Book 19: Chapter 17
Since they had reached the pier, it was a simple task for the girls to board the ship. The guards didn’t say anything when they saw the sisters. As Princesses, it was normal for them to visit the pier. The guards never received any order to stop them from boarding the ship.
The four sisters and the youngster soon found the ship their father prepared for his two guards. The ship was disguised as a passenger ship. While it didn’t have cannons and weapons equipped, the sturdy body of the ship and bow could easily smash any ships ahead. The people aboard weren’t tourists. At least, they weren’t planning to be tourists in an unknown land. The passengers were guards.
The four sisters went and found Ying. They couldn’t hide on the ship anyway. After what happened last time, Vera realised that Ying might actually be easily persuaded. Furthermore, Nona, who went up to her and brashly put on the winsome act, seemed to be Ying’s Achilles heel. Ying was surprised to see the four sisters, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she ordered her subordinates to organise rooms for them.
Ying didn’t show any animosity toward the youngster. Her gaze rarely showed any emotion. He was with the four sisters and her King had spared him. As such, she no longer treated him hostilely.
Tanya, on the other hand, still treated him hostilely to an extent. It had been many years since she joined Troy. In the past, she wasn’t respected due to her age but a pretty woman at this point. Her brown cloak and ponytail undulated in the wind. Her suave and gallant demeanour was similar to Nier back then. It was hard to blame Troy for not holding her in high regard since he saw Nier from back then in her. Troy actually still liked Nier’s gallant look as a bodyguard back then. Nier wore long dresses these days. She still looked pretty, and Troy had no complaints, but perhaps he missed her original look. Tanya was Nier’s copy – except that their status was completely different.
Tanya and Ying wore different brown cloaks, indicating that Tanya wasn’t a bodyguard within the Imperial Palace but outside it. Tanya was no longer a personal bodyguard. She was the general of Troy’s military outside.
Honestly, Tanya was a little unhappy about being sent out to sea for the mission since she wanted to see Empress Elizabeth at Troy City. She viewed Elizabeth as her mentor. Though it was delivered in fragments, Tanya had her fair share of achievements with the fragmented knowledge. The team she led defeated all the rebels during the suppression of the rebellion in the Northwest.
Truthfully, the rebel army weren’t stationed at the best of places. The nomads thought the military in the mountains in the Northwest wouldn’t be able to catch them if they made infantry their mainstay. Unfortunately, the dragons could survey them from overhead at any moment.
Once the four sisters boarded the ship, they exhaled relieving breaths. Their rooms were together, while the youngster stayed in the cabin. The guards aboard the ship were all elites. They weren’t the ordinary guards put in charge of watching over the youngster, but the group that started with Troy during his earliest days. They were the strongest warriors in the North. If the youngster tried to escape, he’d more than likely be diced and sprinkled into the ocean.
The youngster went to the cabin first, while the girls went to their rooms for a while. The excited girls soon ran to Vera’s room. Just hours ago, they were sleeping in their rooms, yet they were committing the most rebellious act they’d ever committed in their lives. They didn’t have time or spare energy to consider the details before they ran away; nonetheless, they finally had spare time. They checked out the ship. The stimulation and excitement of adventuring had them shaking with excitement and restless. They looked forward to the future and the possibilities that accompanied it.
“We really have left the Imperial Palace… To be honest, I still can’t believe it.”
Liu Yue touched the wall with her hand and sighed. She watched the sunset reflecting its final rays on the surface of the water through the circular glass window. It was a magnificent sight they had never seen before.
Even Vera stood up to look at it through the window and express amazement: “If we didn’t come out here, we would probably never see this.”
Nona, who was lying on the bed and wrapped in a blanket, expressed,: “I’m willing to look at the flowers in the flower garden but not so much this. I think that it would be better for us to find our Grandmas at Troy City, right…?”
