14.
What was that infamous prison of Bilti like again?
The suffocating stench, the bone-chilling cold, animal bones crunching under every step, and dirty rum bottles scattered everywhere… Not even a proper building—it was a repurposed abandoned cave, so water constantly dripped from the stalactite-covered ceiling. Just recalling it made an unpleasant sensation creep up inside.
Bilti was one of the Eastern Alliance pirates who harbored particular resentment toward the Admiral, a master of threats and hostage-taking. It was hardly surprising that the damn fool’s bloated head had come up with the idea of kidnapping the Admiral’s only son.
At the time, Cardier was barely more than a boy—seventeen at most. So young his downy hair was still soft, and weakened from over a week without even a sip of water, he looked terribly haggard. In fact, though she’d never told anyone, back then……
“You seem lost in thought.”
Rosetta snapped back to reality. Lifting her head, she found herself staring directly into eyes as deep and blue as the abyss. A strange thrill coursed through her. Whenever she met Cardier’s dark blue gaze, she often felt as though her very soul was being laid completely bare.
As if he could see right through her thoughts, leaving her utterly disarmed. And Rosetta intensely distrusted anyone who seemed to look too deeply into her. Instinctively, she frowned slightly, but then Cardier spoke.
“Do you dislike me?”
“…….”
“You often scowl whenever you see me.”
It was an odd thing to say. Rosetta twisted her lips, then carefully chose her words.
“Our first impression wasn’t good.”
“Was my impression unpleasant?”
He said this while gently correcting her wrong waltz posture, his eyes still fixed on her face. Rosetta almost wrinkled her nose, then barely remembered in time that it was an old habit.
Instead, she lifted her chin and mimicked the expression of a duchess.
“You acted as if I were some kind of leech, screaming at me to get off. Don’t you remember?”
“Oh.”
“So I thought the Marquis Montrosa must hate me too.”
As Rosetta said this, she cautiously studied Cardier’s face, trying to read his emotions from his expression—but not a flicker of disturbance showed. Only a subtle shift in the temperature of his gaze.
He often seemed like someone incapable of feeling any positive emotion at all. To Rosetta, who remembered the vibrant, expressive twenty-year-old Cardier, this always brought an intense sense of dissonance. What on earth had happened to him in the past four years?
“……I don’t dislike you.”
The answer came after a long pause. Rosetta blinked in surprise at what he was replying to, then burst into a quiet, mocking laugh.
“That’s a painfully difficult way of saying you don’t like me either.”
“…….”
“Oh, the music’s starting, isn’t it?”
As they properly positioned themselves, the musicians began playing a suitably slow dance tune. At first, Rosetta simply followed Cardier’s lead, but gradually, she began to enjoy herself.
She’d thought it was just a ridiculous spinning dance, but having a partner made it somewhat enjoyable after all. Of course, she didn’t even attempt the complex footwork or hand movements, barely managing to maintain the basic stance—but still, progress was progress.
Excited, she spun around until her breath quickly grew short. Somehow, it reminded her of dancing wildly on the docks while eating benzo…… Whatever the case, facing someone who reminded her most of carefree times helped her relax. Just then, she unconsciously bared her teeth in a bright, open smile.
“Sometimes, when I look at you……”
Cardier gripped Rosetta’s waist, lifted her into the air with a full spin, then set her back down as he spoke.
“You remind me of someone I once knew.”
“…….”
Rosetta opened her mouth, unsure how to respond. This was a surprise attack in a completely defenseless state. Fortunately, judging from his demeanor and words, he still didn’t seem certain she was Rosetta.
Damn it. What should I say now to smoothly deflect this?
While she hesitated, the music ended. The two stood frozen in their waltz pose, staring at each other. Rosetta, still panting, couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. Her entire body tensed like prey facing a predator ready to pounce the moment her back turned. She wrinkled her nose.
“Is there something you want to say to me……?”
“I don’t know.”
A fleeting pain, like an old wound being torn open, flashed across his face—then vanished without a trace. Only Rosetta, who had been staring straight at him, saw it. Even Cardier himself probably hadn’t realized he’d made that expression.
