Empress of the Sea|✔️

Chapter 31

Rewritten
***

A letter fell from the night sky.

It fell perfectly into his hand.

The paper's texture was soft and smooth, but the handwriting inside was nothing short of atrocious. Instantly, he knew the letter had come from Sehyun Han of the Black Egret.

It read--or at least he thought it read:

I hate you, you menace. You've taken too long of a vacation. Suzy has been breathing down my back to get me in a casino in Waihg. This is all your fault, and I hope you realize that.

Moving on, I believe you have only two weeks left of vacation, granted the letter reaches your hands by October 11th, 1800. Otherwise, it could be more or less. I don't know.

Moving on, I have a princess on my ship, Suzy got shot by an arrow, I am mad and tired and about to fall off the edge of my chair because I'm too tired to fix my position, and I shot a woman in the ear. None of those things are things I would call fun, though the woman I shot seems to consistently run into me by chance. That's a bit of unscheduled fun I suppose.

Moving on, I expect to see you on Saturday, October 25th, 1800 on Belisies Port, Tereline. If you are not there, I will cry.

Also, if I don't show up, it's because I either forgot or something terrible has happened to me and I need saving. The former is very likely, but the latter is as well. It is your call.

Marty, or shall I say, Martinez De León, I can't believe you abandoned me on my ship with a nineteen-year-old boy as a replacement of your skills as a gunner. I need my first mate back.

Without you, I am being pulled underneath the trauma of my life, the trauma of my curse of speaking to ghosts, signing contracts with them, and promising them I would avenge them is starting to get to my head.

Sehyun Han left a small signature which was his name written in the symbols of his first language. He left a variety of doodles and ink splats on the page as well, each expressing the overdramatic tone his words already conveyed.

Marty laughed, his gloriously brown-black hair flopping as he threw his head back. He ran a toffee coloured hand through his hair, accidentally pulling at the gold loop on his ear. He winced, but the letter was a nice breath of fresh air in the twilight sky.

Marty's main reason for amusement was Sehyun's habit to repeatedly use the phrase "Moving on."

The moon and stars twinkled as he kicked his feet in the navy ocean. Sitting on the wooden docks with numbered lamps behind him crafted a perfect scene for him, a perfect setting.

Marty enjoyed his time on the Black Egret, but he'd wanted to spend some time with his family. His older brother's marriage seemed a perfect reason to get away from the sea, but now, he missed the ocean more than anything. Marty had considered sending a letter to Sehyun to ask if he could pick him up, but before he left, Marty had said, "I'll be as happy as a prisoner out of a cell on land. I might just extend my leave by a few weeks."

Scratching the loop of gold at his ear, he smiled and pressed his back against the wood of the docks.

His mind daydreamed of the times he'd spent with Suzy and Sehyun. Most memories he had with them were sinking other ships, playing poker and chess with Sehyun, learning from Suzy how to obtain immunity to poison, Suzy teaching him the basics to hand-to-hand combat, and conversations with both of them.

To the regular person, these instances seemed almost boring, repetitive. But to Marty, even the smallest amount of time with his friends was enough, as both of them had a knack for solitude.

***

"I couldn't agree more, Han," Aeryn said, crossing her arms across her overcoat, the handle of her umbrella getting squeezed between her forearm and bicep. "I wish we didn't meet at all, not just coincidentally."

Sehyun merely nodded, not knowing how to reply. Then, satisfied with the breath of fresh air he'd stepped out to take, he reopened the door to the casino with a kick and went inside. He still needed to get a ship and some underlings.

"Wait!" she called.

He turned with skeptical eyes, not wanting to hear another insult or foul sentence from her.

But to his surprise, Aeryn passed her umbrella to the prince he had met once before and said, "I want to know you."

Not even his mother had said that to him. Not even his father who met him for the first time five years ago had said that.

"I would like to know myself, too," he said after a moment's worth of thought. "I have yet to meet myself." Shall we take the journey together? That was what he didn't say. He couldn't get excited every time someone decided to be nice.

"Not your personality or who you are," she added almost instantly. As if she were afraid he had taken it the wrong way. He had taken it the wrong way. "I want to know why you killed them?" she asked, a hand struck out in the direction of where the sea was. She took in a breath. "Why'd you kill them?"

He smirked. "They deserved it."

It hurt, truly, but he didn't care anymore. What was there to expect from someone who could be only an enemy?

Then it hit him.

A realization that would save his conscience.

With a grin, he ran into the casino, Suzy's name on his lips as he raced to tell her what he had realized.

"Are we going to leave them here to bleed?" Iona asked, kicking a man Sehyun had shot as if he were already dead.

Neither Iona, Erel, Jules, or Reyna had spoken during Aeryn's encounter with Sehyun. But she couldn't be surprised that it was Iona who had broken the silence.

"Sure," suggested Erel.

Iona kicked the man again and followed her captain into the casino. "Why are we even entering the casino? There's a repair shop back there?"

Aeryn smiled a fake, tired smile. "We don't have enough money, nor do we have a name with weight. We're just another pirate ship on sea that even the British Navy is concerned about." She chuckled. "These bloody pirates will suck us dry."

"Aren't we pirates?" Iona was ignored by all but Juele who held the door open for her.

The quartermaster had heard rumours and stories of Prince Juele, but meeting him was a different experience. She couldn't deny he had a nice face--a near-perfect face, a near-perfect body, a near-perfect everything. Whoever married him would be lucky.

But she never felt the pull the ladies spoke of.

She thought Juele was going to be different, a man too perfect for even her to accept.

Iona supposed men weren't her cup of tea. Not like how the quartermaster of the Black Egret was. She'd only spoken to Suzy Aranaz, who had introduced herself as Susan, for a few hours during the engagement party, but it was enough to get her hooked on her face.

Though, something about the emptiness in her eyes, something about the way her face nor body revealed no sign of emotion told Iona to give up on her without even starting to reach out.

She shrugged and thanked Juele before entering the casino. She fell into step behind Aeryn, uncomfortable with all the prying eyes, the smell of booze.

Aeryn, on the other hand, seemed right at home.

She settled on the seat parallel to Sehyun, Maya, Suzy, and Illorin after a man devastated with his loss left. Juele, Erel, Iona, and Reyna sat on the seats next to her.

Aeryn sneered. "Let's play a game, Han."

Sehyun stilled in his seat, not expecting her to be so bold.

She reached for the deck, shuffling them with the utmost elegance, the way only a professional dealer did. "Shall we?"

***
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Word Count: 1355