Captain – Chapter 446 – Who Sold Out Whom?

Roy’s worries did not come true.

While she listened to the elegant music, admired the graceful solo dance of a noble young lady, and enjoyed a satisfying meal and drinks with her First Mate, their busy Anderson finally finished with his obligatory toasts and sweet talk, and approached with light steps.

To minimize attention, Roy and Caine had chosen to sit not at the ancient wooden tables circling the dance floor with the best view, but at a pure white round table placed in one of the chamber’s four corners.

Even so, the captain, with her face most capable of “attracting bees and butterflies” and her dark golden eyes resembling those of Anderson family members, was approached by many proud young men.

Their lines were invariably about “wanting to get acquainted” or “finding her familiar”—the most common pickup techniques.

In the view of these young masters, even those already in high positions, given their status, they needed no special tactics to meet a young lady, or rather… to catch a “prey.”

After all, in their daily lives, others usually threw themselves at them.

Having seen countless pampered sons, Roy knew these fellows’ intentions well. Offering “my heart belongs to another” sufficed as a response. What surprised her was that upon learning this, the visitors retreated promptly and gracefully, unlike those uncouth nobles she’d encountered before.

Perhaps it could be said that even among wastrels, there were hierarchies?

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“Well, has the young master finished his busy schedule?”

Roy waved at Anderson as he approached, smiling mischievously, then without waiting for his response, nodded at the young lady accompanying him and asked: “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

She of course knew that this young lady, whose appearance and upbringing were flawless and who was clearly a descendant of orthodox nobility, was the ship doctor’s fiancée, the eldest daughter of the York family, Emily.

But knowing was one thing; this teasing opportunity she loved so much couldn’t be missed. After all, back on the Mermaid, he hadn’t spared any chance to mock her and her First Mate.

“Fine, now it’s your turn to laugh at me, isn’t it?”

Taking a seat opposite the two with the young lady, Anderson immediately recognized Roy’s manner and Caine’s “now it’s your turn” expression. He quickly raised his hands, signaling them not to make a scene: “Didn’t I tell you before? I have a fiancée. Here she is, Miss Emily York.”

As the ship’s doctor finished speaking, the young lady slightly bowed her head to the two, acknowledging their meeting, with a polite yet not distant smile on her lips, seemingly unbothered by the young man’s somewhat casual introduction of her.

“You must be Captain Roy and First Mate Howard. Don has been telling me about you.”

Seeing the ship’s doctor “shamelessly” using his fiancée as a shield, the captain couldn’t tease him further. After hearing Miss York’s gentle words, she realized that even self-introductions were unnecessary.

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“Hmm, look at that, Caine. He’s barely reunited with his sweetheart and has already ‘sold us out.'”

Roy nodded slightly to the young lady, acknowledging her words, then folded her arms and leaned back in her chair, drawing in a sharp breath, displaying an attitude of deep disgust toward the ship’s doctor’s apparent “forgetting friends for beauty.”

“That’s not it at all, Captain. I just thought explaining everything to her first would save some time, after all… what we’re about to do requires every minute to count.”

Hearing the hidden barb in the captain’s words and knowing she was somewhat dissatisfied at her unsuccessful teasing, Anderson could only smile along, first offering an explanation, then using “official business” to gloss over it, while secretly lamenting that he should offend this pair less in the future, as they certainly held grudges.

Moreover, after that matter, he might truly be relying on the Mermaid.

“What we’re about to do? What thing? How come I don’t know about it?”

Hearing this, the captain blinked, momentarily unable to react, until her First Mate revealed his understanding and leaned over to whisper a few words. Only then did she nod in realization, then widened her eyes, looking at the ship’s doctor as if seeing a ghost: “I must say, you really plan to leave with us?”

If before this gathering, Anderson had found her and said he was just returning home for a look but would ultimately follow the Mermaid, and even had to slip away secretly, Roy wouldn’t have been particularly surprised, as such an irresponsible choice would be typical of the ship’s doctor.

But after inferring from Sand Fox’s information that the young master’s purpose in returning was to see Miss York, possibly even choosing a date for their wedding around the festival season, and after witnessing the young lady’s patience and the couple’s sweet exchanges, Roy’s perspective had changed.

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Although Roy couldn’t see how Anderson could be associated with the word “fidelity” in any way, various facts indicated he was indeed a devoted person.

Whether it was his demonstrated self-restraint during the voyage, his first reaction upon seeing the Siren, or his return to this “cage” despite his reluctance to face his father, just to see Miss York at the family gathering—these were undeniable proofs.

So, as Sand Fox had said, this truly loving couple had been engaged for a full four years. There was no reason they shouldn’t marry, and marriage… usually meant more responsibility.

Responsibility was a chain that could bring a pirate devoted to the sea back to land, and could also bind the ship’s doctor to his family.

It was precisely because of this that after hearing her First Mate’s view and combining it with the ship doctor’s words about “what we’re about to do,” and roughly understanding this young master’s intentions, Roy was so surprised.

Faced with love and responsibility, Anderson still chose freedom, chose what his heart desired, and without any communication with them, had prepared to leave secretly. Not just to outsiders, but even to the captain, this seemed a rather unreasonable thing to do.

“What else? Did you perhaps think I would actually stay?”

The ship’s doctor smiled self-importantly, his expression full of “you underestimated me.”

Facing the captain who had yet to recover and the First Mate who seemed unsurprised, Anderson spread his hands and said: “Captain, why are you making such a fuss? When did I ever say…”

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He paused, involuntarily furrowing his brow. He was quite certain that a flash of disappointment had just crossed Roy’s face, though it quickly transformed into embarrassment, evidently aware it had been noticed.

“Oh…”

“What are you ‘oh’-ing about?”

Hearing Anderson’s deliberately drawn-out sound, the captain felt somewhat unable to maintain her composure. She suppressed her unnatural expression, putting on a stern face and deliberately asking with “authority” to cover her guilt.

“What am I ‘oh’-ing about? You know very well in your heart.”

Due to his bad mood, the ship’s doctor’s face took on its customary acerbic hue. He placed both hands on the table covered with a snow-white tablecloth and said in a slightly lowered tone: “Captain, be honest, have you already met with the old man? No, I should say, have you already settled everything?”

Watching Roy’s increasingly evasive gaze, Anderson narrowed his eyes, speaking with an unpleasant attitude: “Let me guess. Given his nature, he must have promised you quite a few benefits. And without a doubt, they must be several dozen or even a hundred times greater than what I could offer you now.”

“So… I’ve been sold out?”