Chapter 20

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I took a deep breath.

I could smell the salty sea.

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‘Finally…!’

I gazed at the vast ocean that spread out before my eyes.

How many times have I been nervous before coming here?

It felt like my heart was falling to the floor several times at the sound of stones rolling and leaves falling.

In the end, Ophelia could not even trust the carriage she had rented, so she had to keep changing. Fortunately for her, we have never been noticed by the pursuers, perhaps thanks to Ophelia’s time-consuming efforts.

I admitted.

The fact that I escaped from Cassius Brudenell was purely due to Ophelia.

‘I hope she is doing well…’

Thinking of her, my heart began to pound with anxiety. And, soon thereafter, the guilt came rushing in.

I wet my dry lips.

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Now, all I can do is wait.

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‘In the meantime, I will have to establish a foundation on this ship.’

The ship I chose at the Port of Lebert, the ‘Daisy,’ could be called a small town floating on the sea.

‘Daisy’ was so huge that it did not really fit its cute name. Compared to modern-day large cruises, it was like the size of a stone.

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A ship of this size was quite a waste to be used for only one purpose, namely, a cruise ship or a merchant ship. Each port was carrying passengers and loading and unloading various goods at the same time.

It was a good thing for me.

​​

I could even get a job on this ship if I wanted to.

I could not just spend the money I had brought from my house forever, so I thought of leaving some money until Ophelia came.

And, if Ophelia comes…

‘Shall we go to the island?’

The Empire had quite a few islands.

In modern times, you could fly by plane, but fortunately, the only way to travel in this era is by boat.

It was a place where Cassius Brudenell could not chase me no matter how far away I went.

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Of course, I still have to be careful because he can send people, though I could be less worried that I do not have to deal with him directly.

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If I settle on a bustling island, I will be able to live comfortably.

‘Until then, I should explore the island on which this ship was ported.

I left a sign at the harbor that only Ophelia could recognize. A place that she must find in the first port she visits, and where no one else will find it…

If Cassius Brudenell could not get on this ship himself, he might be able to send someone, so I must be careful.

Therefore, the vouchers were also left in an extremely careful way.

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There was little chance that Ophelia would know exactly what boat I was on just because she saw the sign, but… I believed her.

Because Ophelia was my savior.

As I was lost in my deep thoughts, someone’s scream pierced my ears.

“Lady, it is dangerous!”

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I blinked my eyes.

“….!”

Leaning on the railing on the second floor, which was about the height of my waist, I lost my focus while pondering.

I then stumbled helplessly.

My hands tried to hold the air, and my ruffled skirt did nothing to help with my balance.

It was then.

A strong arm wrapped around me and forced me to fall forward again.

“Hoo, thank you.”

I gasped for breath.

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Fortunately, there was no danger of falling into the sea. However, if I had fallen onto the first floor deck, I would have been seriously injured. Maybe, I would be taken to a hospital on land…

‘That cannot happen!’

I straightened up my posture and glanced closely at the man who had rescued me.

“Are you all right?”

He must have been around twenty-one.

I could not completely shake off his attitude of being a young boy. The young man with watery blue hair and green eyes was staring at me with a worried face.

“Accidents happen on ships even if you leave your mind for a bit. How many people have I seen injured, acting like a young lady…”

“Pfft—”

“Oh, lady…?”

The young man seemed greatly embarrassed by the sudden burst of laughter.

Seeing that, I stopped laughing and tried to say something.

“I feel like I did something too stupid. So, I laughed.”

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Contrary to his youthful appearance, the way he talked was like an old man, so I could not help but burst into laughter.

Fortunately, the young man seemed to believe my excuses straight away.

“Is this your first time on a boat?”

“Yes.”

I nodded my head.

“You must have come for sightseeing. It is a good choice. It is hard to find a ship as beautiful as a Daisy anywhere in the Empire.”

Oh, my.

He spoke with a lot of affection and gave advice as if he knew the boat well. This handsome young man seemed to be a sailor of the Daisy.

I smiled brightly.

In the aristocratic society, people have not made many connections.

It was because everyone thought I was crazy, anyway, so I fell short on the side of Count Garneid, since it was never a profitable business.

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But, now, it is different.

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This man probably thinks of me as the stupid rich lady he is seeing for the first time.

Well…

It was not a particularly pleasant first impression, but at least it’s better than ‘the most crazy woman in the Capital.’

“Yeah. It is really beautiful. Though I am not on this ship for sightseeing.”

“You are not on a tour?”

Asking that, the young man seemed a bit perplexed.

“Yes. I am looking for a job. My parents are dead.”

