Chapter 6.3
Tick-tock, tick-tock—the unusually loud sound of the clock mingled with a gloomy buzzing noise. Brienne, her face poking out from beneath the covers, stared wide-eyed around the cabin.
‘……If I’d known it would be like this, I would’ve asked Marie to come with me.’
She hadn’t realized that the beautiful sea, which seemed full of dreams and hope, would become so dark at night. Even with the curtains drawn all the way, the thought of the unfathomable depth of the sea below made it hard to breathe.
Maybe it was because she’d always walked in the garden with Marie. Brienne was so scared to be alone—she missed Marie terribly.
She’d left behind Marie, who had begged to come along, because she worried Marie would get scolded because of her, but somehow, now……
‘No. No regrets.’
She’d spoken so confidently to her father, and now she was already regretting it.
Brienne sighed deeply and pulled the covers up to her ears. It was silly to be so frightened by a mere sound, but the steady motor noise in the cabin, even more than the darkness outside, kept stirring up her fear.
‘What if a storm suddenly blew in? What if the ship sank? I’d heard that passenger ships were haunted……
No, what if some strange person came into my room while I slept?’
As the fear inside her grew, she found it impossible to control her imagination. Brienne blinked, trying to shake off the constant stream of ominous thoughts.
It was too unsettling to keep her eyes closed, but she needed to sleep……
‘Maybe I should just stay awake all night……’
But even that was getting impossible.
When even the stains on the ceiling started to look frightening, Brienne decided she couldn’t take it anymore and sat up abruptly. Of course, it had taken her an hour to work up the courage.
‘Let’s go outside. I’ll feel better if I go where people are.’
She remembered Marie’s voice, warning her that passengers on ships like this often partied late into the night, and that she should never think of joining them because it might be dangerous. But right now, all she wanted was to get out of her room.
Brienne quickly fastened her coat and flung open the door. She walked down the dim, empty corridor to the first floor, where bright lights shimmered.
As she followed the light, the noise of people grew louder.
“……Wow.”
People playing cards in a restaurant turned bar. Loud singing, people dancing carelessly in circles around lanterns.
Brienne blinked, unable to close her mouth in astonishment. It was a scene she’d never seen before—her mind went blank.
‘It’s just like a scene from a book……’
Her wide eyes wandered across the deck, landing on a bartender mixing cocktails. Brienne, as if drawn by a spell, walked toward the stand bar. The bartender, dressed in eye-catching clothes, noticed her and gave her a polite smile.
“Good evening, Miss.”
“Ah, yes, good evening.”
“Would you like to order?”
“Yes, I’d like to order a drink.”
Brienne nodded gently, waiting for the bartender to offer her the menu. But after a few seconds, he only kept smiling at her, saying nothing.
‘Why wasn’t he telling me the menu?’
“Um, excuse me……”
It was Brienne’s first time in a place like this, and her cheeks flushed as she glanced around.
That’s when she realized.
Ever since she’d appeared, people had grown unusually quiet.
“…….”
Glittering, searching eyes. People whispering and giggling. Suddenly, she felt a familiar sensation.
It was the contempt she’d felt in high society.
“……Miss, aren’t you going to order?”
As Brienne froze, the bartender tapped the stand bar. Brienne jumped and turned around, her pale green eyes lost and wandering.
“Ah, well, I……”
Just then, someone gently wrapped an arm around Brienne’s shoulders.
“Hmm, we’ll just have two beers, please.”
Startled, Brienne’s gaze followed the hand on her shoulder to its owner.
A woman with navy hair tied up in a ponytail winked at her.
“You looked like you were in trouble.”
At the low whisper, Brienne flinched. The woman’s voice was strong and low, unlike her sophisticated appearance.
“Th-thank you.”
The woman grinned at Brienne’s shy mumble and placed a few coins on the bar. She grabbed two beers with one hand and led Brienne to the side.
“Let’s sit over there? It looks nice and quiet.”
Brienne glanced around, nodded, and followed her. The woman pulled out a chair with her foot and had Brienne sit, then leaned forward slightly.
“You’re a noble, aren’t you? What are you doing walking around without an escort? Ships are dangerous.”
“H-how did you know?”
She’d tried to dress plainly, but apparently her clothes still gave it away. As Brienne looked down at her outfit in embarrassment, the woman laughed and shook her head.
“It’s not your clothes. It’s your face and the way you act.”
She whispered quietly, tapping her own cheek with her finger.
“Miss, you’re too pretty. It’s obvious you’ve never had a hard time.”
“……Excuse me?”
“Was that hard to understand? You look like a precious lady who doesn’t even know how to order a beer on her own. I’m not like that, but to those people, you’re the perfect target for teasing.”
A precious lady……
Brienne’s face flushed at the unexpected reason. The woman’s tone was light, making it hard to tell if it was a compliment or a jab.
“And most importantly, you don’t hesitate to show your pretty face. If you’re born pretty as a commoner, you usually hide it, because life’s tough.”
The woman laughed bitterly, set down her beer, and slumped into the seat across from Brienne.
“The ones who deserve to die are those criminals who do bad things. People are just like that, aren’t they?”
With a deep sigh, the woman gulped down half her beer in one go. Slamming her glass down, she extended her hand to Brienne.
