MTFBMP Chapter 31

After that, Dion didn’t speak until they reached the cabin.

 

“What the hell are you doing in there?”

 

Instead, the words slammed out of his mouth as soon as the door closed and we were alone. I didn’t even have time to move a step before the door was right behind me.

 

“I’ll have to put a clause in there about not messing with my ship.”

 

“Oh…”

 

I realized now that we hadn’t finalized the contract and handed it over to Dion yet, and that seemed to piss him off.

 

“I’m sorry, I got a little carried away.”

 

“That’s okay, you’re out of the kitchen for now, I’ll find something else.”

 

“But if you do that, how will I fit in with the people on this ship?”

 

I blurted out in embarrassment. I was tempted to apologize, but it didn’t seem like the right thing to say, so I took the natural course of action.

 

Glancing at Dion’s complexion, I saw that he had a look of incredulity on his face.

 

He looked at me as if to say, ‘Why are you arguing for that reason?’ but at the same time, he seemed to have lost the strength to be angry at me for making such a trivial argument.

 

Dion sighed deeply and said, “You have to be careful around Rhodon, not to get in trouble.”

 

As much as I wanted to retort right away, I knew it would be imprudent to do so here.

 

“It’s not hard to control those boys, but if you get into trouble with Rhodon, there’s only so much I can do to help you.”

 

I suppose that’s Dion’s way of admonishing, anyway. For once, I nodded coldly. Seeing that, Dion pressed his temples together.

 

“…I’m not the rightful Captain of this ship, as you seem to think, so please refrain from thinking of me as an afterthought.”

 

“But there is no ship without a Captain, and the owner of the ship is the Captain.”

 

Dion’s fierce expression quickly narrowed.

 

“Dion is the master of this ship, no matter what anyone says.”

 

“Sure, for now, I am, for now, but there’s another real owner.”

 

“I have ears that can hear, and I’ve also heard that Dion was the heir to the pirate island, so he is the owner of this ship.”

 

Duke Noir had lost both his wife-to-be and his only child to imperial interference before he could marry. But he had secretly found a home on a pirate island, and his wife was still alive.

 

I glanced up at Dion’s hair and thought to myself.

 

‘I never gave anyone such beautiful sunset-colored hair.’ 

 

Dion was the only child of the Pirate King, and he inherited his hair from his mother, Iris.

 

The Duke has probably been exchanging letters with Simon and secretly listening to Iris’s news by now. I didn’t want to lie about something I was sure of.

 

Knowing the truth would only make me feel sorry for him. I wanted to tell him that he didn’t have to try so hard.

 

Never thought it would touch Dion’s nerve.

 

Bam—

 

Dion, who’d gotten so close to me by now, stood in front of me, fists clenched, and slammed into the wall next to my head.

 

I’d always seen him from a bit of a distance, but now he was so much taller that I had to look up. I felt like he was almost as tall as Adelaine.

 

“I never thought I’d hear that from you.”

 

“Tell me if there’s anything I said that I shouldn’t have said, and I’ll fix it.”

 

To say I wasn’t intimidated would be a lie. It’s hard not to be scared of a grown man, much bigger than you, growling at you.

 

To be so scared…, I knew too much about Dion.

 

Alongside the anger, I could feel a definite bite in the pent-up frustration. I could see the glint in his eyes as he looked down at me.

 

“You know what they say, the ship recognizes its master.”

 

“I know that legend.”

 

“So you know that when the owner cries, the ship cries with him.”

 

“Are you…, are you saying I’m crying?”

 

Dion’s words were tinged with amusement. His voice didn’t sound as threatening as it had a moment ago. His gaze shifted downward slightly, as if in disbelief.

 

“Not that I know anything about this ship.”

 

I continued, running my fingers through my hair.

 

“They say that a ship chooses its own master once it’s on the water, and right now, you’re the only one who has a rightful claim to this ship.”

 

“…”

 

“The ship is watching and listening, don’t speak weakly.”

 

The last thing I wanted was for Dion to lose heart or shed a tear because of me, and I didn’t want him to question that he was the owner and captain of the ship.

 

“It’s okay if you don’t protect me, but don’t lower yourself because of me.”

 

It wasn’t exactly comforting. Just a little…, to let him know that he could relax and let go of his obsession with Adelaine, that Dion would never be abandoned on a pirate island unless he did.

 

“You sure know how to make things up for all the time you’ve lived on a secluded island beach.”

 

Why the hell does this guy always listen to this sarcastically?

 

He must have been picking and choosing every ugly thing to say, but it didn’t hurt.

 

“That’s right, I don’t know much, so I just say what I see and hear. I’ve lived a simple life, so I can’t help but see things simply.”

 

“Anthele.”

 

“The simple way I see it, Dion is the heir to the island and the master of the ship.”

 

“…”

 

“You’re trying to go to the Empire on your own and prove yourself.”

 

After I finished speaking, a silence fell between us. It was awkward, as we realized we’d been too sharp with each other.

 

“And I…, I appreciate your help.”

 

This time I averted my gaze.

 

Dion’s eyes widened in surprise as if he hadn’t expected to be thanked for anything. He’d forgotten about his anger and was looking at me with his fist on the door, and arms raised.

 

I couldn’t think of anything else to say, so I just shrugged.

 

The distance between us was too close. I didn’t want the air to be any more awkward here.

 

“Let’s get out of here, then, Captain.”

 

“…Anthele.”

 

I turned to leave. But the sound of Dion’s voice calling after me stopped me in my tracks.

 

Turning my head slightly to look up at him, Dion scratched the bridge of his nose and spoke, looking a bit dazed.

 

“Sooner or later, when we’re out in calmer waters, we’ll have a party on board to cheer the sailors up.”

 

“A party aboard?”

 

Something out of a Little Mermaid story?

 

“Yeah, that’s when you should aim for.”

 

Now I understood what Dion was talking about. He thought I was nervous about not being able to socialize. It was his way of apologizing and being considerate.

 

‘Adelaine won’t like that.’ 

 

No beast of burden would appreciate the noise on deck. I nodded, unwittingly thinking of Adeline.

 

“Thanks for letting me know.”

 

If I said I wasn’t the least bit excited about the mention of a party, I’d be lying. I couldn’t stop my mouth from curling up into a smile.

 

Even though I knew I shouldn’t be overtly pleased, I couldn’t hide my delight, and I think I knew it showed in my expression. My cheeks rose to form a smile.

 

Dion didn’t say another word. I left the cabin with my head held high.

 

The thought of breaking the news to Adelaine quickly filled my head. And then.

 

“Yikes!”

 

Jade, who had been standing in front of the door, bumped into her.

 

💫

 

I let out a rude, in-your-face scream, but Jade just glared at me without responding.

 

‘Let’s just get out of here.’

 

My cabin was right next door. Three steps and I’d be out of here. I made a quick bow and turned to leave.

 

“Everyone calls him Master, but Anthele calls him Captain.”

 

Unexpectedly, Jade reached me first, stopping me in mid-stride. I glanced nervously around to see if there was anyone around to hear us.

 

Sure enough, it was just me and Jade in the hallway.

 

“If he owns the ship, he’s the Captain.”

 

Why are you two talking to me in pairs today?

 

“Of course he is, but the rest of the crew can hear it.”

 

“And what’s wrong with that?”

 

“I’m telling you, Anthele, that you’re getting in his way.”

 

By this point, I was having trouble managing my facial expressions.