The group of six boarded a large black ship. Its long, narrow hull arched upward at both ends, giving it a banana-like shape. The captain steered the ship from his cabin housed at the stern of the main deck, while the crew kept an eye on the waters from the bow. Five sails bulged in the wind, and the majestic ship set sail, cutting through the vast sea under the bright midday sun.
“So faaast!”
“This thing can really move!”
The girls excitedly watched as they sailed the sea. It was the same sea they had been looking at earlier in the day, but seeing it as they leaned over the side of a ship was a completely different experience. The water had seemed quite calm from the lighthouse, but the small waves packed quite a punch, ruthlessly bashing against the ship to make it rock back and forth. The rocking wasn’t anything special on its own, but combined with the cold, salty sea breeze passing by them, it was the perfect recipe for setting off on a grand adventure.
“Impressive,” Anima murmured as he watched the port town get smaller and smaller.
Next to him, Luina was watching over the girls while holding her long hair back to keep it from blowing into her face. Suddenly, she looked up and pointed into the distance.
“Girls, look.”
She directed their attention to a cliffside with a white lighthouse at the top—the very lighthouse they had climbed just a couple of hours earlier. It had seemed massive from up close, but it looked like an oddly colored pole sticking out of the ground from a distance.
“Bye-bye, lihhouse!”
Marie waved goodbye to the lighthouse. The moment she took her hands off the ship’s gunwale, a strong gust of wind pushed her small body up against it.
“Whoa!” Anima quickly grabbed her, lifting her into his arms, then slowly put her back down.
“Man, we got so far already! At this rate, we’ll be at the next stop in a flash!” Myuke excitedly noted, keeping her eyes on the barely visible lighthouse.
“Wheressa ness top?”
“It’s the capital, Marie.”
“The capital, huh...”
The adventurous smile faded from Myuke’s face. She must have realized that their fun trip was coming to an end. Her saddened expression was proof of how much she had loved their journey. Hoping to cheer her up, Anima gently placed his hand on her head and turned to her with a big smile.
“What do you want to do first once we arrive?”
Her smile returned, wider than before. That brief moment of sadness had quickly become a thing of the past.
“I wanna play at the beach!”
“Me too! Me toooo!”
“That’s that, then. Our first trip will be to the beach.” The girls looked toward their destination with excited smiles, their minds full of all the fun things waiting for them at the beach. “Shaer, when will we arrive at the capital?”
“The capital city is rather close to the port, so I believe we should arrive just before sunset. With that in mind, as it’s dangerous to swim in the dark, I’d advise that you hold off on going to the beach until tomorrow.”
“Is our audience with the king tomorrow as well?”
Shaer nodded. “His Majesty is intrigued by the prospect of hearing your story. He’d like to meet you as soon as possible, so I arranged the meeting for tomorrow.”
Shaer had already relayed the necessary information to the king and arranged an audience with him for the next day. With the battle to protect his family’s peaceful life quickly approaching, Anima, for the first time in ages, started to feel nervous. To calm his nerves, he wanted to play with the girls on the beach before their meeting. Shaer agreed to his proposal.
“By the way,” she added with a warm smile, “wouldn’t it be better to move to our cabins? The deck is getting rather cold.”
“We can’t play on the beach if we’re bedridden,” Luina agreed, nodding.
“Good point. Why don’t we go inside?”
As the winds of a new adventure—exploring their cabins—reached the girls’ ears, they excitedly turned around from watching the waves pass by and joined the adults.
“Room! Where my room?”
“We got the most expensive room, right? Can’t wait to see what it’s like!”
“Let’s get going, m’kay?”
The childish voice that had chimed in from Anima’s side belonged to Bram, whose long hair, split into pigtails, fluttered in the wind. She clung to Anima’s arm as she spoke, a bold display of affection that wasn’t going to fly. Not in front of Myuke, who shot a huffing glare at her.
“What are you getting all excited for?”
“Anima paid for my ticket. That includes the room, m’kay?”
“I only paid for the ticket; Shaer covered your room.”
Anima wanted to give credit where it was due, especially given how much Shaer had done to ensure that the family would enjoy their trip to the capital. First-class cabins were private, while second-class ones were shared spaces with multiple beds, requiring their residents to interact with other passengers. The girls were having fun just riding the ferry, so the specific room didn’t matter to them whatsoever, but Shaer had gone the extra mile and booked them and their parents first-class rooms.
“Hear that? You get to go enjoy hanging out with the other passengers in second class!”
“Nooo! I wanna be with Anima, m’kay?”
“How about you let go of Daddy?!”
Myuke only got more annoyed at the sight of Bram’s lovestruck smile. She absolutely despised the girl who had proclaimed herself Anima’s wife, even if she knew such a thing was completely preposterous. Still, the anger Myuke felt toward someone trying to tear her precious family apart was far from abnormal. Bram, on the other hand, must have felt that Myuke was the biggest hurdle in winning Anima’s heart.
“NO FIGHT!”
Marie’s earsplitting scream froze the girls on the spot. They stopped pulling on Anima’s arms, and their vicious glares were washed over by a shadow of guilt. Once they’d all finally settled down, they headed for the stairs leading to the interior of the ship.
The inside was split into three floors: the top housed the crew alongside the first-class passengers, the middle was equipped for second-class passengers, and the lowest was used for storage. The middle and lower floors had no windows, as they were close to the waterline and presented a flooding risk. Without a magic stone to light the lamps dotting either floor, they were pitch black. The top floor was the only one far enough from the waterline to allow for small, round windows.
Anima and his family’s cabin was at the stern of the uppermost floor, situated directly below the captain’s cabin. Thanks to its location at the very back of the ship, it was the most spacious and well-equipped room on board. A window on one of the walls allowed sunlight to seep into their cabin, keeping it lit up for when they entered.
“Sea! I see the sea! Mommy, look! Sea!”
Marie rushed up to the window and stretched herself out to enjoy the beautiful scenery.
“Look, a bunk bed! I was just thinking I wanted to take a nap!”
“I want up!”
Marie’s love for her sister was stronger than her appreciation of the scenery, as her attention immediately shifted to the bed. She followed Myuke up the ladder, and they both laid down on the top bunk.
Besides the bed, the cabin also came equipped with two chairs that more than suited a first-class room. Anima set his bag down in a corner and sat down on one of the chairs. Following his lead, Luina sat across him.
“It’s a little cramped with so many people in here.” Myuke shared her opinion from the top of the bed. The cabin was relatively big for what it was, but they’d crammed six people into the room. It was bound to be rather snug with that many people, even in the ship’s largest room. “Though only because of that pesky sixth wheel.”
Shaer hung her head after Myuke’s comment.
“I’m terribly sorry for disturbing your idyllic family trip. I’ll take my leave...” Shaer said dejectedly, hanging her head. It sent Myuke into a panic.
“N-No, no, I didn’t mean you!”
“I, I love you thiiis much!”
Marie’s kind words put a delighted smile on Shaer’s face.
“Thank you; that means a lot. However, I truly don’t want to intrude on your private time. Henceforth, I would like to hear of the crimes this girl committed on the bridge. If I find her explanation reasonable, I shall take my leave.”