I have to escape safely, no matter what.

When daylight came, word would get out that she was gone, and the palace would send people to find her. She had no way to cross the rugged mountain range and reach the border in a single night, so her best option was to flee by ship.

Whether the sailors, who believed like gospel the superstition that carrying a woman on board invited the curse of the sirens, would willingly take her aboard was another matter.

But I have to try something.

Steeling herself with the thought that if all else failed she would grab hold of an anchor rope and hold on for dear life, Canasia headed for the harbor.

The harbor, usually quiet, was packed with sailors preparing to set sail. Dozens of ships of unknown origin crowded the docks, where only small fishing boats were normally moored.

With this many ships, surely at least one will take me.

Canasia carefully scanned the people moving about the docks.

Only a captain or high-ranking noble had the authority to take a woman aboard, so there was no point looking at anyone doing repairs with their own hands. She also ruled out anyone with heavily sun-darkened skin or an overly muscular build. Those types were likely common sailors.

To leave before the palace noticed, she needed a ship that was already finished with its departure preparations. Searching for someone who fit her criteria, Canasia finally spotted a suitable target.

A handsome blond man sitting on an oak barrel, watching a ship under repair with a bored expression. His hair color was rare in Hereis, which suggested he was someone who had come from across the sea.

The fact that he simply watched without lifting a finger while others repaired the ship made his high status clear, and the ship flying no flag meant it was almost certainly a merchant vessel that operated without a fixed base, moving wherever profit led.

Having chosen her target, Canasia approached the man carefully, pushed back her cloak, and asked.

“Um, excuse me.”

The man turned his head. Eyes red as the sun fixed on her with a piercing stare.

“What?”

“Are you the owner of this ship?”

“And if I am?”

“Take me with you.”

“……Take you with me?”

The man raised his neat eyebrows. His features were as fine as a carefully sculpted statue, yet there was something cold about him that chilled her fingertips.

“You want me to take a woman aboard?”

She said take me with you rather than let me board, but the man saw through the clumsy wordplay.

Canasia looked down, lost in thought. If there was no room for reconsideration, he would have refused outright. The fact that he didn’t meant there might be hope. She quickly gathered her thoughts and spoke again.

“I won’t impose for long. You can let me off at the next port of call.”

“Do you even know where this ship is headed?”

“Anywhere but Eldos is fine.”

“Eldos?”

For the first time, an expression crossed the man’s face as he stood with moonlight at his back. A strange smile, impossible to tell whether it was amusement or mockery, vanished too quickly to read. Growing anxious, Canasia added in a rush.

“I’ll pay you enough.”

“Pay me?”

“Here.”

Three gold coins glinted on her small palm. The man let out a disbelieving laugh.

“Listen, princess. Do you know how much just this one oak barrel costs?”

Canasia nearly stopped breathing at the word “princess,” then quickly realized the man was mocking her.

He thinks I’m a naive child who doesn’t know how the world works.

Canasia looked down at the pouch in her hand. It was everything she had, but no matter how much money she possessed, it meant nothing if she couldn’t escape. She held the pouch out with grim resolve.

“I’ll give you all of it.”

The man’s gaze lingered on the pouch. A pouch smaller than her tiny hand. Even if everything inside was jewels, it would obviously be pocket change to him.

He smirked without a word, and his lack of reply made her desperate. Canasia spoke with urgency.

“If this isn’t enough, tell me what you want. I’ll do anything.”

“Anything?”

“Yes, anything.”

He was going to humor her for a bit and then send her away.

The man studied Canasia carefully. Her resolute eyes, at odds with her delicate appearance, grated on him in a strange way. He rested his chin in his hand and asked in a languid tone.

“Anything, you say…….Will you give me your body?”

Canasia stopped breathing. It was a proposition she never considered even in her dreams. A cold prickling crept to her fingertips, and without thinking she tightened her grip on the pouch.

She should have gotten angry, told him what an insolent thing to say, and turned away. But her feet refused to move.

「I’m sorry, Cana. I just can’t do this anymore.」

Her sister’s letter flashed through her mind. If she was going to be dragged to the hell that even her bright and strong sister couldn’t survive, then perhaps……

Her resolve set, Canasia asked back in a trembling voice.

“If I do, will you take me?”

This body was as good as forfeit the moment she reached Eldos anyway. There was no reason to spare it for the sake of her freedom. The man studied her slowly, as though gauging her sincerity, then stepped down from the barrel.

“Follow me.”

The man tilted his chin arrogantly and strode forward. Canasia pulled her cloak tight and hurried after him. A young sailor who was untangling ropes tied to the ship dropped his work and ran over.

“Captain, where are you going?”

“The inn.”

“The inn? You said we’d set sail before dawn…….”

The puzzled sailor glanced sideways at Canasia and let his words trail off. The uncomfortable feeling made her look away, and the man cut him off.

“I’ll be back in time. Have everything ready without delay.”

“Understood. Have a good time, sir.”

The young sailor grinned and turned away. Being treated like a pr*stitute was mortifying beyond bearing, but there was nothing to be done. Canasia kept her head down and followed the man.

Most of the inns near the harbor were full. After passing several inns with signs saying they were not taking guests, the man entered one a fair distance from the harbor.

“Welcome.”

The innkeeper’s gaze moved from the man to Canasia. She worried for a moment that someone might recognize her, but the innkeeper quickly lost interest, as though this sort of guest was nothing new.

“One of your largest rooms.”

“Fourth room on the left, if you please.”

The man took the key from the innkeeper and went straight to the room. Canasia bit her lip and made herself follow on reluctant feet. Click. The man unlocked the door.

“Come in.”

He urged on the hesitating Canasia. She stepped inside and he lit a candle, then loosened the laces of his shirt. Firm muscle showed plainly through the loosened collar. Canasia caught herself looking and her cheeks flushed. It was the first time she had seen a man’s bare body this close.

She looked away without thinking and bit the tip of her tongue. What was there to be embarrassed about at this point? She told herself to be shameless and lifted her head with a show of composure. In the dim candlelight, a vivid scar on the center of the man’s chest caught her eye.

Is that…… a knife wound?

Canasia stared at the scar. It was a long, red mark that looked to be at least two hand-spans in length. A scar that severe must have come from a serious injury. How on earth did he……

“Do you like what you see?”

The quiet question snapped her back to her senses. She was staring far too openly, and in her flustered haste to look away, the man said flatly.

“Take it off.”

“……!”

Her face went white at the blunt words. She reflexively clutched her collar closed, and the man fixed her with a sharp look. Pale complexion, lips trembling faintly, eyes with nowhere to land. He let out a short, dry laugh and spoke.

“If you don’t want to, say so now.”

He gestured toward the door with a pointed tilt of his head, as if testing her. If she backed down here, she would never get another chance like this. Canasia steadied her wavering resolve and shook her head firmly.

“……No. I’ll do it. I can do it.”

She made an irreversible decision and slowly began to undress. Her hands shook so badly that even undoing a single button took a long time, but the man waited for her patiently.