“…Uh—I, I am sorry.”

Now, I was embarrassed and even terrified.

“Really, I did not mean to dig up your personal affairs…!”

“It is okay.”

I smiled again.

“I am familiar with it.”

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“That, still… How should I apologize for this offense…”

I barely managed to hold back my laughter. It was because of the formal tone that came out of the young man’s mouth again.

“You have nothing to apologize for, though can you help me with just one thing?”

The answer came back immediately.

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“I, Gabriel Vecchio, will help you in honor!”

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He accepted my request without even hearing it. In addition, he even revealed his name.

It felt a little silly.

However…

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‘I like it.’

When dealing with a man who seemed to have a beast lurking inside, his innocence and sincerity to the point of being a fool came out to me as a charm.

I opened my mouth and asked kindly.

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“Can you help me find a job? Actually, I do not know anything about ships.”

Gabriel nodded his head hastily and replied.

“I will do my best to help.”

At that, I formally introduced myself, looking straight at Gabriel.

“I am Eve Chatisburn.”

I mean, my false identity—

“Miss Chatisburn.”

Being called by a different last name was rather awkward.

Even though I am pretending to be a commoner right now, isn’t this man calling me politely as if I was the Count’s Young Lady?

I quickly waved my hand.

“Just call me Eve.”

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“Eve…”

Hearing that, Gabriel hesitated and spoke my name.

‘It was not a particularly difficult name to pronounce, so why would you do that?’

In a moment of confusion, he said in a serious voice. “Please call me Gabriel, too. That is fair, isn’t it?”

“I understand.”

I nodded my head again.

I could feel the dignity in his words and actions, that I thought he might be a son of an aristocratic family. Although seeing that he also asked me to call him by his first name, he seemed to be just a commoner.

‘ Indeed, there was no way a nobleman would work on a ship.’

With that in mind, my boundaries were gradually released.

As a noble, there is a possibility that they might have heard rumors about me. But, since he seemed to be a commoner, I felt much more at ease.

Gabriel asked with a serious face.

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“What kind of job do you want? Though I am not qualified, I can help you find it.

“Well…”

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I thought for a moment.

Actually, I had no idea what kind of job there was in this world.

The life of an aristocratic girl was completely different from the common jobs. However, I ran away from Cassius. I do not think I will ever see him again. In other words, the life of an aristocratic young lady was completely out of my hands now.

“Can I work as a salesman in a store? Items do not matter.”

If not now, but someday when I settle on an island, the safest way would be to open a small shop. For that day, it was necessary to know what kind of goods the people of this Empire wanted.

Luckily, Gabriel readily accepted my request in an instant.

“Of course. It’s probably easy to find. Everyone quits right away, so the seats are always vacant.”

Saying that, he then reached out to me.

“Let’s go.”

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After a while.

Gabriel took me to the store on the boat.

Shops were clustered on the east deck, each crowded with people, which seemed very lively.

“Recently, there was a souvenir shop that the employee just quit yesterday.”

He then continued.

“It is a souvenir shop… So, I think there are a lot of cute things.”

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At that, Gabriel turned to me and asked with a smile.

“Do you like cute things?”

I blinked my eyes.

Come to think of it, I definitely liked cute things until I was possessed. Nevertheless, while I was struggling to survive in this novel, the little happiness I had enjoyed in the past disappeared.

“…I think I liked it.”

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Despite the vague answer, Gabriel’s smile did not disappear.

“Now, you will love it again. There are so many cute things.”

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Gabriel’s words were not bluffs. The souvenir shop had a lot of really cute colorful sculptures and models, toys and trinkets. The prices ranged from cheap items that cost only a few pennies, to expensive items that only the rich could afford.

After a while, he approached the old lady half-drowsing at the counter.

“Hello, Mrs. Ned. Have you found a new employee yet?”

“No.”

Mrs. Ned shook her head.

“Because there are so many people, there are no clerks I can hire. No one wants to ride the boat for a long time, so…”

I took a step forward and suddenly cut between them.

“Please hire me. I plan to work on this ship for the next year.”

“A year?”

Mrs. Ned’s eyes widened.

Although I nodded my head firmly.

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“I promise.”

Mrs. Ned was not the type to think for very long.

“I can trust anyone that Vecchio brought in. The salary and overtime pay are written here, so if you have any complaints, tell me, and you can come to work tomorrow.”

“Yes!”

My heart began to pound.

It was only now that I felt completely freed from Cassius Brudenell.

New accommodation, job, meeting…

I took a deep breath. It smelled like a salty sea, but that wasn’t the only thing.

…I felt a new world.

A world without Cassius Brudenell.

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