Captain – Chapter 61 – Music in the Attic

The study door opened.

Under the watchful eyes of Rear Admiral Merri and the naval officers, Roy walked out from behind the door, then quickly determined her bearings and approached Caine, who was waiting calmly.

“It’s done.”

Hearing the young woman’s words, the naval officers in the corridor exchanged glances, each seeing curiosity in the other’s expression.

Done? What was done? Could it be that the Governor had consented to their marriage?

The naval officers’ speculation was surprisingly unanimous. Even the typically rational Merri instinctively began to consider the substantial benefits and far-reaching implications this marriage might bring.

Of course, the young man currently amusing himself with the raven wouldn’t think this way. He shifted his gaze from Alfie’s smooth feathers to the captain’s face: “The Governor agreed?”

“Yes, but there are still some things for you to consider. Let’s find a quieter place to talk.”

Caine rarely saw such a serious expression on the captain’s face. After brief consideration, he nodded slightly: “Alright, follow me.”

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At the top of the residence where Caine lived as a child was a spacious attic. The glass windows extended all the way to the sloping roof, giving the attic exceptionally good lighting. Inside the attic, apart from a wooden table carved with a chessboard and set with chess pieces, there was only a violin abandoned in the corner.

Because the servants cleaned day and night, even though this attic hadn’t been visited for nearly ten years, the wooden floor remained spotless.

After closing the wooden door, the attic seemed to become a tranquil place beyond the world. Whether it was the blood and fire hidden in the night, or the conspiracies and desires deeply etched in people’s hearts, all were blocked out in the noisy and restless mundane world.

Caine walked to the corner of the attic, leaned against the wall and sat down, casually picking up the violin that had been abandoned and forgotten by its little master for twelve years. He turned the tuning pegs to adjust the pitch: “This is a space that belonged exclusively to me and my sister in the entire estate. Without special circumstances, when we were here, not even father and stepmother would enter. So if you have anything to say, you can say it here.”

“Also…”

Caine looked up at Roy, frowning slightly as he asked: “Is there something dirty on my face? Captain, you’ve been staring at me the whole way.”

During the journey to the attic, Roy had been watching his face with a strange look, and she was still doing so now. Only then did the young man couldn’t help but ask about his confusion.

“Uh, no, no, no, there isn’t. I was just thinking about a matter I discussed with the Governor.”

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Roy smiled and waved her hand, then turned to the window and pushed it open forcefully. Feeling the cool breeze after the rain, the captain revealed a contented expression, as well as a hint of fatigue hidden very deeply.

Yes, as if there truly were deities looking down on Frans Island from the heavens, at the end of Roy’s conversation with Federo, the sudden storm that had continued for a day and night conveniently stopped, as if drawing an imperfect conclusion to this breathtaking assassination attempt.

Faint starlight fell from the night sky, scattering on the captain’s soaked shirt. Only then did Caine notice that this young woman, who seemed eternally strong, had many bruises and wounds—shocking traces left after life-and-death struggles.

Alfie, who had returned to the captain’s shoulder, shook off the raindrops on its body, seemingly deliberately splashing water onto Roy’s face. This was its most common little trick to distract the young woman from her fatigue.

But contrary to the raven’s expectations, Roy only looked at it gently, showing no signs of anger: “Go play if you want to.”

Given permission, the raven called out happily, flapping its wings as it flew into the clearing night sky. The Howard family’s vast estate was a natural playground for it.

After the raven had turned into a small black dot and disappeared into the unharvested fields to search for a late-night snack, Roy turned around, leaned against the windowsill, and looked at her first mate with a complex expression: “Caine, I have a question I want to ask you.”

Caine’s hands paused, then he laid the violin horizontally beside him and looked up at her: “What is it?”

“Are you… are you…”

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The captain’s extremely solemn tone successfully stirred Caine’s emotions. His azure eyes gazed unblinkingly at that fair face, wanting to know what kind of important matter could make Roy so serious.

But clearly, it wasn’t something important.

“Do you have feelings for me?” All the gravity disappeared from Roy’s face, instantly transforming into a mischievous smile. The pirate captain’s awful temperament was unmistakably revealed in this moment.

Faced with this unexpected turn, Caine was silent for a moment, then picked up the violin again and asked while fiddling with it: “What makes you think that?”

Seeing that her first mate didn’t deny it this time, but only somewhat helplessly asked in return, Roy sighed lightly: “How should I put it? On one hand, I’m quite experienced in matters of the heart, so I can see through such little thoughts. But what fully confirmed it was your Governor’s meticulous analysis.”

“I must say, his deductive ability is indeed very strong, which successfully convinced me.”

Roy turned her face slightly, looking at the brilliant starry sky, her expression revealing not difficulty, but a faint pride: “This isn’t really anything special. The captain’s charm is well-recognized among pirates. Let alone deceiving young girls just entering the world of romance, even attracting some men isn’t anything surprising.”

“Of course, such fellows either only dare to look at me from a distance, or end up having their noses broken by me, rolling on the ground crying for their parents. You should remember this clearly.”

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Roy raised her fist in a threatening manner, but seeing that her first mate wasn’t looking at her, her interest immediately diminished: “Hey, are you even listening to what I’m saying?”

“I am, but you’ve been talking nonsense for quite a while, Captain. This shouldn’t be what you wanted me to consider, right?” Caine placed the violin’s shoulder rest on his left shoulder and tried to play a note with the bow.

“Alright, I get it. This wasn’t really important to begin with. Let’s talk about serious matters now.” Roy folded her arms, watching her first mate begin to play.

The gentle music was halting at first, but quickly found its rhythm. Even though he hadn’t touched the violin for twelve years, when the young man returned to this otherworldly paradise of his childhood and picked up the instrument that contained dreams and longing, that unfamiliarity seemed to have never existed.

It was a gentle piece, telling of an older brother’s blessings and reluctance to part with his sister who was marrying far away. It also involuntarily reminded the captain of that scene, seemingly real yet illusory, that she had seen on Devil’s Island.

A man on a pirate ship waving his hand, calling out the child’s name, similarly offering blessings, similarly showing reluctance to part.

So the captain’s expression gradually softened. She looked at the faint radiance appearing on her first mate’s face, her voice gentle as if comforting a child.

“The revenge is over, my dear first mate.”