North x Northwest

Chapter 339

Volume 9 Chapter 339

‘So, did she live under the name ‘Lil’ during that time? A captain named Lil? No matter how common that name is, there is only one Southern captain named Lil whom I know… Lil Schweiz…’

With ease, Mireille was able to recite the appearance, body, speech, and handwriting of the infamous ‘Black Whale’, and it was no other than Mireille himself who placed that huge bounty on the head of that pirate captain.

While in thought, he observed Lil walking away from Venua.

‘A person of mixed race with black hair, a small build, ghost-like shooting skills, and the appearance of an imperial citizen… It could very well be that he was not of mixed race, but actually a pure-blooded imperial citizen. The only reason there was mention of him having a mixed-race appearance was that there was no way a citizen of the Empire would engage in piracy. But no report said that this ‘Black Whale’ was a woman. Have the witnesses been so stupid that they did not even recognize a woman dressed as a man, or are all my suspicions nothing more than a stretch? The most certain way would be to check it myself…’

Mireille descended the spiral stairs leading to the first-floor hall, down to where Lil was still surrounded by a crowd. As Mireille approached, people moved aside, their eyes glimmering with interest.

He greeted her with an orchestrated smile.

“Liloa.”

“Did you approach me to get hit again?”

‘With the banquet hall already filled with stories of the incident that had occurred on the passenger ship Clotilde, I am slowly turning into a public laughing stock…’

The duke placed his hand on his chest in a humble gesture and as a way to acknowledge that everything was his fault, shocking the onlookers with his theatrical attitude. As a result, the audience, while initially anticipating what might happen this time, burst into nervous laughter.

“I said I would not give up, so I am keeping my promise.”

Squinting her eyes at the people around them, Lil didn’t bother concealing her bored expression and turned away from him. People stood aside in surprise at her aggressive strides and Mireille took advantage of the crowd’s retreat, hurriedly chasing Lil’s back.

“What did you do in the South?”

“..?”

He then inched a little closer and whispered.

“…Do not even think about denying it. You came to Roahn aboard the Admiral’s flagship, right?”

Lil came to a halt.

‘I guess I got caught. But he seems extremely hasty for trying to snatch it all up without even taking a small bite first.’

The curve of the side profile that slowly looked back at Mireille was as beautiful as if it had been drawn and soon her whole face turned towards him.

Lil whispered with a wide smile on her face.

“…I was busy beating up your men…”

Still smiling, she opened the glass door leading to the terrace, causing the late autumn wind to blow in. For a moment, Mireille couldn’t process what he just heard, but a heartbeat later, he found himself following Lil out to the terrace.

As Lil threw the terrace door closed, Mireille muttered, still completely dumbfounded.

“…Lil… Schweiz?”

“I have been waiting for you to find out, but is it not a bit too late?”

“…”

It was only when Lil swatted his hand away with the tip of her fan that Mireille realised he had unknowingly reached for her shoulder.

“I heard that you built a fish tank in your mansion. But what should you do now? You lost the mermaid you supposedly caught…”

Mireille’s senses heightened upon hearing her say mermaid and his face became hot. The blood from all over his body rushed to his head, and the feeling of pressure tightened around his mind.

“…Lil! Schweiz!”

However, his voice didn’t come out as loud as he intended. It was as if he had been stabbed with a knife. His entire body tensed up, causing his voice to come out as if it were being squeezed out. His neck felt suddenly tight as well, so he tugged at his shirt collar and cravat.

Gasping for air, he stumbled and had to catch his hand on the railing.

“Was it not enough for you to capture healthy southerners and turn them into slaves or circus acts? You even went as far as going after mermaids? How more ugly can you get?”

“You… it really is you!”

Lil pointed the fan in her hand towards him.

“Now then, get down on your knees again and hold out the ring. You must keep your promise not to give up on me, right?”

“…”

Mireille couldn’t utter a single word and held onto the railing. His stomach was churning like a fireball.

‘This unexpected turn of events never crossed my mind in any of my numerous predictions… This had to be the turning point. She should be the one at a total loss. Struggling with panic and forced to submit to me in the most humiliating way. Instead, she is enjoying it in a mocking manner and even blatantly admitting that she is indeed a pirate…’

“It was quite a sight to see you trying to court the very pirate whose head you put a bounty on. You have no idea how much fun I was having.”

“…”

The woman’s eyes, which were neither raised nor glaring, glowed eerily. Eyes that caught in the moonlight still managed to shine coldly.

“Go on. Keep chasing after my tail. I think it is now even more interesting that you keep on pursuing me even though you know who I am.”

Unable to contain his anger, his hand stretched out towards Lil’s neck without realising it. People behind the terrace’s doors shouted and pointed, causing Mireille to come to his senses and hurriedly put down his hand again.

‘How far will I get caught up in this? This woman is clearly bent on turning me into a violent molester…’

Mireille, struggling to keep his cool, gritted his teeth and spat out.

“Even after the years since you ran away…”

“Do you think you will survive after this? You need to keep your image alive somehow. Now, you are nothing more than a comedian fixated on monopolising the principality.”

“Liloa Obernyu. I will make you regret this so much that you will want to rip out your own tongue for everything you said today. Make no mistake, His Majesty will take my side in the end.”

Lil walked over with a smirk and grabbed the handle of the terrace door.

“But who on earth would believe that I am an actual pirate?”

Even Mireille couldn’t deny such words. If it wasn’t for Lil’s confession, he, himself, would have doubted it till the very end.

He unconsciously cast a glance at the gathering crowd behind the open terrace.

‘They will only believe what is easy to believe. And the fact that the Archduke’s daughter is a pirate will never be an easy truth to comprehend…’

After Lil slammed the door shut, she was met with the people gathered around the terrace to watch the commotion. She stood with her back to the terrace where only Mireille was left and spoke loudly as if she were making a declaration to the audience.

“It looks like the Duke has not come to his senses yet. This time, he even tried to strangle me.”

“..!”

The people, who had no idea what to do with this atmosphere, laughed nervously once more.

“How far can that behaviour of his go? Is it not worth knowing?”

With leisurely steps, she parted the crowd of people, who were buzzing, and left.

***

“Shit!”

Mireille, having returned to his mansion, slammed down on his desk.

“Damn it! That fucking bitch!”

As he fumed, his heart’s pounding grew increasingly stronger.

“Felini August! Jacques Poussin! Bring them here! Now!”

Enzo was grovelling and sweating profusely.

“I have already received confirmation of the montage. I was planning to show it to you as soon as you had returned from the banquet…”

“Bring them in! Put them both in front of me this instant!”

“Yes, yes! Ah, this is the letter.”

Enzo lifted a silver tray. Mireille snatched and unfolded the paper with great force.

[ …Looking at the montage, I didn’t recognize them right away, but after we limited them to the Black Whale’s pirate ship… they appear to be boatswain Alain Bolivar and first mate Jericho Armin… ]

The letter was crumpled before Mireille finished reading it. The piece of paper and his hands were crushed together in a lump and trembling.

He shut his eyes tightly and rested his forehead on the back of his hands.

‘I need to think… Anger does not help with planning or execution… Calm down and think… How can I chain the ankles of a woman who has all kinds of unexpected tricks on her sleeve?’

A little while later, August and Poussin, now part of the Sesbron branch of the Chamber of Commerce, entered Mireille’s study with Enzo.

Mireille managed to greet them in a much calmer manner.

“Tell me, do you remember Lil Schweiz, the Black Whale?”

“I’m reminded of him every damn day…”

“Is there any possibility that she is a woman dressed as a man?”

– – – – –