Cardier was silent for a while.It was understandable.Her body was that grotesque.No man with a decent stomach would be moved by this body.Rosetta braced herself, thinking she wouldn’t be surprised if Cardier left the room as is.But defying her expectations, a soft towel gently draped over her shoulders.In an instant, Rosetta was lifted off the ground, wrapped tightly in the towel.

“What… what is this…?”

Rosetta flailed in panic, caught off guard by the unexpected situation.She was so startled she nearly bit her tongue.Cardier let out a hollow laugh at her reaction.

“You must really be exhausted.”

“…What?”

“To make such a weak sound.”

His voice was so tender it almost sounded like he was smiling.Carrying Rosetta in his arms, Cardier walked to the bathtub.He gently lowered her into the steaming water,not caring that his sleeves were getting completely soaked.Loosening the cravat around his neck with wet hands, he spoke.

“I’m saying this because you seem to be worrying about pointless things.”

“…”

“It’s really not like that at all, Ro.”

His voice had lost even the faintest trace of amusement.He gently cupped her damp cheeks and pressed his forehead against hers.His endlessly serious blue eyes filled her vision.

“You’re beautiful. Truly.”

“…”

“If that’s a lie, then I must be a fool for getting aroused by you even now.”

Rosetta was shocked to detect a faint heat in his gaze.So, really, even after seeing this body entirely…Following her gaze, Cardier lowered his eyes briefly, then looked up with a bright smile.Rosetta couldn’t even hide her stunned expression.To think he could look at that thing, like that, with such a composed face, how could he…?

“You’re really…”

“I know. A filthy bastard. Nothing new there.”

Yet his face, in that moment, looked impossibly noble.Damn it, there’s a limit to shamelessness.When did he grow into such a sly snake?She’d known him since he was sixteen, and now this?A hollow laugh escaped her in disbelief.At her laugh, Cardier’s face finally relaxed, as if even her hollow laugh pleased him.

“Ro, you’re always perfect, but even if you weren’t, it wouldn’t matter.I’ve never said empty words when I say I’d love you no matter what you look like.”

“…Such slick words you spout.”

“Even if you were less than this, always, I…”

When Rosetta, as if unwilling to hear more, reached out and grazed his lower half,a damp groan spilled from his lips.

“Ugh, damn it, that’s… no, I didn’t mean to curse at you,I’m already holding back as it is…”

“Do it.”

“What?”

“You don’t need to hold back.”

Cardier froze, his face stiff with shock.

“Are you out of your mind? You were half-dead just moments ago…”

“I’m alive now, aren’t I?”

“You collapsed right in front of me.”

“And now I’m perfectly clear-headed.”

As she moved her hand in a certain way, Cardier groaned, his brow furrowing.His strained groans showed he wasn’t lying about holding back.Caught willingly in her grasp, he knelt before her, utterly submissive.The veins in his hands gripping the bathtub stood out sharply.His cheeks and eyes flushed red as he bit his lip and furrowed his brow.He was beautiful enough to corrupt a saint in an instant.

“Ro, ugh, please, your hand…”

Every time Cardier looked up at her in rapture,Rosetta felt as though she were a perfect being, flawless in every way.Could she feel this fulfilled just because the person she loved desired her?Rosetta tossed aside the towel, now soaked with water.

“The human body doesn’t break so easily.”

“…”

“I want you right now. That’s the only way I’ll feel certain.”

“Certain of what?”

“That you still want me, even now…”

Before she could finish, their lips collided urgently.Their mouths opened, tongues entwining.Cardier’s hands gripped her bare chest fully.Unlike before, it wasn’t as full, barely fitting in his hands, yet he tormented it relentlessly.Rosetta moaned against his lips.

“Hnng.”

His hands moved lower.Even in the water, Cardier moved fluidly.Her drenched skin reacted sensitively to the slightest touch.Rosetta leaned back against the tub, tilting her head back.Her ragged breaths scattered into the air.He lowered his head to her breasts, half-submerged in water.Like a cat lapping at water, he licked…Her legs, trembling from the intensely provocative sensation, parted instinctively.

“Ha, ahh, ah!”

Frantic moans burst from her mouth.He stepped boldly into the cramped bathtub meant for one.Rosetta wrapped her arms around Cardier’s neck.Like a raging wave, he surged into her.

The war, as expected, ended with Esperanda’s victory.Nick’s remnants were completely eradicated,and a new treaty was signed with Tilsen.From that one-sided treaty, Esperanda gained little morethan a slight expansion of its eastern territory along the southern coast.Massive war reparations, a mutual non-aggression pact,lenient tariffs, and exclusive trading rights for all shipspassing through the Portmertz Strait for twenty years…Even at a glance, the terms were outrageous, flying by day after day.

“Watch your step.”

Rosetta held the hand of an unfamiliar naval officer as she crossed a thin plank.Each step made the old wooden board creak.Gazing at the majestic mast, Rosetta was swept by a strange emotion.The Velita, Kirgos’s sailing ship, a legacy of the Crimson Dawn,and the very ship Nick had once lawlessly occupied to imprison her.

Though it now belonged entirely to the navy,it seemed impossible to erase every trace of its piratical past.Pirate gear was still scattered about in places.Glancing around the deck, she gracefully thanked the unfamiliar officer.

“Thank you for escorting me.”

The officer tipped his hat slightly in response.

“No trouble at all. Is there anything else you need?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Then I’ll wait here while you look around.”

“Thank you.”

The officer gave a slight smile, scanned the deck,and walked toward a familiar face he spotted.Some soldiers glanced curiously at the sudden appearance of a noblewoman,but none approached her.Rosetta crossed the deck and stairs with ease, stopping before the captain’s cabin.The door was unlocked.

The interior was bare, likely stripped by the navy for investigation.Aside from a bed, desk, bookshelf, and a large artwork on one wall,all fixed firmly to withstand storms, everything she remembered was gone.No wonder she hadn’t cared much about wandering here—it was so empty.

As she surveyed the room, Rosetta noticed a few sheets of parchment on the desk.The ink was smudged, as if left in haste.Glancing at the contents, she saw nothing significant written.She glared at a parchment with “Dear” written in Nick’s handwriting,as if he might come back to life.

‘His traces are disgusting… but there’s some success.This proves he often used Kirgos’s captain’s cabin.If he wrote letters here, his ledgers might be here too.’

If her judgment was correct, truly important information was likely still hidden in this room.The navy probably only rummaged through the desk or bookshelf halfheartedly.Nick would never keep important information in such obvious places.Somewhere more secretive, like under the floorboards beneath the bed…As he had always done since childhood with precious items.

Rosetta first crouched down to check under the bed.A place that should have been thick with dust was oddly spotless.With certainty, she lay flat on the floor, reaching far underneath.After probing carefully for a while, her fingertips caught on an unfamiliar crevice.She barely contained her excitement.

‘Found it!’