The tavern, which had been very noisy until just before, became quiet as soon as they entered.

When everyone sitting inside the tavern turned to look, Idren realized that this was no ordinary tavern.

He held Ophelia back from going further forward.

“Step back.”

Places like this were usually hotbeds of drugs and black market dealings. For whatever reason, it was definitely not a place Ophelia should come.

One of the men sitting there with an unkempt beard stood up and approached them. Idren pulled Ophelia to take her outside the shop. However, Ophelia didn’t budge.

“We’re closed for business, what do you want?”

Idren noticed the tattoo engraved under the man’s eye as he spoke. Realizing the man was a pirate, he grasped the sword at his waist. He thought all the pirates had been wiped out, but didn’t expect any to remain in District 7.

“Huh? We’re closed, so get lost.”

And the man swung his hand toward Ophelia. Idren hurriedly pulled her back and drew his sword. But Ophelia was one step faster.

She grabbed a glass from the table beside her and splashed its contents on the man in front of her. The man screamed as the alcohol went into his eyes.

Before the scream ended, Ophelia grabbed a candlestick from the table and thrust it at him. With a sizzling sound, the ends of the man’s beard began to burn.

Idren blankly watched as his precious wife, who had likely never held a weapon before, tried to set fire to someone

It was then that someone stood up from their seat.

“Miss, that’s far enough.”

Ophelia turned to where the voice came from. A man with long black hair tied back was walking towards them.

The handsome man with a wax-pale face and deep green eyes was someone she knew. Ophelia called out his name.

“…Starlet.”

“Oh, it seems you know me.”

But I don’t know you. And Starlet tried to take the candlestick from her hand. But Idren was faster than him.

Pulling her into his arms, he pointed his sword at Starlet.

“Don’t come any closer.”

Ophelia whispered to the man gripping her hand tightly. It’s alright.

Then Idren, wrapping his arm around her so she couldn’t move, replied pressing each syllable:

“It’s not alright. I don’t know how you know this place, but if that man really is Starlet, he’s an infamous pirate.”

But she was no less notorious in her previous life. Ophelia whispered again to the man behind her.

“I’m telling you it’s fine. Really, nothing bad will happen.”

Idren didn’t know, but Ophelia had known Starlet in her previous life too.

When she was appointed as Governor of Gallia, Starlet had sent her an inauguration gift. A large blue diamond raw stone with a hastily scribbled note attached below. The note had only one phrase written on it.

– A friend if you want a friend, an enemy if you want an enemy.

And below that was written the address to come here.

After several investigations, she learned they were pirates, but Ophelia did not suppress them. Starlet, who led a fairly large pirate group, did not commit plunder within Gallisa, and his presence kept other pirates from entering Gallisa.

Starlet, who had reportedly plundered even Aglante before she took office, was said to have changed his plundering targets to nearby archipelagos at that time.

“The Grand King was just too fussy.”

Ophelia recalled the man’s words as he tilted a glass of herb-infused alcohol in front of her. At that time, she had gathered a few friends for a small banquet at a villa near the port, and Starlet was one of the invited guests.

“Compared to him, you are quite a saint, Governor. To associate even with such plunderers.”

Ophelia didn’t tell the man who said that with a grin that she too was plundering against her home country.

Instead, she kicked away the flirtatious man, and Starlet, who was drunk as could be, fell right into the lake.

As she briefly reminisced about how ridiculously he had floundered, Starlet asked her.

“Are you two lovers?”

The answers came without hesitation.

“Yes.”

“No.”

Of the conflicting responses, Ophelia’s was the latter. Idren stared down at the back of her head. Feeling embarrassed, Ophelia cleared her throat softly.

Starlet burst out laughing.

“Looks like one side is doing some serious unrequited loving.”

And Ophelia thought Idren must be making that face again, the one that showed his insides were boiling. You’re going too far. She seemed to hear his voice from sometime before in her ear.

Feeling needlessly apologetic, Ophelia gently grasped the hand that held her. Then Idren slapped her hand away.

Starlet cackled at them again. Ophelia resolved that if she became governor in this life, she would kick him into the sea instead of a lake.

Starlet asked them:

“So, why did you come into a closed shop?”

Finally finding a way out of the situation, Ophelia took out the pouch from inside her clothes and threw it to the man. Catching the quite heavy object, Starlet opened it and raised an eyebrow.

