North x Northwest

Chapter 336

One of the ship’s sailors was fortunate enough to come to his senses after being hit in the shoulder by an arrow. He initially fell dead on the deck but soon took advantage of the absence of nearby intruders, who were preoccupied with lighting up the deck with torches, and crawled on his elbows. The man knew he had to move before the deck got any brighter and successfully snuck through a door, crawling on all fours. Once inside, he jumped to his feet and rushed through the short hallway and into the captain’s office.

The sailor threw open the door and shouted in a whisper.

“…Captain!..”

“…”

In the captain’s office, the window behind the desk was wide open and welcomed the soft moonlight.

His captain had a calm posture, leaning back in his chair with his legs up on the desk. However, as he was backlit, the sailor couldn’t see his face properly.

The sailor swallowed and urgently reported the situation outside.

“Captain! This isn’t the time to lazy around. Intruders…”

However, his ‘captain’s’ head merely tilted so calmly.

“..!”

The sailor instantly realised that the voice didn’t belong to his captain.

“Are you talking about me?”

The sailor stuttered, shaking his shoulders in shock.

“…W-who…”

Despite having the reflexes to at least utter that much, he didn’t have time to think any further. Instead, the sailor immediately dashed towards a cage located in the corner of the captain’s cabin. It was the birdcage his captain kept his messenger pigeon. He hurriedly opened the cage and reached inside, only to notice that all that was visible through the bars was his own hand. He initially thought it was because of the darkness, owing to the angle of the moonlight not reaching this part of the cabin, but still, that wouldn’t explain why he couldn’t get a feel of the bird at all.

Cold sweat began to run down the back of his neck upon hearing someone behind him.

“…Tsk, tsk…”

It was a sound similar to soothe an animal and the sailor froze before slowly looking back.

The man sitting in the captain’s seat lowered his legs from the desk and turned towards the sailor.

Now, the face of the man was revealed by the moonlight. He was stroking the chin of the captain’s pigeon standing on his shoulder, a shoulder that was wrapped in a leather pad. The sailor lowered his gaze a little further and ultimately spotted the real captain of this sailing ship, lying face down on the floor beneath the desk and the chair the man was sitting on.

His heart dropped.

The sailor slowly raised his trembling eyes and looked at the man sitting in the captain’s seat again. The man’s handsome face laughed heartily, but his eyes and the smile that tugged at his lips were extremely eerie, especially in the blue moonlight…

“Were you thinking of sending out a message? The Duke of Mireille ordered you to cut off all contact with him and go into hiding, right? Then you should heed the Duke’s words carefully.”

***

When a carriage stopped in front of the Mireille residence in Sesbron, the Mireille family came out to the front door to welcome the head of the family home. Jeanne, the Duchess, was wiping her eyes with a handkerchief as if she had already heard the news. Standing in front of her was her son, Armin Mireille, who had just turned three years old.

He let go of Jeanne’s hand and approached Mireille.

“Father!”

Mireille noticed that his son’s gait improved significantly during the time he was away. He didn’t care about Jeanne, but he was particularly keen on Armin, who was intelligent and in awe of him. Even if his marriage with Lil pushed through, he intended to let Armin stay in the mansion as an extramarital child. And when the right time came, he would be formally registered.

“René, we need to talk…”

Mireille pretended not to notice Jeanne who called out to him. He had no intention of explaining the details of the marriage annulment suit, nor did he have any intention of soothing her discouraged mood. What annoyed him even more was how this woman, who had been good at handling her emotions and everything else on her own, suddenly acted pathetic just before their marriage was about to end.

Mireille, holding Armin in his arms, quickly headed into his mansion. Enzo followed him and moved to his side.

“…Umh, Your Grace, the coachman is saying something strange. I think you should hear it.”

When Mireille looked around the entrance with Enzo, the coachman quickly got off the coach seat and took off his hat. Mireille thought it wasn’t normal for this servant of his to stare at him with such a stiff posture and anticipation.

“Bring him in.”

