Aslan kept his mouth shut and delayed his answer. He wasn’t pleased about the plan being pushed back again and again, but with hundreds of lives depending on him, he couldn’t simply dig in his heels. Bjorn, reading the mood, changed the subject.

“How long do you plan to keep Gunther Burke locked up?”

“Why do you ask about him? You two were at each other’s throats, and now that he’s out of sight you’re missing him?”

“I’m asking because of the noise. If you were going to lock him up, you should have thrown him in the bottom of the hold.”

Bjorn answered without a trace of humor. Sean Walter added:

“Gunther Burke’s been causing a scene and it’s unsettling the crew.”

“Are they cursing me out?”

“Not exactly…… but apparently he’s been ranting that if the Princess of Hereis isn’t thrown off the ship immediately, the vessel will sink before long.”

“The fool. And here I thought he’d been doing just fine as a pirate all this time.”

Aslan muttered with a pitying shake of his head, and Bjorn Russ nodded vigorously.

“He seems to have a lot of complaints. Why not just throw him into the sea?”

“That’s not a bad idea.”

“Forgive the interruption, but First Mate Kenneth asked me to pass along that passing through Cardoman without a helmsman would be very difficult.”

Sean Walter cut in carefully. No one disagreed that Gunther Burke was a fool, but his skill was undeniable, and the truth was they needed his helmsmanship to get through Cardoman.

“Tch.”

Aslan clicked his tongue with a displeased expression. Cardoman had fast currents and many reefs, making the helmsman’s skill absolutely critical. He knew well enough that having Gunther Burke at the wheel, with his thorough knowledge of Cardoman, was the safest option.

“So what do you want me to do about it?”

Aslan rested his chin in his hand and fixed Sean Walter with a sharp look. Sean Walter met his gaze, hesitated briefly, then spoke.

“If you were to extract a promise from him that he won’t repeat the same mistake, and release him……”

“Pull him out of the cabin and throw him in the cargo hold. He shows no sign of remorse, so another week of confinement.”

“Captain……”

“Or shall I hold you responsible for failing to keep the crew in line? Bosun Sean Walter.”

Sean Walter, bosun of the Abyss, bowed his head. It was close to venting frustration, but as the bosun responsible for managing the crew, he clearly bore some responsibility for failing to prevent contact with Gunther Burke in solitary confinement.

“If you’re done, go check on Gunther Burke, Sean.”

“Understood. Then the helmsman……”

“Bjorn.”

Aslan turned to Bjorn, who was snickering.

“You’re the temporary helmsman starting today.”

“Pardon?”

The smile vanished from Bjorn’s face.

“I can’t do that. How am I supposed to handle the wheel?”

“I know everything you can do, Bjorn Russ.”

Red eyes fixed on Bjorn with a piercing gaze.

“If you say you can’t, then we’ll pass through Cardoman without a helmsman.”

Bjorn let out a long sigh at Aslan’s stubbornness and answered with reluctant resignation.

“Fine. I’ll give it a try. What’s the worst that can happen, we all die together.”

“Good. Do well and I’ll promote you to helmsman.”

“What kind of promotion is that? Don’t come blaming me if things go wrong.”

Bjorn was still grumbling when:

“Captain! Captain!”

Timo burst into the captain’s quarters, white as a sheet. He came barging in without knocking, and Sean Walter frowned and asked:

“What’s the matter, Timo?”

“The, the princess……”

Before Timo could finish, Aslan was already out of his seat.

“Princess!”

* * *

Aslan bolted out of the captain’s quarters and ran to Canasia’s cabin. He kicked open the half-open door, rushed inside, and scooped Canasia up from the floor.

“Princess! Wake up, Princess!”

Her face was pale and drenched in cold sweat. Ragged, wheezing breaths escaped through her parched lips. Her body burned like a furnace. Thinking she must have fallen ill from the stress, Aslan peeled the wet hair from her face.

Canasia struggled to lift her eyelids. Her hazy eyes searched for him in confusion.

“Asl…… an, I……”

“Hey, talk to me. Where does it hurt?”

Aslan asked with a worried look. Canasia moved her lips with great effort.

“I, my body, something’s wrong……”

The words coming out of her mouth kept breaking off. Her hot breath carried a faint sweetness. He reached to feel her forehead for fever, and Canasia shuddered.

“Hng……”

The strange m*an made Aslan pause. Something was off for a sick person’s reaction. He looked into her glazed eyes and furrowed his brow. This was no ordinary fever.

