Captain – Chapter 215 – Night Talk

“But… what’s his purpose?”

After a moment, Naren regained his composure and posed the most crucial question to the young man before him: “If all this is Robert’s doing, then what benefit does he gain by informing me of your whereabouts in such an obscure manner?”

If Caine’s deduction was correct, then Robert’s collusion with the military must involve no small scheme.

And if his target had been Naren from the beginning, the best approach would have been to reveal all truths the moment the Mermaid entered the Empire’s inland waters.

As the esteemed Governor’s son and pride of the Imperial military, Caine not only failed in his command, resulting in the total destruction of the First Fleet, but while fleeing punishment, he also conspired with the Golden-Eyed Roy—a pirate captain who topped the Empire’s wanted list and struck fear in the hearts of Auran citizens.

Once these facts were exposed, with some embellishment, they would surely become the greatest scandal in recent Imperial history. While creating waves even Naren would struggle to navigate, it would become the strongest weapon for political enemies to overthrow him from his position as Governor.

Before such slander, not only would the military be unable to defend him, but even His Majesty would struggle to maintain the Howard family’s reputation.

By then, his best outcome would be to resign as Governor and distance himself from the capital and political center. The worst outcome would be having to watch helplessly as his child and his fiancée were sent to an Imperial court, or even the execution grounds.

Yet none of this had happened.

Seeing Caine fall silent, the Governor waited patiently, but in the end, all he received was a “I don’t know” from the young man.

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“There’s too little information. I don’t know much about Robert as a person, and I’ve had very few interactions with him. But I think if you could write a letter to Grandfather Federo, perhaps we could…”

Raising his hand to interrupt the young man’s suggestion, Naren shook his head slightly, showing little disappointment: “This is all just your speculation. I cannot drag that old friend back into this mess solely based on this, nor can I shake the already precarious balance among the Empire’s upper echelons.”

“Besides, though Robert is impetuous and arbitrary, he carries the blood of the Alexander family and is considered His Majesty’s relative. Moreover, he is fiercely loyal to the Empire. So I truly cannot imagine what reason he would have to drive me from this position.”

Hearing his father’s explanation, the young man remained silent for a long while before saying softly: “Perhaps… I’m overthinking it.”

“Daring to question authority is good, but all assertions must be built upon evidence before they can be openly stated. Otherwise, they’re no different from the slander spread by idle gossips in the streets,” the Governor said, slowly lowering his head to focus once more on state affairs, while calmly admonishing: “Especially in our position, where our words can influence many people and many matters, we must always be cautious with our speech. Remember this well.”

“Alright, I’ll keep a closer eye on Robert. You’re probably quite tired—go rest early. Tomorrow morning’s ceremony is of great significance to you. Don’t appear exhausted and dampen the girl’s spirits.”

“Yes, sir.”

After acknowledging his father’s words, Caine left the captain’s quarters. As that somewhat heavy conversation concluded, the night sky above had grown infinitely deep.

Disembarking from the warship and returning to the Mermaid via small boat, the young man nimbly climbed the ladder protruding from the ship’s hull.

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As he approached the ship’s railing, a pale hand suddenly appeared in his field of vision.

Caine looked up to see the captain grinning at him. In the faint starlight, he found it difficult to tell whether the faint flush on her cheeks was real or imagined.

Pulled back onto the deck by Roy, the First Mate observed her up close and discovered that her face indeed had a reddish tint—clearly not from shyness, but from the half-empty bottle of rum in her hand and the row of empty bottles carelessly arranged at her feet.

At some point, Roy had changed back into her neat short shirt and trousers. If she were to don her tricorn hat and captain’s coat, Caine would have worried about her being pursued by the garrison troops near Elvet.

“Captain, why did you drink so much? And these clothes…”

Hearing the First Mate’s inquiry and seeing his hesitant expression, the young woman easily guessed his concerns.

She waved dismissively and said nonchalantly: “It’s fine. The night is so deep now, no one will notice my attire. As for the alcohol…”

Rolling her eyes, Roy said naturally: “Since entering Auran-controlled waters, I haven’t had a drink for over a month. I couldn’t resist anymore, so I snuck a little during the quiet night.”

Glancing at the empty bottles scattered across the deck, Caine sighed lightly: “You call this ‘a little’? Besides, you’re leaving these scattered about, and the sailors will have to clean up after you. I’ve told you many times, after drinking you should…”

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“Put the bottles back in their designated place in the warehouse, I know. But I haven’t finished drinking yet, have I?” Roy interrupted impatiently, then muttered under her breath: “If you hadn’t said not to throw empty bottles into the river, it wouldn’t be so troublesome. We pirates should be unrestrained and carefree, not fussing over such trifles.”

Seeing this, Caine shook his head helplessly, staring at the young woman’s face for so long that she began to feel self-conscious before softly asking: “Captain, honestly, why are you drinking so much?”

Twitching her lips, Roy turned away, gazing at the dark canal and the ships moored in the harbor, seemingly asleep, as she softly explained: “I already said, it’s been too long since I had a drink, so I’m secretly having a few bottles to satisfy my craving…”

“Really,” the young woman finally added.

The young man didn’t respond to her “excuse,” and the guards on deck had coincidentally gone to change shifts, leaving the surroundings completely silent except for their soft breathing.

Seeing that her First Mate wasn’t buying it, Roy pouted, feeling somewhat bored. She raised the bottle to finish the remaining liquor, but as the sound of flowing alcohol arose, the breathing beside her suddenly drew near, until she could feel his somewhat warm breath by her ear.

Feeling the strong arm encircling her waist, the captain blinked rapidly, and after a good while, feigned anger and said: “What… what are you suddenly doing? Don’t you know I almost got alcohol splashed all over my face? Are you going to let me drink or not? Let go quickly.”

“I won’t,” came the young man’s firm response.

“Huh?” Roy almost thought she had misheard.

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“I won’t let go until you tell me the reason,” Caine said, his eyelids slightly lowered as he whispered by the young woman’s ear: “Captain, if I hadn’t returned tonight, were you planning to drink all night? Your behavior lately has been so unlike your usual self. It gives me the same feeling as… when you left me in Yadris and went to the Mermaid alone.”

Hearing the First Mate’s worried words, Roy’s eyes flickered slightly, almost ready to reveal the secret buried deep in her heart.

But in the end, she merely chuckled softly and said reassuringly: “What are you imagining? These past few days, I’ve just been giving you special treatment. Such opportunities will be rare in the future. Besides, tomorrow morning is the engagement ceremony—I certainly couldn’t drink all night, or you wouldn’t be able to wake me up then.”

“Also, the reason I’m drinking is because I’m a bit nervous. After all, I never thought… someone like me would one day need to wear a wedding dress and participate in such a formal, or rather, awkward ceremony with someone else.”

“Really?” Caine’s voice grew calmer, seemingly accepting the young woman’s explanation.

Struggling slightly to make the First Mate loosen his embrace, which seemed afraid she might escape, Roy tilted her head back to drain the last of the rum. Then, with a satisfied sigh, she smiled and spoke words that couldn’t even convince herself, yet somehow brought comfort:

“Of course it’s true. This captain never lies.”

Translator Note

That’s a lie captain