The slender bow cut through the water. Fierce waves crashed against the hull and burst into white foam. Unlike the Victore, which was slow and steady by virtue of its size, the Abyss was built for speed alone and tore through the rough sea with ferocity.

No wonder the seasickness is so bad. Canasia pressed her chest to settle the churning and breathed in deeply. The briny sea wind filled her stifled lungs.

It couldn’t be summer already, yet the sunlight beating straight down from overhead was every bit as fierce as midsummer. She rose to find a shaded spot, and at that moment the deck shuddered loudly, followed by a bang of impact.

Playing tricks again.

Canasia frowned and glared at the oak barrel that had rolled to her feet. A barrel standing perfectly upright didn’t fall on its own, so someone clearly rolled it on purpose to startle her.

She ignored the barrel and moved to another spot without missing a beat. The sailors who had been sneaking glances to see her reaction drifted away one by one, looking bored. They were honest to a laughable degree.

The sailors’ hysterical behavior was nothing new; she experienced it on the Victore too. Perhaps because of the rumor that she was Aslan’s woman, it wasn’t as brazen as it was back then, and she could bear it. And having someone on board who was genuinely friendly was a great comfort.

“There you are, Princess.”

Bjorn Russ spotted Canasia and came over warmly.

“How is the seasickness?”

“Much better.”

“I’m glad my prescription worked.”

Bjorn smiled gently and asked, “Is there anything making you uncomfortable?”

“Nothing. Except for the oak barrels rolling at me at all hours.”

Bjorn clicked his tongue and kicked the barrel.

“I’ll have to give the bosun a word.”

Then he raised his hand high and called out:

“Hey, Sean!”

Sean Walter, the bosun, was managing the sailors on one side of the deck and turned his head. Bjorn beckoned him over, and he came without protest.

“Do your job managing the equipment properly, Bosun Sean Walter.”

“Is there a problem?”

“Don’t you see that?”

Bjorn pointed to the oak barrel rolling around on the deck. Sean Walter looked at the situation and then turned his gaze to Canasia. Canasia stared back at him.

A man she couldn’t place as an ally or an enemy. His manner was ambiguous, neither visibly friendly like Bjorn nor openly hostile like Gunther Burke. In the meeting room he seemed to take her side, but out on deck he said nothing and didn’t intervene even when he knew the sailors were being rude. Sean Walter looked at her with an expression she couldn’t read at all, then bowed his head.

“I will be more careful going forward.”

“That’s all you have to say?”

“This won’t happen again.”

“Anyone can say that.”

Sean Walter drew a slow, deep breath at Bjorn’s jab.

“If the same thing happens again─”

He paused briefly, swept his gaze over the sailors loitering nearby, and spoke.

“I will atone with my life.”

The words were so gravely solemn that Canasia’s eyes went wide. Sean Walter bowed once more, then personally righted the fallen barrel and began tying it down with rope. Canasia watched his retreating figure, unsettled.

“What a tiresome bastard, honestly.”

Bjorn shook his head and said to Canasia:

“He’s always been like that, so please don’t let it bother you, Princess.”

“Oh.”

Canasia gave an uncertain answer and nodded without quite meaning to.

“He’s a dull one for a pirate. Doesn’t drink, doesn’t care for women.”

“I’ve heard that having a woman on board makes for a troubled voyage.”

“A superstition only idiots believe, if you ask me. Isn’t it absurd? They go mad for women on land but throw a fit about having one on a ship.”

Bjorn spoke as though he were no sailor himself, then pointed at Sean Walter and added:

“That one’s a different case, but the point is there are plenty of fools like that, so even if it bothers you, the best thing to do is ignore them.”

Canasia nodded without a word. Being bothered by it didn’t change anything on a ship, so ignoring it, as Bjorn said, was the wisest course. She looked away from Sean Walter heading back to the cabin after finishing with the barrel and asked:

“Don’t you dislike me?”

“What reason would I have to dislike you, Princess?”

Bjorn’s question made Canasia turn her head.

“Because your captain is making a reckless choice on my account.”

“Reckless choice…… well.”

Bjorn smiled. He was a man whose inner thoughts were hard to read, though in a different way from Sean Walter. She pressed him:

“Shouldn’t you try to stop him? The way things are going, it’ll end with everyone charging toward their deaths.”

“Why do you think that?”

“You know as well as I do how absurd the plan is. Using me to lure the King of Eldos.”

