* * *

“Cash! Cash!”

Linna desperately called out as she ran after Cash.

“Hurry up! We have to bring Heidi too!”

“Myaaaaaaaoooong!”

In truth, Cash was yelling, “You clueless idiot!” but Linna didn’t understand.

“Where the hell are you even going!”

While Linna was running fast, chaos erupted behind her.

Explosions echoed, fire alarms blared, and the ship started tilting.

Linna lost her senses in the sudden disaster, but to her, the most important thing was still Cash.

“Caaaaaaash!”

“Myaaaaoooong!”

Chasing after nothing but Cash’s black tail, she finally caught him.

“Let’s go back now. We have to get Heidi.”

Just thinking about the blatant look Zahid had given Heidi filled her with unease.

Linna had never once thought Zahid was normal.

Waiting nine years for a fiancée who didn’t want to marry him and ran off to the Magic Tower—she’d always thought that obsessive behavior was disgusting.

The evaluations she’d heard at the Temple didn’t help.

The Temple always said, “We might be able to win Lavendal over depending on our interests,” but when it came to Dyfenril, they’d say, “There’s no hope with Dyfenril, not now, not ever.”

Even when they’d nudged her to “try seducing either Zahid or Ray,” they’d click their tongues and say, “But Zahid Dyfenril’s a lunatic, so good luck with that.” In other words, even the enemy admitted he was crazy.

‘I have to hide Zahid’s interest in Heidi from the Temple at all costs.’

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And as much as Zahid terrified her, the Temple scared her more.

‘If the Temple finds out, they’ll definitely try to use Heidi.’

She was just a maid she’d met yesterday.

A maid who’d ended up by her side purely by chance, whose background wasn’t even verified.

No recommendation letter, no known experience. If it hadn’t been for the Entoho, there’s no way she would’ve kept her around.

‘She looks a bit blank, but she’s clever. So kind, and also…’

Ever since she’d seen her brush off the false accusation of being a handkerchief thief so easily, she’d liked her sharpness.

It had been a short time, but she could feel that Heidi truly cared for her. There was nothing to gain, and really, sticking her neck out in front of the Empress Dowager could only hurt her long-term as a maid, but she’d still openly taken Linna’s side.

‘I’ll take responsibility till the end.’

The Empress Dowager was a woman who never forgot a grudge. Sooner or later, she’d find a way to harm Heidi. Killing a maid meant nothing to her.

‘To ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) the end… I’ll protect her to the end.’

If she’d never met Linna, she never would’ve gotten tangled up with the Empress Dowager or Zahid…

Linna’s heart pounded in urgency as she hugged Cash and turned back.

“Linna! There you are!”

The Empress Dowager rushed over and stood in front of Linna.

Behind her, handmaidens were carrying piles of valuables, following closely.

“Let’s go! Hurry, we have to go! What the hell is going on here!”

“…What?”

Only then did Linna realize where she was.

Lifeboats were lined up in front of her. Behind the Empress Dowager and the handmaidens, she saw the chaos of the people.

“Come, come! Hurry!”

“W-Wait! I have a maid I need to bring…”

Linna hurriedly mumbled, then realized she’d made a mistake.

The moment she said “maid,” the Empress Dowager’s eyes glinted sharply.

“You have to come, Linna.”

“Th-That…”

“You think I can send you back into that mess for just a maid? What would I say to the Duke and Duchess of Idra?”

The Empress Dowager smiled slyly and hooked arms with Linna.

“We need to get on the lifeboat first so the others can get on too.”

Sure enough, behind them, there were people waiting for the Empress Dowager to board first.

Even though things were chaotic, the ship hadn’t fully sunk yet, so people were still able to endure waiting based on social rank.

“You wouldn’t want innocent people to get hurt because of you, would you?”

Sticking close to Linna, the Empress Dowager whispered softly.

“Even at sea.”

Linna’s breath hitched.

In the end, Linna slowly started walking toward the lifeboats.

