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‘Well, I can’t say I don’t deserve this aggressive approach… From his standpoint, it must look like I’m lying on top of Liloa.’

Ed raised both his hands as if to show he was innocent. Still, Cesar scrutinised his face for any signs of pleasure getting from molestation. Ed snorted exasperatedly at the behaviour shown by Cesar, who was rudely staring him in the face.

“Let’s just calm down. What if she wakes up?”

“…”

They simultaneously lowered their eyes to the sleeping Lil. 

‘Wait, now that I see it, her cleavage is visible through her unbuttoned shirt…’ 

Cesar and Ed both noticed the exposure at the same time. Cesar’s eyes became sharp like a sword, ready to kill. Ed, on the other hand, was starting to get tired of the constant suspicion when he was wrongly judged for the umpteenth time, so he decided to attack with a blatant remark.

“What are you thinking? I’m not so desperate to touch a sleeping woman.”

“…”

However, the unconvinced Cesar kept his beastly stance. Although he had previously shown respect to Ed, he appears to have changed his mind after having seen so much.

‘…He’s losing his reason…’

Ed raised his eyebrows as he watched Cesar’s right hand twitch over and over again. He didn’t like this dead-end situation in which he had to explain something that had been taken out of context, especially since his opponent had an advantage in his relationship with Lil. As a result, he provoked Cesar with another twisted statement.

“Come on, if I really wanted to do something, I’d take her somewhere nice.”

“..!”

As expected, Ed’s choice of words exacerbated the situation. Cesar drew his sword halfway but then thrust it back into the sheath again. His whole body trembled when he exercised his superhuman patience. In an attempt to calm his anger, he picked up Lil.

Ed continued with his blunt sarcasm.

“What, are you going to hold her like that? Do you want everyone to know she’s secretly a woman? What if the crew sees you?”

Ignoring Ed, Cesar examined Lil from head to toe for any signs of coercion or harassment. Except for her unkempt clothes, Lil appeared to have been in good hands. However, the horrible odour of alcohol was vibrating.

‘Aren’t you waking up because you’re drunk?’ Unbelievable.’

Cesar returned his gaze to the innocent Ed.

“How much…”

“Don’t misunderstand the situation. She drank heavily by herself. So don’t talk nonsense about me forcing her in any way and don’t ask me how much she’s drunk, because I don’t know.”

Cesar wanted to ask for the whole story, but he couldn’t because of his current opponent. He thought it would be much better to hear it directly from Lil. Cesar also reasoned that in order to separate Ed from Lil, he had to leave as quickly as possible.

“Give me her necklace.”

Ed looked renewed at the necklace he was holding. Of course, he had no intention of keeping it. He wanted to preserve the progress he made with Lil, who was finally lowering her boundaries a bit. However, just this one time, he didn’t want to hand it over so easily.

“Are you that easily convinced about my sanity? Don’t be naïve, Captain. Whenever I’m getting bored, I always start doing the craziest things in secret.”

“…”

“Let this be a warning, if you force me in any way, I’ll probably get bored very soon.”

“…”

“Winning someone’s trust is the most effective way to lead to romance, but don’t ever think it’s the only way.”

“…”

“I know, how annoying.”

“Don’t be so arrogant. How far do you think you can go?”

Cesar asked back with his stern eyes maintaining their piercing gaze. Ed grunted displeased and extended the hand holding the necklace, only to snatch it back when Cesar reached out his hand.

“Ah, right…”

Ed opened his eyes wide as if he had suddenly thought of something and hung the necklace around his neck.

“…How do I look?”

“…”

As if evading the repulsing sight, Cesar turned his head away.

“Raise your eyes. I’m sure my beauty is comparable to Liloa’s, so what are you so reluctant about?”

“…”

“You’d better look at me quickly. Since Liloa’s body temperature is going down, shouldn’t you bring her inside?”

“..!”

Cesar, who placed the back of his hand on Lil’s cheek, reluctantly raised his head. It was just before their eyes met. Ed had never seen Cesar’s face so badly distorted. No, distorted or not, it was the first time he witnessed a change in Cesar’s expression. Ed asked, feeling the same pleasure as when one of his playful pranks were successful.

“What do you think?”

“…”

Cesar’s displeased face gradually turned into one that seemed embarrassed. Now Ed was the one with a distorted expression and asked.

“What’s with that look? Did you fall in love with me?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“…”

“There’s no change … none.”

“What?”

“You’re the same.”

In disbelief, Ed put his hands on his chest and pretended to massage them. When Cesar turned his head to avoid seeing something he didn’t want to see, Ed shot him with sharp eyes.

“Are you serious?”

“There’s no point in telling a lie. Now give it back.”

“When Liloa wears the necklace, does she say she sees herself in her original form?”

“Yes.”

