Chapter 77
“I don’t have much left…”
Counting the pouches lined up on the bed, I muttered dejectedly .
The medicine I’ve brought with me has been running low . Though that’s a given since I’ve been handing them out to people left and right .
There’s still some seasick leaves left, but my antidiarrhoeal drug and the intestinal medicine have basically ran dry . On the other hand, I didn’t get to use any of the bandages .
I checked each pouch carefully again before putting their contents back in when I felt a gaze on me .
I raised my face and met eyes with a certain escort knight . I eventually ended up averting my eyes every time though .
Don’t you feel awkward if you keep staring like that? Not even in the slightest? Well, it wouldn’t be Klaus if he picked up on these things though, yeah .
“…If you have something to say then say it . ”
“No, nothing in particular . ”
“Keep staring at me like that and you’ll poke a hole through me . ”
I tapped on a pouch before giving a sigh .
Klaus was brooding over my words with a hand under his chin .
“It could simply be my habit that I stare at your highness, though…”
Cure that twisted habit of yours! Right now!
“I have given some thought on it, but I didn’t mean to tell you . ”
So, the answer to my question is a ‘no’?
I don’t know if he’s just acting or if he really has a screw loose in his head, this guy .
“So, what were you thinking about?”
I blurted out the question on a whim without much interest .
Klaus silently muttered ‘it’s really nothing important’ .
“My Lord said that helping others is second nature to you . ”
I was surprised at those words .
“That’s not true . ”
“Your actions of “helping others” including ones that you don’t even realise, even when you’re the one who pulled the short straw you didn’t stop . It’s true isn’t it?”
He wasn’t teasing me . There were no trace of hatred or disgust in his voice either .
But somehow I was irritated .
“I didn’t pull any short straw . ”
“Even if you help others, they are only a drop in the ocean . Even if “Mary” saved the life of a maid, it still wouldn’t be considered the achievements of a “Princess” . ”
“!”
Klaus looked straight at me and I held my breath .
I thought back to the conversation between Wolf and Paul .
In the end, Princess Rosemary was considered to be a selfish, spoilt princess . Some people still think favourably of me, but that’s because of my brothers’ and father’s various achievements, and the fact that I’m their relative . It had nothing to do with my own accomplishments .
Klaus didn’t hold back and went straight to the point . When I realised my blunder, I looked down . My clenched hands left wrinkles on the bed sheets .
“But even so, I can’t just leave anyone in need alone, and I believe that that person is you . ”
“…Eh?”
A weird voice leaked out .
I raised my face only to meet with his eyes once again . Klaus tilted his head curiously as I staggered .
“That’s it?”
“Yes, that’s it . ”
I thought for sure he was going to lecture me .
Looking at his face, he was telling the truth that that’s all he wanted to say .
“Is that so . ”
My shoulders dropped .
Thinking about it, Klaus has always been like this . He can be weird at times, but right down to it, he’s a sincere and honest guy .
Not everybody knows this though .
“Are you done with that?”
“Yeah… Waah?!”
The ship suddenly shook and I exclaimed in surprise .
I grabbed onto the sheets to stop myself falling out of bed . Klaus also offered his hand, but it wasn’t that big of a shake so I didn’t grab onto it .
“I wonder if that was a big wave . ”
“That’s because the wind is strong today . ”
Just as Klaus said, the wind had been strong in the last few days . I didn’t know whether this was a good thing but it seemed we will be ahead of schedule .
“It looks like we’ll be arriving in Flamme earlier than expected . ”
Even if I wasn’t prone to get seasick, I still missed being on land .
I also wanted to eat fresh vegetables already so I was happy if we arrive early . Yes, in contrast to me who was on cloud nine, Klaus’ expression was grim .
“Klaus?”
“Arriving too early is also a problem . ”
Eh? Wasn’t it better to arrive early?
“In the path ahead we will have to pass through small islands, and at this rate it will be during nightfall . ”
“So there’s a chance we could be grounded?”
“That’s not all…”
Klaus’ words were heavy .
He was so serious it’s not like him at all .
I waited for him to continue, but he hesitated .
“I shall assess the situation . I’ll make sure that the sails are smaller and take other measures so please don’t worry . ”
Klaus walked towards the door .
He looked back at me once, and after a brief silence he left the room .
“What’s that all about?”
I repeated the question in my head out loud .
I recalled the map I had remembered and followed the ship’s route in my head .
The small islands Klaus mentioned were probably the ones south-southwest to Flamme . There’s no choice but to go through them if one wanted to dock at Flamme’s port town .
Many small uninhabited islands were known to cause countless ships to ground at night when it is harder to see . But from Klaus’ attitude just now, it seemed that the islands were not the only danger out there .
The ocean is scary after all . Storms, thunder, big waves, sharks and… ghosts? As if .
’Un~’ After I tried thinking about it to no avail, I let out a small groan .
I laid down on the bed and closed my eyes .
I think I’ve calmed down now .
In the beginning I was nervous about leaving my country . Apart from Mia’s heatstroke, since nothing had happened since then, I had grown conceited .
One shouldn’t forget; the ocean is a scary place – a man who had strayed from the path is much more frightening than any ghost .
I will come to realise this fact later on .
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