“But in the meeting room, you said it was possible.”

“In theory, anything is possible. And it’s true that Philkennon won’t be able to give me up easily. But aren’t there too many variables to be betting on that?”

“It’s a gamble on the princess’s value.”

Canasia shook her head, unable to understand.

“That’s exactly the problem. It’s a plan that wouldn’t exist if I weren’t here. So it makes sense that you’d resent me……”

“The plan changed, but the conclusion would have been the same even without you. If anything, you raised the odds from zero percent to one percent.”

One way or another, a confrontation with Philkennon was always going to be unavoidable, Bjorn added.

“Is the debt he owes Philkennon really that great?”

Bjorn’s lips curved gently at Canasia’s question. It was a smile that looked almost cold.

“I wonder about that myself.”

What does that mean? She was about to ask what he meant by that when:

“Bjorn! The captain’s asking for you!”

Timo’s shout rang out from the captain’s quarters. Bjorn bowed his head at the beckoning call.

“I’ll go see to it. The wind is cold, so don’t stay out too long, Princess.”

Bjorn’s figure slowly receded. Canasia stood in place for a while.

* * *

After gaining the freedom to move about the ship, Canasia spent most of her time out on deck watching the sea. No matter how far they sailed, there was nothing but open water in every direction, but it was far better than being shut inside the stuffy cabin.

She seemed to have adjusted to the acrobatic sailing, because the seasickness improved noticeably too. With a little discomfort to put up with, life on the ship wasn’t entirely bad.

Canasia settled into a corner of the deck so as not to get in the way of the pirates, who seemed unusually busy today. Unfriendly looks came her way as always, but thanks to Sean Walter keeping order, no barrels came rolling at her.

“Sean, are you there?”

Canasia reflexively turned her head at the familiar voice. Aslan came out onto the deck and spoke with Sean Walter. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but from the smiling expression on his face it didn’t seem serious.

Is he busy?

In inverse proportion to the small freedom Canasia gained, Aslan’s visits to the cabin dropped off sharply. She told herself it was good that he no longer showed up at random and made a nuisance of himself, yet there was an emptiness somewhere she couldn’t account for.

……Emptiness? What a ridiculous thought.

She must have genuinely lost her mind from being cooped up so long. She shook her head, telling herself to get a grip, and at that moment her eyes met Aslan’s. His eyes curved softly, and she looked away before she knew she was doing it.

Why am I acting like this? The inexplicable awkwardness made her bite her lip for no reason.

“I told you not to bite it.”

Aslan appeared at her side without a sound and touched her lips gently as he murmured.

“Move your hand.”

Her voice came out noticeably unsteady. Aslan smirked and cupped her cheek without a care.

“Your cheek is cold.”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

Rough fingers stroked soft skin gently. Should she snap at him to take his hand away? The place his touch landed burned, and she turned her head away. Aslan lowered his hand without protest. Worried he might notice her face flushing, Canasia changed the subject.

“How much farther until we reach land?”

“Almost there. We’ll enter Cardoman in three days.”

“Cardoman? Where is that?”

“The point where the Dead Sea ends. It’s a dangerous stretch of water, full of reefs and heavy fog. If you’re not paying close attention, the whole ship could go under.”

The words were alarming, but his tone was breezy. Unable to tell if he was joking or serious, she furrowed her brow, and Aslan smiled and added:

“So for a few days I won’t be able to look after the princess. Don’t be too disappointed.”

“Disappointed? Who said I’d be disappointed? I couldn’t care less if I never saw you─”

Peck. Soft lips touched her cheek and lifted away.

“Saying that makes me feel disappointed.”

“Are you out of your mind?”

Startled, Canasia shoved Aslan away, and he laughed brightly and whispered close to her ear:

“I have a meeting. I don’t know when it’ll end, but I’ll come by the cabin when it does.”

“Don’t.”

“See you later, Princess.”

Aslan said his goodbye and turned away. Canasia watched his back as he disappeared into the captain’s quarters, and the moment he was gone she let out the breath she had been holding. Her heart was pounding loudly.

Better to go back to the cabin.

Canasia rubbed her heated face with the back of her hand and got up. Only then did she notice the eyes watching her, whispering among themselves like they had stumbled onto something entertaining. She suddenly felt parched. She knew he had played the joke with extra flair on purpose, to show the pirates who didn’t welcome her, but holding her ground without flinching was still not easy.