A brief silence fell over the conference room at the gaze that seemed to say, “Speak up if you have anything to say.” An old man with a thick, striking beard smoothly changed the subject.

“For a ship carrying the princess of Hereis, it was rather lightly crewed.”

“Right. We chased it all that way for nothing. Isn’t that right, Gunther?”

A man with a boyish, youthful face agreed and nudged the large man sitting beside him. The man called Gunther opened his mouth with a displeased look.

“Why did you bring that woman back?”

“That woman?”

“The princess of Hereis.”

Gunther Burke said it bluntly. True to his nature as an old-fashioned sailor who inherited piracy as a family trade, he was clearly very unhappy about having a woman on the Abyss. Aslan looked at Gunther Burke with a pitying eye.

“If you’re too stupid to figure that out on your own, you’d be better off quitting piracy.”

“Captain!”

“Shut your mouth, Gunther. I believe I told you that if my decisions don’t suit you, you’re free to leave this ship anytime.”

“…….”

Gunther fumed but closed his mouth. The older man cut in again.

“Do you consider the princess to have value as a hostage?”

“More value than you, First Mate Kenneth.”

“The crew will be unsettled.”

Kenneth answered calmly in the face of Aslan’s jab. The superstition that carrying a woman on board brought bad luck was widespread among sailors, and pirates, who clung to superstition, believed it without question. The veteran sailor, who spent over forty years at sea, understood the nature of sailors and their superstitions better than anyone.

“Even you can’t escape being a sailor at heart.”

Aslan clicked his tongue with apparent disappointment.

“Are you afraid of a woman?”

“I’m not, but the ones who are afraid are the problem.”

Kenneth’s gaze landed on Gunther. Finding a solid ally, Gunther raised his voice.

“If we run into a typhoon, they’ll all be saying it’s her fault.”

“I didn’t know I had men under me who would say something that stupid.”

“Captain!”

“Tell them to get off if they’re scared. I won’t stop them.”

Aslan said it firmly. Kenneth, knowing that Aslan never reversed a decision once made, let out a sigh. Aslan added sharply.

“What is our goal?”

“Vengeance for Lord Taikan.”

“Good. You haven’t forgotten.”

Sean Walter mentioned the name of the previous captain, who died in battle against an Eldos warship several years ago, and the meeting room grew solemn. Kenneth, who was Taikan’s close friend, asked again.

“Do you think Philkennon will hold back his attack for the sake of a woman he’s never met?”

“Even that bastard won’t find it easy to sacrifice two princesses of Hereis.”

Bjorn took Aslan’s side, and Gunther Burke shook his head.

“That bastard going easy on us for a woman’s sake? Ha, what a naive thing to say.”

“Gunther, watch your mouth.”

“Do I have to watch my mouth in front of some naive kid who doesn’t know how the world works?”

“Gunther Burke!”

Bjorn shot to his feet and Gunther rose to match him.

“If you’re going to make a scene, both of you get out.”

Gunther Burke left the meeting room without hesitation at Aslan’s words. Bjorn sighed and sat back down. Sean Walter added with a wry smile.

“Even Philkennon won’t dare attack a ship carrying the princess of Hereis. He can ignore Hereis, but if the Empire takes issue with this, it becomes a headache for Eldos too.”

“Mm.”

“The risk is high if it fails, but I think she’s worth using.”

“Good. Then we’ll leave it at that.”

Aslan pushed back his chair and stood.

“Everyone go back to work. Timo, you’re with me.”

“Yes.”

The sailor whose name was called followed Aslan out. A smile slowly spread across Timo’s face, which had been carefully reading the room all along. Aslan stopped at a corner of the deck far from the meeting room, saw Timo’s grin, and scowled.

“Seemed like you really enjoyed yourself.”

“Shut it, Timo. Before I throw you overboard.”

“Mmph.”

Timo covered his mouth with an exaggerated gesture. Of all people, it had to be this one who saw him spend the night with the princess. Aslan looked at Timo with an unamused eye and said.

“I’m putting you in charge of attending to the princess. Keep a close watch and make sure none of the other men come near the cabin. Especially that bastard Gunther Burke.”

“Understood.”

Timo nodded readily.

“But Captain, she is a hostage, right?”

“What?”

“I wasn’t sure whether to treat her like a prisoner or a guest.”

Aslan’s eyes narrowed at the cheeky question. He walked on in silence, stopped in front of the captain’s cabin, and looked back at Timo.

“……Use your judgment.”

“Yes.”

* * *

The noise that seemed like it would never end faded away, and the darkness that settled over the night sea at last met the horizon. The Victore was long gone from sight. Canasia, who had been staring out through the porthole, sank onto the bed.

Why did it have to be that man?

She couldn’t believe how foolish she was for begging a pirate to take her with him. What made it worse was the knowledge that even if she went back to that day, she would have walked up to that man and spoken to him all the same.

‘Are you sure anywhere is fine? Even hell?’

Canasia finally understood what those words meant. There was no worse hell than being inside the most notorious pirate ship in the world.

‘Here is hell to me.’

Canasia turned her own words over and laughed emptily.

If everywhere was hell, there was no point in clinging to anything. Wouldn’t it have been better to fall into the middle of the sea rather than be captured by pirates? If so, at least Roderick might have been safe.

……I’m sorry, Roddy.

Roderick was dead. Killed by those ruthless pirates.

Canasia sank into a despair too deep to measure and buried her face in her crumpled dress. A helpless fog, impossible to see through, filled her mind.

How could she end things quietly on her own without becoming a burden to Hereis? She was turning the unanswerable question over in her mind when.

“Excuse me.”

Someone knocked on the cabin door.

I’m just a worthless hostage anyway. You could just come in.

The polite knock felt like mockery, so she said nothing. The other person didn’t seem to expect an answer either and didn’t knock again.

“I’m coming in.”

The door opened the moment the words were out.

“Hello, Your Highness. Oh, perhaps not such a good hello.”

A boy carrying a tray came in and made a small joke. She recognized him. The young sailor who grinned and told them to have a good time when she and Aslan headed for the inn.

“Do you remember me? We met at the harbor in Hereis. I’m Timo.”

“…….”

Canasia ignored Timo’s greeting, making it clear she had nothing to say. Timo paid no mind and chattered away as he set the tray on the table.

“I brought dinner. The captain asked me personally to look after you. If you need anything, just let me know.”

“I don’t need anything. Get out.”

“Yes, just let me set this out first.”

Timo put the plate on the table and answered cheerfully. Canasia didn’t spare the food a glance.

“I won’t eat anything your lot gives me, so take it away right now.”

“Whether you eat is up to you, Your Highness, but setting it out is the captain’s orders. Could you spare a thought for my position, stuck in the middle?”

Timo smiled without a care.

“I’ll leave the meal here. You’d be better off eating. Our captain’s temperament is, well, a bit much.”

“What’s a bit much about me?”

Aslan shoved the cabin door open and stepped inside, eyebrows raised.

Timo set down the last plate and smiled awkwardly with his eyes.

“Ah…… I’ve done everything I was told, so I’ll be on my way. Enjoy your meal, Your Highness.”