“I’m Diashi. What’s your name, Miss?”
“Ah, I’m…… Just call me Brienne.”
Brienne awkwardly took the tip of the woman’s offered finger. Diashi gripped Brienne’s hand tightly and shook it up and down.
“Brienne! That’s a pretty name. Pretty face, pretty name!”
Her bright, sly chatter reminded Brienne of someone. Brienne smiled faintly as she gently pulled her hand away from Diashi’s grip.
“Th-thank you. Miss Diashi, you are pretty too.”
“What?”
Brienne had meant it sincerely, but Diashi’s eyes widened at those words. She looked a little surprised, then burst out laughing.
“Wow, ‘Miss Diashi’! I’ll never get used to hearing that. It reminds me of someone…….”
“Pardon?”
“There was someone I knew who looked like you. Maybe it’s because he was a noble too? The way you talk is strangely similar.”
Muttering to herself, Diashi’s eyes suddenly flashed. A trace of anger flickered across her yellow eyes.
“Ugh, just thinking about him makes me mad……! Miss, you’re from Rontiano too, right?”
“Ah, yes, that’s right. Are you from Roeta, Miss Diashi?”
She asked, thinking Diashi’s tall height and aura fit the part. Diashi nodded cheerfully.
“I stopped by the Rontiano Empire for business, now I’m heading back to Roeta. What about you? I can sense your magic—are you a new Academy student?”
“Yes, I’m enrolling this year.”
The moment Brienne nodded, Diashi’s face lit up. Smiling broadly, Diashi grabbed Brienne’s hands with both of hers.
“Really? That’s great! I’m headed to the Academy too!”
* * *
Meanwhile, Aaron hurriedly crossed the first-floor corridor of the passenger ship. Every movement as he knocked on the cabin door where his master should be was urgent.
“Sir Herace, please open the door! Sir Herace!”
He hadn’t knocked for long when the door suddenly swung open. Herace, fresh from his bath, had silver hair dripping water onto his dark robe.
“What is it?”
“Miss Ford suddenly ran out of her room and is now drinking beer with some woman!”
“Beer?”
“Yes! At the rail near the stand bar!”
‘……Brienne was drinking with a stranger?’
Herace strode to the window and yanked the curtain aside. But from where he stood, he couldn’t see where she was.
He was stunned.
How many days had it been since the kidnapping incident?
“……I need to see for myself. I’d better go out immediately.”
“Pardon?”
Herace, now anxious, headed straight for the door. But Aaron grabbed his arm.
“W-wait, Sir Herace……! No matter how urgent, you need to put on some clothes!”
At Aaron’s exasperated voice, Herace glanced down. Only then did he realize he was wearing nothing but a robe over his bare body.
“……Ah.”
Herace, dressed in light clothes, hurried out of his room. Each time he drew closer to the noisy sounds of people partying, a sigh escaped him. He had assigned Aaron to Brienne, worried something might happen to her since she hadn’t even brought a single maid for company—let alone an escort. Yet Brienne, apparently not scared to be alone, was now drinking with someone she didn’t even know.
At times like this, Herace thought Brienne seemed braver than he’d expected. No, thinking back to when they first met and she’d offered him a drink, maybe she just liked alcohol.
Here it was, late at night, and instead of resting in her cabin, she was mingling with strangers and drinking.
‘What in the world is she thinking?’
‘Did Brienne not know how many bad people there were in the world? What would she do if something happened again, like last time?’
“……Crazy fool.”
Herace, lost in thought, brushed his face with self-mockery. He realized he was blaming Brienne’s lack of caution simply because he himself felt anxious.
It was pathetic.
He felt a sudden sense of self-reproach.
He knew, of course, that even assigning Aaron to watch over Brienne without her consent was wrong. But knowing she was alone, he couldn’t just leave her, especially after the shock he’d felt when he heard she’d disappeared.
He was lucky she’d returned safely, but even now, whenever he thought of that incident, his chest tightened so much it was hard to breathe.
How anxious he had been at the thought that something might have happened to Brienne. For days, the memory haunted Herace even in his dreams.
If only he’d been more careful, if only he’d insisted on accompanying her—he never once stopped regretting that day.
So, as long as he was nearby, he would never let such a thing happen to Brienne again.
He wanted nothing more than to sit outside Brienne’s cabin and keep watch all night, but for now, he had to be content with leaving Aaron on guard.
For a Brienne who wasn’t ready to talk to him, that was probably the best he could do.
‘So……’
He must not show himself to Brienne right now. Calming his heart, Herace turned from the path to the stand bar and headed instead for the stairs. Climbing up to the terrace-like second-floor railing, he could see all the people gathered on the deck below, drinking.
Herace’s eyes immediately found Brienne. She was sitting by the railing, smiling brightly. With a large beer mug in both hands, she didn’t seem to be drinking against her will.
Seeing that nothing was wrong, Herace let out a sigh of relief. He straightened his bowed head and looked at the person sitting across from Brienne.
“…….”
His handsome brow slowly furrowed.
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When she went outside her cabin on the ship at night, the older sister inside me wanted to yell, “Are you stupid?” If you’re wandering around alone on a ship or train at night, it means you don’t value your life very much.