Chapter 150: Twins |
With a "woomph" from the steam whistle, the ship set sail.
Samuel climbed the spiral staircase to the rooftop garden on the third deck of the passenger ship, leaned against the railing, and peered downward at an angle, watching the rapidly retreating sea surface.
He had gone to his cabin, dropped off his utterly empty suitcase, and immediately headed up to the third deck, with absolutely no intention of changing clothes.
The temperature at sea was much lower than on land, but he seemed completely unaffected by it.
Samuel swept his gaze across the area below, as if searching for something, but quickly came up empty.
He had heard dog barking just as he boarded the ship.
It was an extremely fierce bark.
Quite unusual.
Although pets were allowed on this luxury liner, most nobles' pet dogs underwent training by beast tamers—or even "Beast Tamers"—and basically wouldn't be madly barking in public spaces.
What made it most interesting was that only Samuel seemed to have heard those few barks.
The barking had clearly happened on the ship, yet only Samuel heard it.
That was interesting enough.
So Samuel decided to find some entertainment.
The rooftop garden on the third deck featured a lawn, a swimming pool, and various other facilities.
Although probably no one would use them at this temperature, this class of passenger ship prided itself on the principle: "Guests may not need it, but we won't lack it."
Right now, though the pool had water in it, there was indeed no one swimming.
It was mid-December, and the ship was headed to the northernmost part of the Federation.
Probably no one would be swimming in this weather.
Samuel shook his head with some regret, walked over on his own to a lounge chair by the pool, and sat down.
A sun umbrella was set up right next to the lounge chair, but Samuel merely glanced at the sun and then relaxed, lying back on the chair.
The sun was pretty nice today—not scorching—so he didn't need to open the umbrella.
He put one hand behind his head as a pillow, slid his sunglasses from atop his hair down over his eyes, and closed them.
He hadn't found the dogs that made those sounds, so he decided to just wait.
If fate brought some entertainment, he'd watch. If not, oh well.
Thanks to the reflection off the sea, there was more ultraviolet light from the sun at sea. If you didn't have to worry about sunburn, the warmth felt even more comfortable against the skin.
The ship sailed toward open waters, sunlight spilling over Samuel's body.
Samuel's assessment:
If you ignored the temperature, it was actually quite warm.
All in all, pretty decent.
He didn't know how long he'd been lying there when, suddenly, Samuel's ears twitched.
He heard voices not far away, people talking.
"I've never seen him before."
It was a male voice, coming from the upward spiral staircase, near the landing.
"His outfit is so distinctive—if I'd seen him before, I'd definitely remember."
The male voice added.
Seen him?
Samuel noted the key word.
Raines was huge—there were plenty of people who'd never seen him before.
That was normal, nothing to dwell on.
But why emphasize the clothing?
Samuel didn't dress like this every day. Today was the first day he'd worn this outfit, the first day he'd come here.
Even if someone were to say something, it should be, "If I saw someone like that, I'd never forget."
But he'd used the "past tense."
Samuel opened his eyes, cocked his head back with interest, and looked behind him.
He saw a young man and a young woman who had just come up to the third deck.
The maiden appeared to be around eighteen, with golden hair and golden eyes, wearing a white dress and sitting in a wheelchair.
The young man was about twenty, with brown hair and green eyes, wearing a well-fitted long coat, standing behind the wheelchair, pushing it for the maiden.
The two were still quite far from Samuel, having just stepped onto the spiral staircase.
The young man's hands gripping the wheelchair handles exerted a little force, lifting the chair off the ground so it wouldn't jolt from the stairs.
Samuel immediately locked his gaze on the young man who had just spoken.
He was a rather handsome young man, dressed simply in an uncomplicated black long coat, with an unsheathed knight's sword at his waist.
He lifted the wheelchair up the stairs, gently set it back down on the deck, and stood at the landing, looking a bit hesitant.
It seemed he hadn't expected anyone to be here and was debating whether to enter.
A romantic sea cruise, an empty grassy lawn and pool, a young man and woman alone...
It looked like Samuel's presence had ruined the "private time" these two youngsters had prepared.
Samuel slid his sunglasses up to the top of his head and looked at the maiden the young man was pushing.
The maiden wore a white beret and a delicate but not flashy white long dress. Golden hair, amber eyes, soft features, a faint smile on her face.
Allenay?
That face was delicate, soft, and beautiful—definitely Allenay, no doubt about it.
The only difference was her figure.
Samuel's eyebrows shot up. He found this extremely interesting.
Not because he'd spotted an "acquaintance," but because the "Allenay" before him had a noticeable curve at her chest, definitely not the size of a little crossdresser.
With Samuel's eyesight, he easily determined the gender of the "Allenay" before him.
Female. Genuinely female. Not the Fifth Prince's type of boy-girl.
Twins.
Samuel made the judgment instantly.
Feeling Samuel's completely unabashed stare, the golden-haired maiden also turned her gaze toward him.
Those eyes were the same amber as Allenay's, but perhaps because this maiden didn't possess the "Morning Star" Law Rhyme, her eyes were a very pure, very clear amber, without the sprinkling of stars that adorned Allenay's.
She sat quietly in her wheelchair, looking extremely frail, like a fragile porcelain doll.
The young man pushing the chair bent slightly and asked the maiden in a consultative tone.
"Your Highness, should we find another spot?"
Your Highness? Definitely an Odius.
The Odius maiden shook her head, her golden hair draped over her shoulders swaying slightly.
"No need. Right here is fine."
She replied, her voice very similar to Allenay's, but softer, more delicate, with a hint of breathiness that was slightly more pronounced than normal speaking volume.
She sounded somewhat sickly.
Hearing the maiden's instructions, the young man glanced at Samuel not far away. Although he said nothing, his meaning was clear.
"Don't worry, he won't get hurt," the maiden said softly, comforting him. "Just don't get too close, that's all."
Her voice wasn't as charming as Allenay's, but it was equally pleasant.
"Alright." The young man nodded and pushed the maiden toward the other end of the deck.
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