“It’s all right, Nona. There’s no need to be scared. It was just a small accident. Aren’t you fine now? Look outside. The ocean outside is truly magnificent. It wasn’t easy to come out here, so stop thinking about it. Danger keeps adventure company. The key is whether or not we can overcome the dangers.”
Vera pulled Nona up with a laugh. Nona’s startled soul had yet to calm down after the accident on the carriage. She never experienced death before. Most importantly, those sorts of brushes with death were a nightmare, which was why she was still terrified and still unwilling to get up.
Daisy sat to one side with a ghastly pale face. She was silent the entire time. She tightly gripped her glass of water and had her face scrunched up. Puzzled, Liu Yue went over to her and supported her shoulder. She asked in a concerned voice, “What’s wrong, Daisy? What’s wrong?”
“Ugh…”
Daisy raised up her face smothered in tears. She then weakly lowered her head. Mustering up all of her might, she waved to indicate for Liu Yue not to worry. She desperately backed off, but Liu Yue couldn’t just watch her sister suffer. Therefore, she pulled Daisy over to her with one hand only for Daisy’s face colour to instantly change.
“Blegh!”
“Aaah!!!”
Liu Yue shrieked as she backed off. Daisy couldn’t hold it in any longer, so she went onto her knees and puked all over the floor. After backing off, Liu Yue desperately tried to pull her clothes off. Vera was dumbfounded; however, she quickly came to her senses and sped over to them. She grabbed a water basin and towel for Liu Yue. Liu Yue shut her eyes and desperately wiped her face covered in sticky and slimy liquids that made her sick to the somtach.
Daisy felt better after throwing up. Exhausted, she leaned onto the wall. She weakly told Liu Yue, “I told you not to come near me, but you just had to move me…”
“How was I supposed to know you wanted to puke?!”
Liu Yue cried woefully. Liu Yue couldn’t bring herself to reprimand Daisy. Daisy did undeniably signal for Liu Yue not to approach her. In addition, Daisy couldn’t have spoken when she was on the verge of puking. Liu Yue tossed the towel into the water basin. She felt that the smell of vomit was still on her. She threw her clothes on the ground then strutted out of the room to look for somewhere to take a bath.
Vera called for someone to come and clean up the mess that Daisy made. Daisy looked as pale as Nona. Vera suddenly remembered something, and that was her seemingly all-mighty Mommy Nier had one big weakness: sea sickness. Hence, she reasoned that Mommy Nier’s daughter, Daisy, must be sea sick, as well.
The four sisters were chattering before, but the room suddenly went so quiet that Vera couldn’t quite get used to it. Furthermore, the room didn’t smell too pleasant. The guards brought fragrance over to try and get rid of the disgusting smell. Vera decided to go out for a stroll in the meantime.
Vera went up to the deck. The golden light outside didn’t give off the vibe of a sunset whatsoever. Instead, it was so bright that Vera thought the sun would never vanish from the horizon. The golden petals shimmered along the ocean water. Every ocean wave could be heard distinctively.
Vera was very fond of the ocean. She was a little different to the normal elf and her own mom. Elves should like green forests. Vera, on the other hand, liked the ocean. She loved playing at the beach. She breathed in the scent of the ocean. Standing by the rails and looking at the ocean where the perimeter was nowhere in sight gave her a feeling of being in a vast world.
“Perhaps it’s gone over my head a bit. I didn’t think when I made the decision. All I wanted was to prove myself. I wanted to tell everybody that I’m no longer a kid. That’s why I didn’t think and, therefore, didn’t raise my hand. I don’t know if my decision was right or not. I’ve never done this sort of thing before, nor do I know what I’ll gain from this decision. I don’t know if I’ll go through trials or gain things, either. Everything is unknown. The future is something I don’t know,” Vera said to herself.
Nevertheless, Vera’s eyes were on the vast ocean and waves and breathing in the soothing cold air. Vera leaned onto the rails. She peered into the distance with a blissful smile. She didn’t know what was in store in the future, but for now, at the very least, she believed her decision to be correct because, otherwise, how would she have been able to see the splendid sight?