Aslan slowly looked Canasia over with a languid gaze in response to her answer. His eyes traveled from her face to her neck, then to her chest, and the weight of it made her shrink back. He let out a quiet snicker.

“Bjorn says your seasickness is bad, so it’d be good to go outside and get some air.”

“I heard.”

“I’m glad it’s nothing serious. Though I’m a little disappointed.”

“Disappointed?”

Canasia’s question made Aslan curl the corner of his mouth.

“It would’ve been nice if my child were in the princess’s belly.”

“You… you savage.”

“Not like a savage. Just a savage.”

I really shouldn’t have engaged with him.

The humiliation was sharp enough to make her blood boil, but Canasia forced the anger down, knowing that reacting was exactly what he wanted.

When she gave him nothing in return, Aslan seemed to lose interest and moved to the table. He spread out a stack of papers neatly and, using the dim amber light of the setting sun as his lamp, began reading through the documents.

Treating him like he wasn’t there, Canasia looked out through the porthole, but after a long stretch of silence from the man, she found herself slowly sliding her gaze back toward him.

What is he reading so intently?

Her glancing, sidelong looks eventually settled on his profile. Sharp eyes, a clean line of nose, red lips, a strong jaw. And…

“If you keep staring like that, I won’t be able to help myself.”

Aslan, who a moment ago wore a focused expression as he scanned the documents, suddenly lifted his head.

“W-who said I was staring at you.”

“Hmm.”

Aslan curved his lips into a smirk and rose from his seat. He walked to the bed, leaned forward, and brought his face close to hers. His breath against her cheek was too warm, and Canasia pressed her dry lips tightly together.

“If you want to be held, just say so. Stop provoking me with that innocent face.”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

“Seems like you’re feeling a bit better.”

He teased her in a playful tone, then pointed at the table.

“Aren’t you curious what those documents are?”

“……What are they?”

He crossed the narrow cabin, picked up the papers, and came back.

“See for yourself, Princess.”

Canasia took the papers Aslan held out with a skeptical look. The seal stamped on the back of the document suggested it was an official dispatch from Hereis to Eldos. With a feeling of unease, she unfolded it. It was the marriage agreement drawn up in exchange for sending her to Eldos.

〈……As a testament to the sacred and holy matrimonial alliance, Eldos shall grant Hereis passage through the Vais Strait for sailing vessels of 100 tons or less with verified Hereis registration, and shall reduce the passage toll by 50%. This exemption shall not apply from June through September. ……The terms of this agreement shall take effect from the moment the marriage of Philkennon di Eldos and Canasia Hereis is officially announced.〉

Reading the contents of the agreement, a question mark rose in Canasia’s mind. She read through the document several times, then set it down with a bewildered expression. Aslan asked:

“Did you know about this?”

“First time seeing it.”

Aslan smiled bitterly, as though he expected as much.

“It seems there isn’t a single noble in Hereis with a working brain.”

“……”

“Selling off a princess just to secure a deal like this.”

Canasia bit her lip. She couldn’t argue. A sailing vessel of 100 tons or less could carry no more than about twenty sailors at most. The toll levied on such a ship was already next to nothing. On top of that, a vessel that size couldn’t even enter Eldos’s territorial waters. Of course, the mere opening of the Vais Strait wasn’t entirely meaningless, but…

“I always thought it was strange that Philkennon would never make a deal that lost him anything.”

“Just having the sea route opened is enough of a gain for Hereis.”

“Securing a route you can’t even use is a gain? Is it really?”

Aslan shrugged and spread out another sheet of paper. It was a nautical chart with detailed geography of the entire continent, including Hereis and Eldos. He traced the map with his finger as he explained.

“What Hereis wants isn’t Eldos. It’s the sea route to the Empire. Passing through the Southern Sea means they can trade with Listonia without going through Varna.”

He pointed to the borders of Hereis and continued.

“The Kiral Mountains are too rough for hauling trade goods, and even if you barely manage to cross them, you still have to pass through Varna, which means paying tariffs twice, so it’s not worth using.”

