“Did you not hear her scream? I even cheered for Your Highness’s belly.”

At Duke Kaidel’s sly reply, I snapped to attention.

With a face suggesting I bothered him, Prince Greiyan spoke.

“Roar, consider it an honor to have spent the day with me.”

“An honor indeed!”

“But never speak of it, or else your head might fly off for acting on Miliora’s behalf.”

As I sealed my lips tightly, Duke Kaidel gestured for me to shut up.

Yet, I seriously replied.

“I will assist Your Highness not by undermining others, but by earning their recognition through my own merit, Your Highness.”

Startled, Prince Greiyan looked at Duke Kaidel.

Seemingly at a loss for words, Duke Kaidel chuckled briefly before turning away.

Then Prince Greiyan said,

“Maid Lorisha Roar.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Did you like the Jebron Hotel?”

“Yes, Your Highness. It holds precious memories as the first place I traveled to with Count Roar.”

“Then you owe me. I’ll collect someday.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I really wanted to say, ‘Even so, you kidnapped me, which is a debt itself.’

But arguing with the royalty would be detrimental to my remaining life.

Anyway, why do this pair like dealing with debts?

Ignoring me again, Prince Greiyan cheerfully commanded.

“We’re leaving.”

“Back to your positions! We’re returning!”

At Duke Kaidel’s order, the soldiers cheered.

We returned to the ship, and our journey ended as he shot a fire arrow, setting the negotiation boat ablaze.

Pirates clung to the floating debris and shouted, but our ship increased speed toward the mainland.

Noticing my uncomfortable gaze, Duke Kaidel spoke.

“It’s pointless to save pirates destined for execution, and this matter can’t be public.”

Unable to say anything, I turned my head away from the sea.

An overwhelming fatigue struck me as it all seemed to be over. Slowly, I descended to the cabin.

I could now put the situation in perspective.

Somehow, Prince Greiyan had used the stolen ‘Red Tear’ as bait to lure the pirates to the negotiation table.

Considering the value of the ‘Red Tear,’ it was likely multiple pirates pooled money to buy it.

However, pirates, like individual contractors, didn’t trust each other and thus had all appeared at the trade.

Or perhaps, like hyenas, they had been circling to snatch it.

The important part was that Duke Kaidel and Prince Greiyan had predicted and prepared for this.

They had made Royman, the head alchemist, craft a powerful weapon and used it to obliterate the pirate gang plaguing the open sea.

I pondered Prince Greiyan’s underlying message while curling up to sleep in a corner of the cabin.

If the pirate gang was gone, warships wouldn’t need to be dispatched for the iron ore trade between Agael and Smailan.

Hence, the empire wouldn’t need a naval base at Jebron Inlet.

With one sea battle, Duke Kaidel and Prince Greiyan had not only eradicated the pirates troubling the neighboring countries for decades but also protected the Jebron Hotel.

What better gift could there be for the Emperor’s birthday?

Drowsy, I mumbled.

“I lost. Totally lost.”

“Miss, wake up. The Duke is looking for you.”

A man with a deep voice shook me awake. I roughly fixed my tousled hair and headed to the deck.

“Why did you call for me?”

I rubbed my eyes and asked Duke Kaidel.

Rubbing my eyes to clear the sleep, I noticed that the man who caught my gaze was… incredibly handsome.
As I stood there, gaping, he handed the key to a subordinate and approached me.
He lightly grabbed my shoulder and turned me around to face the other direction.
“Look at this.”
“Ah…!”
I stood still, my jaw dropped. I thought I heard a low chuckle from Duke Kaidel. I also felt him drape a cloak over my shoulders.
Jebron Beach is beautiful. But the polluted sky dyed by the sunset is incomparably beautiful.
It’s not about which is better.
The spectacle of the sea, half engulfed in a massive fireball, glowing red, could only be described as beautiful.
I leaned against the railing as the sun slowly sank into the sea and the cold, viscous darkness permeated the surface.
The sea air became chilly in an instant, but I was fine thanks to the cloak Duke Kaidel had prepared for me.
In hindsight, Duke Kaidel appeared so stunningly handsome because he was bathed in that beautiful sunset light.
Now the deck was bustling. The soldiers who had secured an easy victory were sitting down, setting up a drinking game. Seasickness pills were no longer necessary.
“Would you like a drink?”
Suddenly returning, I snapped to attention at the sound of Duke Kaidel’s voice. It seemed he noticed me looking enviously at the soldiers.
“Ah, no. I quit drinking.”
“……!”
I thought I saw Duke Kaidel’s eyes waver, as if I’d inadvertently insulted him. But that was not the case.
I pondered for a long time before finally speaking.
“Thank you, Duke Kaidel.”
He had always been a disgruntled individual, but I increasingly found myself having more reasons to be grateful to him before I even had the chance to be annoyed.
And I hated it even more.