EFLOB 07

Chapter 07

‘No, no, that’s not right.’

It seemed the chef didn’t know how much the duke was paying me per day.
If he knew I was getting ten gold coins a day, he would’ve stopped spouting nonsense about getting a job in the Tian Kingdom.

I wanted to tell the chef the truth right then and crush his pride flat.

‘But for now, keeping it secret comes first.’

Until I figured out exactly what the chef was up to, there was no need to reveal all my cards.

Above all, we were in the middle of the sea.
What if the chef sneaked into my cabin at night and ran off with the pouch of gold coins I’d been saving up?

Or maybe he’d suddenly turn violent if I didn’t play along with him.

I quickly made my decision and bowed deeply toward the chef.

“Wow, thank you! Honestly, I was feeling lost. I couldn’t even think of boarding another ship back to the Empire, and graduating from the academy felt like an endless wait. But just like you said, maybe I should consider earning money in the Tian Kingdom first before heading to the Empire.”

“You’ve made a wise decision. Such good judgment for someone so young. Once we arrive in the Tian Kingdom, I’ll arrange everything right away.”

The chef’s subtly coercive attitude instantly softened. Outwardly, I smiled brightly, but inside, I steeled my resolve. While I was aboard this ship, I’d have to stay sharp.

Tenth day of the voyage.

“Ugh, I hate the world.”

Clutching my growling stomach, I glared out at the sea.

As always, I needed to cook something to deliver to the duke, but strangely, nothing was being caught today.

“Just for today… How can there not be a single anchovy head in sight?”

Our ship, the Bertin, was expected to arrive in the Tian Kingdom tonight.

That meant if I just got through today’s meal, I’d finally be free. Of course, when the duke set sail again for the Empire, I’d have to board this ship once more.

“Please, let me catch just something.”

I stirred the water with my magic, practically praying.

Maybe because the seasickness had been especially bad today, I hadn’t been able to eat much. Now the hunger hit me full force. Even in my old job before transmigrating, I never worked on an empty stomach.

Just as my irritation reached boiling point, someone called out from behind me.

“Hey, diver.”

There was only one person aboard this ship who called me that.
A sly snake who relied on his handsome face and always slipped by with a smile.

The arrogant ability-user who could split the heavens and part the seas!

Nox Ruppelen, the duke!

How could a person be this infuriating?

“Excuse me, Duke Ruppelen.”

I gathered my long, wind-tossed brown hair into a rough knot.

Rolling up my sleeves, I planted a hand on my hip and snapped back.

“How many times do I have to tell you? A diver is someone who actually dives into the sea to gather shellfish. I don’t dive. So stop calling me that. Got it?”

I was already furious because no fish were being caught today.

With my stomach empty, my irritability level was ten times the usual.

But the duke, oblivious—or perhaps perfectly aware—only deepened his nonsense today.

“Whether you dip your fingers in the sea or your whole body, what’s the difference?”

I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“I told you, I’m not a diver! Why can’t you understand plain words?”

I had a perfectly decent and pretty name, but all he ever called me was “diver”!

Though I, a mere common-born employee, was yelling at the grand duke, he didn’t bat an eye. Instead, he smirked.

“I feel like eating a sweet and spicy mussel soup today.”

“That’s ridiculous. Where am I supposed to find mussels out here?”

“I’ve already ordered the ship to turn. In about two hours, we’ll reach a reef zone. Plenty of mussels stuck there.”

“…What? You turned the ship? Two more hours?”

My jaw dropped.

We were almost at our destination, and he turned the ship? To a reef zone?

The Bertin had been sailing smoothly toward the Tian Kingdom.
At this pace, we’d have reached port by tonight.

“Why would you turn the ship now?”

“I have a constitution where I must eat whatever I crave.”

“What kind of excuse is that? You’re just messing with me, aren’t you?”

“Not messing. Mussel soup. Tonight’s dinner. I’ll be counting on you, my diver.”

Leaving me fuming, he slipped back into his cabin.

“Argh, so annoying!”

As the victim of an unfair labor contract, I was forced to vent my rage while harvesting mussels in the middle of the sea.

“What kind of country doesn’t even have basic labor laws? What about worker’s rights?!”

But there was nothing I could do.

After all, I was the one who had proposed this ridiculous contract.
If I’d known the duke was this cruel, I would’ve found another way, no matter how slow.

I cursed my past self who, desperate to escape that island, had rashly entered this master-servant agreement.

“As soon as I reach the Empire! I swear, I’ll never see that duke’s stupid face again!”

Each time I pried a mussel off the rock, I clenched my teeth and spat my curse word by word.

At last, the Bertin reached the Tian Kingdom by dawn the next day.

Under the spinning sky, I had vomited who knew how many times.

It was pure torture.

“Ugh, I could never survive a second voyage like this…”

The moment my feet touched solid ground, I was so happy I nearly cried.

“See? This is why I hate the sea. And islands too.”

But the Tian Kingdom, despite its massive size, was still an island. No wonder people called it an endless maze of mountains.

While I sighed, Duke Ruppelen came up behind me and patted my shoulder.

“Diver, you all right? Since we’ve landed, I’ll give you the day off. Consider it a treat.”

He said it as if he were doing me a huge favor.

I couldn’t help my sharp reply.

“What do you mean, ‘just today’? Until departure, of course I have the right to rest. That was in the contract!”

“My diver clearly didn’t read the contract carefully before signing.”

He pulled out the very contract I had signed, pointing at a particular section.

It read:

‘Gianna Hertin shall, until Duke Nox Ruppelen arrives at his ducal estate in the Grand Duchy of the Astrian Empire, prepare a daily special seafood dish.’

My mouth fell open.

“So… whether we’re at sea or on land, until we reach the ducal estate, I don’t get a break?”

“Correct.”

“That’s insane! This is exploitation!”

“Exploitation? You agreed to it yourself.”

“Well, yes, but…!”

I had assumed the ship would sail straight from the island to the ducal estate in the Empire! If I had known we’d be wandering all over the place, would I ever have signed this?

“…This is fraud. A blatant labor law violation. Do you hear me? Exploitation!”

“I’m no fraud, that contract was legally drafted, and I’ve exploited no one.”

“I thought we’d go straight to the Empire from the island!”

“I never said that.”

“Then if you never return to your estate, this contract never ends?”

“Legally, yes.”

This was insane. Absolutely insane.

Clearly, I hadn’t lived enough to know the world’s bitterness. How could I have signed such a sham of a contract?

Groaning in despair, I tore at my hair.

“I already know you have thick hair, but keep that up and you’ll be bald in a month.”

“What does it matter to you if I go bald?”

“I don’t want to hear people saying the cruel duke worked his employee so hard she lost all her hair.”