“Is it a whale?”

Anita Tevied asked the crew member who was on reconnaissance.

But the answer didn’t come back quickly. How long have we been sailing? Lu estimated the wind direction, the tautly spread sails, and the swiftly moving ship with the wind. It had been about 40 minutes sailing straight south. So, it seemed quite a distance.

“No! It’s not a whale! Appearance at nine o’clock direction!”

Hayden narrowed his eyes.

“From now on, I take command. All units, prepare for battle.”

In response to his order, Imperialle, who had accompanied to guard the Emperor, immediately drew their swords.

“Prepare for battle!”

Prepare for battle? Here? Anita Tevied’s face turned pale. There was no plan for battle in the schedule that was supposed to return after a short boat trip in this calm vast sea.

“It seems we can properly test the ship’s performance.”

Hayden chuckled.

“Your Majesty, is it impossible to escape?”

Lu asked.

“It’s possible.”

He said briefly. But the expression on his face said otherwise. Lu suddenly recalled the conversation he had with Melphies before boarding the ship.

“Don’t worry about the mainland, Your Majesty.”

“I understand.”

Lu took off her hat and threw it into the cabin.

“Did you know?”

“I had a hunch. There’s a fairly high chance of picking a fight if you get too close. But this is clearly the Persian Gulf.”

While he calmly spoke, Imperialle Knight shouted loudly.

“Monster appearance on the starboard! It’s a monster! Prepare the entire army!”

“To just pass by or turn back after encountering an enemy that has clearly invaded our waters… it can’t be.”

“It’s impossible.”

Lu accepted Hayden’s words. If an enemy was found during reconnaissance, it had to be dealt with before returning. The only concern was one.

“If I tell you to withdraw, will you listen to me?”

“My dream was disobedience.”

Hayden laughed, impressed from head to toe.

“Disobeying orders is not allowed in the military.”

“Because it’s not allowed, it’s even more of a dream.”

“So you’re going to achieve that dream now?”

While cursed from head to toe? Hayden laughed in amazement.

“Yes. Please cooperate.”

As the two were having a very casual conversation, Imperialle was evacuating Anita Tevied on the deck.

“Get inside! How many cannons are on this ship!”

“Because of the weight of the monster accessories, we’ve removed all the cannons!”

Anita, who was in a panic, shouted. There should have been cannons! But if we put cannons, the ship would become too heavy. If there were no cannons, would everyone die? Is this suddenly a life-and-death situation here? She hunched her shoulders and looked at Imperialle, who asked her questions.

“Understood, for now, go inside to avoid the damage!”
However, the knight shrugged his shoulders, pushed Anita inside, and slammed the door shut. Strange waves were gradually pushing in from both sides of the ship. However, the Emperor and Lu were still chatting.

“Are you asking me to become a subordinate who has experienced disobedience? That’s too much.”

“Then, if you don’t want me to say, ‘retreat,’ Your Majesty.”

Lu muttered, looking at the approaching storm, which was roaring and getting closer.

From the extended fingertips, a sharp sound of the curse going smoothly was heard. Hayden sighed deeply, seeing Lu, who was excitedly treating herself.

“Why?”

“I wanted to do it.”

“You did it once. Now I can do it alone.”

Lu mumbled, shaking her hand as if it was nothing.

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

“Not at all. I have no intention of undoing everything. I’ll only do it until it feels okay.”

“I know.”

As soon as Hayden answered, something under the sea that had been pressuring them frighteningly trembled. The things that surrounded the ship with a dark color suddenly withdrew, as if they had seen a much larger presence, peeking and twitching their tails.

“I know you’ll do well on your own.”

The one who made them retreat just by their presence gently kissed Lu’s left hand, covered in well-applied curses.

“It’s just our special and secret ceremony of doing something for each other, so I’m doing it because I regret it.”

Imperialle, who did not waver at all about what was happening on the deck, trusted all this to the power that this man possessed. Of course, that was Lu’s thought, and Imperialle’s more accurate thought was as follows:

‘Since Lady Young Ae is here, His Majesty will handle it safely on his own. Not a drop of water will touch us, right?’

The closest ones guarding the Emperor naturally take a step closer to his private life. So, Imperialle, who was in charge of guarding, knew best how much this man cherished and valued Lady Young Ae.

Of course, the problem was Lady Young Ae. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Emperor, squinting.

“It must be a pity to miss the opportunity to fill your personal feelings unilaterally, Your Majesty.”

Hayden smiled brightly and let go of Lu’s hand.

“It would be too disappointing if I were the only one who filled my personal feelings.”