Alicia and Latty exited the carriage and strolled to the VIP check-in line. Alicia looked at Latty and nodded briefly."Yes, Miss," Latty replied.Latty shuffled the tickets from her trouser pocket and handed them to the sailor, whose eyes widened in surprise as he examined the ticket."Please excuse me...M’lady…” The sailor dashed outside and summoned the captain of the ship.The captain arrived soon after."It's a pleasure to meet you, M'lady." The Count was supposed to be here to see you off. I was hoping to meet his illustrious presence as well."The captain bowed gracefully and extended his hand. Alicia smiled, picked up her dress, placed her hand on his palm, and followed him into the ship."I'm surprised someone of your high status would take a ferry instead," the captain commented."I wanted to leave the country without knowing eyes," Alicia stated flatly."Ah, I see," the captain coughed, surprised. We're delighted to have you."His mind was racing with questions, unable to
Alicia internally refuted Anna's words at the time, but she did not speak her thoughts aloud and instead drank the tea quietly. Anna, on the other hand, laughed lightly, reading the lines in Alicia's face."You don't believe me, Alicia. Look, I put on my battle armor shortly after the birth of my child and dashed across the battlefield to reclaim the crown that was rightfully mine. What about your mother? Wasn't it true that your mother, who was usually so gentle, did everything she could to keep her beloved man by her side? Remember what I said. Ivan is exactly the same. He's not going to give up on you so easily."But the Queen was mistaken. She was wise and wiser than her years, but she knew nothing about her son.Her words only raised Alicia's hopes for a happily ever after.He was a cruel man, Ivan Corty. He abandoned her, using her as a scapegoat to remove her power, and stripped her of her status until she had nothing.As a result, while the sailor believed in Ataraxia, the yo
The sailors' grim and ghastly expressions immediately brightened when they heard coins jingling inside the bulky bag. One sailor grabbed the bag from the man right away."Aye, I agree, friend. We can settle this like men," one of the sailors said. "You've got to learn to discipline that boy, my friend, or he'll die young.""Ha-ha, yes..." the man laughed nervously.The sailor looked over his shoulder at his comrades.We're not mad, are we?" he questioned."Of course not. I was just out here wondering if the little boy had gone insane," one sailor said. "Everything is fine. We're doing well here."The others agreed, nodding vigorously. Someone suggested they go to the bar for a drink, which they did; later, they were discovered drunk as a fiddler.Only the man and the boy remained in the dock.The man wiped the cold sweat from his brow and turned to face the boy gazing out at the blue sea. "Your Majesty, what is going on? I'm as confused as a bee without nectar! Please, Your Majesty
Soup spoons and plates flew overhead, and the inn quickly became chaotic. Meanwhile, the boy and the man sat in the corner, eating quietly."You'd better keep an eye on your groin, or you'll find yourself without balls!" exclaimed the enraged woman."Aye, curse you, woman!" exclaimed one man, immediately covering his lower area."The young lady happens to be leaving the estate and soon to board the ship to Coulson," the woman explained. "How about you come with me? We'll inform the young lady that you spit on her mother's grave!""I spit on yer' mother's grave!" retorted the man.The boy froze, his grip on the fork slipping. He jumped to his feet and walked over to the rowdy table."What exactly did you say? The young lady, she's leaving Ehrlich?" the boy inquired.The man and woman were perplexed by the boy's sudden appearance, but they told him what they knew."Ah' heard it from a relative who worked in the mansion, kid," the man explained."The young lady sold some properties and
Six years later...Tars, capital of Coulson.In the garden full of fallen leaves, gentle noblemen gathered. Many were nicely dressed, all full in their warm woolly clothes hinting at the clear autumn weather, a stark contrast to their tense faces. They were holding a long wooden stick that did not match their elegant attire.A white ball sat atop the slumbering maple leaves. Meanwhile, a woman's voice was heard, and the gentlemen stared, breathless."And... start!"The ball rose and leaped into the air as soon as the woman's battle cry fell.The sight of the gentlemen moving quickly and running after the ball was somewhat amusing. One gentleman threw his stick at the ball, successfully catching it, but another person from the side quickly snatched the ball from the gentleman. The thief quickly turned around and ran towards the other side at a frighteningly fast pace.“Oh no!”The thief yelped horribly as he ran fast on the narrow path blocked in between the trees. He was stopped by tw
"No, I won't," said the silver-haired woman, shaking her head.“Why? "Come on, choose one," the princess instructed."Do it on your own." The silver-haired woman turned away and flatly refused the princess.Because the king adored his daughter, her words and commands were equivalent to the king's orders. She was known for her fiery temper, and no one could calm her down, not even the royal family, her relatives, or the nanny. As a result, no one dared to speak to the princess in a manner befitting their image.Helen burst out laughing and jumped out of her chair. "I was only joking. Don't tell me you thought I'd make you all jump into the lake and drown in this freezing weather."'You're the type to do that,' the young nobles thought as they awkwardly laughed.Helen's arms were crossed. "Of course I'm not going to do it." We'll stop here because Alice said so."One gentleman blushed as he heard her words. He was the source of their anguish because of his earlier veiled sarcastic remar
Alicia had no idea why Ivan despised Coulson; perhaps his mother was of Coulson descent. It didn't matter to Alicia any longer.Regardless, each time Ivan attempted to usurp Coulson by increasing Ehrlich's maritime power, he was met with fierce opposition from the Queen. So long as the alliance with Coulson remained intact, the Queen thought Ehrlich should exert more effort to keep the Toulouse Empire in check.Toulouse was in the heart of the continent, while Coulson was on the coast.To prevent Toulouse from growing in power, Ehrlich and Coulson formed a coalition through national marriage a long time ago.Alicia remembered his enraged voice and his rage behind closed doors. "Do you ignore these obvious issues because you're of Coulson blood?" he'd ask."Alicia, Ehrlich's young king is fearless," Helen sighed.Helen's abrupt remark made Alicia smile bitterly. She was surprised to hear his name from the princess."Alicia, you're twenty, right?" I'm not sure what happened to you prior
Alicia then bid her farewell and exited the room.When Alicia first arrived in Coulson six years ago, she quickly became Helen's companion. Helen was the youngest royal child, and the House of Coulson adored her. Many noblemen tried to win the princess' heart, but they were unable to stand her temper. But Alicia, who was also of royal blood and the princess's age, appeared like a knight in shining armor and became Helen's true friend.Alicia was genuine, which Helen appreciated. Alicia grew on Helen despite their extreme personality differences. Helen had a fiery temper, whereas Alicia was gentle and patient.They fit together like two complete puzzle pieces.The princess even asked, begged, for Alicia to live with her in the palace, but Alicia refused. Her stomach grumbled at the thought of the palace.Alicia strolled out of the princess' residence and through the palace's central garden. The sun began to set, and cold air crept through the cracks in her clothes. Alicia came to a hal