‘…That bastard Duke of Dyfenril will take care of her, right? Then she’ll definitely get on a lifeboat…’

And so, the first yellow lifeboat, carrying Linna, the Empress Dowager, the knights, and the handmaidens, floated up on the sea.

Sir Payton, one of the Holy Knight Commanders, was also in the lifeboat, under the pretext of guarding the Empress Dowager.

“At this pace, we should reach the Belotsa port before morning.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

One of the knights said while rowing.

“It’s going to be a bit slow… Please bear with the discomfort.”

Linna held Cash tightly and kept looking back with a worried face.

The Empress Dowager shrugged her shoulders and spoke leisurely.

“Lord Ray insisted on going back for Zahid in all that mess. Such great friendship. But they’d better hurry.”

She twisted her lips into a mocking smile and added.

“There aren’t nearly enough lifeboats, after all.”

“Whaaaaaaat?”

Linna jumped in shock and shouted.

“There aren’t enough lifeboats? But there were plenty in the basement! I heard from the Temple that you designated it a restricted area because there were too many lifeboats, and you didn’t want people saying you were being excessive, so you hid it from the public…”

The Empress Dowager didn’t respond to that. She just clicked her tongue as if she remembered something about the “basement” and pulled a sour face.

“What do we do, then? Huh? What about the people who can’t escape?”

As Linna begged her, the Empress Dowager turned her head in annoyance, and Payton, arms crossed, spoke up.

“Everyone’s wearing life-saving bracelets. No one’s going to drown. And once we reach Belotsa port and make contact, we can send ships from there.”

“You said we wouldn’t reach until dawn! Even if they don’t drown, they’ll freeze to death!”

“Linna.”

The Empress Dowager gave a low warning.

“Are you seriously worried about commoners’ lives right now?”

“…”

“You’re not, are you?”

“…”

Her voice, laced with ridicule, hit its mark.

Linna immediately shut her mouth and slowly covered her face with both hands.

* * *

“This is an announcement. I am Ray Lavendal.”

Ray’s voice, carried through the ship’s broadcasting magic device, echoed across the entire vessel.

“To those passengers who couldn’t board the lifeboats, please don’t panic and come up to the First Class cabins. I’ve informed the knights, so there will be no entry restrictions. And even if you fall into the water while moving, as long as you’re wearing a life-saving bracelet, you’ll be fine. Please stay calm and do not worry.”

People began murmuring at the calm and gentle voice.

It was none other than Ray Lavendal. Heir to the Duchy of Water.

Even though I knew everyone would be okay, hearing it gave me a sense of relief.

“Is he bringing his Divine Beast to part the sea?”

“Does the Divine Beast of Water even have that kind of power?”

“Who knows. But would the Young Lord of Water say something he couldn’t take responsibility for? Especially at sea?”

“I haven’t seen the Divine Beast of Water.”

“Maybe he snuck it in?”

While people calmed down listening to Ray’s words, Zahid carried me up the stairs without losing his breath for a second.

And he passed the crowded First Class cabins. Past First Class was Special Class.

“Huff, huff… Special Class… huff…”

“Rosie.”

As we climbed the stairs to Special Class, Zahid asked, incredulous.

“I’m the one running—why are you out of breath?”

“Huff, ha… Because married couples are one in body and spirit?”

At my words, Zahid let out a burst of laughter.

“You really…”

“Hmm, that wasn’t quite right. Huff, ha. Let me fix that. Engaged couples are one in body and spirit? But seriously, what?”

“…You really haven’t changed.”

He laughed softly, whispering.

“You were like that when we were kids too. But whenever you’d say something so casually, I couldn’t sleep that night.”

“Oh no, a growing boy losing sleep stunts his height!”

“Then you’ll have to take responsibility.”

Calling him short was a joke—he was ridiculously tall—but it was still solid logic.

Even in this disaster, Zahid’s ears were turning red.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep