AT around the same time, Chuy and his men completed constructing the riverboat Bertine had commissioned. She went to his workshop when she received the news.
“Miss, once we finish painting her, my work here is done.”
“You finished much sooner than planned. Thank you, Chuy. After that, all we have left to do is put up the wallpaper and move in the furniture and supplies. Oh, you painted the angel as well. How beautiful!”
“We were able to do right fine work thanks to you, miss.”
“You’re most welcome. Thank you again, Chuy.”
She had already hired a crew to man the boat. The only remaining task on the personnel front was to train the staff in etiquette and service to nobility, which Bertine herself would handle.
After a week’s training in customer service, she decided the boat would make the journey to the hinterlands. She would act as a customer on the trip to test the staff’s abilities. What excited Bertine the most was seeing how far the hotel’s construction had progressed. Dorothée’s expression softened upon seeing the boat’s name painted on its side.
“My lady, what a lovely boat. I see you named it after your mother, hm?”
“Yes, I named it in her memory. It really is a beautiful boat, isn’t it? Such a lovely pristine white.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
On the day of its maiden voyage, the Karina sailed into the Saran River via the canal located near Chuy’s workshop. Its first passengers were Bertine, Dorothée, Diego, Cecilio, and Ignacio. The latter two had received a request from the hinterlands for the construction of a main thoroughfare, so they had planned to head there to investigate. Bertine learned of this when she went to report to Cecilio on the stingers’ sales and invited the two to join them on the journey.
“The national government provided funding for the riverboat’s construction, after all. If it wouldn’t be an inconvenience, why don’t you both come with us?”
“We’d be much obliged, Bertine. I admit, I’ve been curious to see this boat too.”
“Thank you so much for the invite! I do so love sailing, you see!” The usually composed Ignacio spoke in a high, excited voice.
On their departure date, Ignacio arrived quite early and surveyed his surroundings with keen interest. Everything inside and outside the boat reflected its conception as a vessel designed to attract nobles and wealthy merchants. Even the floorboards were made of the finest materials, polished to a fine sheen using beeswax. Numerous lamps had been built into the walls.
“Wow, how extravagant. Lady Bertine, this riverboat is like something out of a dream!” Ignacio exclaimed.
“You’ve loved boats for as long as I’ve known you, eh, Ignacio?” Cecilio remarked.
“Indeed, I have, Your Excellency! Boats are amazing, you know. I really do feel like I’m dreaming right now!” Ignacio was like a boy in a candy store as he inspected every little detail and marveled over it.
“Dinner will be a scrumptious affair, but would you two like to partake in some libations beforehand?” Bertine asked.
“An excellent idea,” Cecilio said.
“Sir, I cannot thank you enough for allowing me to do such enjoyable work,” Ignacio thanked him.
Bertine grinned as she watched them both. Cecilio was relaxed, already looking like he was right at home, while Ignacio remained in high spirits. A young man tended the bar. She had hired all of the customer service staff in Ybit. The ship’s crew consisted of folks with prior experience on the regular riverboat. They too were dressed in navy blue uniforms, their movements sharp and efficient.
The Karina slipped smoothly from the wharf and slid to the heart of the Saran River. Once the boat adapted to the river’s currents, it sailed slowly down. A bright white triangular sail was attached to the rope stretching between the two masts. It remained folded as the boat made the journey downriver. Several small birds perched on the gunwale, resting their wings.
“Ahhh, it’s nice not to listen to the clatter of a carriage, eh, Ignacio?” Cecilio said.
“You’re right, sir. I can hear only the sound of the river.”
Bertine found herself charmed by the sight of the two men chatting easily as they stood on the deck and stared out at the water.
“The drinks are ready,” she announced.
“Oh ho, is that so?”
“Then let us indulge at once, sir.”
Their relaxed airs vanished so quickly she almost believed she imagined the whole scene as the two men moved eagerly into the boat’s main cabin. A strong distilled spirit mixed with star fruit liquor was served.
“That looks delicious.”
“Cheers, then, sir.”
Both men drained their glasses in a single swallow then asked the bartender for refills.
“Ignacio, you and His Excellency hail from the same region, don’t you?” Bertine asked.
“Yes. Well, technically speaking, I’m not from the Callisto district, but the one next to it. Although His Excellency was so famous by the age of fifteen that there was no one in the region who hadn’t heard of him.”
“Ignacio, stop right there,” Cecilio interrupted.
“Oh, really? I’d love to hear more about that. What was he like at that age?” Bertine asked.
Cecilio scowled at Ignacio, who snickered back at him. And Bertine suddenly found herself fascinated by the latter’s words.