In the end, it meant that Ed couldn’t trust Cesar to speak the truth, leaving him with no choice but to hand over the necklace like an angry child. When he removed the necklace, Cesar was back to his expressionless appearance. 

‘People in the present world generally ignore magic since it’s unpredictable and treacherous, Cesar appeared to be one of them.’

Ed was one of the few who went out of his way to obtain and study magical artefacts.

“Take it.”

Just before Cesar received the necklace, Ed instinctively lowered his gaze to Lil who was calmly buried into Cesar’s broad arm as if it were a cradle. As soon as Ed’s eyes landed on Lil’s cheek, Cesar turned his shoulders.

“How do you see her?”

“What?”

“No matter what your intentions are, if you express your desires so explicitly, it will be difficult for me to deal with it generously.”

“Have I already been that explicit? I don’t think it’s that bad yet.”

Ed gently patted Cesar’s cheek. Cesar looked at him with the desire to spit in his face, but in the end he turned and crossed the sandy beach.

Fortunately, Ed didn’t go as far as chasing after them. However, Cesar still gritted his teeth.

‘Is he really falling in love with Liloa?’

He looked down at his lover, who slept like a log. The same lover that for some unknown reason drank alcohol she never touched before. The ominous premonition that reached reality more than ever persistently bothered him. Cesar entered the inn, trying to overcome the awful scenario that occurred in his head. He felt sluggish as he climbed the stairs, passed through the hallways, and entered his room. Instead of holding Lil, it seemed he was carrying an intense fear. 

He then laid her down and sat across her.

Being in a closed space, the smell of alcohol was overwhelming. As there were no clear eyes staring at him, no voice calling him and no arms embracing him, merely the odour of alcohol lingered. His heart felt like an anchor thrown into an endlessly deep sea. The heavy piece of metal couldn’t find any rocks or floors to support it. Without support, it could only sink aimlessly.

‘Why?’

Cesar had a hunch that Lil was going through a difficult time. He wasn’t a fool. He knew that she was obsessed with the Bell Rock and how much she wanted to continue living the pirate life. 

‘But the Bell Rock isn’t the only symbol of freedom, right? Freedom can be enjoyed in many other ways. You can sympathize with slaves and fight against injustice through other means. In addition, sailing is dangerous and exhausting. Does it feel that your life is that meaningless that you don’t even care about your own well-being?…’

“…Is that it, Liloa?”

“…”

Of course, this was all part of a brief moment of self-pity. There are still times when he feels insignificant in front of the person he adores. In the first place, he never expected that Lil would value him so much. But Lil never once let Cesar look down on himself and she consistently assured him. 

{ “I’m grateful to you, and I truly love you.” } 

She eventually devoted herself to him more than he could have imagined.

Nevertheless, there were times when Cesar harboured outrageous suspicions. The first few times, he expressed his doubt too hastily and Lil did her hardest to show her affections. Even though Cesar said she didn’t have to, he didn’t stop her from trying. Unlike Cesar, who genuinely loved Lil, Lil was unaware that love was an emotion that didn’t require proof. No matter how tightly she was held in his arms or how deeply he touched her body, she couldn’t understand how it felt to lose her body into that emptiness. 

Cesar simply loves Lil that much. 

Over time, Lil became more natural. Cesar wasn’t sure if it was the development of real affection or the result of learning how to act. But he chose to stop doubting her so that Lil was no longer morbidly obsessed with proving herself. Also, he noticed that the less suspicious he was, the better their relationship became. Before he knew it, Cesar had completely buried the uncertainties from his immature days.

But on a day like this, when unexpected variables intervened, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Suddenly his old doubts greeted him as if they only left yesterday. 

As Cesar couldn’t stand it anymore and shook the sleeping Lil. 

“Liloa.”

“…hm…”

“Liloa.”

Lil couldn’t open her eyes properly and just mumbled. Cesar tried to hand over the glass of water on the table. But when Lil raised her arms in the air and completely missed it, he directly put the glass on her lips and made her drink. Lil opened her eyes once she finished the entire cup. Or at least she tried to, they would barely open, looking as thin as thread.

“Cesar?”

“…”

Seeing him, Lil raised her hand and rubbed her eyes.

“Why… why wake me…”

Cesar felt sorry for a moment but got rid of that feeling right away.

“Why did you drink?”

“Just… I was just curious.”

“Why today?”

“Now that this is over…”

“Are you that upset?”

“Hnggg… no… it’s just… starting over…”

It was close to gibberish, but Cesar understood the meaning. However, what he was curious about was whether it was really just about starting over. When he brought up the topic of going to the principality today, he was happy that Lil agreed, but if it turned out to be something she disliked, he didn’t want to force her to settle into that way of life.

“Are you sure you’re okay with that?”