MTFBMP Chapter 45

 

As much as I wanted to call his name right then and there, I forced myself to hold back.

 

— We are linked by souls, contracted by name. Call my name if you must.

 

There was a strange feeling, as if Adele had my back and was supporting me.

 

— If you call me, I will come.

 

Hearing Adele’s voice was surprisingly calming.

 

It was probably no big deal that these barrels were stacked here, as Jade had said, but somehow I couldn’t help but feel optimistic.

 

‘At least Adele will be okay.’ 

 

With his wings nearly healed, Adele was not someone to be taken lightly.

 

It was a contradiction in terms. There was a time when I feared Adele the most, and now I was relieved to know he was on my side.

 

“You go first.”

 

Jade urged me one more time.

 

‘It’s okay, I’ve got Adele, I’ll be okay.’ 

 

Soothing myself, I took a step. Jade watched me walk away without hesitation and started to follow.

 

‘I never got to see him after all.’ 

 

I had failed to fulfill my promise to Adele. It made me bitter.

 

✨

 

Up on deck, the party was already in full swing.

 

Jade saw me arrive on deck and went elsewhere. Now that I was alone, my nerves were on edge.

 

I’d been told that the party would start at sunset and that the sailors who had finished their work would join in order. 

 

Now that the sun had set, most of the crew seemed to have gone on deck, except for me.

 

On one side of the deck, a man had brought a simple instrument and was playing whatever songs he knew to his heart’s content. 

 

There was no uniformity to the songs.

 

If I hadn’t been caught up with Dion and Adele, I would have gladly joined in and enjoyed the festivities.

 

The deck, lit by torches, was glowing with a festive atmosphere. I made up my mind and stepped out of the shade.

 

Not in the dress Dion had given me, but in the old clothes, I always wore.

 

“Hey, kid!”

 

“I haven’t seen you lately. I thought you wouldn’t come this time!”

 

Several of the bustling sailors recognized me and greeted me. I’d only seen them for a few days, but sailors on the same boat tend to lend their company easily.

 

“This time, you’re going to have to drink hard this time!”

 

“Prove you’re an adult, kid. Ha-ha-ha!”

 

With that, the sailors pointed to the kegs stacked in the corner of the deck. 

 

They were plain oak barrels, unlike the barrels stacked in front of the cellar earlier. 

 

One of the other sailors walked over to the barrel and poured a full glass of beer.

 

“Come on, enjoy!”

 

The sailor, already quite drunk, gave me a hard slap on the shoulder and headed back to the center of the deck.

 

After watching him walk away, I turned my head to look in every nook and cranny, and soon spotted Dion on the far side of the deck.

 

‘I was afraid you wouldn’t come out.’

 

Dion sat at the table in the corner, looking out at his crew with a somewhat stoic expression, as if he would fulfill his captain’s duties no matter how distraught he was. 

 

The food in front of him remained untouched, as if it were unimportant.

 

There was still no name above Dion’s head. From here, I had to rely entirely on my judgment.

 

‘It’s okay. I can do this.’ 

 

At least I had Adele below to protect me. I wasn’t alone on this ship.

 

“Captain.”

 

I called out to him as I moved to Dion’s side. 

 

Dion glanced over and squinted at me. I could see his gaze scanning me up and down.

 

Then he gestured for me to take the seat next to him, which was empty. I took a quick breath and sat down next to him.

 

From a distance, I thought it was a corner seat, but sitting next to Dion, I had a great view of the entire deck. 

 

People were singing, drinking, and dancing all over the place.

 

“So you didn’t wear the dress after all.”

 

“I’m sorry, but I couldn’t wear it.”

 

“You didn’t like the dress?”

 

Expecting him to question me, Dion’s tone was more level than I expected. Figuring there was still room for conversation, I spoke up.

 

“The dress was beautiful, I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my life.”

 

It was the kind of dress I would have coveted if I were a simple country girl who knew nothing about the world.

 

“Then why didn’t you wear it?”

 

“Because they’re not mine.”

 

“All the clothes in there are unclaimed.”

 

“Then they wouldn’t be hanging in the closet in that room.”

 

Hearing my answer, Dion turned his head to look at me. His eyes were squinting more than usual. He seemed to be wondering about my intentions.

 

“I’m sorry I made you feel betrayed, I didn’t mean to.”

 

“You don’t need to apologize.”

 

“And I’m not who Dion thinks I am.”

 

“…”

 

Dion’s eyes widened, and he reached for the beer mug on the table. 

 

Like a man unable to contain his unquenchable thirst, Dion drained the beer in one swift gulp.

 

Clank— 

 

With a loud clang, he set the empty flask down. 

 

A few sailors, who had been looking over, clapped and whistled at Dion.

 

“You’ve got it all figured out, and you still call me captain.”

 

“I keep telling them, the captain of this ship is Dion.”

 

Dion gulped down his beer and wiped the corner of his damp mouth roughly with his sleeve.

 

“I think the position is coveted enough.”

 

Dion chided himself. It was an open space, but no one seemed interested in our conversation. Dion wordlessly urged me to answer with a glare.

 

“I’m just the granddaughter of the chief of the Whitegold Beach Patrol, and I don’t need any other name.”

 

“How do I know that’s not a lie?”

 

“Here.”

 

Pulling out the parchment scroll I’d packed in my arms, I set it down in front of Dion. His gaze flickered to the parchment, then dropped. He’d seen it before.

 

“I told you our contract was over.”

 

It was the contract from Dion the other day.

 

“I’ve written down in it what you need to know.”

 

Dion’s eyebrows twitched. But he didn’t take the parchment right away and continued to stare at me. 

 

Now it was more like a calculating stare.

 

“Why did you bring this jewel with you?”

 

Using the amber brooch from Iris’s dress from earlier, I held the scroll open.

 

“Trust my sources, Captain.”

 

The amber jewelry was the biggest clue I could give.

 

“Take the information or not, Dion, it’s up to you.”

 

What Dion thought and did with this information was now entirely up to him.

 

“Regardless, I’m still going to get you off the ship.”

 

“Okay, I’ll do as you say.”

 

It wasn’t that I hadn’t taken anything, either.

 

I would be leaving with the secret at the heart of this ship, Adele, the Empire’s heir and now my pet.

 

For that, I must also apologize.

 

Information was the only reparation I could give. 

 

I only hoped that in the future, Dion’s identity as the heir to Pirate Island would no longer waver, not if it was because of me.

 

“It’s not that the place isn’t worthy, I just think it deserves to go to the rightful owner.”

 

“I’m not sure how much of that is true.”

 

Eventually, Dion picked up the scroll in front of him and put it in his arms. I breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of him.

 

“Thank you for taking me aboard this far.”

 

It seemed unlikely that Dion would throw me overboard anytime soon. 

 

The greeting might come as a surprise to him, but I already sensed that our time sailing together was running out.

 

“Well, then, I must go…”

 

“Is it possible that if we had met under different circumstances, it might not have ended this way?”

 

With that, I got up and started to leave. I heard Dion’s voice catching me as I left the table.

 

“You don’t know, we could have been just friends.”

 

“Just plain friends’?”

 

Dion snorted, which didn’t seem to have a negative connotation, so I smirked.