The best part about fis.h.i.+ng is eating your catch for dinner or lunch. If you couldn't catch your own fish to eat, fis.h.i.+ng was pointless. Consequently, I engaged in a pointless endeavour. I spent the two most boring hours of my life to catch seven fishes, yet didn't dare to eat a single one of them. I'd never seen such terrifying looking fish in my life before. In fact, one of them tried to bite me when I pulled it out of the water. It wore the look of a fish ready to bring me down to h.e.l.l with it.

I didn't recognise any of the seven fishes, nor did I dare to eat a single one. I threw them all back into the water when I watched the way they jumped around in the bucket. They were going to attack at any given moment…

The weather wasn't so nice afterwards. A cold breeze began to blow. I caught sight of dark clouds ahead of the s.h.i.+p headed toward us. There were dark clouds earlier today, but I didn't know if the new batch of dark clouds would pa.s.s.

Lucia was first to reach the s.h.i.+p. She s.h.i.+vered next to my side. NIer soon got back on the s.h.i.+p, as well. I was excessively worried for nothing. Their clothes weren't very revealing. Nevertheless, seeing the two of them drenched flicked my l.u.s.t switch.

We took a hot bath with the maids looking after us upon reaching the deck. I had some fun in the hot water with Lucia and Nier, since we were there. We then went to the dining hall, feeling warm. We enjoyed some hot soup and a joyful dinner.

I was tired for the day. I lazed into the comfortable armchair and read a book while enjoying some hot tea. Elves auth.o.r.ed the book. Elves had very advanced literacy skills. It was a story about an elf slaying a dragon. It was quite the exhilarating and suspenseful story. Unfortunately, the ending wasn't my cup of tea. The elf didn't return. He left his gorgeous wife and child behind…

I had a sudden thought: "Why does this story seem oddly familiar…?"

Lucia, who was next to me, stood up. I placed my book down and focused on her. Wrapped in my cloak, she said, "Your Highness, I shall head back first. It feels as though it is getting colder and colder. I'm heading back to sleep now. It's honestly too cold."

"All right." I nodded then touched Lucia's hand.  Lucia s.h.i.+vered as she left.

I stood up, and then went to the window to take a look outside. I felt a cold sensation come in from beyond the window just as I went up to the window. Accompanying the lights on the s.h.i.+p were waves aggressively rising. The waves were totally different to how they behaved in the day. They were violent, and I could sense a destructive omen as they violently crashed into us. I wasn't sure if the water droplets landing on the window were from the cras.h.i.+ng waves or rainfall. A rainstorm raged outside.

Nier walked up to me and wrapped her arm around mine. She looked outside and, in a soft voice, remarked, "The weather outside isn't good."

"Mm," I responded adding a nod.

I suddenly realised the weather was as chilly as when I was at the port with Freya. According to the person in charge at the time, he said that, if a storm came, it would definitely be this cold.

"Doesn't that mean that we're at the centre of the storm? Why did we go into the centre of the storm? Or did the storm just coincidentally happen to be on our path? I wonder. I'm certain the captain noticed the clouds signifying a storm. Is the captain confident in the s.h.i.+p or was there no alternative route?" I pondered.

Nier looked at me. I took hold of her hand: "It's all right. Don't worry. Nier, if the professionals think it's all right, then we don't need to worry. You don't need to worry. I'll protect you, Nier."

Nier giggled, and then went up on her toes to kiss my lips. With a smile, she said, "Protect me? Do you not mean I protect you? Regardless, I feel rea.s.sured now. I will earnestly protect you, Your Majesty."

"Mm."

We returned to our room, and I quickly fell asleep due to the fatigue and warmth of the blanket. The contrast between warm and cold inside the room and outside became more apparent, making it easier to sleep. I held Nier tightly in my arms as I listened to the whistling wind outside. She didn't have the energy for some rounds tonight.

*Snap!*

I don't know how long we slept for, but I abruptly heard a sharp sound as well as something crack. I then saw something drop down toward my face. I vigorously opened my eyes to see a sharp moonlight blade in addition to Nier's serious expression. I quickly sat up and saw a candlestick roll off my lower abdomen. Nier sheathed her sword then looked at me and, in a serious tone, explained, "Your Majesty, hurry and get dressed. The storm outside seems to have grown too intense. The entire s.h.i.+p is now quaking intensely. The candlestick almost landed on your head. Be careful!"

"Oh, Ooohhh!!"

I broke out in cold sweat due to fright. My body tipped over onto the bed, not because I was unwell or something but simply because the s.h.i.+p rocked wildly.

I peered outside. Waves loudly splashed onto the porthole. Nier wobbly stood onto the bed. She just told me to be careful and, before I could sit up, a huge wave from the side smashed into the s.h.i.+p. It was akin to a mountain cras.h.i.+ng into us. I heard the entire s.h.i.+p wail in despair, but I couldn't shout, as Nier and I were flung out together.

That's right; the wave threw us up, then our s.h.i.+p and finally threw us out. The s.h.i.+p I considered to be the most advanced s.h.i.+p in this world was thrown into the water as if it was a paper boat. Water entered from the side, and the boat struggled on the water.

*Slam!!*

Nier and I grabbed the rails on both sides at the same time. The rails were made of wood. The audible creaking sounds were freaky. The wood snapped inside. The creaking turned into crackling before it snapped from the sides of the deck. Below us were violent waves that could seemingly devour everything in the sea.

"Your Majesty."

"Ah… I know."

I nodded. I took in a deep breath and said, "It's only a matter of time before the s.h.i.+p sinks. The guard s.h.i.+p should come over. Nier, I don't know how Lucia is doing, so I need to hurry and find her. She can't survive in a cold environment. She'll be done for if she falls into the water. I need to hurry to her rescue."

"What about you, then, Your Majesty?! What about you?"

"I told you I'd protect you girls this time, didn't I…?"

The wooden rail couldn't bear the weight of two people. If we continued to hang there, the rail would snap off completely, and we'd plummet into the bottomless depths. It could bear the weight of one person, though.

Nier's physical attributes were markedly superior compared to mine me. I was rea.s.sured if she was the one looking after Lucia. Lucia was in the most danger at the moment. Lucia couldn't withstand the cold, so she'd be doomed without question if she fell into the water.

To be honest, I still slightly regretted jumping into the water to save somebody last time. This time, however, I let go for my wife. I wasn't hesitant at all… I was confident in my swimming skills. However, the water I dropped into erased my confidence…

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