Chapter 35
The goodwill of others can sometimes become a shackle. That’s why this was never a situation I intended.
“The boat will be ready for you by tomorrow morning!”
I looked at Anselro, who set down the green tea, with a complicated expression. On top of Lucas’ matter, another reason had been added for us to stay one more day on this island.
“Young lady, just sit down and rest. We’ll treat you to dinner.”
“Ah, dinner really isn’t necessary—”
“We’re making seafood stew tonight, Kanoe!”
I half-rose from my seat, awkwardly turning my head.
Nana, bustling about with dinner preparations, held out a wriggling octopus toward me. A massive kitchen knife gleamed coldly in her right hand.
“This’ll be your first time trying haesintang, right? You don’t have any allergies, do you?”
“I don’t, but dinner is really—!”
“Ah, and if you’re staying the night, I’ll have to tidy up a room too!”
Why aren’t these people listening to me?
I slowly lowered the hand I’d been waving in protest and sat back down. Beside me, Ian’s soft laughter slipped out.
“Kanoe. Saying it like that, not even a jelly would hear you.”
“…Ian, could you tell them for me? That we won’t be staying for dinner.”
“It’d be a shame to waste their kindness.”
He turned his head toward the kitchen. With a sulky face, I followed his gaze.
“They went to look for a boat, but it seems supplies are scarce, so the price has risen a lot.”
“Is that so.”
“Yes. So I suggested maybe considering a secondhand boat first.”
It was obvious why supplies, once abundant, had suddenly become hard to get. Other pirates must have been interfering.
“But he said it was a promise to the one who saved his life, so he wanted to give you something good as a gift.”
“With what money could he possibly…”
He was just a fisherman who sold his catch. The conscience that had made me ask for a boat pricked me sharply. Ian gave me a faint smile.
“They seem like good people.”
Just days ago, Anselro and Nana had been strangers. Now, as they treated us with such kindness, I found myself lost in thought.
“Kanoe, I found it.”
A forgotten memory suddenly resurfaced.
When was it?
The night after reading an economics book with Tiana, when I’d stayed up late in the library.
“You look like a rabbit that’s just been rescued from the wild.”
Tiana, pulling me out from under a mountain of books, shoved a sandwich into my mouth and asked:
“What are you doing, Kanoe?”
“I’m studying how to get rich.”
“Really? Learned anything yet?”
She smoothed down my messy hair as I kept my eyes fixed on the book.
“To get rich, you can’t just follow the existing market. You have to create a flow that doesn’t exist yet. We need a product that doesn’t exist in the Aquilaea Empire.”
“Oooh…”
With her usual silly sound, Tiana tilted her head. Her pale hands busied themselves braiding my hair.
“If it’s something the Empire doesn’t have, how about a carriage that flies in the sky?”
“…Not sure. What do you think?”
“Exactly. The Aquilaea Empire still lacks technology. It’s a backwater country, smug and dependent on its ability users.”
My lukewarm reaction prompted Tiana to criticize the Empire sharply. I twirled the pen in my hand, watching her quietly.
“…Okay. I admit, I just wanted an excuse to hang out with you.”
Tiana confessed straight away, lowering her voice as though serious.
“The library feels so stifling.”
For someone complaining, her expression was strangely solemn.
“And you don’t look like a rabbit in a burrow every day.”
“It’s not that bad…”
“If we had a carriage that could fly, wouldn’t it be great? We could travel, sleep, and rest comfortably wherever we went.”
Listening to her whining, I suddenly stopped turning the pages. Silly as her idea was, there was something practical in it.
‘Not flying, but a place where you can rest comfortably anywhere…’
In the Empire, accommodations were usually just ordinary inns. Nobles with higher status stayed in private villas or the homes of other families.
So simply being wealthy didn’t mean you could stay somewhere refined.
