The salty breeze of the sea brushed past my face as I stood on the docks of Teraquin Kingdom's harbor, staring at the vessel in front of . It wasn't just any boat—it was a beauty. Sleek, elegant, clearly well-crafted, and anchored there like a scene out of a romantic painting. Honestly, it looked more like a royal gift than a boat for a casual trip.
"You really didn't need to go all out like this, Bryelle," I said, though I couldn't hide the smile on my lips. I was impressed—and, truth be told, a little touched.
Behind , Bryelle giggled softly, her hands resting lightly on the arms of her wheelchair. Her face was lit up with a proud, bright smile. "If I didn't go all out, Elder Sister would be sad. And I want her to be happy, so I'm happy to help you."
"Can't really imagine her being sad about anything… well, anything except maybe you," I said with a chuckle.
"She was sad when you left, though," said another voice—one I recognized imdiately.
I turned to see Allen approaching, his expression amused. I blinked at the sight of him. He looked different. More polished, maybe? His hair was neatly combed for once, and his usually half-hearted wardrobe had been upgraded to sothing that looked almost princely.
"Allen…didn't you go through a whole transformation arc?" I said, raising a brow.
He scratched his cheek, clearly a little self-conscious. "Had to. Mother officially nad Heir after… well, after Kendel."
Ah. Right. After Kendel's betrayal and subsequent imprisonnt, it made sense the family needed a new face to stand for the future.
"And Alvara?" I asked, shifting the topic.
Allen nodded, his tone a bit softer. "She really was sad after you left, Brother-in-law."
Bryelle giggled again, clearly delighted. "I know when Elder Sister's sad, and she definitely was. Even if she didn't look like it, I could tell."
"Now that," I smiled, "is sothing I would've liked to see. Alvara with a sad face… she'd probably still look annoyingly adorable."
But I doubted she'd ever let see her like that.
Not willingly.
Allen turned back toward the boat, gesturing to it with a bit of pride. "I hope the boat pleases you, Brother-in-law?"
Okay. That was the second ti they'd called that today.
Why were they both acting like I'd already proposed to Alvara? I an, sure, things were… sothing between us. But we weren't officially anything yet. Right?
Whatever.
"It's a great boat," I said, "but you really didn't have to go this far. It's just a short trip."
"A trip?" Allen's brows lifted as he glanced over my shoulder. His eyes landed on Roda, who had been silently standing a few steps behind .
Then ca the inevitable question.
"Is she your new wife, Brother-in-law?"
I groaned, grimacing. "Not at all. And for the love of everything, don't say anything to Alvara."
Seriously, why did this happen every ti I was seen with a woman?
I just hoped neither of them would breathe a word of this to Alvara. Because if she found out I ca all the way to her kingdom just to take another woman on a 'trip'—even if it was entirely innocent—well… I'd never hear the end of it.
And knowing Alvara, 'annoyed' would be putting it lightly.
Allen gave a smile—one of those subtle, knowing ones that made feel like he was seeing sothing I wasn't saying.
"Certainly," he said.
Yeah, I was pretty sure this guy was completely misunderstanding .
I turned to Roda, giving her a silent nod to board. But instead of responding, she just stood there, frozen.
No, 'frozen' didn't even cover it. Shock radiated from her like she'd been struck by lightning. And the mont I replayed the conversation in my head, I understood why.
Alvara's na.
Of course.
There was no hiding it now. Not from her.
I gently nudged her forward, ignoring the stunned look in her eyes, and stepped in behind her.
"Um, Amael…" Bryelle's soft voice stopped just as I reached the threshold.
I turned back. "Yeah?"
She shifted awkwardly in her seat, eyes dropping for a mont. "Mother… she wants to know the reason behind your trip. Once you're back."
Her words were careful, nervous.
I smiled, not at all surprised. Tanya had always been the cautious one, and it wouldn't have made sense if she wasn't suspicious. She passed that sa sharpness to Alvara.
"I'll tell her. Don't worry," I said, stepping inside the cabin.
If I co back alive, I added silently.
I barely had ti to find my footing before Roda exploded.
"Y–You!" She shouted, slamming her palm hard against the wall—right beside my face.
I blinked. "What is it?"
As the boat began to pull away from the dock, I motioned silently to the driver to set off.
"What is it?" She repeated, staring at in disbelief. "You seriously have the gall to ask that? Alvara is still alive?!"
"Yeah, she is," I said simply. "And don't worry. She's… different now."
"Different?!" Roda's voice spiked. Her eyes scanned my face like I was so kind of traitor. "I don't believe that. I can't believe that. And from the looks of it…" She trailed off, horror dawning in her expression. "You and her…"
I turned my gaze away, not answering.
"No. No way…" She whispered, stumbling back a step, her voice cracking as if all strength had been drained from her.
"Like I said—she's different. And you don't need to worry about her skewering anyone or setting them on fire… well, unless they provoke her. Then, maybe."
"You're not helping," Roda muttered, glaring daggers at .
"I an, I'm just being honest."
She shook her head, clearly overwheld. "I can't believe this. And you're a Human—no, a Half High Human?! How is that possible…?"
The more she tried to make sense of it, the more lost she looked.
"She should be hating everything except herself," she added under her breath.
"She does still hate everything except a very few exceptions," I said with a small laugh. "But I helped her. So things happened. That's all."
She looked at like I'd just revealed I was a dragon in disguise.
Truth was… I was just the rare exception.
I wasn't even sure Alvara saw as Human anymore.
To be honest, she still had her prejudices—her racism toward other races hadn't just magically vanished. I was pretty damn sure about that. So old habits die slow, if ever.
Roda's eyes locked onto mine with a look I couldn't quite decipher—part disbelief, part concern, maybe even a bit of confusion. "You helped her?" She asked like she wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or impressed.