“……”

“They must have decided the sea route was the only answer, so they jumped at Eldos’s offer.”

Aslan paused briefly and pointed to the agreement resting on Canasia’s lap.

“If the sea route was the goal, they should have read the agreement carefully.”

His tone was pitying, and Canasia’s face flushed.

“No matter how long the sea route has been blocked, it’s remarkable that not a single person pointed out such a blatant swindle.”

“Stop sneering and just tell me plainly what the problem is.”

Aslan shrugged and pointed to the agreement again.

“Look at this. The clause that says ’this exemption shall not apply from June through September.’”

“What about it?”

“The fastest route from Hereis to Listonia is through the Vais Strait. The Vais Strait has many reefs and unstable currents, but for four months out of the year, the currents shift and navigation becomes smooth.”

“Four months out of the year means……”

“That’s right. June through September.”

A deep crease formed between Canasia’s brows. An agreement that carved out the best sailing season. Just as Aslan said, she couldn’t help but wonder what everyone was doing while that seal was being pressed onto the document.

“Outside of that period, a sailing vessel under 100 tons can’t pass through the Vais Strait. You’d need a galley of at least 300 tons to even attempt it.”

Unlike Eldos’s ships, which were galleys that hired oarsmen, Hereis’s vessels were sailing ships that relied on wind alone. With fewer sailors, the cost of oarsmen was too high, and galleys were simply out of reach.

“Then this agreement……”

“Is a pretty little fraud.”

Aslan answered flatly. Canasia’s lips trembled. She couldn’t trust a pirate, but this was a man who knew sea routes better than anyone, and she couldn’t doubt him. And there was no reason for him to lie to her.

Canasia buried her face in both hands. She felt like a fool. A wave of regret washed over her, that she should have gone to the negotiation table herself and settled it directly instead of shutting herself in her room and crying.

……Even if I had known in advance, could I have stopped this agreement? The fact that Eldos sent Jeff Dawson as the head of the delegation instead of a proper diplomat was proof they never intended to negotiate.

When her thoughts reached that point, a sense of helplessness closed in. It was only a matter of timing. No matter how much she struggled, being played in the palm of Eldos’s hand was always going to happen.

Canasia stared at the royal seal pressed into the crumpled paper. Was it her mother who stamped this agreement, or her younger sibling? Whoever it was, that person must have pressed the seal onto this worthless piece of paper and rejoiced, believing a path to survival had opened.

She sat staring blankly at the agreement in a state of desolation, and Aslan held out another envelope.

“And this.”

It was a personal letter from the King of Eldos addressed to someone called the Marquis of Gramont. The envoy had given it to her, saying that when she arrived in Eldos, the Marquis would be there to receive her, and that if she handed him this letter, he would see her comfortably to the royal palace.

A vague unease came over her, and Canasia carefully unfolded the letter. It was written in an unfamiliar language, scrawled in rough strokes, and it took her no small amount of time to read through it.

『To the Marquis of Gramont,

The Princess of Hereis has crossed treacherous seas to become the Queen of Eldos. See to it that she is attended with the utmost care.

Without exception, receive every envoy from Hereis with the greatest hospitality and work toward the goodwill between our two nations.

Make my wishes known to all, and let those who fail in their duties atone with their lives, so that no disruption may occur.

The reason I entrust this weighty task to you is because I trust you. Do not disappoint me.

Philkennon di Eldos』

For all the effort it took to read, the letter held nothing more than ordinary instructions to take good care of the princess.

“What about it?”

Canasia couldn’t find anything suspicious and asked in puzzlement. Aslan snatched the letter and set it on the table. Then he poured water over it.

“What are you doing?”

Canasia asked, startled. Instead of answering, Aslan crossed his arms and watched in silence as the ink began to bleed and spread across the wet paper. Where the writing blurred and smeared, certain letters remained sharp and clear. He curved his lips in a cold smile, looking unsurprised.

“Read it again.”

Canasia stumbled through the remaining letters and read them out.