A place where you didn’t have to bow and scrape to anyone, where as long as conditions were met, anyone could stay. Nobles, merchants—eventually, all of them would want to set foot in such a place.
A new current could be created in the Empire.
“…A hotel.”
I circled the word in the book. At the same time, Tiana, having finished braiding all my hair, leaned her head over.
“Did you come up with something good?”
“Yeah. Thanks to you, Tiana.”
“Then we’re done with the library, right?”
I glanced away evasively, and Tiana puffed her cheeks in a sulky pout.
“So, what do you need now?”
She was used to asking that—what I’d need next. Connections, information… the list of necessities ahead of me was endless.
Closing the book, I answered simply:
“Capital.”
Tiana blinked, then her face lit up. A small smile bloomed across her lips like a flower.
“In that case, we’ve got it right here.”
She pulled something out of her pocket.
A gold coin.
The clink of the shining piece landing on the desk rang heavy in the air.
“I’ll invest in you, Kanoe!”
It was an investment born purely out of Tiana’s goodwill.
That was the beginning of the Bluebell Hotel.
We ended up eating the haesintang heartily and, in the end, even staying the night at the father and daughter’s home.
“Wow, I think this is my first time sharing a room with someone else since I was little!”
When the lights went out, the room quickly grew quiet. As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I heard the faint sound of the lantern flame on the table dying out.
At the same time, Nana’s cautious voice drifted across the darkness.
“Ian, you’re really kind. You even gave up your room for me.”
He had said, ‘The ladies should take the room with the bed.’
Of course, it hadn’t been pure generosity. It was the outcome of an intense silent battle of wits. She had no idea how nervous I’d been, worried they might suggest Ian and I share the same bed.
“It wasn’t generosity. It was originally your room, wasn’t it?”
“Hehe. I guess so? Today’s been like a dream come true for me, so maybe I’m a little too excited.”
From the other side of the bed, Nana spoke between soft breaths.
She had been born and raised on the island, so everything about the mainland fascinated her. Her father’s safe return felt like a miracle. And ever since her mother’s passing, it had been ages since she’d had such a lively day…
I stayed silent, only blinking, as I listened.
She struck me as truly sociable. Even though she must sense how I instinctively kept my distance.
Her voice gradually slowed. Her words came in fits and starts, until breaths began mingling with them. The faint lamplight, the warm blanket, the drowsy comfort—all of it filled the room.
Maybe, just maybe, I was letting myself be swayed by the mood of the night.
“…I’m a criminal, though.”
Why did I have to say something so unnecessary?
“Aren’t you scared?”
From the other side, I heard Nana inhale softly. She had been awake after all. After a long pause, she answered quietly:
“Whether you’re selling drinks or selling fish… most people on Muiya Island are merchants.”
Even in the dark, I could feel that she was smiling. Her voice was gentle, like calm waves.
“To survive, we sell things to tourists. When you do that, you start to get a feel for people.”
I heard her turn over, her blanket rustling.
“Merchants won’t trust you unless they see, hear, and feel it themselves.”
“…”
“I decided for myself that you’re not a bad person, Kanoe.”
There was a teasing lilt to her tone.
“Merchant’s instincts are always spot on, you know?”
“…Is that so.”
Sure enough, maybe because she was a merchant, she had quite the way with words. I let out a small laugh, like air escaping. In the softened atmosphere, her voice dropped to a playful whisper, as if sharing a secret.
“And besides… I’m rooting for your love, Kanoe!”
Love? Rooting for… my love?
Completely blindsided, I blinked. My eyes, now used to the dark, caught a glimpse of the checkered ceiling.
“I didn’t get to say it earlier, since Ian was there. But when he came to my shop looking for you…”
I sucked in a breath at what followed.
“…it was obvious to anyone how much he likes you.”
Of course—because we’re pretending to be lovers.
‘…That’s exactly how it’s supposed to look.’
I buried my face into the pillow.
But the pounding of my heart was far too loud.