“You can imagine, considering his devilish good looks. Whenever there were festivals in the Callisto district, a veritable horde of his admirers would overwhelm the streets in their attempt to see him. From girls as young as twelve to women close to thirty, you know. Naturally, that meant all of us homely boys and men who couldn’t hold a candle to him insulted him nonstop.”
Bertine stifled her laughter at Ignacio’s words and tone, which were completely contrary to his normally expressionless visage behind his glasses. By the by, Ignacio himself was a fairly handsome man. Cecilio’s visual appeal lay in his jet-black hair and fiercely leonine, striking features. In contrast, Ignacio’s bespectacled handsomeness presented an intellectual sort of beauty.
“And there was this incredibly strong woman.”
“Ignacio, say any more and you’ll give me nightmares.”
“Oh, my, now I must know what comes after,” Bertine insisted.
“So this woman, she would visit His Excellency’s home every day, demanding he marry her… Heh heh heh.”
“Good grief, those were dark days for me,” Cecilio groaned. “Toward the end, even my father got carried away, overcome by her dedication. He drove me up a wall insisting she would make a fine wife.”
“What sort of woman was she?” Bertine asked.
“Do you remember Bianca? Exactly like her,” Ignacio replied. “His Excellency was extremely blunt when he finally refused her. ‘No. I won’t marry for another twenty years, so give up.’ So she did and married another man not long after.”
Bertine enjoyed hearing such tales she normally wouldn’t have been able to. The two men continued asking for refills throughout their conversation.
A round table covered with a white tablecloth was situated behind the trio. On it lay a vase full of fresh flowers and neatly arranged cutlery. The staff skillfully set various dishes on top.
“And dinner is served. Shall we, gentlemen?” Bertine asked.
The three of them took their seats at the table. After a simple toast, they began eating. Tonight’s entree was an entire hunk of pork with the skin on boiled in a variety of savory herbs. Thin slices of the meat were arranged in a fan-shaped pattern on the plate. They could dip a piece into any sauce they liked, but one was particularly tasty. A mixture of lemon juice, black stingers, coarse salt, and honey. The gelatinous skin, sweet fatty flesh, and juicy red parts of the meat were all tender and melted in the mouth.
“Wow, I had no idea lemon and black stinger harmonized so well! And the honey aftertaste is superb.”
“Fantastic. I could eat this forever.”
“Your Excellency, this herb-salted sauce is wonderful too.”
Bertine recommended a concoction of coarsely powdered white stingers, salt, chopped parsley, and other herbs. Another sauce made from grated garlic, black stingers, olive oil, and salt was delicious too as it emphasized the meat’s flavor. In between morsels of pork, they chewed on freshly baked bread. This alone felt like enough to fill their stomachs to the brim.
While they ate, Bertine asked Cecilio why he had rejected the passionate woman. Ignacio, slightly drunk now, answered for Cecilio, who seemed uncomfortable.
“Because His Excellency doesn’t like the type of woman who clings. I’ll tell you who he prefers though, Lady Bertine, and that’s y—”
Before he could finish the word, Ignacio felt Cecilio’s hard stare that told him enough was enough. He quickly dropped his own gaze to the meat on his plate and carried a piece to his mouth with a composed expression.
“It isn’t that I don’t like clingy women,” Cecilio said. “I’m just not very good at dealing with them.”
“I see,” Bertine responded.
After a relaxing, leisurely dinner, they went their separate ways. Bertine availed herself of the bathroom then headed to the second-floor guest cabin allotted to her and Dorothée. They would use the beds there while the three men slept in the hammocks on the first floor.
✦ ✦ ✦
LATE at night, Cecilio and Ignacio discussed their upcoming duties in their hammocks situated a distance from Diego’s. Then Ignacio lowered his voice before he continued speaking.
“Your Excellency. I think it’s wonderful how you continue to strive for our country and people, but you should also seek your own happiness.”
“Hmm.”
“You know what they say. A year means a different thing to a woman than it does to a man.”
“Impossible. Not until that matter is settled once and for all.”
“Well…I suppose I can understand when you put it like that. Speaking of, it still boggles my mind how foolish the Luennian royal family is.”
“I’m certain the queen lost sight of what’s important along the way.”
“And what might that be, sir?”
“Many things. I don’t think she was always as greedy as she is now. She must have steadily become blinded to her true purpose in life. And in the end, she’ll lose all the wealth she has single-mindedly focused on too. The irony.”
“When you’re right, you’re right.”
They fell silent, then closed their eyes and fell asleep. The river journey continued peacefully, only the sounds of the river lapping against the hull.
One year and eight months remained until Claudio’s fifteenth birthday.