Captain – Chapter 32 – A Betrothal Out of Thin Air

The study fell suddenly silent.

The major’s head was buzzing from the young girl’s decisive statement, his mouth agape as his gaze uncontrollably darted between the two young individuals.

“Young… Young Master?”

The major’s trembling voice reached his ears, and Caine finally reacted, shooting the captain a fierce glare and lowering his voice to explain: “Think about it, it’s impossible. She’s just…”

“Just what? You heartless bastard, you’re back in Auran and already planning to tear up our engagement?”

Roy cut him off before he could finish, her face filled with grievance and hurt. Her words came like a rapid-fire barrage: “If I hadn’t saved you, you’d have died long ago from dehydration and cold, with no chance of ever setting foot on home soil. Not to mention, I nearly crippled these hands protecting you, and this is how you repay me…”

Looking at the girl’s tearful appearance, Caine trembled with anger. He pointed at the captain, who had gone overboard with her performance: “You… you…”

“Alright, alright, Young Master, don’t be hard on this young lady,” the major said, seeming to understand something. He cast an unusual glance at Caine and then softened his tone to ask Roy, “Miss, could you tell me exactly what happened?”

One must admire Roy’s acting skills. With her naturally advantageous looks, even intelligence operatives specialized in disguise would pale in comparison before her.

Roy ignored the major’s question, continuing to look at Caine and raising her voice slightly: “If you won’t acknowledge it, then tell me, which part of what I just said was a lie?”

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Caine was stunned, a helpless look crossing his azure eyes. After brief contemplation, he sadly realized that while the captain was acting, not a single word from her lips was untrue.

A lie constructed entirely of truths leaves no room for loopholes. Knowing he was indefensible, Caine’s face darkened as he coldly spoke: “Fine, then tell me about this engagement of ours.”

At his words, a cunning glint flashed in Roy’s eyes, making her look like a fox who had successfully schemed—utterly detestable.

But in the major’s eyes, after Caine’s cold statement, the girl’s gaze suddenly dimmed, her emotions appearing incredibly genuine.

“It was a bright, sunny morning. I, this young lady, was walking along the Hipalia beach with my servants when I nearly tripped over someone—discovering a completely soaked, unconscious man.” Roy awkwardly referred to herself in the third person, beginning to narrate a story that was seven parts true and three parts fabrication.

“Hipalia?”

The major repeated the place name in surprise, then asked confusedly, “Miss, isn’t that… a port of the Pronora Federation?”

“Yes, Major,” Roy said, slightly lowering her head, her hair concealing her noble dark-gold pupils, as if hiding an inherent original sin.

The major suddenly realized the young girl possessed the extremely rare dark-gold eyes of the empire, and combining this with her mention of Hipalia—one of the federation’s three major commercial ports—he fell silent for a moment before difficultly asking, “You… no, are you a member of the Andersen family?”

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If the Howard family of the Auran Empire was born from blood and fire, then the Andersen family of the Pronora Federation was the one who manufactured those origins of blood and fire.

The Andersen family’s history was incredibly long, existing even before the federation’s formation. They had long controlled Hipalia’s massive port, holding the world’s largest military industrial complex, possessing wealth and violent means far exceeding those of ordinary small countries, and were now one of the federation’s top-ranking members.

Every heir of the Andersen family blood carried beautiful golden eyes.

“I am a collateral heir of the Andersen family, and I was just heading to the main house for inspection…” Roy displayed an utterly convincing expression of hesitation.

The major understood perfectly what a side branch female’s visit to the main house for inspection meant. With his imaginative mind, he quickly pieced together the probable sequence of events.

“So, you saved the Young Master, and then, um, dissatisfied with the main house’s arrangements, you followed him into the empire’s territory?”

“In my parents’ eyes, I’ve always been just a tool to please the main house. Constantly training in martial arts, receiving etiquette lessons, all to catch the Andersen young master’s eye.” After a brief silence, Roy seemed to have come to terms with it, offering a slightly bitter smile.

In ancient families with such clear blood hierarchies like the Andersens, using near-torturous methods to train a young girl—or a future bride—to establish a connection with the main house was hardly unusual.

“I never expected that the Howard Young Master who promised to marry me when I left my homeland would be just as cold and heartless as the Andersen young master.”

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At this point, those who needed to understand did, and saying more might expose their ruse. Roy shifted her tone, gazing pitifully at her twitching deputy.

Caine could never have imagined that his captain had actually fabricated such a vivid story, and more incredibly, the major had actually believed it. How could this old man be so easily fooled?

What he didn’t know was that he himself had once been a victim of Captain Roy’s superb acting.

“Look, this ring is the engagement token he bought me yesterday,” Roy waved her left hand with the ring in front of the major’s eyes, as if displaying a trophy.

Seeing the expensive blue sapphire teardrop ring, the major completely fell into the captain’s trap. He cautiously glanced at Caine and then weakly defended his young master: “Well… perhaps the Young Master, seeing that Black Raven Society bastard, was reminded of past events and thus not in the mood to discuss this topic.”

“Enough!”

Caine stood up coldly, forcing back the provocative words Roy was about to blurt out. Surprisingly, the captain—who never before backed down—obediently shut her mouth this time, and with her slightly injured hand, she added a touch of fragility.

Seeing this, the major’s eyelids twitched several times. He quickly stood and pulled Caine towards a distant bookshelf, lowering his voice: “Young Master, the Howard family has never had a precedent of breaking promises or bullying a fiancée.”

“She’s completely…”

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“Tell me honestly, did this young lady save you after the shipwreck?” the major calmly interrupted his “excuse”.

Caine’s face darkened, and he could only speak in a low voice: “Yes.”

“And wasn’t it she who stood before you and killed that Black Raven Society assassin?” the major asked solemnly.

“Yes,” Caine almost squeezed the word out from between his teeth.

Sighing complexly, the major heavily patted Caine’s shoulder: “Although I still think it would be better to inform the Governor before making such a significant decision, things have come to this point, so I won’t persuade you further. I only ask that you slightly, just slightly, consider the Howard family’s reputation and don’t bully that young lady.”

Caine looked at the major with absolute absurdity, desperately wanting to crack open his head and see what was inside. Not exercising for over twenty years was one thing, but had his brain also degenerated?

“After this Black Raven Society incident, don’t return to the small town tonight. I’ll have someone prepare a room for you two.” With that, the major left contentedly, leaving the space for this pair of what he saw as a delightful quarreling couple.

Glancing at the silently closed wooden door, Caine, after a long silence, turned to look at the pirate who had returned to her true appearance and was displaying a malicious grin.

“Are you satisfied now?”