“Til. I can’t accept this.”

Aira frowned at the shadow blocking her path.

“What?”

“It’s still not too late. If you tell the principal there was a mistake with your ship selection…”

“The assignment orders have already been issued. What nonsense are you spouting?”

At her harsh words, the fresh-faced ensign blocking her way—Theophil, known as the eternal second-place—flinched and trembled.

“B-but because you gave up your spot, I’m going to the Gloire-Honneur. How does that make any sense?”

Currently, the Gloire-Honneur is the Republic’s finest warship. Jens’s former flagship.

Normally, the valedictorian would have naturally chosen that ship.

Aira’s lips twisted. She had no interest in the Republic’s internal power struggles or climbing the ranks.

The higher one rises, the more enemies one makes. There was no need to invite additional hostility.

Of course, that wasn’t why she hadn’t chosen the Gloire-Honneur.

“The Paul Nor is garbage, Til.”

At Theophil’s words, Aira’s eyes grew fierce.

“Watch your mouth. Do you know whose ship you’re talking about?”

“A hero of the Republic? What hero? Four years is enough time for frontline technology to be completely overturned. A captain who’s been stuck in that backwater with his brain frozen…”

“Do I need to tell you to shut up?”

Having competed with male cadets for four years in what was essentially a military environment, Aira spoke without restraint.

Theophil instinctively shrank his neck.

He knew she was an imperial princess and that four years ago, she had received help from the great naval officer Jens Will.

Their classmates understood her puzzling choice, assuming she was going to his ship either to repay her debt or out of admiration for him.

But knowing how hard she had worked on her studies, Theophil had come to hope that Aira would succeed despite her origins.

As their pointless confrontation continued, Roje Riya, Aira’s roommate for two years, intervened.

“Ugh. Clingy men are the worst, don’t you think, Aira?”

“Roje. Are you leaving now?”

“I have to. Since I’m from the west, I need to take a ten-hour train ride, which will be exhausting. But you’re lucky—you’re going to Oculer.”

“Oculer? Not Lüet?”

Theophil blinked. Newly commissioned ensigns assigned to ships had to travel to their vessel’s home port.

The Paul Nor’s home port was Lüet, a remote area without even train tracks. He had been worried about that, but…

The capital, Oculer?

Roje answered before Aira could.

“He’s coming to Oculer after a very long time. Supposedly for ship repairs, but who knows? It might be for our cute new ensign…”

“Don’t say such nonsense, Roje.”

“Hmm.”

Roje hugged Aira from behind, who despite having grown was still much smaller than herself. Then she spoke in a suggestive voice.

“Why not? Is it really a coincidence that the commander, who’s been anchored in the Arctic waters with no one knowing if he was dead or alive, is moving at precisely this time?”

“It’s a coincidence. It was time for him to visit the capital. I’m just a lucky new ensign.”

Aira smiled and pushed away Roje’s clinging arms. Roje pouted. Of course, she knew it was a coincidence, though she wanted to believe it was fate.

“Anyway, let’s go. I called for a carriage. I’ll drop you off on the way. You’re going to Logos Station, right?”

“You’re going to a different station. It’s too far out of your way.”

“Excuse me. I’m also going to Oculer, so if you don’t mind, we could go together…”

Roje glared sharply at Theophil.

“Don’t even dream of it. You have your family carriage to take you.”

“Thanks, Theophil. But I’ve already bought my train ticket, so I’ll go on my own. Take care.”

Aira also cut off his kindness like a knife.

“Well then, since we’re both going to Oculer, maybe before you set sail…”

“Aira. We’re late. Let’s go, quickly.”

As Aira was about to answer, Roje pushed her along and whispered softly.

“Our Aira has the commander. Don’t get any ideas.”

“It’s not like that.”

Aira walked on with a bitter smile.

Four years ago, Roje had discovered the pile of dresses Aira had received from Jens when she returned to the dorm early.

Even though contact with Jens had ceased since then, Roje was convinced that Jens harbored feelings beyond those of a guardian for her.

No one would shower a woman they weren’t interested in with such gifts, she insisted.

Additionally, over the past four years, Roje had seen Aira receive countless letters returned as undeliverable.

Eventually, she firmly believed that Aira had earned the valedictorian position to meet Jens Will, and that the two would reunite like destiny.

“But you’re excited about meeting him, right? It’s been four years.”

Despite not knowing the details, Roje’s speculation aligned with the truth in a way.

Aira had indeed claimed the valedictorian position solely for Jens Will.

To choose his ship.

Looking at Roje’s bright, eager eyes, Aira replied with mixed feelings.

“…Yes.”

* * *

“…I heard you graduated as valedictorian.”

“That’s correct.”

“…I believe I read in an article that the right to choose a ship hasn’t been eliminated.”

“That’s right. Only the valedictorian is given the right to choose a ship.”

“…We reported having no disembarking or transferring personnel.”

