Captain – Chapter 88 – Shameless Possessiveness

The Banshee’s Eye was the most famous tavern in Yadris, though it was more accurate to call it an enormous restaurant that rivaled even those luxurious establishments in the Federation that only wealthy merchants and politicians could afford.

This well-known tavern stood in the center of the commercial district, occupying the best and most prominent location. To own an establishment of this size in the Horn of Plenty, where land was incredibly valuable, required not only wealth but also sufficient power.

In this prosperous city, on this abundant island, Captain Roy represented the pinnacle of power.

So people naturally assumed that the young proprietress of the Banshee’s Eye, with her fiery red hair and a temperament completely opposite to her hair color, had an ambiguous relationship with Captain Roy. Otherwise, the captain wouldn’t have casually given her such a tavern to manage.

The truth of rumors is always difficult to determine, but only for outsiders.

Now, as one of the parties involved, the young woman was proudly boasting to Caine: “Although those bastards aren’t very smart, they guessed correctly about this one thing—the proprietress of the Banshee’s Eye, Cecilia Joyce, is this captain’s woman.”

Caine listened to the captain’s bragging in complete confusion, neither knowing what the Banshee’s Eye was, nor understanding how Roy, as a young woman herself, could have a “woman.” Unless…

Thinking of a certain possibility, Caine’s eye twitched slightly, and his mood suddenly turned somewhat irritable.

The captain, of course, had no idea what her first mate was thinking and continued chattering without pause: “And the Banshee’s Eye wasn’t even mine originally. I bought it from one of Captain Ilias’s relatives. Oh, you might not have heard of the captain’s name, but you must have heard of the invincible Red Beard…”

“Captain.”

Caine interrupted the young woman’s endless narrative, asking with slightly furrowed brows: “What exactly is the Banshee’s Eye?”

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Seeing that her first mate seemed somewhat impatient, Roy blinked in slight confusion. Usually, the young man had nearly boundless patience with her, but today he seemed to have changed his nature…

“The Banshee’s Eye is a tavern, a favorite place for pirates and thugs, with the best liquor, the best food, the best women…”

“Another tavern?”

Interrupted again, Roy sniffed slightly and asked in confusion: “What’s wrong with you today? Why so irritable?”

Caine started slightly, only now realizing his tone had been rather harsh. With an apologetic expression, he said: “Sorry, I just remembered some unpleasant things.”

Thinking that her first mate was recalling the encounter with that baron in the Frans Island tavern, Roy shook her head and said dismissively: “It’s fine. We definitely won’t run into such pretty boys here.”

This mention only made things worse, as Caine instantly recalled those scenes that had filled him with displeasure. His brow, which had just relaxed, furrowed again: “Captain, you’re not planning to use yourself as bait again to obtain information about the Mermaid, are you?”

“Uh…”

Roy’s eyes shifted slightly, thinking her first mate’s “suggestion” wasn’t bad at all. She smiled and said: “It’s not impossible. Most who come to the Banshee’s Eye are pirates; someone might know the Mermaid’s whereabouts.”

“No.” Her first mate’s answer was decisive.

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Roy was stunned for a moment, then asked uncertainly: “What did you say?”

“I said no.”

The young man repeated his answer, then explained: “I don’t want you to sell your body for gain again.”

“What do you mean ‘sell’? I’m just doing a little seduction. After all, it’s my natural…”

“That’s also not acceptable.”

Seeing her first mate’s unyielding attitude, Roy’s expression finally darkened. She asked coldly: “What do you mean? Are you giving me orders?”

“Just a request.”

Though he changed his phrasing, Caine remained steadfast: “In everything else, I can follow your will, but in this one matter—no.”

“What if I insist?” Roy narrowed her eyes dangerously, very displeased with her first mate’s tone and attitude. For a captain, nothing was harder to accept than subordinates questioning and opposing them.

“Since you don’t care about my opinion, you surely wouldn’t mind replacing your first mate.”

Hearing this, Roy finally stopped walking.

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The captain remained silent for a long time, examining the young man up and down as if looking at a stranger.

“Are you planning to… break our agreement?”

On the deserted island where they first met, on Frans Island where they faced storms together, and before the Victoria, the young man had made many promises and expressed unwavering determination. So at this moment, the captain was surprised, even thinking she had misheard.

“No, I once said I would follow you, and I will certainly keep that promise. But whether as a first mate or an ordinary sailor, what difference does it make?”

Caine lowered his eyelids slightly, his tone unconsciously softening, perhaps wanting to dispel the captain’s suspicion.

Of course there was a difference.

No captain would willingly demote a powerful first mate to a sailor, not even Roy. She had invested so much in him, certainly not to have him board the ship only to squander his talents.

Although her first mate had already shown a compromising stance, Roy broke with tradition and didn’t continue being adamant. Instead, she sighed softly: “Why? Why are you so opposed to me doing this? With your perspective, you must understand the immense potential benefits.”

“Perhaps it’s just… selfish motives. Forget it, captain, don’t take it to heart. Just pretend I took the wrong medicine today,” the young man said with a bitter smile.

“Selfish…”

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Roy glanced at him, the corner of her mouth curving into a sly arc: “In my view, it’s shameless possessiveness.”

As if his thoughts had been seen through, Caine said with an unnatural expression: “Of course, I’m also considering your reputation, since the captain represents the entire pirate ship.”

“Fine, fine, fine. Reputation, reputation.”

Roy placated him like one would comfort a child, which only made her first mate more uncomfortable.

Only when those azure eyes filled with some displeasure did the young woman appropriately stop, smiling and saying: “Alright, alright. Don’t use that tone with me again in the future, or I’ll really punish you, understand?”

“Understood.”

After the quarrel, as usual, they reconciled and put the previous conflict behind them, continuing along the busy commercial street. The luxurious tavern with its black and red color scheme, its sign painted with a pair of bloodshot magical eyes and the words “Banshee’s Eye” written in blood-colored paint, had already appeared not far ahead.

Seeing that the young woman had completely calmed down, and considering the implied meaning in her previous words, Caine tentatively asked: “Captain, since this won’t become a precedent, what about this time…”

Roy gave him a sidelong glance, her voice quite languid.

“This time… I’ll do as you wish.”