To the man who had once sent her a raw stone of about that same weight, Ophelia said:

“I have a job for you.”

In the carriage returning to the castle, Idren was silently staring out the window.

Feeling strangely self-conscious, Ophelia kept her mouth shut quietly. She could guarantee that he had been upset since she said they weren’t lovers in front of Starlet.

But if you think about it, wasn’t it his fault for lying first? Idren had said they were lovers even though they weren’t. Considering she had only spoken the truth, the cause of the conflicting words lay with Idren…

Thinking that far, Ophelia realized that wasn’t what mattered in this situation. There was no reason to tell the truth in front of a pirate, and anyway, as a result, the other party had become sulky like this.

It was then that Idren’s voice was heard.

“Don’t deal with pirates. How can you trust those guys and associate with them?”

It was a carefully chosen statement.

Idren pressed his lips together as he looked at the woman who was rolling her eyes, avoiding him as if she knew she had done wrong.

Inside the tavern, Ophelia had very naturally entrusted Starlet with a request.

“Just attack one ship. I’ll pay you generously for completing it.”

“Attack… Is there anything else you want? Like someone’s head, or hostages…”

“No, nothing like that. Just prevent the ship from entering Aglante’s port. As for the people… it’d be better to let them return alive. When they return, have them detour towards Reden to return.”

Ophelia answered all of Starlet’s questions promptly, as if she had thought it all through beforehand. Idren found the wife in his arms so unfamiliar. He didn’t know Ophelia lived considering even such things.

But thinking about it, Ophelia was quite meticulous. Just look at how she had intervened in Reden’s economy.

Still, it would have been nice if she had told him in advance.

Inside the tavern, Idren had disliked the whole situation. He disliked Ophelia talking with the handsome man, disliked that the man was a pirate, and disliked that they seemed to have known each other in their previous life – judging by how they acted – he disliked it all.

But the unkind woman said everything she wanted to say even while leaning on his chest. Idren had no choice but to listen to her entire conversation with Starlet.

After conveying all the details, near the end of the conversation, Starlet said:

“But what to do. I don’t take requests like this.”

Then Ophelia calmly replied:

“They say pirates have bad luck for three years if they refuse a woman’s request.”

She threatened the man in front of her without batting an eye.

“Do you want to spend the three most unlucky years of your life?”

If it were anyone else, they might not have known, but Idren knew those words were sincere. Just look at what happened to the country that got on her bad side.

And for a moment, Idren wished Starlet would spend three unlucky years. Even though Ophelia had clearly gone to meet the pirate for his sake.

But contrary to his expectations, Starlet chuckled and said:

“That won’t do. We’re the ones who live by luck, aren’t we?”

And Starlet reached out his hand to Ophelia. Ophelia stopped Idren from moving as if she had anticipated something. Because of this, he had to let the chance to make the infamous pirate write with his left hand for the rest of his life slip away before his eyes.

Starlet grasped Ophelia’s hand holding the candlestick. With an exaggerated expression, he raised an eyebrow and blew out the still burning candle.

Then Starlet tilted Ophelia’s hand and kissed the back of it. A couple drops of melted wax fell to the floor. It was an action like that of a well-bred son, not befitting a pirate from who knows where.

Watching that scene made him feel like his insides were turning, but Ophelia held him back so he couldn’t do anything.

“After doing the job as instructed, won’t you show your face?”

Worried that Ophelia might comply with that request, Idren quickly whispered. Don’t take off your robe. Then Ophelia retorted as if it were obvious. I know

She said to Starlet:

“You’ll have worse luck if you see my face. Do you want to lose both eyes after seeing my face once?”

“That won’t do. To lose such lovely eyes.”

And Starlet let go of her hand. Idren wanted to scrub Ophelia’s gloved hand thoroughly right then and there.

“Where should I report when I complete the job?”

“There’s no need to inform me of the results. I’ll know even if you don’t say anything.”

And Ophelia turned her back. She set down the extinguished candlestick on the side table with a sound. That was her last exchange with Starlet.

Finishing the brief reminiscence, Idren furrowed his brow.

“I’ll assign you a knight, so go with them from now on. Seeing what you did, if you had gone alone it would have been disastrous.”