The wind mages were out of bile after puking their entrails out, and their heads dangled from the periphery of the cog. One other crew member rubbed their backs, as the rest helped keep the sails to the winds that had intensified over the night. The lanky and baldy were still wiping the splotched blood from the bow, while Lykan had taken his rightful place on the rump, indulged in a deep conversation with Ungaln. The latter couldn’t speak owing to [Bersek], but his mannerism while interacting with the prince clearly gave away the impression that he was Lykan’s personal knight or something close.

My lady leaned against the gunwale, her face bloomed like a wildflower, and her palm was shivering in my gloved hands due to her excitement.

“Fishes!” she said, staring in my direction. “I can’t see them, Rudolf.”

“Well, it’s night time my lady. I have heard even fishes of this world kip in the dark.”

“But I wanted to see them,” she stared at the sea in longing. “Fishes swimming in their habitat, carsans preying on them, sharks in turn fighting for the prey, it would have made quite the sight.”

“Throw yourself to the sea, ey,” Nuva appeared behind us, almost creepily, “with fishes on you, and you will find a horde of carsans on your trail. Their sharp front can destroy our hull, but well, we might as well use you as fishbait should we ever encounter some. You three are dead weight, after all!”

Garlan was closer to Milan now, rubbing her back much to the latter’s displeasure. But she couldn’t help much, for her body had completely given up.

My lady stared at the boy, not interested in lashing out. “Have you seen carsans before, basket boy?”

She rarely talked to commoners, but mingling with Garlan might have helped curb her prejudice against commoners.

“Many, noble lady,” he wiped the back of his head, and I saw blush creeping his face when he got a closer look at my lady’s face. This was the first time she had discarded the cowl on her head, so Nuva saw her face for the first time. Even her fluttering hair exemplified her features, and it didn’t take much to entice these kids.

“How large are they?” my lady asked, her tone higher than usual in excitement. I smiled and rubbed her head before pulling over the cowl.

“H-how dare you t-touch a noble lady, ey?” Nuva widened his eyes, pointing his finger at me blatantly.

My lady looked at me, confused, while I just shrugged.

“Does he need your permission to touch me?” her voice turned cold, and her previous excitement died down soon. “And when I ask a question, you are supposed to answer them without fail, commoner.”

Nuva touched the bow on his back nervously and replied, “Three times this big man, noble lady. They swim fast, almost impossibly fast for the body of their size, and can capsize boats in seconds. But they are calm rulers of the sea unless provoked, ey. Never before have I seen them crush a cog, but the tales are made for a reason. Eat fish, and only fish, unlike sharks. The latter are dangerous maneaters, though not as bad as mycats.”

“How long have you been sailing, basket boy?” my lady asked, leaning against my arm. “Warp your hands around me.”

“Ey?!” Nuva shouted in surprise. Lykan watched in our direction for a few seconds before resuming his idle talk at the bow. The rest of the crew were indulged in singing sailing songs that were too boisterous for my taste.

“Mongrel,” my lady ignored him. “I’m cold.”

“Well, that’s a bad lie, my lady,” I laughed and wrapped my coat around her. “If you are cold, this should do.”

I saw the disappointment in Nuva’s eyes but decided to ignore it. Well, if he wanted to touch my lady, then he had to get through me first. Which, given his small stature and my overpowered spells, was an impossible task.

If people say nothing is impossible in the world, then bring them to me. I will change their minds before you finish eating a loaf of bread.

Why do I mind, you ask? No doubt it is because mortals are too pathetic to touch my lady. As a villainess, she has to stay at the top of the food chain. And not because I don’t want anyone else to touch her. Yes, surely not.

My lady pouted and waited for Nuva’s answer patiently.

“Since I was born, noble lady,” he ran his left hand over the scar running from his cheek. “See this, ey? Got crushed under the keel of a cog when I was young. Ten-year-old. Cap picked me up, despite his dislike for commoners. Told me I reminded him of the kid of his lover. Milan, same. She worked in a brothel. The scar on her body got her kicked. Ungaln, ey? He was Cap's knight before the damned curse got him. Cap hurt his leg in whatever that battle was. Told me in a drunken stupor. And Garlan?”

Garlan? I knew he had interesting origins, but I hadn’t expected these many layers beneath the portly man.

“Milan is his sister. Different mothers. Heard his father had left his marks all over the continent,” he rubbed his nose, watching my bread lad pat Milan’s back. “And here I thought they hated each other to the bones. Deceiving looks.”

“I just asked you one question, basket boy,” my lady said, pulling my cloak closer.

“Ey,” Nuva grinned. “There’s no one question for seamen, noble lady. Sea is a long mate and words our company without ale. So we talk and sing a lot. See?” he pointed at the crew. “They suck, but they still do it. We all do it. Splendor has nothing to do with it. Some say it helps them pull the oars better, some others say they can handle sails better, all with rhythm. But, in the end, it helps us know others have our backs. Sea is a lonely companion. No one here got places they call home, so we are excited to make one for ourselves in the Isles.”

“Nuva!” Lykan shouted from the rump, taking a seat on a single barrel placed at the center.

“Aye, Cap,” Nuva climbed the ratlines and went back to his basket after stealing a couple of glances at my lady, much to her displeasure.

