Captain – Chapter 97 – Returning to the Rightful Owner

The sound of the floor-to-ceiling window being opened was very faint, the rustling of clothes against curtains barely audible, and the cool moonlight that lingered briefly on her cheek too gentle to disturb beautiful dreams. Despite this, Cecilia was still startled awake.

Due to a dark and tragic past, the young woman’s sleep was always light and easily broken, constantly alert to potential dangers approaching. In this respect, the proprietress of the Banshee’s Eye was actually very similar to Roy.

Only in that man’s arms could she let down her guard and fall into deep slumber. But after he went to the bottom of the sea with the imperial fleet, such days were no longer meant for her.

Cecilia sniffled slightly, her long eyelashes trembling. Under the cover of darkness created by the curtains, she slowly slid her hand beneath her pillow.

There lay a dagger with a blood groove—the one he had left her.

Hearing deliberately hushed footsteps growing closer, the young woman’s grip on the dagger tightened, but her breathing remained long and gentle, not anxious or tense like ordinary young women encountering a night raid.

She didn’t know whether to be sorrowful or grateful that she had experienced such incidents many times before, even as a child.

Soft breathing reached her ears; the young woman could even feel the warm breath of the uninvited guest. Just as that person’s hand touched her shoulder, Cecilia’s amber eyes suddenly opened, gleaming slightly in the dark room, like a wildcat that had been lying in wait.

The dagger tore through the soft pillow, sending white goose feathers flying, obscuring both their vision.

There was no familiar sound of a vein being cut, not even of skin being sliced. Cecilia felt her right wrist firmly gripped as if in an iron vise. Not only could she not advance another inch, but the force also caused the dagger to fall silently onto the bed.

She showed neither panic nor despair. Cecilia’s expression seemed eternally calm and cold.

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Her eyes stared unblinkingly at the intruder’s face, trying to confirm whether everything was as she suspected, or just another nightmare.

At that moment, a gentle breeze blew in from the window, lifting the curtains, parting the gauze around the bed, and scattering the flying feathers.

Moonlight fell upon the person sitting on the bed, looking down at her, illuminating that exquisite face she had just seen earlier that day.

That face still wore a flippant smile, dark golden pupils shimmering with playful colors, everything no different from each previous encounter.

Cecilia’s fine eyebrows furrowed slightly, and with a dreamlike sense of unreality, she softly asked: “Who… are you really?”

“Beautiful Miss Cecilia Joyce, before you is undoubtedly the most gentlemanly pirate of the Eastern Seas, Captain Elizabeth Roy.”

Withdrawing her wrist from Roy’s hand, Cecilia propped herself up on the bed, casually returning the fallen dagger beneath her pillow: “I had some doubts this afternoon, but now it seems you truly are that bastard I know.”

“It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. I thought you’d be gentler with me, Little Cecilia.”

Roy gave a bitter smile, her fingers running through the young woman’s soft hair, gently caressing her cheek: “From today’s situation, it seems the Banshee’s Eye has encountered some trouble recently?”

Cecilia knocked away the captain’s hand: “If you hadn’t pretended to be dead for so long, everyone wouldn’t be having such a hard time.”

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Clearly, the proprietress harbored great resentment, enough to overshadow the joy of reunion.

Roy awkwardly rubbed her hand, and just as she was about to properly explain, another low thud came from the balcony.

“Who’s there?” Cecilia suddenly became alert, her brown eyes fixed intently on the fluttering curtains.

“Don’t worry, Little Cecilia, it’s just my…”

The curtains were pulled back, and silvery starlight immediately poured in, illuminating the young woman’s small but elegantly decorated bedroom.

“Captain, couldn’t you just…”

The young man who had barely managed to keep up with Roy hadn’t even finished his complaint when he was interrupted by an extremely surprised and angry, slightly high-pitched voice.

“A man? You dare bring another man into my room?”

“No, no, no, Little Cecilia, let me explain. He’s just my first mate. I only brought him…”

Cecilia didn’t want to hear Roy’s explanation. She covered herself with the blanket and coldly said to the stunned first mate: “Get out!”

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Caine blinked in confusion, looking to Roy for guidance.

“Caine, you… keep watch outside for now while I explain things properly to our Miss Joyce.”

Roy’s eyes carried a hint of urgency as she added: “Oh, and remember to close both the curtains and window.”

What was there to keep watch for on the balcony? Was he supposed to guard against a third night raider?

This was obviously not a good excuse, but staying in the young woman’s bedroom was even more awkward. So after brief consideration, Caine sighed helplessly and pulled the curtains closed.

Hearing the floor-to-ceiling window close, Cecilia’s expression softened slightly. She lowered the blanket and glanced at the captain’s ingratiating face: “Go ahead, your explanation.”

At this, Roy used concise language to explain how she had been stranded on a deserted island due to her crew’s betrayal, and how she had “endured hardships” to return to Yadris.

Of course, the captain embellished quite a bit in her narrative. In her own words, this was called a “sob story.”

“That little bastard Richi… dared to betray you?”

Upon hearing about the crew’s betrayal and the Mermaid abandoning Roy, Cecilia’s eyes widened slightly, her face full of disbelief.

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If before everything happened, someone had told the people of Yadris that the Blood-Eyed Butcher would betray Captain Roy, not only would the residents here scoff, but even the enemies most wary of the Mermaid’s captain and first mate would merely sneer.

What a joke. Without Roy’s nurturing, who in the two oceans would know Richi’s name? How would such a terrifying legend of slaughter have emerged in the world?

This pair of legendary pirates—at once teacher and friend, complementing each other perfectly—were like the twin wings of the Mermaid. Lacking either would greatly diminish the warship’s prestige. This was a fact recognized by both pirates and navies alike.

But sometimes reality is just that implausible, even more absurd than a made-up story.

“Who knows what he was thinking, but facts are facts. I regret it too.” Roy nodded, the smile on her face fading considerably.

“No wonder there were fewer familiar faces on the Mermaid, and after taking over Yadris, that boy was so eager to erase all traces of your past…”

Cecilia pondered for a moment, quickly connecting many events of the past few months and deducing the general picture of the whole affair.

She had always been intelligent and sensitive about important matters, with meticulous consideration for the overall situation. So often, before making decisions, Roy would first come to hear her opinion, and this time was no exception.

“So you’ve come to me this time to find a way to deal with your former first mate?”

Roy smiled and nodded, then slightly spread her arms: “Yes, Little Cecilia, I need your help. After all, everything in his hands belongs to me, and returning property to its rightful owner is only natural, isn’t it?”