Captain – Chapter 60 – A Young Man’s Feelings

“So you agree to let Caine sail with me?”

It took Roy a good while to react, her eyes revealing surprise, clearly not expecting Federo would truly comply with Darren’s decision.

“What can I do if I don’t agree? Not to mention that stubborn little lion, even my typically weak brother was willing to die to oppose me. Do I still have reason to persist?”

Federo looked at the badge stained with black ash, his emerald eyes filled with desolate emotion.

Only now did the captain understand why the old man was so grief-stricken upon learning of the old duke’s death. The two were not merely close friends, but brothers from the Garcia family.

This secret was known to very few, even among the Empire’s upper echelons.

Noticing the young woman’s surprise, the Governor pinned the badge to his chest and said disinterestedly: “That’s all ancient history from decades ago. There’s no point in bringing it up now.”

“Let’s discuss terms now, Captain.”

Meeting the old man’s gradually calming gaze, Roy blinked, looking at the Governor with an “I don’t understand what you’re saying” expression: “What terms?”

Federo seemed to have emerged from that deep sorrow, once again becoming resolute and powerful. When discussing matters related to the Empire, these old men standing at the pinnacle of power never showed any hesitation or weakness.

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“To take an officer from the Empire, especially a young Admiral like Caine, it’s impossible without paying some price.”

“But you just said that as long as he agrees, it’s fine!” The captain unreasonably pointed at the old man’s nose, clearly unwilling to pay any price.

“That was just my personal wish, not the Empire’s.” A rare hint of cunning flashed across Federo’s lips. In this brief day, he had experienced a shocking assassination attempt and profound grief, and seemed to have finally emerged from the darkness he had dwelled in all his life.

“But…”

Roy’s thoughts shifted, and she narrowed her eyes like a fox: “I was the one who saved him, and he’s the one who wants to follow me. It’s already enough that your Empire isn’t giving me a reward—how could you possibly charge me instead?”

In the captain’s view, discussing terms was nothing more than an overlap of wealth and power. As an outsider far removed from the Empire’s power structure, she naturally had no power, so only money remained.

Realizing the young woman had misunderstood, Federo shook his head, both amused and exasperated: “No, Captain, the Empire doesn’t need your gold and jewels, but only requires a promise.”

“A promise?”

Roy was slightly taken aback, then considered briefly before saying: “If it doesn’t involve money, I can consider it. But let me be clear upfront—if it concerns my freedom, then it’s not negotiable.”

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The captain’s statement was actually quite unreasonable, because the scope of freedom is incredibly broad. If stated vaguely, freely plundering at sea could also be considered a form of freedom, not to mention various personal and intellectual freedoms.

Hearing this, Federo sighed lightly. Although he hadn’t seen the young woman for eighteen years, after reviewing all sorts of information about her, he actually understood this captain’s temperament and methods of handling affairs extremely well. He knew that when it came to being unreasonable, even ten of himself probably couldn’t out-maneuver her.

So the Governor chose to be straightforward: “Let me put it this way: you can take Caine away, but not as an enemy of the Empire. Even though you rendered meritorious service by protecting him during the assassination attempt, it’s still not enough to wash away your past deeds. However…”

The Governor smiled, and a hint of gentleness appeared on his typically severe face: “I can handle these matters for you, even give you a document allowing free passage in imperial waters, but I want your guarantee that from now on, you will no longer violate the property and lives of imperial merchants, nor challenge the dignity of the imperial navy.”

“That’s impossible. Asking a pirate not to plunder is like asking you nobles to gnaw on black bread. At most… at most I’ll plunder ten percent less!”

For merchant ships that don’t resist, no indiscriminate killing is allowed, and only fifty percent of the cargo can be seized—this ensures resources aren’t exhausted. This is a decree recorded in the pirate code, though whether to comply or not is up to each pirate captain.

To Roy’s surprise, Federo actually considered her condition, then held up two fingers: “Reduce it to twenty percent.”

“This is extortion!” Roy said through gritted teeth. Who cuts the price by more than half right from the start?

“No, this is an agreement between the Empire and you. From now on, I can guarantee the imperial military won’t trouble you again.”

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Hearing this, Roy considered for a while with a black face, then said glumly: “Fine, but there can’t be any more additional conditions.”

Reducing to twenty percent would mean some significant losses, but this seemed to be Federo’s bottom line. Besides, once at sea, wouldn’t how much she plundered still be up to her?

Thinking of this, Roy couldn’t help but reveal a mischievous smile.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll have someone deliver the passage document before you leave. However, Captain, don’t plan on deceiving the Empire. I will tell Caine all the details of our negotiation, and I believe he will supervise you well.”

The smile on Roy’s face froze. She was about to thoroughly mock the old man for his thoroughness when his next words left her somewhat dazed.

“Also, I hope you won’t disappoint Caine’s feelings for you.”

Feeling the old man’s meaningful gaze, Roy asked in confusion: “Feelings… what feelings does he have for me?”

The next moment, the captain suddenly understood. For someone who had navigated the field of romance extensively, the old man’s words weren’t difficult to comprehend, but she had never thought about it in that way.

“No… no way, he, he, he has feelings for me?”

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A very blunt statement. Federo frowned slightly, somewhat displeased by the young woman’s directness: “Based on your performance at various banquets, I wouldn’t think you’d be unable to notice even this much.”

“But I asked him, and that guy said I was overthinking it.”

“That child has been shy since he was young.”

“But… but…” Roy stammered for a while, and finally, under the old man’s quiet gaze, revealed the truth that left him bewildered: “But I like women.”

Federo examined the young woman up and down as if scrutinizing a rare treasure, recalling the intelligence about this captain transmitted by imperial spies, thinking of the elegant male attire described therein, and repeated those two words in a deep voice: “Women?”

“What’s wrong with—”

Roy felt unsettled under his stare. She looked at her own body, curious about what was surprising about this. As a gentleman among pirates, the Golden-Eyed Devil with a fatal attraction to women—what was wrong with liking women?

But soon she discovered the issue, because now she… was also a woman.