Captain – Chapter 127 – Do You Want Me?

“Aha, look who’s here, you little bastard!”

The curved sword flashed coldly as it was drawn, and the hardwood door was yanked open forcefully. Wind rushed in from the doorway, making the candlelight on the candlestick flicker incessantly. With flushed cheeks and floating hair, Roy made her dramatically theatrical entrance.

The semi-transparent curtain embroidered with violet patterns likewise rose with the wind, and the scene within was clearly revealed to the captain under the flickering candlelight.

Caine, having removed his outer garments and left with only a neat short shirt, was sitting on the edge of the bed, and what he held in both hands was the previously incessantly squawking raven.

What the… so it wasn’t the little bastard after all.

Roy exchanged glances with both man and bird for a moment, then lowered her eyelids wearily.

The captain sheathed her curved sword, went back to retrieve the half-bottle of rum, forcefully closed the door, and staggered to sit down at the edge of the bed. “I say, Alfie, could you not scream like an alarm bell? I… I thought it was Richi who had come.”

Saying this, the girl took a swig of alcohol and said with somewhat slurred speech, “What on earth are you two doing?”

Smelling the strong odor of alcohol on Roy, Caine slightly furrowed his brow and instinctively released the raven in his hands.

Having finally escaped from the young man’s clutches, the raven flapped its wings a few times and flew to perch by the tightly closed window, its small eyes full of wariness and panic as it looked at Caine.

The window had been closed specifically to catch the little creature, but now the First Mate had no time to deal with Alfie. He supported the captain’s arm to prevent her from falling headfirst onto the bed and spilling alcohol all over, while his other hand tried to take the bottle from the girl’s grasp.

The action was unexpectedly smooth, and it wasn’t until half a minute after the bottle was taken that Roy came to her senses, struggling and clamoring to get it back. “You, give it back to me, that’s the last bottle for tonight.”

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“Stop drinking, look at how drunk you are.”

Caine gently leaned Roy against the bedpost, then got up and placed the bottle on the wooden table not far from the captain.

Seeing that reclaiming it was hopeless, Roy sighed deeply, looking up at the approaching young man. “So, what were you doing to Alfie anyway? Why was it calling so… miserably?”

“Nothing much, just asking it some questions.”

Caine sat down on the other side of the yellow bed and lowered his head to start taking off his boots.

Scratching her somewhat disheveled long hair, the captain squinted her eyes in thought for a moment, then spoke with a smile, “Oh… so you were interrogating it. You wanted to know what Old John and I discussed privately this morning? Tsk, tsk, tsk, prying into others’ secrets is not very gentlemanly, you know.”

The First Mate’s movements paused, and he said softly, “I just felt that your negotiation was a bit strange, both the conditions and the tone of the negotiation seemed somewhat deliberate, as if…”

“Like what we did when facing Governor Federo.”

Roy and Old John knew each other too well, and their cooperation couldn’t have been better. Combined with their excellent acting skills, they could easily deceive most people.

But among these “most people,” those close to her who had witnessed her performances and were quite familiar with her temperament and style were not included—like Caine, or the tavern owner of the Banshee’s Eye.

Having her little scheme exposed by the First Mate, Roy’s face showed not the slightest discomfort. She unhurriedly removed her weapons, undressing like the young man. “I see it’s quite difficult to deceive you. But First Mate, since you’re aware that there are some things I don’t want you to know, why still ask?”

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“Little Cecilia is equally aware of my thoughts, but she’s smart enough not to bring it up.”

Caine was silent for a moment, then turned his head to gaze at the girl’s somewhat thin silhouette. “I feel a bit uneasy, inexplicably uneasy, Captain.”

“There’s nothing to be uneasy about.”

As the First Mate’s words filled with concern reached her ears, Roy’s dark golden pupils wavered slightly, but neither her movements nor her casual tone changed in the slightest. “Everything will go according to plan. Old John will probably have news for us tomorrow, and you’ll get to see it then, won’t you?”

“But…” Caine still wanted to say something.

“But what? When did your curiosity become so strong? Could it be that I’ve infected you?”