“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to serve under such an excellent captain.”

Having returned to Oculer after a long time to process various reports and documents, Schaefer received an unexpected message.

There was a newly assigned junior officer for their ship, and she needed to pick them up.

Since there had been no personnel changes for four years, Schaefer reported this to the captain with puzzlement, and the captain, as usual, distracted by other interests, simply gestured for her to handle it.

The Paul Nor had long since departed from the navy’s normal personnel assignments.

She wondered what kind of problematic, eccentric soldier they were trying to dump on their ship this time.

And Schaefer’s expectation was both wrong and right. The person waiting for her at the personnel department was someone she knew.

Looking at the scar on the ear of the newly commissioned ensign with short bobbed hair, Schaefer stared up at the monotonous building ceiling.

She couldn’t believe this reality.

The Paul Nor was definitely not a ship that a Conifer valedictorian would choose.

But considering her background, it seemed fitting for this ship. It also seemed to confirm Aira’s state of mind was not entirely sound.

In any case, there was no way to defy the decision.

Looking around, she noticed familiar faces in the personnel department turning their heads away to avoid her.

“Why is your hair still like that?”

“I found a bob more comfortable. And…”

The new ensign smiled impudently.

“My ear is completely fine. Thank you for your concern.”

“Who’s concerned?”

Trying not to reveal her expression, Schaefer headed toward the docked Paul Nor with the new ensign, the former imperial princess Aira.

While she seemed to understand why this fledgling ensign had come here… she didn’t want to know.

When Schaefer and Aira boarded the ship, all eyes turned to them. This was because there had been no new recruits or transfers for some time.

And now a freshly commissioned ensign?

Receiving questioning glances from all sides, Aira followed Schaefer, who had been promoted to lieutenant since they last met.

They occasionally encountered crew members while navigating the ship’s interior, which was so complex it seemed like a maze.

Since the crew had been on distant missions and were out of touch with news, no one recognized her.

But soon the news would spread like wildfire. And those glances would instantly turn hostile.

The Paul Nor was severely aged, as rumored. But the door to the captain’s quarters at the top of a high staircase was incongruously made of luxurious yellow cedar.

So a captain’s quarters is still a captain’s quarters, she thought.

Thinking of who would be on the other side, Aira tensed and tightly clenched her dry palms.

Knock knock.

“Captain. Lieutenant Schaefer reporting.”

“…”

Knock knock knock.

“Captain. Lieutenant Schaefer reporting. I’ve brought the new ensign.”

Schaefer roughly knocked on the captain’s door, which showed no response at all.

Knock knock knock knock knock.

The knocking on the captain’s door grew increasingly forceful.

Just as Aira began to worry that Schaefer might hurt her knuckles, Schaefer finally gave up knocking and opened the door.

Click.

Aira inhaled sharply.

How could a subordinate open a superior’s door—not just any superior, but the captain’s—without permission? Wasn’t this overstepping?

But regardless of Aira’s surprise, Schaefer entered unhesitatingly, almost kicking the door open. What Aira saw through the open door was…

“…”

Aira swallowed her shock with effort.

It was completely unlike what one would expect from the navy, which prided itself on neatness, order, and cleanliness—especially for quarters on a ship.

How could the captain’s quarters be in such a state? What was the duty officer doing?

The interior was a mountain of papers. Crumpled papers tossed aside after writing, papers covered in writing, books, sea charts, and maps were endlessly piled throughout the captain’s quarters.

All sorts of navigation tools, including compasses, were used as paperweights. There wasn’t even space to step on the floor or bed.

Absurdly, however, only the desk was impeccably neat, as one would expect of a naval officer.

The quill and ink were precisely aligned without the slightest deviation, and there wasn’t a single ink stain elsewhere.

It was a typical officer’s desk, except for a fishbowl the size of a human head sitting in one corner.

Of course, the very existence of the fishbowl was ridiculous.

Moreover, the single fish inside wasn’t an ornamental species but rather a sardine—something more appropriately called seafood, commonly eaten.

Hmm. A sardine…

Well, this much could be understood as the peculiar hobby of a naval officer.

For a captain, this level of eccentricity was perfectly acceptable. Who would dare criticize the captain?

The problem was…

“Captain!”

The chair was already buried far away in the mountain of papers, leaving the desk fully visible.

Lying on the floor under the elegant mahogany desk with storage compartments on both sides, uncomfortably bending his legs, was a sleeping man.

“Captain Jens Will!”

It was him, whom she was meeting again after four years. Aira, unable to bear looking at that strange creature, began a staring contest with the sardine.

—

T/N: Ngl, all these terms and locations and characters are making my head hurt every time I translate, so I go through these chapters with outmost care, but please do feel free to ping me or reach out should you ever find inconsistencies! Sometimes my brain just taps out and I’m suddenly left with two braincells.

Who are very excited to see the pair interact again after four years!

Also I love the fact that Jens has a pet sardine, apparently.