Chapter 107
“Is this the so-called… leather?”
The Admiral said nothing.
Even while facing the most important treasure of his half-sister, he showed no agitation or tension—maintaining his usual stern, expressionless demeanor.
But if you looked closely, you could see it. His fingertips trembled slightly as he accepted the box from me. The ink in his pen had long since dried, and the empty documents on his desk were stained with meaningless blotches of ink.
The Admiral opened the box.
And checked its contents.
Honestly… for something meant for royalty, it looked like several steps of processing had been skipped.
I wasn’t unfamiliar with raw hides, but compared to something that had dragged in every political faction in Veronecia, it looked far too plain.
“Are you sure Galliano didn’t give us a fake?”
If Galliano had planned to deceive Prince Jurgen from the start… I bit my lip nervously.
“…It is Lucia’s.”
“How can you be certain?”
“Pattern.”
“Pattern?”
When I tilted my head, the Admiral pointed to a specific spot on the leather.
I couldn’t see any difference—it all looked the same to me.
“Then… if this really is Lady Lucia’s treasure, my job here is done?”
“That is correct.”
A faint smile appeared on the Admiral’s lips.
His hand, gently brushing the leather, was careful—like touching a newborn bird or a blooming flower petal.
…But, Admiral, you’re forgetting something, aren’t you?
“Well, that’s rather anticlimactic.”
“What is?”
“Given how tangled this was—with you, the Veronecia merchants’ guild, even pirates involved—I thought it would be much harder.”
“It is all thanks to you. I shall never forget this favor until the day Veronecia’s waves turn to sand.”
So just words, then?
“Perhaps we should hold a formal occasion to discuss this gratitude. I will first let you hear Lucia’s song.”
As expected of the governor and naval admiral of Veronecia.
I immediately began calculating how to extract more benefits.
A villa… permanent tax exemption for Flügelberg merchant ships… and—
“Then please return safely. With the festival nearing its end, even restrained pirates are beginning to stir again.”
“Thank you for your concern. Prince Michael’s carriage is waiting, so I’ll be fine.”
At his polite dismissal, I stood without protest.
I couldn’t keep Michael waiting all day.
And so, as promised, we walked through the admiral’s residence.
The mosaic corridor stretched before us.
Veronecia’s brilliant colors—some became glass windows of temples, turning into paths for gods, while others became mosaic tiles decorating human spaces.
From afar, it formed one grand painting.
Up close, every tile was different—each the size of a fingernail, each with its own shape and color.
“I didn’t know the admiral’s residence had something like this.”
“Where exactly do you usually stay to not know this?”
Michael averted his gaze awkwardly.
“Hungry. Let’s go eat.”
I shot him a mild glare but matched his pace anyway.
Without noticing, our steps fell into the same rhythm, echoing together like music.
“By the way… are you really not going to explain?”
“Can’t I explain while we eat?”
Now that Lucia’s treasure had been safely delivered, it was probably fine to talk.
“Promise you’ll tell me after we eat.”
I nodded, and Michael smiled in relief.
We skipped the guard escort.
The Admiral had offered it, but Michael refused, claiming he’d traveled without guards before. The Admiral frowned, but couldn’t insist—refusing escorts would only imply distrust in Veronecia’s security.
Thanks to imperial privilege, we entered one of the most exclusive restaurants without reservation.
Food arrived immediately.
The chef clearly believed no one should keep a hungry royal waiting.
I briefly worried it might be undercooked.
But the seafood was perfect.
Flavors exploded across my tongue like the mosaic corridor we had just walked through—each spice distinct, yet harmonizing into something new.
It was like tasting the most beautiful stained glass window of Veronecia’s temple.
“I might have to send our household chef here for training.”
“Not a bad idea.”
Michael, unlike my inner excitement, remained composed as ever.
I thought idly—what if it had been Michael I asked to pretend to be a lover?
And immediately regretted it.
A contract relationship, especially one with an expiration date, would be unbearable.
But… if it meant people would remember us as lovers, even briefly, I might have done it.
And Michael probably would have accepted too.
That thought made me inexplicably sad.
“Are you okay?”
“…No.”
In the carriage, I swallowed my medicine.
Michael frowned.
“…Can you explain?”
I knew I couldn’t tell him everything yet.
Careful. After delivering Lucia’s treasure safely.
But my silence seemed to worry him more.
“I want to help you too. Is it something you can’t even tell me?”
“…I’m sorry. And thank you. Michael, just stay like you are now—”
“…I don’t want to hear that from you.”
“Michael?”
I realized immediately I had made a mistake.
For once, he looked genuinely hurt.
“Do you know what I’ve always been told? ‘Just stay as you are.’ ‘Don’t change.’ ‘If you stay like that, everything will be fine.’ And now… you’re saying it too?”
“Michael…”
“I said I wanted to try my best even once, didn’t I?”
He nodded at his own words, remembering.
“I’ll overcome anything for you. That’s who I am. But if even you tell me to stay still…”
“I don’t want to drag you into this.”
“But I want to be the one you lean on.”
The tension slowly eased.
By the time we reached the admiral’s residence again, the mood had softened.
I joked lightly:
“Then… will you hug me or something?”
I expected embarrassment.
Instead—
“……Michael?”
Arms wrapped around me from behind.
Warm. Firm. Nervous.
He actually hugged me.
My heart nearly dropped along with the box in my hands.
His heartbeat was loud.
Mine too.
And his voice, right beside my ear, was almost a plea.
“I’ll do anything. Just… don’t do anything dangerous. Don’t forget I’m worried about you. Okay?”
Then he leaned his forehead against my back.
“I think I understand now why the crazy ones in novels act like that.”
“…Don’t say things like that all of a sudden.”
“If I can’t have you, no one can—kind of thing. If I even understand that a little… would you be disappointed?”
“…So you’d kidnap me, break my legs, starve me?”
“What?! I’m not that kind of person! I’ll give you a warm blanket, lemon tea, and a handsome face instead.”
I laughed.
He was serious. Completely serious.
“I think I’ve found my final resting place.”
“Irina!”
He panicked instantly.
“You can’t joke about that!”
“Alright, alright.”
We finally set off again.
But as I looked around, I wondered—
Where should we go next?