“Yes.”

Mireille entered the study on the ground floor and sat on the sofa with Armin. Soon the coachman entered and Mireille asked politely.

“What is going on?”

His shabby appearance didn’t suit the regally decorated study at all. Mireille frowned as he looked at the carpet the coachman was stepping on. The coachman, however, also seemed to be conscious about it, as if he had never expected that he would actually set foot in the study.

Enzo tapped the coachman on the shoulder.

“Go on, tell him.”

“Well… Your Grace. A while ago, at the Simena Port, didn’t you order me to make a certain lady look your way?”

“You mean Liloa?”

“At that time, the young lady was seeing off two Southerners, accompanied by a tall gentleman.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Yes. Even back then, I instantly knew it was a wealthy young lady, but I didn’t expect she was the Archduke’s daughter. Because…”

“..?”

When the coachman’s words faltered, Enzo nudged his shoulder again.

“Because the southerners who were seeing the young lady off called her ‘Captain’. So, I thought she was just the hostess of a company or a daughter…”

Mireille frowned and then asked.

“…What? Captain?”

Meanwhile, Enzo urged the coachman to give specific details.

“Are you sure that the title ‘Captain’ was not addressed to the man?”

“Yes, the lady even told them to stop calling her captain and gave them a light beating. Until then, I thought she was just a precious lady of a merchant company…”

It may be an illusion, but it felt like the back of Mireille’s neck was getting cold.

‘…Captain?’

“So, what did they call her instead?”

“…Pardon?”

“I was wondering what they called Liloa after she corrected them.”

The coachman blinked and answered.

“I heard them call her ‘Lil’… but as it’s a very common name anyway, I didn’t give any meaning to it at that time.”

“…What did you say?”

The coachman gave his master a puzzled look as if pondering if the unremarkable name was suddenly important. When Mireille urged him without words, he quickly looked at him and repeated the name.

“They called her, ‘Lil’.”

The hand that was stroking Armin’s head stopped and Enzo and the coachman instantly held their breath. The only sound that could be heard at that very moment was Armin calling out to his father in a slurred voice.

‘I do not even have to think about why she was called ‘Lil’ because calling her ‘Captain’ alone is suspicious enough.’

Mireille recalled the scene in which Liloa and those lowly Southerners interacted so brazenly.

“That is strange.”

‘Really strange. Why wouldn’t it be strange? The only Southerner captain I know is Lil Schweiz…’

Mireille took a deep breath to suppress himself from getting all worked up.

‘Now, just thinking of the three letters of that name immediately makes me angry… I definitely have not forgotten how a mere pirate like him has extensively tampered with my Garni fleet. I remember every single incident. It will not even be enough to stab that bastard multiple times and hang his neck on the walls of Gualtiero…’

“First…”

“..?”

Mireille stroked Armin’s head again. The child’s plump face folded its eyes beautifully as he smiled.

“First, bring in a portrait artist. Make a montage of those Southern bastards…”

“…”

‘There’s no need for Liloa’s montage. I have one in this very house.’

“Summon August Felini and Jacques Poussin, the captains of both attacked Garni merchant ships, and have them confirm the montage.”

***

Lil washed and got dressed in Annette’s boudoir. For the first time in a long while, she sat down at a dressing table, put powder on her face and wore a dress.

Annette spoke with excitement as she picked out Lil’s headdress.

“These days, makeup is becoming lighter, and panniers and corsets are disappearing.”

“I heard that chemise à la Reine has become the trend in Sesbron.”

“I made it like that. Public opinion was outraged that the extravagance of the palace was excessive. However, considering the amount of capital that has flowed into this central continent, plus the sheer count of nobles who make it their business to compete for splendour, why should we hold back? So, I came up with a clever plan. I am Annette. Once I start something, everyone follows it. So, I came forward and created a new trend.”

Annette placed several hats decorated with veils on Lil’s head. As if she was determined to utilise Lil’s ultimate weapon, she urged her maid to bring out more of the decorated boxes.

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