I laughed, and she glanced at me. “Did he think I was beautiful, Rudolf?”

“Yes, my lady,” I turned around, leaned against the gunwale, and watched the frothing water beneath. “Many men will try to gain your attention, so you have to beware of their tricks and sleighs, my lady. In the capital, your reputation would stop anyone from having a second glance, but not outside.”

“What about you?”

“My lady?” I turned to her.

“Will you try to gain my attention?” she held my cheeks before I could move my head back to the blues.

“Well,” I placed my palm over her head and leveled my gaze with her. “I already have your complete attention, don’t I?”

“So do I,” she returned the same smile and twirled her thumbs on my cheeks as her ears turned red.

We stared at each other for a while before averting our eyes in succession. It was our first uncomfortable silence, which broke when my lady nudged closer to me.

“Rodolf,” my lady called out.

“Yes, Letitia,” I glanced at her.

“I am your home,” she smiled and walked in the direction of aftercastle.

A home. Well, I don't need one, my lady.

I smiled as I observed her tramp on the floorboard. Somehow, she looked stronger than I had ever seen before. My [Devil eye] was in her shoulders, and she poked it with her forefinger.

“Heal them,” she said, pausing at the door, and I noticed she was embarrassed. I laughed and waved at her before ambling around the mast and the riggings to reach the pale wind mages.

“Let me, Garlan,” I said, as the floorboard creaked beneath and sails fluttered in the winds.

“I’m surprised your lady let you,” he grinned in the direction of my lady, who shut the door noticing his glance.

Mana condensed on my palms, and I channelized it to their bodies, Milan first, who gasped in pain when she felt a violent surge of external mana suppressing her own erratic flow within. She collapsed on her knees, and Lykan stared in our direction, too alarmed but calm enough not to order his guards to kick me off the cog.

Milan bit her lips, writhing on the floor, and the Vule followed, shouting in agony, and I heard the sound of metals clinking around me. Cutlasses were drawn, and swords were raised; even the door to the captain’s chamber was blocked.

“One misstep, and we will chop your head, commoner,” Lykan shouted, but he waited patiently. Good quality of a prince indeed, but there were no admirable sovereigns or evil monarchs for me. There were just royals, and all were bad.

The wails of Vule died down, and he sat up, shortly followed by Milan, who held her abdomen in surprise. There was undisguised gratitude in both of their eyes, but they didn’t thank me. And neither did I want any gratitude from pitiful mortals.

“All good, Lykan,” Milan raised her hand, her speech more coherent than before. “And so is my voice,” she mumbled the last bit, but I heard it. The weapons went back to their sheaths, some into the scabbards, and the crew members resumed their duty on board.

“How you managed, ey?” Vule asked, standing up with his sweaty body. Garlan helped Milan up, but the latter coldly disregarded him.

“Just destroyed the erratic flow,” I shrugged and walked back to my lady’s quarters.

“A-are you a healer?” Milan asked, holding my tailcoat. I almost fell face-first to the floor, and my lady stood at the entrance after sensing the commotion. I half expected her to run over to Milan and trash her, but she waited patiently, not moving her steel gaze away from the woman. Sensing something awry, Milan released my tailcoat and continued, “Please heal our prince.”

Vule joined in, both bowing their heads perceptibly.

I sighed. “I’m not the person you should be asking.”

“Bread lad,” Garlan stood before Milan, much to the latter’s surprise. “We can earn some good money from this exchange,” he whispered in my ears before retreating back a couple of steps. He shared looks with my lady, a few unspoken exchanges already brewing in their eyes, and Letitia nodded her head.

“Rudolf,” my lady beckoned to come closer, and I almost stumbled again on the floorboard when the cog rocked hard.

“On the sails, Vule,” Lykan screamed from the rump, unaware of the exchange that had just taken place in the midst.

“We’ll ask for five thousand shins,” My lady said, and Garlan joined us, nudging the door open with his leg.

“That’s too cheap, lady Letitia,” he said, eyes widened, and I closed the door behind us.“That’s hardly a hundred loaves of bread.”

“That’s six hundred twenty-five loaves of bread, mutt,” my lady rolled her eyes.

“Shouldn’t I get to decide the price?” I asked, taking a seat. My lady was on my right, leaning against the table, while Garlan was on my left.

“Shoot,” Garlan said. “How much do you suggest?”

“How about a hundred million shins? We can buy twelve and half-million loaves of bread with that much money,” I said, already thinking about building a bread city with that many loaves.

“Let us ask for six thousand shins first, lady Letitia,” Garlan said.

“That seems reasonable,” my lady nodded, completely ignoring me.

“What?!” I asked.

“We have no idea how much millikan or whatever you said means, bread lad,” Garlan said with a sigh. “Do you get delusions often? I’m worried about your state of mind. Does lady Letitia torture you too often?”

“Do you need some stabs, mutt?” my lady glared at Garlan. “And my mongrel is not delusional. He’s just… he doesn’t dream much, I guess?”

“That’s being delusional, lady Letitia,” Garlan laughed, patting my shoulder with condescension. “I always knew strong mages were never right in their heads. But I never expected to see one myself.”

My lady smiled and ruffled my hair.