened, the compass needle swung back and forth before settling in one direction.

“Look, this is north and this is south. We’re sailing south from Larson territory, so to return home, we’d go this way. If we continue on this route, we’ll reach Bronx Island. Oh, and tonight we’ll pass through the Mermaid’s Sea.”

“The Mermaid’s Sea? Wow.”

Kian’s mouth fell open at the skillful explanation. Joshua seemed pleased by his genuine amazement.

“It’s scary because you don’t know where you are.”

Kian had struggled to articulate the fear he felt, but Joshua pinpointed it precisely, perhaps because he had experienced the same fear himself.

Joshua bent down to meet Kian’s eyes and held out the compass.

“Here, a gift for you.”

“T-this? For me?”

“Yes. But let’s make a promise. That you won’t fear this sea anymore. Someone who fears can never become a master.”

Finding Kian’s wide-eyed gaze endearing, Joshua ruffled his hair and wrinkled his nose playfully.

“You’re a Larson too, so this sea is partly yours as well.”

Me, a Larson?

Kian never imagined hearing those words from Joshua’s lips.

“When you know which direction to go, you won’t be afraid even if you can’t see the path for a moment.”

Though it was evening, Kian didn’t feel the darkness. Looking at that smile, bright as the sun at night, he felt he could find his way even through pitch darkness.

* * *

Kian’s quarters were in a cramped room at the far corner of the ship’s cabin. In the pitch-black darkness, he stared intently at the compass. He knew that despite Joshua’s kindness, he could never truly become a Larson.

Yet he couldn’t stop the longing in his heart.

It wasn’t that he wanted noble status. Just… how wonderful would it be if he could become someone like Joshua?

The desire and yearning grew uncontrollably within his chest.

“Please help me not to fear the sea.”

Kian held the compass with both hands and prayed to God for the first time.

“And please…”

If he dared wish for it.

“Make me a strong Larson.”

He hoped with all his heart that tonight, at least, he would have sweet dreams.

Contrary to his wishes, that night, a nightmare unfolded.

—

T/N: *wipes manly tears from my eyes* D*mn. I feel bad for kid Kian. But at least Joshua was so nice to him.