After a brief silence, he finally spoke.
“I don’t know what I’m searching for in you either.”
“…….”
“Or even whether I’m still in my right mind.”
Then, at last, he released her hand. Rosetta finally understood the subtle distance she’d sensed in him. He was cynical toward everything. Keeping his guard up, maintaining distance—it had become habitual. To anyone who knew his former self, he appeared dangerously fragile.
Like a furnace that burned too quickly and went cold, like ashes with no remaining embers to ignite.
Yet within, she glimpsed a faint trace of lingering warmth. For just an instant, something flickered in his otherwise mineral-still eyes.
“But one thing is certain.”
He lifted Rosetta’s hand, which had been frozen in place. Then, bowing slightly, he pressed his lips to the lace glove covering her hand. His gaze, all the while, remained locked on her—intense, devouring.
“I’ve developed a profound interest in you.”
“…….”
……No. Not this.
But no matter how much she denied reality, Cardier’s gaze was unmistakably that of a dog fixated on a treat.
Rosetta nearly teared up. It seemed she had, once again, drawn the obsession of this madman.
* * *
Rosetta ground her teeth on her fingernails and nervously jiggled her right leg.
She had no idea what Cardier was really thinking. Without knowing his intentions, it was difficult to simply avoid or exclude him. And if she angered him? Cardier was a man who could overturn her entire life with just a few words.
If he reported her to the Holy See, it would truly be over. Without solid evidence, such ‘heretical’ accusations were usually dismissed—but if the claim came from the Marquis Montrosa, the situation would be different. The Inquisitors would certainly keep a close watch on her.
After all, the world still trusted a man’s word more than a woman’s.
Rosetta, being a typical Eastern pirate, had always stayed far from temples and drawn close to every kind of sin. Some pirates were oddballs who actually believed in gods…… men who, even as their ships sank from bomb hits, would cry out, “It’s divine punishment!”
Fanatics with not a shred of reason left. Because this perception was so firmly rooted, she truly wanted to avoid temple interference—especially the Inquisitors.
“Lady. You can’t keep shaking your leg like that.”
At Madame Valmont’s reprimand, the lady scowled and slammed her teacup down. Anna fidgeted anxiously, glancing between them. On the lady’s determined face, one could almost see the aura of a general preparing for battle. She growled.
“Damn it, why are there so many things I can’t do? Shaking my leg is just my leg moving on its own—how is that even my fault?”
Anna pressed her palm to her forehead. She’d dared to hope today might pass without the two of them fighting.
“Did you just swear?!”
Madame Valmont’s face lit up with triumph. The lady clamped her mouth shut, realizing her mistake. Without a word, the older woman held out her hand. Gritting her teeth, the lady pulled a single gold coin from her pocket and flicked it into the air. Her sour, disgusted expression was just an added bonus.
Madame Valmont’s hand shot out—swift and sharp like a predator’s paw—and caught it. Anna tightly pressed her lips together, deliberately turning her eyes away from the dubious transaction. I didn’t see it. I didn’t see anything……
Madame Valmont proudly declared,
“Of course. Whenever you fail to follow etiquette, you must return my money.”
“Jeez……”
“Again, swearing!”
“Gesundheit. Ah-choo……”
The lady noisily pretended to cough. Madame Valmont narrowed her eyes suspiciously, then shrugged as if deciding it didn’t matter.
“In any case, thanks to our bet, the lady’s etiquette has improved significantly. Though her dignity remains somewhat lacking.”
“I agree.”
“But the lady’s manner of speaking! Sometimes she sounds like a boisterous man.”
“I agree with that too.”
Please don’t agree with that so haughtily. Anna wanted to cry.
“Noble ladies’ speech often just requires adding ‘-eyo’ to the end of every sentence to sound convincing. Now, why don’t you try it?”
“I wish you’d die already, ohoho.”
……No matter how they say you shouldn’t spit on a smiling face, sweetly laughing like that can’t be the entirety of proper etiquette. Though clearly, my mistress had no idea.
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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