Tossing her outer garment toward the coat rack, Roy nimbly climbed onto the bed, looking up at the First Mate with a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “If you’re not satisfied, then find a way to pry it out of Alfie yourself. From me? No chance.”

It must be said that the captain’s alcohol-flushed cheeks paired with that mischievous smile were extremely tempting and deadly.

Like a lion that had been challenged, Caine raised an eyebrow. “You really think I can’t get it out of you?”

“If you could get it out, you wouldn’t have dragged things out with it until now. Look at the sky outside. For a full three hours, you’ve made no progress at all. Still too stubborn to admit your failure?”

Roy maliciously mocked the First Mate, giving him no face at all, until Caine turned his head away with an uncomfortable expression. Only then did she try to comfort him a little. “Well, don’t be discouraged. There’s nothing you can do about it. After all, Alfie is only loyal to me.”

“I dare guarantee that even if you put it on a fire to roast, it absolutely wouldn’t betray a single word of mine.”

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Glancing at the confident captain, Caine’s gaze shifted between the raven and the candle burning on the wooden table several times, contemplating the feasibility of this method.

Alfie, already trembling from the captain’s words, saw that the young man truly seemed to be considering putting it on the fire, and all the feathers on its body stood up.

“Don’t roast me, I’ll confess everything! Don’t roast me, I…”

Having had her face slapped so soon after saying those words, Roy grabbed a goose feather pillow and hurled it toward the bird in exasperation. “Stupid bird, is that all the backbone you have!”

The captain didn’t use much strength, and the pillow ended up falling crookedly under the windowsill without touching a single feather.

After this comical interruption from the pair, the worry that had been weighing on Caine’s heart dissipated considerably. He stood up, retrieved the pillow back to the bed, and then extinguished the candles one by one.

Actually, apart from threatening and coaxing Alfie earlier, he had also been waiting for the captain. Now that the girl had returned, albeit drunk, he naturally had no intention of staying up any longer.

The captain was right. After all, he would review all the intelligence the old bosun provided, and he would also arrange the plan against the Mermaid. This matter wouldn’t escape his hands no matter what.

As for the private words between the girl and the old sailor, or was she employing some under-the-table methods to ensure the other party kept his promise?

Thinking this way, Caine felt he was indeed overthinking things, and couldn’t help but shake his head with a wry smile. But just as he sat back on the bed, before he could even pull back the covers to lie down, the alcohol-reeking girl sneaked up on him.

“Captain, you’re already this drunk, just stop messing around today.”

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Feeling the soft touch on his arm, Caine wasn’t at all surprised or embarrassed. Instead, he treated it like a familiar prank, wanting to persuade the prankster who had gotten dizzy from drinking to rest earlier.

Roy didn’t respond to the First Mate’s persuasion, but instead stretched out her arms, wrapped them around his neck, and brought her flushed cheek close to his face.

“Caine, I’ve been thinking for a long time, and I feel that… love is really not very reliable. But apart from an empty check, I don’t seem to have anything else to give you right now.”

Looking at the girl’s eyes that seemed to emit a faint light in the darkness, the helplessness in Caine’s eyes disappeared, and his blue pupils rippled gently like the sea. “No, Captain, you’ve already given me a lot.”

“I know what you’re referring to, but honestly, in my eyes, those were just a transaction. I saved your life, and you fulfilled your promise to become my First Mate, nothing more. So…”

Noticing that the girl’s mood seemed somewhat different from usual, Caine didn’t interrupt her to say something that seemed high-minded like a noble’s quote; he just listened quietly.

“I’m sorry, young Master Howard.”

Roy smiled slightly. “A pirate like me really can’t understand the gentlemen’s view of love. In my eyes, actually everything is an equal exchange, whether it’s benefits or emotions. Only when both parties provide enough bargaining chips will it not sink midway like a leaking ship.”

“Although our agreed journey hasn’t begun yet, and I can’t fulfill any promises, I think I can at least give you some, uh, down payment?”

The captain thought for a moment, finding what she considered an appropriate term, and then looked into the First Mate’s eyes with utmost seriousness, as if uttering a vow of eternal love, but in reality…

“So, Caine, my dear First Mate, do you… want me?”