Chapter 176 The Prince's Possessions
Annabelle cleared her throat, fully aware that she was about to release a piece of very important information. And so, she repeated herself, "Queen Edna Kanit, the former queen of the Eser Kingdom, is currently in a room with her husband, the former King of the Eser Kingdom, fallen King Kanit."
A 'bang' exploded in my head, and I could feel my thoughts scattering around various corners of my brain, giving me a migraine.
"How?" I voiced out my first thoughts.
Mad John's voice suddenly penetrated my ears. "Captain, I think that we should focus on our dead crew before we start ---".
His lips instantly sealed shut the moment his eyes were locked with min
I could tell that he had already guessed the kind of relationship that Edna and I had. What was even better was that he knew, without a doubt, that I could tell too. This also means that he could already guess what was running through my mind right now.
Seeing him doing the right thing and keeping quiet, I shifted my attention back to Annabelle.
"Take me to where they are".
"Captain, I don't think tha---".
"Annabelle..." My voice was sharper and harsher than I had expected. Sure, it was a good thing that Edna's husband was still currently alive, but that was none of my business.
Whether he appears out of anywhere like batman, or he decided to stop living in the public and suddenly decided to show himself to the public, that is none of my business.
However, if he thinks that he can take any woman that I have claimed as mine, slave or not, then it has every right to be my business.
I repeated, "Take me to where they are".
Annabelle stared at me with an unsteady gaze. She bit her lips before she shook her head and sighed in defeat. "Still as lecherous as ever". She uttered, almost inaudibly, but my ears were still sharp enough to pick them up.
With hesitation, she turned around and walked forward, and I followed behind her with Bones suddenly perching on my shoulders.
"You have gotten very fast" I patted his head and turned to see that the Ag'na had already disappeared, probably going back into Bone's soul space.
Mad John however had chosen to stay back and take care of the room.
He warned. "Be careful, Captain, he is very strong" Without turning his head as he began to arrange the room.
I nodded and continued onwards.
Along the way, I couldn't help but turn my head from side to side and gawk at the furnished ship.
Damn! It looked brand new.
From the broken doors to the chipped-off floorboard, and even the small stains, that I could have noticed before, none were there. This doesn't just look like a repaired ship, but a brand new ship.
Also, I think that I might have found out what a new ship smells like.
I didn't know how he did it, but for such a wonderful service, I am going to meet him and give him an extra pay.
After several minutes of walking through the corridors, we finally arrived at a room which I was sure belonged to some of my crew.
I questioned, "Is this the place?".
She responded. "Yes, Captain, this is the place".
I quickly took notice of Annabelle's dilly-dallying behaviour and concluded that she still wanted me to change my mind.
She turned her head to the side, giving me a sidelong glance while a frown slowly crept onto her lips. "I suppose this is where I try to stop you and make sure that you don't do anything reckless as my captain, for your well-being and mine". She paused for a second and then continued. "But the captain's words are the final orders, especially when it's on his ship". She immediately corrected herself. "I am just saying that no matter what your orders are, no one can dare to object to them, even if the person is a former king".
An awkward silence stretched out into our midst.
I honestly didn't know what to say to that.
Was that some kind of reverse psychology, or was she just honestly trying to show some support?
Well, even with some context, it was very hard to tell which was which.
"Ahem!" She cleared her throat the moment noticed the palpable silence and forcefully unlocked the door to the room.
She gestured for me to walk in, while she held the door open.
I nodded. My legs strode forward as I entered the room ---
A sharp masculine voice suddenly reverberated through the air. "Who is there?" Although the question came a few seconds late, what I saw next wasn't what I had prepared myself to see.
Once more, for the umpteenth time, since I woke up, my eyes widened in disbelief. I snapped my head backwards and briefly stared at Annabelle, who was now standing behind me with a defeated expression on her face.
"So, it's truly you" That sentence was enough for me to sharply turn my head towards the supposed shipwright whom I had tasked with fixing my ship.
"What is going on here?" I posed my question to the shipwright, whose name, if I could remember correctly, was Mr Alson.
He frowned and asked. "What do you mean? Can't you see that I am currently having a meal with my wife?" He then shifted his gaze towards Edna, who was looking worriedly at the situation, before returning to his meal and scooping up a spoonful of rice.
He continued, "My wife has already confessed everything to me, and..." He paused, dropping the spoon and gazing at Edna for a moment before shifting his attention back to me.
"And I am willing to go as far as overlook everything that you have done and also not take a single coin for repairing your ship. But in return, you are to never bother my wife in your life again". He withdrew his eyes away from me once more, as though he was shooing away a fly. "And you can't start by leaving this room".
My brows rose at the audacity.
Nevertheless, I chortled.
"I have only just met your master for a few minutes, rat, and yet he has been doubted and disrespected at every turn" Ag'na's voice echoed in my mind. "Are you sure that this human is worthy enough to be your master, rat?".
Although, I could ignore his words, but the fact that he still called Bones rat was beginning to get on my nerves.
"You are wrong. I know my master.." Bones clear squeaky voice sounded in my ears."... I am the unworthy one".
That's my boy!
However, I quickly directed my thoughts at Bones. 'Don't worry, master doesn't see you as someone unworthy".
Bones responded a few seconds later. 'I already know that master'.
Sigh! I think that I would need to find a way to get some scooby snacks for Bones.
"Are you deaf?"
My attention was brought back to the man in front of me.
Silence.
I stared at the man one more time before I cleared my throat and spoke. 'Funny enough, I also have a proposal that I would like to offer you".
King Kanit narrowed his eyes at me. "And what would that be?".
Daringly, I locked my gaze with his and proposed. "Number one - I will pay you double the amount for the work that you have put in repairing the ship. Then, you can head back to your little shack and I'll pretend as though none of this ever happened".
The instant my words left my mouth, a sense of wrongness pervaded the air. The atmosphere grew dense. Suffocating. As if the room was having a stomach ache and I was at the centre of it all, waiting for the inevitable eruption.
"Booom!"
My magical energy burst forth like a raging inferno, tearing through the air with a visible shockwave and rent the palpable pressure asunder.
I snorted. I made sure that it was both exaggerated and visible.
Then, my lips tugged. "You didn't even wait for me to finish explaining option number two".
"Prince Wyatt" Edna suddenly called out to me. My eyes shifted to hers, and I watched as she spoke with a plea in her voice. "I am sorry for trying to use you. I beg of you, please allow my husband and me to leave this ship, and I promise that I will be forever indebted to you".
I frowned. "What are you saying?".
She repeated. "I meant t--".
"Are you stupid?" I immediately interrupted.
She paused, staring at me dumbly. Confusion clouded her eyes, as though her thoughts were delayed, and her brain struggled to comprehend my words.
Seeing this, I shook my head and added, "How can my slave be forever indebted if I already own everything that she has to offer?"
Understanding returned to her eyes. She tried to respond, but all her words hung in her throat.