Captain – Chapter 436 – Ghost-like Carriage

The Great Captain’s will was equivalent to law in the Southern Islands, but when it came to Roy, that wasn’t necessarily the case.

“See? I told you it wasn’t anything good, yet you still insisted on knowing.”

The girl spread her hands innocently as she spoke, but seeing that her First Mate had no reaction and seemed still immersed in the shock from that title, she sighed and gave him a firm pat.

“Wake up, it’s time to go.”

The young man finally came to his senses, acknowledged with a sound, and followed the captain’s pace.

Except for the moments when she first saw the skull clasp and mentioned that title, when the captain’s emotions fluctuated slightly, at all other times she behaved as usual, showing no signs of feeling any pressure.

It was as if burning that letter meant she could pretend she’d never received it.

After walking downward for some time, seeing that Roy still showed no indication of concern and was even humming a lively tune out of boredom, Caine finally couldn’t hold back: “Captain, what exactly do you plan to do about this?”

“Hmm? Do about what?”

Hearing this, the girl’s humming paused as she looked at him somewhat absentmindedly.

Not knowing whether she was deliberately playing dumb or truly hadn’t taken the letter to heart, the First Mate’s expression darkened slightly as he said seriously, “The Great Captain wants you to return. You can’t simply ignore it, can you?”

Though he didn’t know the Great Captain’s temperament, or even what the man looked like, Caine understood that offending such a figure would be disastrous.

He was familiar with people who stood at the pinnacle of power and understood the mindset of those great figures. He knew that regardless of how they behaved or how approachable they appeared, they would never tolerate any defiance.

Even if the defiant one was close to them, or even shared the same bloodline.

Rеαԁ οո KаtRеαԁіnɡСafе

There were shocking precedents for this.

Setting aside the stories recorded in history books, Caine himself had witnessed such tragedies, like the brothers of the Garcia family.

Therefore, in his view, even if the girl was unwilling to accept the Great Captain’s demand, she should at least make some gesture for propriety’s sake.

At the very least, shouldn’t she write a reply?

But from what he could see now, the captain clearly had no such awareness. After being reminded, she waved her hand dismissively and said, “I already told you, this isn’t a big deal. We’ll just pretend we never received that letter.”

“Isn’t that just burying your head in the sand?”

Hearing this, the First Mate smiled bitterly and said, “The messenger who delivered the letter will certainly report truthfully. Why would he be willing to take the blame?”

Whether or not he knew the identity of his client, that messenger should understand that anyone who could utilize the Federation Message Bureau was certainly a figure standing at the pinnacle, even on a global scale.

Rather than deceiving such a person, the messenger would probably prefer to die at the girl’s hands.

“Who’s asking him to take the blame? I’m just making up an excuse. After all, before the Great Captain, all lies are meaningless. The only thing he cares about is his own opinion.”

Glancing at her First Mate, Roy shrugged with some resignation: “Once that old man has decided something, regardless of what we little ones think or what reasons we have, there’s no chance of changing it.”

“Since any effort would be useless, why should I bother?”

Seeing that her First Mate had more or less understood after her “enlightenment,” the captain smiled and said, “Besides, I’m not a child anymore. I can’t do everything according to my elder’s wishes.”

“I understand his thoughts perfectly well, but even if I did go back, suffered his punishment, or even had an argument with him, what would change? I still wouldn’t stop my pursuit.”

Rеαⅾ оո ΚatReαԁiոɡCafe

“So, going back would waste time and damage our relationship. The captain here never does such thankless tasks.”

As they spoke, the two had already passed many resting platforms, and figures began to appear around them—some drinking and resting, others walking down together—leaving behind the solitude of the sky and returning to the bustling human world.

Looking down through the windows, one could clearly see the dense crowd below, as well as the messenger who was being escorted away by soldiers with his head lowered.

“But Captain, aren’t you worried about what the Great Captain might do?”

Although he knew and agreed with the girl’s reasoning, Caine still felt that acting so carelessly, showing no respect to the Great Captain, might bring trouble—just like what happened during their engagement.

“Do what? If I don’t want to go back, is he going to come and capture me?”

She spoke with a relaxed expression, but the captain still thought for a moment, rubbing her chin before adding, “That’s impossible. With his personality, he’s too lazy to even leave Providence, let alone come after me.”

Seeing that even the girl herself wasn’t convinced, Caine’s expression grew more helpless as he advised, “Why don’t you… at least write a letter back?”

“No way. Too much trouble.”

At the mention of writing a letter, the captain immediately raised her hand and flatly refused.

Seeing that the captain had used such a simple, direct, and even absurd reason, the young man gave up and smiled bitterly, letting it go.

“Fine, fine, too much trouble. Then let’s drop the subject. We’ll deal with the problems when they find us. I suppose nothing too chaotic will happen.”

“Not bad, First Mate. Your way of thinking is becoming more and more like mine.”

Rеаⅾ оn КаtReаԁіnɡCafе

This was the captain’s praise after hearing her First Mate’s solution.

This wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

Thinking this, Caine sighed quietly as he followed the girl down the spiral staircase.

After passing the soldiers’ inspection, the two exited through the clock tower’s main gate and merged back into the crowd, heading toward the port.

“So Captain, what have you thought about future matters?”

“What?”

“The thing we didn’t finish discussing at the top of the clock tower. Didn’t you say in the past that you didn’t want your child to again…”

“Stop, stop, stop! You’re bringing this up again?”

As the two walked away, their conversation—sometimes gentle, sometimes clamorous—became increasingly indistinct and distant. This scene was all captured by the old butler who remained hidden in the crowd, never having left.

After confirming that both the messenger and Roy had left, and that the letter had been delivered, Theodore squeezed out of the crowd, walked along the right street for a moment, and approached a ghost-like carriage hidden in the shadows.

“Well? Was the letter delivered?”

A languid, flat voice came from behind the carriage window.

Candlelight shone through the curtain, illuminating the humble face of the old butler. He bowed respectfully to the shadow projected on the curtain and reported, “Master, it should have been delivered, but there’s something strange.”

From Theodore’s form of address, the person sitting in the carriage was clearly the Anderson family head, but surprisingly, he wasn’t handling “important matters” at the family estate, but had come to the outside of the Ria Clock Tower.

Rеaⅾ оn ΚаtRеαⅾіnɡСαfе

And he had come for Roy… and that letter.

“Tell me.”

The voice from behind the window remained composed, as if nothing in this world could stir this family head in the slightest.

“Master, although the messenger successfully entered the clock tower and the letter should have been delivered, there was no reaction whatsoever in that captain’s expression. It was as if she hadn’t received the letter at all.”

“Or perhaps she simply doesn’t care.”

The person in the carriage seemed to smile slightly, though the slightly disturbed breath disappeared in an instant. He gently tapped the table and instructed the old butler, “It’s late, Theodore. We should head back.”

“Yes, Master.”

After signaling the coachman to turn around, the old butler returned to the carriage window and cautiously asked, “Master, are you truly not concerned? Although that captain’s choice has nothing to do with us…”

“It might involve the young master.”

The carriage curtain fluttered in the night breeze, and the candlelight inside wavered constantly. The shadow on the curtain became chaotic, no longer maintaining its shape.

“You don’t understand, Theodore. For people like us, our children’s choices have never been within our consideration.”

“Because no matter what they choose, the results won’t change.”

“They only need to… know.”