Chapter 7
‘Oh…’
Her mind nearly reeled from her racing heartbeat, making even breathing difficult.
In this state, not only would Hugo discover it, but she’d also be branded as eccentric.
‘This absolutely cannot happen!’
Angelica squeezed her eyes shut tightly and began reciting the national anthem internally several times.
By the time she reached the fourth verse, the fierce winds battering her body began to subside gradually.
Thud.
This was followed by the sound of heavy footsteps. It seemed the person had finally stepped onto the ship’s deck, and she steadied herself after having been jostled about.
“We’ve arrived, Angelica.”
Hugo drew closer, his voice brushing her ear.
“…!”
With the winds that had muffled sounds gone, she felt his deep voice resonate through her entire body, as if she were inside a cave.
She shuddered from the impact, her heat intensifying until a shiver ran down her spine.
“Y-Yes!”
Unable to control her reaction, she quickly withdrew from his arms, stumbling over her words.
She hoped to stay away from him for a while to sort out her turbulent feelings, but even that wish didn’t come true.
“Ah, C-Captain!”
A stranger’s male voice came from nearby, making her jump like a cat and hide behind his back.
As for Hugo Bernstein, he paid no attention to the speaker, keeping his gaze fixed solely on Angelica.
Despite his promise not to leave her, she clung to him even tighter than before.
In that moment, vague emotions spread through his heart.
He had grown accustomed to holding her to the point where it felt natural, but his throat burned in an unfamiliar way.
When she pulled back, he felt an emptiness in his hands and nearly drew her into his embrace again unconsciously.
If someone hadn’t intervened, he would have pulled her back without hesitation.
“Ca-Captain…?”
He had no time to dwell on these feelings, as he heard the voice again.
Then, he finally tore his gaze from her flushed ears peeking through her hair strands in the light breeze and turned to the man.
“Let’s move.”
“Yes.”
The response came from someone else, while he glanced indifferently at the people gathered on the deck.
All the faces were familiar to him except for the first speaker.
But that didn’t mean they reciprocated his warmth.
“Is this Miss Ratley?”
His voice trembled as if standing before a predator.
Even the knights who had lived with him for one to three years appeared tense.
“Yes. Isabel Cotton, you will be responsible for escorting Angelica to the Empire.”
“A-Angeli… Ah, yes!”
The only female knight present, who had been standing apart with a dazed expression, nodded quickly.
She regained her composure and walked toward Angelica.
At that moment, Angelica had calmed down considerably.
When she heard Isabel’s footsteps approaching, she quickly grabbed the hem of Hugo’s sleeve.
She felt familiar gazes sticking to her face and instinctively scowled.
‘I wanted some distance, but not like this!’
“Hugo, can’t I stay with you?”
Even if her escort was a woman, she couldn’t just hand everything over to a stranger.
“I feel comfortable with you…”
After saying that, she felt her words sounded spoiled and grew flustered, but she didn’t want to follow someone else.
Amid this, she heard gasping sounds as if people were about to faint, but she ignored them.
As a last resort, she gently shook his sleeve, then her hand slid down until she grasped his fingers.
As usual, he showed no significant reaction.
But his prolonged silence made her think he agreed.
“That means you don’t mind, right?”
However, contrary to her expectations, he said in a firm tone:
“From now on, we’re safe, so there’s no need to stay by my side. In fact, my absence might be more comfortable for you.”
For the first time, his voice sounded resolute.
Then, before she realized what was happening, the knight Isabel Cotton reached them and gently took Angelica’s wrist.
“Y-Yes, Miss! This place is completely different from the forest. I swear on my honor as a knight that I’ll do everything in my power to protect you!”
She didn’t know why, but the knight’s voice sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than Angelica.
Angelica furrowed her brows, then sighed quietly.
Deep down, she wanted to refuse, saying it wasn’t bothersome at all, but she wasn’t the type who was good at turning others down.
“Alright, I’ll rely on you, Lady Cotton.”
“Please, call me Isabel, Miss.”
“And you, call me Angelica too.”
Finally, she let go of Hugo’s sleeve.
Even so, she couldn’t stop herself from staring at him, her eyes half-closed, as if trying to read his feelings.
Then, with a faint smile, he gently placed his hand on her head.
“I’ll make sure to visit you often, Angelica.”
“Agreed!”
For some reason, this promise filled her with overwhelming joy.
‘In this strange world, there’s no one else I feel comfortable with but him.’
But in the next moment, they heard sudden shocked exclamations.
“What!”
“Th-the captain… sm-smiled…!”
“Is this… a nightmare?”
And as usual, the reactions of the surrounding soldiers were anything but normal.
“What is this?”
As Angelica walked across the deck, she kept wondering about the cause of this chaos.
After a moment, as the murmurs gradually died down, she heard another man’s voice speaking to Hugo.
“Ah, S-Sir! I’m Hans Orrin, newly assigned to the Empire’s First Division!”
“Alright.”
Hugo replied with a short answer, devoid of any courtesy or expression.
Even Angelica, who had heard such responses many times, suddenly felt a difference in his tone.
“I don’t know why, but… it seems something has changed.”
* * *
“Liar!”
Angelica muttered with a pout, stabbing her fork into the piece of meat in front of her as if stabbing someone.
It had been the third day since boarding the ship, and yet Hugo hadn’t appeared despite his repeated promises to visit.
Even when she asked the knights, she only got vague answers like “he might be busy.”
‘Either he is or he isn’t—why the ambiguity?’
It was clear they didn’t know exactly what he was doing.
At first, she thought they were reserved with her, but she soon realized they simply didn’t dare speak about him.
‘Why are they afraid of Hugo?’
They had worked with him for years, while she hadn’t even needed a day to grow close to him.
“And when exactly will he come?”
She was starting to feel he might never come, especially since the ship would arrive at the Empire tomorrow.
‘What if I never see him again?’
She stabbed the fork into the meat forcefully while whispering:
“Let him try…”
“Princess? Is something bothering you?”
She looked up thoughtfully at the knight sitting in front of her, then muttered:
“Nothing.”
Then, one of them asked her directly:
“By the way, what’s the nature of your relationship with the captain?”
She answered with the purest truth she had:
“I’m the kidnapped, and he’s the kidnapper.”
