Captain – Chapter 56 – Compromise

“She does indeed look very much like Elizabeth.”

This was the first thing the old man said when facing Caine’s declaration. He looked at the young naval officer who had fallen silent again and said in a deep voice: “But you know very well that the Golden-Eyed Devil is not that little girl who needs protection. Even without you, she couldn’t possibly have died there. This is a conclusion drawn from the lives of more than a dozen commanders and hundreds of naval warriors.”

“So I really don’t understand, what is your reason for doing this? And what exactly are your feelings for her?”

Federo stared into those azure eyes, hoping to find the answer he sought: “Pity, sympathy, affection, love, or… is she merely a substitute you use to replace Elizabeth?”

The Governor’s questions were like sharp knives, cutting through the gloom straight to the heart, leaving no room for the young man across from him to hide.

“I don’t know.”

Faced with the old man’s questioning, Caine replied calmly: “I don’t know exactly what my feelings for her are. All I know is that the time I spent with her has been the most relaxed period I’ve experienced in twelve years. Truly… relaxed.”

“She resembles Elizabeth in appearance, which certainly made me feel more affection toward her, but I don’t think that’s the real reason I was willing to go to sea with her.”

Caine recalled their various moments on the isolated island, on the ship, in the small town, his face showing a rare expression of longing: “I’ve heard the Captain tell many stories about life at sea. It’s a life I had never imagined. On this vast ocean, it’s not as I thought—filled only with war, plunder, and greed—there is also freedom and passion.”

“And those are things I have never possessed. So I began to doubt whether everything I experienced after that fierce fire, everything I strived to achieve, was really what I wanted.”

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Looking at Caine’s increasingly bright eyes, Federo seemed to see another version of him—that Howard young master who had disappeared in the tempering of blood and fire, who loved nature and embraced the world with kindness. So he asked softly: “Then, the answer is?”

“It is not.”

A slight smile appeared on the young man’s face: “What I love is everything full of vitality and life, not war filled with the smell of sulfur and gunpowder. It never was. Come to think of it… my fingers seem not to have touched a violin bow for a very long time.”

Caine’s seemingly irrelevant words made the old man recall the days from many years ago, when the Black Raven Society and the Empire weren’t bitter enemies, when he didn’t have to exhaust himself daily in shadow conflicts, when he could often visit the Howard family estate, drink tea, and see the children.

The Howard family’s young master loved music and dreamed of becoming a violinist—this was an amusing anecdote widely circulated among the Empire’s upper class.

This was, of course, considered an unreliable rumor.

In the eyes of the nobility, Governor Naren’s child would naturally follow in his father’s footsteps to become a general commanding the navy and intimidating the four seas. How could he possibly want to become one of those pretentious artists?

Only the old man knew that this rumor wasn’t false, because he had seen with his own eyes what the boy looked like playing the violin, had witnessed firsthand the light on his face when he performed. And that elf-like little girl was Caine’s best audience during his childhood.

“Yes, it has been a full twelve years since you touched that violin.”

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Federo seemed to finally understand Caine’s thoughts and sighed deeply, his emerald eyes flashing with extremely complex emotions.

Understanding was one thing, but acceptance was another. Asking this Governor who had been powerful for decades to abandon his lifelong pursuit, to give up the perfect successor he had cultivated with countless efforts—this was clearly nearly impossible.

So the old man changed his approach, the soft emotion in his tone instantly vanishing, transforming into something as sharp as the violent rain outside: “But Caine, even if you’re truly tired of it, or never liked this path to begin with, now that you’ve come this far, do you know what price you’ll have to pay to set it down?”

Caine certainly knew.

With the First Fleet’s destruction, the Empire’s navy would inevitably suffer extremely heavy losses, and he couldn’t escape responsibility for this. The reason everyone believed him innocent wasn’t because of a natural disaster, nor because of Robert’s stubborn actions, and certainly not because he was truly innocent—it was because of power.

Because of the power he himself possessed, and because of the power represented by the people standing behind him.

If he ultimately chose to follow Roy and leave Auran, then the people behind him would naturally no longer support him, and the astounding authority he once held would be reclaimed by the Empire. At that point, the responsibility for the fleet’s destruction would truly fall on his shoulders.

He might become the first Admiral in the Empire’s history to be placed on a wanted list.

“Yes, I know.”

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Caine removed the Admiral’s insignia from his shoulder, placed it on the wooden table, and gently pushed it toward the old man: “Beyond that, I also know what it means to deploy troops and surround a castle full of imperial nobles. So, I plead guilty.”

These words were spoken with ease, more like a release from the past.

Caine knew the guilt he bore, but he knew even better that among those who supported him, most did so not because of his ability, his family background, and his brilliantly promising future, but because of… love.

Naren loved him, and Federo loved him just the same.

It was precisely because of the old man’s profound love for him that he sat here negotiating, that the conversation had progressed peacefully to this point. And for Federo, the principle was the same.

Given this, pushing hard to the end would only result in concession and compromise, whether from him or from the old man.

Using his rank as Admiral and all the achievements and victories of past years to atone for his crimes—this outcome, even if presented to any powerful figure hostile to the Howard family, would no longer provoke any controversy. They might even instinctively make excuses for him.

Although they disliked the emerging Howard name overshadowing theirs, they would be even more unwilling to see the Imperial Lion leave the military. It was the simplest of choices.

Looking at the insignia, Federo remained silent for a long time, until a crisp knock came from outside the door, awakening him as if from a dream: “Come in.”

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Outside was Rear Admiral Merri, who stood just one step inside the doorway and reported formally: “Governor, Commander, Miss Andersen has arrived.”

“I see. Have her wait a little longer.”

Upon receiving the old man’s order, Merri was silent for a moment, then turned his gaze to the young man with slightly bowed head, as if waiting for his decision.

This too was a statement— at this moment, the military stood firmly behind Caine.

“Do as the Governor says.”

“Yes, Commander.”

After the wooden door closed again, Federo finally shifted his gaze from the insignia and looked at the officer with an expression of resignation: “What about revenge then? Without the Empire’s support, how will you confront the Black Raven Society?”

Hearing this, Caine felt a warmth in his heart. Since the old man had shifted the topic from the imperial level to his personal level, it meant Federo had accepted his position. His expression softened, and the smile on his face became much more genuine: “You need not worry about that, because I think…”

“The Golden-Eyed Devil also possesses power.”