3 chapters…

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Drayce headed up towards the deck of the ship, where he found the captain of the ship instructing the helmsman about their journey along with a navigator. Captain Benett was busy talking with his crew, and only realized Drayce’s approach when he sensed some of the sailors on the deck growing quiet.

As the Drayce climbed the elevated platform of the quarterdeck, Captain Bennett and his men bowed to the King.

“Good morning, Your Majesty.”

Drayce accepted his greeting with a light nod. “How are things?”

“The crosswind is picking up, and it’s even getting stronger. Seems like sea waves would be rough on the ship for the next hour or two. Our men are preparing for any incoming surges, but we cannot do anything about the ship swaying.”

Drayce nodded and planned to personally check the situation of the sea up front. He picked up the binocular from the captain and headed towards the largest mast of the ship.  From the strength of the wind causing his coat to flap wildly, he could see what the Captain said was true; the journey wouldn’t be as smooth today.

With a nimble jump, Drayce held on to the rope connected to the main mast as he planned to go to the crow’s nest. Holding rope was simply for show. Jumping straight to the upper part of the mast was not a given, and he would need to climb up the rope shrouds but Drayce directly jumped up high, holding rope only for the sake of it. The one who knew the real Drayce, they were aware he needed no rope to climb that high.

Just as he reached the crow’s nest, instead of the sailor in incharge of the lookout, the elf Yorian was present there, looking ahead at a distance with a thoughtful expression..

Drayce gave the sparkling surface of the sea a quick glance before speaking, “Seems like you have taken interest in sailing.”

“Sitting idle is not my thing.”

“Nothing surprising, knowing how curious you can be.”

The elf smiled playfully and said, “There will be rain by nighttime.”

Drayce didn’t deny his claim. Though the sky was clear for now, the aggressive wind and rough sea were indications that a storm might appear. “Looks like it.”

“Why don’t you just use your powers and get this journey done quickly?” the elf asked.

“There is no fun in that. Living the life of humans facing challenges is much more interesting,” Drayce answered.

“But at the back of your mind, you always know you can get past those troubles by using your powers. Even if things get too much, there is no sense of desperation for you. So it’s not entirely a human’s way of living.”

“It’s not my fault to have such powers,” Drayce replied, “and it’s a blessing that there is a fallback for me. I have someone to protect and I can rely on my powers if the situation goes drastically wrong.”

Comfortable silence fell onto the crow’s nest for a while.

“I heard from the captain that we will be docking at some port city in Griven,” the elf commented out of the blue.

Drayce threw a glance his way. “Are you now curious to see my friend?”

“Can’t deny it. You are at fault for having interesting people around you.” As Yorian said that, his gaze passed at the stern of the ship where Slayer could be seen checking on the other knights patrolling the ship.

“You can be curious about Arlan but stay away from him,” Drayce warned as he saw Slayer leaving his men to go to the captain standing by the ship’s wheel.

“I find myself more curious about him. This human sure is interesting,” Yorian said with a smirk.

“He is not interested in men,” Drayce countered as used the binoculars to look at the situation of the sea ahead.

Yorian chuckled. “Who knows, he might allow me to be curious about him.”

Drayce put the binocular aside. “I won’t mind if my knight gives me an ancient elf’s head to keep among the strange things I have collected.”

“Always talking about killing. Humans sure are scarily violent.”

—-

After Drayce left, the sullen Seren put on her clothes and went to the cabin which was prepared for the Queen. Her servants helped her get ready before serving her a warm meal.

“Your Majesty, the wind outside is strong today so we have been instructed to stay inside the cabins for our safety,” Lady Xena explained after bidding farewell to a sailor who informed them of the situation.

“No wonder the ship is too shaky today,” Seren commented as she glanced at the dishes laid in front of her.

While eating, what Drayce said remained in her mind. She could not help but look at her three servants, and out of them, she chose Marie who was married.

“Marie, I want to ask you something,” Seren said as she put down the cutlery in her hands.

“Yes, Your Majesty? What do you wish to know?”

“How do you please your husband?” Seren asked without any hesitation.

Marie was caught off guard to be asked such a question while the other two almost choked, with the noble lady gaping while the younger servant tried to stop herself from laughing. Just like Seren, Lady Xena and Eva felt curious about Marie’s answer as well. Though they didn’t know what prompted their queen to ask this, they felt excited at the thought of prying into Marie’s private life.

“Y-Your Majesty, why do you ask?” Marie asked, as she cleared her throat.

“No reason. I just want to know what a wife can do to please her husband,” the young queen answered as she resumed eating, as if her question didn’t make her married servant think about embarrassing things.

She tentatively chose to reply with the safest answer. “Well, one of the things I do is to make a nice meal for him…”

“Meal? When do you cook for your husband when you are always in the palace with me?”

“Your Majesty, I return home on the weekend of every last week of the month.”

“Oh, right! Then?”

“Then?” Marie felt hesitant. “He is pleased because he likes the meal I cook for him.”

“That’s it?”

“Hmm!” Marie nodded while the two less naive women standing beside her threw her a teasing look.

However, Seren nodded as if Marie said the exact things she wanted to hear. “That’s what I was thinking about as well. In those story books, I read that even a queen cooks a nice meal for her lord husband.”

Eva cleared her throat as the teasing smile on her lips widened. “Your Majesty, won’t you ask Marie what they do after enjoying a tasty home-cooked meal?”

Marie threw the younger woman a silent glare while Lady Xena felt her cheeks turn red.

Seren gave her servant a serious look of contemplation. She imagined that the best way to aid digestion after eating a hearty meal would be to take a leisurely stroll outside. Would something that simple please her husband?

“What more do you do, Marie?”

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