“What did you take?”

“The sleeping medicine…… I couldn’t sleep……”

“Sleeping medicine?”

Aslan quickly scanned the floor. An empty glass bottle lay rolling in the corner. He picked it up and licked the remaining liquid inside. A sweet, biting taste stung his tongue. It was cheap aphrodisiac, the kind that circulated in back alleys.

“Where did you get this?”

The man’s voice dropped to something cold. Canasia answered with difficulty.

“That person…… Bjorn……”

Bjorn Russ, that bastard.

Aslan barely swallowed the curse rising to his throat. Part of him wanted to grab Bjorn by the collar and drive his fist into him right then, but Canasia came first.

“It’s hot……”

Canasia clutched Aslan’s clothes with trembling hands and pleaded. Her bloodshot eyes brimmed with tears. This is going to drive him mad. He tightened his hold around her.

“I know.”

Aslan lowered his head and kissed her. He bit lightly at her fever-dried lips, then slipped his tongue between them. Canasia desperately tangled her tongue with his, searching him with frantic urgency. Her movements were clumsy, and Aslan pulled her neck a little closer.

“Hng.”

When the tip of his tongue grazed the roof of her mouth, Canasia squirmed. M*ans she couldn’t fully swallow vibrated in her throat. The sensation of him tracing each tooth and drinking in her breath made her head swim.

“Hng, more……”

Canasia didn’t even register what she was saying. Every time the soft flesh teased her gums, heat bloomed across her whole body. Her breath was snatched away the moment she exhaled, and it built up until she was gasping.

She barely managed to move her limp hand to push him away, and Aslan bit her tongue in a fit of spite. He bit hard enough to draw blood, yet the sensation was more stimulating than painful, and Canasia shuddered again. When he finally lifted his head, a thin thread stretched between their parted lips.

“Hng.”

Canasia stared at Aslan with hazy eyes, lips still parted. Even after such a long kiss, the heat inside her hadn’t settled. Aslan smiled bitterly at her seductive gaze.

“Don’t look at me like that, Princess.”

“Please, do something……”

Her voice, higher than usual, trembled faintly. Her feverish breathing rang loud enough to be distracting. She was already soaking wet below. Every shred of her pride as a princess, every trace of shame as a woman, was gone. The only thought filling her head was that someone needed to put out this fire. Unable to bear the terrible heat any longer, Canasia finally sobbed.

“Asl, an…… please……”

Canasia tugged desperately at his collar, all shame forgotten. Aslan quietly placed his hand against her cheek. Her cheek, flushed as though powdered red, was burning hot. He whispered softly in her ear.

“You’re the one who wanted this.”

His patience snapped. Aslan lifted Canasia and laid her on the bed. Even the soft touch of the sheets against her back was overwhelming. Aslan’s hand came to her face again. His hand was warm, but her face burned so hot that where he touched her felt almost cool by comparison.

Aslan leaned down, pressed his lips to her neck, and began biting the soft skin there in slow, deliberate pulls.

“Hng.”

The ticklish, foreign sensation made Canasia writhe. Aslan lifted his lips and licked over the mark he left. Then he bit lightly at her soft earlobe.

“Ah……!”

A m*an broke free, and Aslan smiled and breathed warm air against her ear.

“Tell me what you want me to do.”

“No, ugh……”

Canasia answered through tears at his teasing. Below, she was burning and aching unbearably. She didn’t know what to do with herself, tears falling one after another, and then she grabbed his arm in a desperate plea. Aslan untied her dress laces as though he had been waiting for exactly that.

Canasia shivered faintly every time the lace brushed her feverish skin. The thin undergarment clung to her body and left nothing to the imagination. When Aslan began tracing his hands over the fabric, her breathing grew even more ragged. He deliberately circled around her chest, drawing out her anticipation.

“Beg me to touch you.”

“……”

Canasia bit her lip at the wicked demand. Aslan smiled with a mean edge and twisted the stiffened peak between his fingers.

“Ah!”

Canasia cried out. Aslan licked up the sensitized n*pple. He alternated between sucking gently and teasing with his tongue, and her hips lifted off the bed. Her mind felt like it was unraveling, and she twisted beneath him.

“Hng……”

“We’re just getting started and you’re already like this.”

The low murmur reached her through the haze of her mind. Before she could open her mouth, Aslan stripped off her undergarment entirely and buried his lips against one br*ast. At the same time, his other hand cupped the opposite br*ast and began kneading it softly.