Captain – Chapter 261 – Explanation

“But they remain as a knot, deeply buried in your heart, standing between us. If it isn’t untied, how can we talk about understanding, much less… forgiveness?”

The Governor spoke slowly, and when uttering that final word, he seemed to drop the hypocritical mask suspended on his face. Even his tone became much more relieved.

He acknowledged his past deeds and was willing to view them as one of his rare mistakes, offering the young woman his most sincere apologies and compensation.

Robert’s emotional display wasn’t fake; it truly contained feelings for her. Perhaps it was a yearning for familial affection, or perhaps, after reaching the end of a cold and lonely path, it was a refuge from the all-pervasive emptiness and solitude.

Roy didn’t deny this. She also didn’t deny that when the man showed his true feelings, her heart had felt pity and sympathy, even the impulse to forgive him.

But when those dark memories surged like a tide, making her experience again the helplessness and despair she felt in prison, that touch of softness in her heart disappeared without a trace, leaving only a faint, indifferent, and ironic laugh that only she could hear.

“Yes, a knot in the heart.”

With a light sigh, Roy looked at the man’s face and said softly: “Uncle Robert, I admit I can’t forget your abandonment, and your cold judgment remains fresh in my memory.”

“For ten years, those scenes have repeatedly played in my nightmares, disturbing my peace of mind, while also constantly reminding me of what I’ve been striving for all along…”

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“Power.”

The young woman said softly: “You once taught me a lesson through those stories—that whether it’s military might, political power, or wealth, any form of power is only trustworthy when firmly grasped in one’s own hands. Only then will it never betray you and be the only thing you can rely on.”

“You established this concept in my mind, and at the end of this fairy-tale journey, you demonstrated to me the power you possessed, and didn’t hesitate to use cold deception and betrayal to make this concept truly penetrate my heart.”

Looking directly into Robert’s deep black eyes, Roy suddenly smiled and said: “Thus, the desire for power became the deepest buried desire in my heart, becoming the powerful belief that supported me in escaping Morton Prison and reaching Ilruwin.”

At this point, the young woman’s smile faded as she said seriously: “From this perspective, I should indeed thank you. It was because of the seed you planted in my heart, and the hatred that kept me awake night and day, that shaped my relentless pursuit of power, that shaped…”

“Who I am today.”

Leaning back gently in her chair, the captain looked at the pensive Governor and said softly: “So, actually, I didn’t want to see you, Uncle Robert. Whether your kindness to me or your betrayal, after these long ten years, I’m too tired to pursue it anymore.”

“What I lost because of you, what I gained because of you—let’s call it even. That was my thinking. Therefore, when passing through Auran territory, I might occasionally think of you, but I would never have any thought of meeting you.”

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“I don’t want to play out those boring revenge dramas, but I have even less desire to reconcile with you.”

Roy lowered her eyes slightly, her tone gaining some irritation: “But what I didn’t expect was that even after being discarded like a pawn, casually thrown into prison by you, you still wouldn’t let me go.”

“To be honest, when I received that letter, I was truly angry, wanting to break every bone in the messenger’s body. But in the end, I restrained myself, because of the message you asked him to bring, and because I wanted to see what was written in the letter.”

“After reading it, I thought, nothing has changed at all. You’re still so good at winning people over. It was written as if you were still that uncle who cherished me, as if nothing had ever happened between us. But… is that really the case?”

“No, you know as well as I do that it’s impossible.”

The captain shook her head, her tone very profound, then said flatly: “Uncle Robert, you must know that I don’t care at all whether the Auran royal family truly lacks successors, or whether the Empire’s future will decline.”

“Furthermore, I don’t want to have any more intersection with you, so I did my best to try to make everything end peacefully, and also wanted to use the church incident to show you my attitude, to tell you I don’t want to be involved.”

“But that gunshot still sounded, shattering my last bit of wishful thinking—the illusion that you could understand me.”

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Having said this, the young woman sat up, scooped a spoonful of the now-cold vegetable soup, put it in her mouth, and savoring the familiar taste, she said nostalgically: “Still the same taste, though I had almost forgotten it.”

Seeing the young woman change the subject, Robert, who had been silent all along, finally spoke: “Are you finished?”

Blinking, Roy sighed and said: “Don’t you already know everything that happened next? I was escorted toward Nickaga, followed your intentions by dealing with those fellows, escaped, and then came to see you without delay.”

“As for why I came, I think… perhaps I did want to hear your explanation. Now I’ve finished, it’s your turn.”

Hearing this, the Governor’s expression softened somewhat as he said: “Dragging you into this storm was indeed my mistake. I promise to compensate you, child, and I hope you can understand my difficulties.”

Hearing the man’s opening words, Roy was silent for a moment, then nodded and pushed the soup aside, raising her chin toward a nearby servant.

After receiving Robert’s nod, the servant came forward to remove the vegetable soup. Shortly after, a plate of pastry shells filled with prawns, fresh shellfish, cod, and some vegetables was brought out and placed before Roy.

Seeing the young woman pick up a small pastry and put it in her mouth, then display a satisfied expression, Robert finally began to speak slowly: “In fact, the reason I did those things, as you said earlier, was to teach you lessons about power and give you the drive to pursue it.”

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“Elizabeth, as Gerard’s child, you couldn’t possibly spend your entire life under my protection. Even if I wanted to keep you, I fear that as you grew older, you wouldn’t want to stay.”

“I could easily sense your curiosity about new things and your strong desire to explore the unknown. Because of these qualities, your future path was obvious—either becoming a scholar with unlimited enthusiasm for knowledge, or… becoming a brave explorer.”

At this point, Robert couldn’t help but smile: “But judging from your behavior, expecting you to quietly devote yourself to academic studies would be a pipe dream. So you would eventually take the latter path.”

“And having lost the constraints of family affection, gradually growing distant from the Empire due to your mother’s tragedy, and influenced by your father’s legendary stories, you would inevitably want to follow in his footsteps, to see the magnificent ocean, and to visit the pirate-filled Southern Islands.”

The Governor’s tone grew increasingly gentle, and his gaze at the young woman became incredibly soft, as if looking at his own child: “Perhaps… you also wanted to try to find your father, to ask him why he left you and your mother behind.”

“Am I right, child?”