Chapter 36

Even after living two lifetimes, there were still things to be experienced for the first time.

For Diana, that was a voyage by sea.

“If you are feeling unwell, why not rest in your cabin, young lady—ah, I should call you ‘Madam’ now, shouldn’t I?”

“I am quite fine!!”

Diana’s eyes narrowed sharply at Sir Curtis’s teasing words.

No matter how much she tried to put on a brave face, her porcelain skin was deathly pale, and her steps across the deck were unsteady and uncertain.

“It cannot be helped while you are still unaccustomed to the ship,” Lady Miriam said, offering a concerned look to Diana as they stood together on the Fieran Kingdom’s naval vessel.

“Are you all right, Miriam?”

“I am quite used to ships.”

For Miriam, who had been born and raised in the port town of Angus, being on the water was like being in her own backyard.

“When I was small, I used to board fishing boats with my father under the guise of an inspection, and I even experienced fishing myself.”

“So you have been accustomed to this since you were young.”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

Miriam’s profile as she gazed out into the distance seemed to drift toward a sense of nostalgia.

Perhaps she was thinking back to memories of her father from her childhood. By now, Diana no longer doubted the restoration of their bond.

More than that, however, she was desperate to fight back the nausea rising within her.

“Are you all right?”

“Yes…”

Diana looked up with a somewhat resentful expression at her kind husband, who was gently stroking her back.

“It is not as if you are used to ships like Miriam is, so why do you seem so unaffected, Lord Alan?”

“Me? I spend all day riding horses at full gallop, so this much swaying is nothing to me.”

“I am used to horses as well, and yet…”

Diana pouted, but her adorable expression changed quickly as the ship rocked again.

They were currently aboard a naval ship of the Kingdom of Fieran, constructed with overwhelming technical prowess. Diana, Alan, and Miriam were on its deck.

The ship also carried a small, elite group of the Gazard knighthood, including Ian, along with several knights from the house of Baron Damon Quilter.

This mission was intended purely as an inspection of the waters dominated by pirates—but now that they were entering the pirates’ stronghold, combat could break out at any moment.

Though they had secured these forces to ensure they could handle a confrontation, it remained to be seen how well these knights, who were so capable on land, would perform at sea—Sir Curtis, it seemed, had no such expectations from the start.

“They act as if they are the rulers of the sea, but in the end, they are just thieves. They won’t touch you if you pay them. However, once you pay them even once, they will come after you with more and more demands, one after another.”

“So, pirates and mountain bandits are cut from the same cloth.”

“Aye.”

In her previous life, Sir Curtis had joined hands with the pirates to force the reluctant Kingdom of Rutledge to agree to his terms.

(It seems that was not truly his intention, after all…)

From Sir Curtis’s attitude, one could clearly see his disdain for piracy.

To a man like Curtis, who considered himself a free man of the sea, the existence of pirates who relied on force was nothing but an annoyance. His eyes, looking out over the vast ocean from the deck of the naval vessel, were filled with the pride of a man who traveled the seas freely.

The sea breeze whipped up Diana’s hair.

If only it didn’t sway so much, the deck would have been a pleasant place to be.

But for the current Diana, there was simply no room to enjoy the scenery while feeling the salt air against her cheeks.

“Don’t push yourself. Why don’t you go and lie down for a while?”

Concerned by the pallor of Diana’s face, Alan asked again.

“However…”

“If you cannot move when it matters most, does that not defeat the entire purpose?”

At Alan’s words, Diana swallowed what she had been about to say.

Perhaps because Curtis had just teased her a moment ago, she found herself unable to back down.

Precisely because they were in public and aboard a Fieran naval vessel where they could not afford to let their guard down, she was straining herself far more than usual.

Understanding this, Alan offered a wry smile before scooping Diana up in his arms.

“Ah—”

In an instant, Diana was swept off her feet and carried across the deck in a bridal carry against Alan’s sturdy arms.

Though she resisted at first, once she was laid to rest inside the cabin with Alan’s firm thighs serving as a pillow, her body was swiftly enveloped in a gentle drowsiness.

The swaying that had stirred up such discomfort while she was upright now acted like a lullaby, beckoning her toward sleep.

The moment Diana’s eyes closed under the soothing motion of Alan’s hand stroking her hair, time slipped away, and she did not awaken until the heavy fatigue lifting from her body.

“……”

Unable to grasp the situation at once, she blinked her large eyes in confusion.

Just as before she fell asleep, Alan’s fingers were still gently caressing her hair.

“Do you feel a little better?”

“Yes…”

Ashamed that she had fallen asleep using his lap as a pillow, Diana hurriedly tried to sit up, but Alan stopped her.

Her posture was guided right back to resting her head upon his knee as she lay within the cabin.

A tranquil moment.

Her vestibular system, which had felt like churning, violent waves before she slept, was now completely calm.

Yielding herself to the cushion of Alan’s lap, even the swaying of the ship no longer felt unpleasant, but rather peaceful.

It was a far cry from when she had been forcing herself to stay on edge all alone.

“How long have I… been asleep?”

“Not all that long. You could easily sleep a while longer if you wished.”

This was waters where running into pirates at any moment was entirely possible.

A number of sailors were stationed on watch at all times, keeping a sharp lookout.

Under normal circumstances, one would hardly have the nerve to enjoy a midday nap here, yet Alan’s voice seemed genuinely concerned for her well-being.

“Lord Alan, you are too kind. I fear I shall become hopelessly spoiled.”

Diana’s pouting tone carried a hint of bashfulness and a desire to be coddling.

Recognizing this, Alan returned a melting smile.

“If I didn’t, you would likely try to shoulder everything on your own, Diana.”

That was precisely why, at least while she was within his arms, he wanted her to put aside all her worries and think of nothing at all.

In the unfamiliar environment of a ship, Diana had tried to put on a brave front despite feeling unwell.

Alan’s eyes had seen through that fragility more accurately than anyone else’s.

His blue-gray gaze peered down into her face.

Noticing that her complexion had finally returned to its usual healthy color, Alan’s fingers finally stopped stroking her hair.

“You can rely on me whenever you wish.”

“Even now, I am already relying on you quite enough.”

Gently rising to her feet, Diana sat beside him, leaning against his side.

Alan’s arm wrapped around her shoulder, pulling her close against his frame.

Resting within his embrace, Diana closed her eyes once more with a soft sigh.

“My beloved wife is the sort who will immediately push herself too hard the moment someone looks away.”

Was Alan referring to her taking such a firm, unyielding stance during the negotiations with Curtis?

Or perhaps to her insisting on coming along to help subdue the pirates?

Either way, knowing she was entirely guilty as charged, Diana gave a small shrug.

“It is not as though I do not trust you, Lord Alan.”

The pirate subjugation aside, the only reason she had been able to stand up so resolutely to Curtis, the special envoy of Fieran, was entirely because Alan was by her side.

“I trust that if anything were to happen, you would be the first to rescue me.”

Yielding completely to Diana’s smile, which radiated utter trust, Alan had no choice except to surrender.

The arm around her shoulder tightened further.

Drawn closer in that embrace, their lips met in a soft, tender kiss.

That sweet interlude was abruptly cut short by the high-pitched ringing of a bell.

Accompanied by a tone that seemed to summon danger, voices rose from various corners of the ship.

“Lord Alan…”

“Aye.”

At Diana’s murmurs, Alan nodded.

The two of them left the cabin and made their way back to the deck.

Once again, the boundless ocean stretched out before them.

And blocking their path, a massive sailing ship was rapidly drawing near.