🌻 🌻 🌻
MARQUESS Diascia’s marches were in the northern region of the kingdom. Lucas claimed that it was faster and safer to travel by ship, so we boarded one of his merchant vessels and set sail from Solalitika. Our destination was to the north. It was my first boat ride.
“How beautiful,” I said.
We’d left in the early morning, and it was almost noon. I was in our private room, enjoying the scenery from my window. To my right was the kingdom’s shoreline, and to my left was the horizon. Far in the distance, I could make out a hazy outline of the neighboring islands. Every now and then, I’d spot another ship sailing across, creating a wave of white in its wake. The gulls would cry out and approach the ship before flying off on their merry ways. Simple gazing out from the window piqued my interest. I’d never tire of this view.
When I gazed from the dock, it seemed like the ship was sailing smoothly, but when I was inside, it was anything but. The vessel rocked along with the waves, and the wind was strong on the deck. When I listened closely, I could hear the stern shouting of the crew. Kiki and a few other servants became unwell and were resting in the guest rooms.
“Iris, I’m coming in,” Lucas said hesitantly, opening the door to my room. “Do you feel seasick at all?”
“I’m fine,” I replied. “I suppose I’m unexpectedly all right on rough seas.”
“I’d expect no less from a woman with a mole under her eye.” He gently stroked my mole with his thumb, and I couldn’t hide my bashfulness at his touch.
“Did you finish speaking with the ship’s captain?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he replied. “At this rate, we should be docked at our destination before sundown.”
“It’s a voyage that should take a week on land. I’m shocked by the speed.”
“The mountain paths aren’t paved, so it’s only natural.” He looked hesitant for a moment before he turned to the maids and guards standing by. “I’d like to speak with Iris for a few moments alone. Could you wait outside?”
After he chased everyone out, he encouraged me to sit on the sofa. As he sat beside me, he spoke up.
“I know that this might not be the most suitable time for this discussion, but I couldn’t find any other opportunity,” he said. “It’s about Cano. There’s something you should know.”
“As I thought, he’s hiding something,” I replied.
Lucas smiled awkwardly. “You noticed, huh?”
“Only vaguely. Something just didn’t sit right with me.”
“That intuition is more than enough against a former dog. I won’t beat around the bush. He’s an agent of the third prince.”
“The third prince?” I blinked; I hadn’t expected the third prince to be the mastermind. I’d assumed Cano belonged to the first prince’s faction or someone else. “His Highness, the third prince, favors you, doesn’t he?” I asked.
“Which is precisely why Cano was sent here,” Lucas answered. “He wants to know if my relationship with you is worthy of his trust.”
“Trust…”
I thought back to His Highness’s gaze; it was sharp precisely because he liked Lucas so much.
“I’m sure you can tell, too, but Cano’s skills as a dog are inferior to Leik’s,” Lucas said. “Yet, Cano’s prized as a dog because of his special ability. When he came to work for us, he tried his best to hide it, but it’s honestly painfully obvious.”
“And what is that ability?” I inquired.
“He’s got instantaneous photographic memory. He can recall any thing or scenery he sees with meticulous detail. His eyes are like a living camera. And do you know what His Highness’s hobby is? Photography. He used his connections to learn of Cano’s abilities and got in contact with the boy before sending him to work under us.”
Photography was a rather recent technological advancement. It was imported from overseas as a way to make pictures in lieu of paintings. However, cameras were still very few and expensive. Only the third prince was allowed to freely use this luxury as he pleased.
“That reminds me, Cano remembered each guest’s face at our wedding,” I said. “In fact, he even recalled the faces of the guests’ servants as well.”
“That’s probably why he noticed the burglar,” Lucas added. “He saw an unfamiliar face, chased after him, and caught the thief red-handed.”
Even in our daily lives, his special ability had come into play. However, I’d assumed that he was doing his best at work and didn’t imagine him having any sort of special skills. I placed a hand over my mouth, using this new information to dig through my memories.
“I kept it a secret from you until today so that you wouldn’t act unnatural,” Lucas explained. “You may not have noticed Cano, but the paintings he can draw based on his perfect memory will cause the third prince to suspect an oddity immediately.”
“I see now…” I replied.
“He even tried to peek into our bedroom.”
“What?!” I couldn’t help but have my voice rise an octave.
“He wanted to confirm if we were actually a loving couple. That man’s got a nasty hobby.” He frowned. “I don’t want him to watch us having our fun, of course, so I usually used my back to hide you. Once I had Cano spy on us long enough to convince him we were enjoying ourselves without noticing his presence, I had Leik chase him off.”
“I-I see. Does that mean…”
“Hmm?”
“That night…after our wedding… Did he see that too?”
I recalled the embarrassing outfit I’d worn that night and hugged myself, but Lucas turned red and vehemently denied it.
“N-No way I’ll show anyone else that!” he cried. “No one else saw you. Trust me.”
“A-All right.”
Even when I attended a dinner party in a dress, my husband would act like a father doting over his daughter and be extra careful so I wouldn’t be too revealing. I decided to trust his words. Lucas’s face was still red, but he cleared his throat in an attempt to hide it.