The bustling and chaotic deck contrasted with the captain’s room, which was tidily organized and peaceful.
“Princess, it’s almost a month since you’ve been aboard the Giant ship.”
Puka spoke to Stella, who was sipping tea across from him. His bright ginger beard covered half his face.
Puka meticulously groomed his beard every morning. His fiery beard was always neatly trimmed and impressive.
His deep-set black eyes, under brows as dark as his beard, observed Stella.
Whenever Stella looked into his obsidian-like eyes, she felt like she was peering into a profound abyss.
“Tomorrow marks a month.”
Stella replied, and Puka nodded slightly.
“I never expected you to be like this when I first met you.”
Puka fiddled with his teacup, musing.
The handle of the cup, big enough for two of Stella’s fingers, seemed tiny in Puka’s hand. His thick fingers barely fit through the handle, so instead of using it, he gripped the hot cup firmly with his calloused hand.
Even the chair Puka sat on seemed too small for him.
His shoulders were twice as broad as an average person, and not just that.
His arm and leg muscles were extraordinary, so much so that people would step aside on the streets, feeling intimidated by his presence. When he exerted his overpowering strength, he resembled a bear.
Puka, who usually drank nothing but water or alcohol, awkwardly sipping tea, was entirely because of the princess sitting across from him.
Despite nearly a month of rough life at sea, Stella’s ingrained habits hadn’t faded. Sitting upright and sipping tea calmly, she didn’t seem like the same person who had been eating potato stew with fish heads among the sailors.
Still wearing her work clothes, her posture, the way she held the cup, and her slightly lowered gaze were all impeccable.
To Puka, Stella embodied the perfect royal.
Clank.
As Stella set her teacup down, Puka’s gaze followed.
After a long silence, Stella looked up, her expression dripping with reluctance, and smiled.
“I never thought I’d become so close to Puka like this.”
Though they had known each other for only a month, they felt like old friends of ten years.
“Run away, Princess. We’ll help you.”
Startled by Puka’s sudden suggestion, Stella instinctively curled her lips into a round shape.
“I can’t. You know, the damn bloodline document will tear my body apart the moment I try to flee? And you all who helped me won’t be safe either.”
Belatedly, Stella learned that the document contained a clause mandating the fulfillment of her duties as a royal. She had read it at the time of signing but never imagined it would return as a shackle.
She took another sip of her lukewarm tea.
“We can take care of ourselves. If you change your mind, please tell me. Understood? I’ll even look for a way to destroy the magic of that damned bloodline document. Ah! I don’t mean your bloodline is damned!”
Realizing his slip, Puka waved his large hands frantically.
“It is a damned bloodline.”
Stella chuckled lightly, finishing the remaining tea. Puka sighed deeply and reiterated.
“If you need help, please let me know! Understood?”
“One more time and it’s a hundred. I get it. I’ll tell you.”
But both the speaker and the listener knew such conversations were unlikely to happen.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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