"Yeah," I said with a shrug. "Like I ntioned, I already knew what the future held. I just stepped in before she could spiral out and lose herself completely. You don't need to worry about her. Not anymore."
Roda didn't look convinced. She frowned. "Fine… but wait, are you telling she really loves you?"
I grimaced. That question landed like a punch to the gut. "Is that… really that shocking?" I asked, half-laughing, half-grimacing. The whole situation was starting to feel like soone was jabbing a knife into my side, twisting it slowly.
"I—I didn't an it like that," Roda stuttered, clearly realizing her slip-up. "It's just… ugh, never mind." She sighed heavily, turned on her heel, and walked away without another word.
Yeah. That reaction pretty much confird it—whatever happened between her and Alvara in her tiline had clearly left so deep scars. Traumas like that don't just vanish. I couldn't bla her, really.
I let out a quiet sigh and turned my attention toward the deck. There, leaning against the railings with the sea breeze brushing through her hair, was Vina. Her blond hair fluttered with the wind, and for the first ti, it shifted just enough to reveal sothing new—just below her ear and along her neck was a blue symbol, like a trident inked into her skin. It wasn't large, but it was sharp, distinct.
A mark.
I blinked, squinting at it. Wait, was that really a trident? It looked… different. Almost like it had too many layers to be just a simple symbol.
"What's that?" I asked as I stepped up beside her, pointing toward her neck.
At the sound of my voice, Vina's entire expression changed—subtle, but noticeable. She reached up almost instinctively and let her hair fall over the mark again, hiding it. "It's nothing," she said quickly.
"I didn't take you for the tattoo type, Vina," I said, half-teasingly.
"I'm not," she replied just as fast almost defensive. "And it's not a tattoo."
"Alright, alright," I smiled. I didn't want to push her if she wasn't ready to talk about it.
We stood there in silence for a mont, side by side, gazing out over the endless, glittering expanse of Sancta Vedelia's seas. The ocean was vast, the kind of vast that made you feel small—and maybe a little more honest with yourself. The ship was cutting through the waves with impressive speed, leaving a trail of white foam in its wake.
"Thanks again, Vina," I said. "For helping out. For always helping out."
She gave a small nod, not saying anything, but I felt the aning in it.
"I an it," I continued, turning slightly to face her. "If you ever want anything—just say it. I'll make sure you get it."
She didn't respond right away, just kept looking ahead, the wind pulling gently at her hair again. But I could tell sothing was stirring beneath her calm exterior.
She'd been so selfless—always going along with my requests, never asking for anything in return. And now, after hearing what Alicia said… the guilt was gnawing at even more.
"I… I'll tell you what I wish for later," Vina said softly after a long pause.
"Oh?" I blinked, genuinely surprised. "So you actually have a wish."
That caught off guard, honestly. She'd always been so… selfless, like she didn't even think about herself in that way and that made my guilt crawl just a bit deeper under my skin.
The rest of the trip passed without incident. Within two hours, we reached our destination.
Now, this wasn't your average island you could just spot on a map. The whole thing was cloaked in a dense Mana Circle—so thick and complex that even seasoned navigators would've just sailed right past it, none the wiser. Luckily for us, Roda knew exactly where to look. Her knowledge was the only reason we weren't currently circling the ocean like headless chickens.
Eventually, at Roda's signal, the boat slowed to a halt. From all appearances, we were smack dab in the middle of the ocean—no land in sight. Just open water stretching in every direction.
"Here," she said with certainty.
I raised a brow but didn't question it.
We both got ready to disembark. Since we'd need to swim, we changed out of our usual clothes and into sothing more practical. I threw on a pair of dark swim shorts and a light button-up shirt I left mostly unbuttoned. Roda erged soon after in a similar get-up—sporting shorts and a loose shirt that fluttered slightly in the sea breeze.
She hesitated a bit, glancing down at her legs and then at , clearly a little self-conscious.
"What?" She asked, narrowing her eyes when she caught looking.
What's that gaze?
[]
What rightfully?!
"Nothing," I snorted at Roda. "Just a little disappointed you're wearing a shirt."
Her brain took a second to process that. Then, as the aning sank in, her cheeks flared a bright shade of crimson.
"You—!" She started, raising her fist to punch square in the shoulder.
But I was ready.
Before her punch could land, I smoothly tilted my head out of the way, caught her wrist, and spun her toward the edge of the boat.
"Wait, wait—!"
Too late.
With a quick pull and a flick of my wrist, I launched her off the deck and into the water.
"S-Seriously!?" She yelped mid-air before landing with a resounding splash.
I laughed, then jumped in right after her, feeling the cool rush of seawater envelop as I hit the surface.
"A little chilly," I muttered as I surfaced, running a hand through my soaked hair. "But not bad."
Just as the words left my mouth, a sudden splash of water smacked in the face.
I blinked and wiped the water from my eyes, only to find Roda glaring at , hands already cupped to deliver another splash attack.
I sighed. "It's not ti to play, Roda."
"You started it!" She snapped, crossing her arms with a huff before glancing around. "Wait… where's Levina?"
"She should be here any mont now," I said with a smile, my eyes scanning the depths. "She was just waiting for the boat to leave. She can't risk being seen—not with how she looks."
And then… the water shifted.
Sothing massive moved just beneath the surface, the sunlight reflecting off its skin in dazzling flashes of blue and red. Roda's breath hitched.
From the depths, a sleek, serpentine form erged—its body gliding easily through the water. Ten ters long, easily, maybe more. Its glistening blue scales shimred with the color of the sea, while beautiful red markings spiraled along its body in natural patterns.
"This…!" Roda's mouth hung open.
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