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Chapter 31
“Give me the necklace. I’ll put it on for you.”
Frederic held out his hand to me. I glanced at his hand, then handed over the pearl necklace.
Clink.
The pearl necklace fell into Frederic’s hand. He gently picked it up and carefully placed it around my neck.
When Frederic’s fingers lightly brushed my neck, I got goosebumps all over. Trying to distract myself, I quickly brought up a new topic.
“Did you get a gift for Charlie yet?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“What is it?”
“Jade.”
Jade? Oh… that jade?
‘Ugh, what have I done… I was the one who told him Charlie likes jade.’
But the moment Frederic showed me the gift, all my regret disappeared.
It was a necklace and earring set. The jade was tiny and used like an accent. The main part was made of beautiful, shimmering pearls.
“Wow, it’s so pretty! Charlie’s gonna love it!”
“I’m glad.”
Frederic gave a small smile. But his eyes didn’t shine like they used to.
‘Huh? He used to light up the moment Charlie’s name came up.’
Something was definitely different about Frederic. His attitude had changed.
Or maybe…
‘He’s just tired or something.’
I didn’t think much of it. After all, this world still revolved around Charlie. Frederic would probably go back to being obsessed with her soon enough.
“Delphine.”
“…?”
It wasn’t often Frederic called me by my name like that. It felt kind of weird. I glanced at him.
His hair fluttered in the wind, and behind him stretched the endless ocean.
“Thank you.”
“Oh come on. Don’t get all serious over this. Just pay me. 1000 Ruk. Gifts and wages are separate, remember?”
“…You and your money.”
Frederic gave me that usual disgusted look.
‘Yep, this is the Frederic I know.’
It was easier when he hated how obsessed I was with money.
I smiled at him, and he smiled back, still looking out at the sea.
“Check that knot one more time. Let me know right away if the wind shifts.”
“Yes, Captain!”
The sailors quickly went back to their positions.
“Captain, here’s the tea you asked for.”
A young sailor came running and handed Tiago a thermos. Tiago opened the lid and sniffed the scent before nodding.
“Good. This is for seasickness, right?”
“Yes, sir!”
Tiago took the tea and headed toward the deck—where Delphine had gone to get some fresh air because of her seasickness.
“Oh.”
He stopped walking when he got there.
Delphine wasn’t alone on the deck. Frederic was standing beside her, both of them leaning against the railing, smiling and talking.
‘Delphine only makes that face when she’s looking at him.’
She was smiling brightly—completely unguarded, showing her true self. Watching her like that made something flare up inside Tiago.
‘Ugh. Just a working relationship, huh? Yeah, right. Those two are definitely more than that.’
Tiago stood there for a while, watching them. When Frederic put the necklace on Delphine, his grip on the tea bottle tightened without thinking.
Tiago was feeling something he hadn’t felt in years—maybe ever. A deep, burning desire. He thought he already had everything he needed in life, so he rarely wanted anything.
That included women. Most women came to him first. If they didn’t, he usually wasn’t interested anyway.
So Tiago didn’t understand it. Why was he so drawn to Delphine? Was it fate? Or did she just have something special?
He couldn’t figure it out. But one thing was clear: he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
“….”
Tiago finally walked over to Delphine and Frederic with the tea.
“Oh, hey!”
Delphine spotted him first and waved cheerfully. Frederic gave a polite nod.
Frederic’s attitude toward Tiago had softened a little. Maybe because Tiago had taken care of his drunken mess last night. He was being more civil now.
“Delphine, I heard you weren’t feeling well from the seasickness. This tea should help a bit.”
Tiago handed her the warm thermos. Delphine took it with both hands, and his eyes landed on her fingers.
“You’ve got a new ring. That’s definitely an elf’s ring. Quite a rare gift, Delphine.”
“Oh, this? Wow, you recognized it right away. Yup, it’s an elf’s ring. Frederic gave it to me.”
Delphine spread her fingers to show him. The ring sparkled on her pale, slender hand.
“That kind of ring is hard to come by. It’s beautiful.”
“Right? I felt a little bad accepting it, but it was a birthday gift from Frederic, so I decided to keep it.”
Tiago’s eyes lit up.
“When’s your birthday?”
Without thinking, Delphine answered.
“I’ll be back just in time next week.”
“Then are you throwing a birthday party?”
“Yeah.”
As soon as she replied, Delphine looked like she regretted it. But it was too late. Tiago jumped on it immediately.
“I’d love to come. Please invite me to your party.”
“Ah… well, it’s going to be really small. Mostly just family…”
She tried to politely turn him down, but Tiago didn’t back off.
“Remember what I said when we boarded the ship this morning? I’d like a chance to repay your kindness. That chance is your birthday party. Please invite me.”
“Uh… well…”
Delphine didn’t know what to say. She already had to deal with Frederic, Charlie, and Leo at the party. Adding Tiago on top of that would be too much.
She glanced at Frederic—then suddenly remembered she had bragged about throwing a big birthday party just to stop him from getting on the ship.
One lie had led to another, and now she was stuck.
“Sigh…”
With a defeated sigh, Delphine nodded.
Tiago’s face lit up with joy.
“Thank you for the invitation. I’ll come just in time for your birthday. I’m so happy to be able to celebrate with you.”
“Haha… sure…”
Delphine gave an awkward laugh. Somehow, she had a bad feeling that this year’s birthday wouldn’t be peaceful.
Leo pulled his cloak low over his face. He couldn’t let anyone recognize him at this port.
Once or twice a year, Leo came here alone, completely covered in a cloak. It was his father’s order. He had to pick up a wooden box hidden in a designated spot at the harbor.
He never knew what was inside the box, and he never asked. All he knew was that these boxes brought wealth to his family.
His family’s motto was clear: If the money’s good, nothing else matters.
‘Is it something related to dark magic?’
That thought crossed Leo’s mind the first time he got this job. Things that had to be hidden usually were.
But he was glad to have this task.
‘If this mission helps secure my position in the family, I’ll do anything.’
Leo had several younger half-brothers. Being the only legitimate son of the duke’s family was something to be proud of—but also made him a target.
That’s why this job meant a lot to him. When he was given this mission, he felt like he was finally being recognized as the true heir.
He swore to succeed no matter what. And for years, he had carried it out perfectly.
“….”
On his way to the warehouse, Leo suddenly stopped and hid behind a pile of cargo.
He saw familiar faces.
‘Delphine? And Frederic? Why are they getting off a ship together? And who’s that guy they’re talking to? He looks familiar…’
Before he could feel jealous about Frederic, Leo’s eyes locked on the man’s face—Tiago.
He suddenly remembered the day he had met Tiago during one of these missions.
‘It was him. The man who handed me that box.’
That day stood out in his memory. He had forgotten to pick up a box, and when he rushed to the warehouse, the man was already there waiting with it. That man was Tiago.
Tiago had guarded the box until Leo arrived. In a way, Tiago had saved him.
‘I still remember his attitude—so confident and calm.’
Leo watched Tiago now. He still had that same confidence. But something felt different.
‘I can’t put my finger on it, but… he seems softer somehow?’
Just then, Delphine’s voice rang out nearby.
“Frederic! Where’s our carriage? Is it in front of the port?”
Delphine and Frederic had disembarked and were heading in Leo’s direction.
Leo ducked behind the cargo and held his breath. They were so close, he could hear their conversation clearly.
