After leaving the pirate ship, Xia De's body and mind fully recovered within tens of minutes, except for still feeling hungry. However, even with her fourth wish and the healing provided at the end of the Mystic Lock, Princess did not recover as quickly. Coupled with swimming continuously for such a long time in the water, this PentaCircle Sorceress, though appearing strong, was actually on the verge of collapse.
The people on the small boat timely discovered the floating wooden board and the two swimming individuals, and the two parties quickly converged.
The maid on the boat reached out to pull Princess up, but the Sorceress was already exhausted. Xia De could only support her from the water first, and then he climbed onto the boat himself.
Someone immediately handed him a dry towel and a blanket. At the same time, with a dull thud, the small steam engine at the stern of the boat began to operate. As The Boatman added more small compressed charcoal, the burning fire warmed the surrounding air. Plumes of black smoke merged into the night, and the boat began to move on the sea, powered by the small steam engine, quickly carrying the group away.
Steam engines for small boats were also peculiar products developed by the steam industry in this world. This brass machinery, which required expensive compressed charcoal, had not yet been widely popularized due to its high cost and complex maintenance. Xia De had only seen relevant news in newspapers and had not expected to see such a thing here.
The cost of one of these steam engines alone could probably buy several hundred Mia.
Thinking of this, Xia De deeply missed his cat, and the warm four-poster bed and quilt at home.
Besides Xia De and Princess, there were four other people on the boat. Two of them were dressed as maids; the older one was probably in her thirties, while the younger one was about the same age as Princess. The other two were the old The Boatman, who was busy maneuvering the boat, and a middle-aged man with a resolute expression, clearly from the military. He held a gun and looked at the warships surrounding the yacht in the distance. Because of the great distance, even with their lights on, those ships were not clear in the darkness.
"Your Highness, Your Highness~"
Princess was supported by the older maid, with a blanket wrapped around her body. The younger maid was trying to feed her water.
"She's injured. I'll do it."
Xia De wiped his hair and then moved over. The maids were unsure whether they should trust him, but Princess's slightly pale lips moved, spitting out the leaf in her mouth, and then she whispered:
"Let Xia De come over."
Taking the water cup, Xia De lightly tapped it, making a silver spiritual light appear, and then he drank a little over half of it.
He was truly starving. Although his hunger had significantly decreased after leaving the pirate ship, which was why he hadn't drunk seawater earlier, he still felt uncomfortable in both mind and body if he didn't eat something now.
The two maids looked at the "daring" Xia De with some blame. Xia De ignored them. Princess's body wasn't too injured, and she had been holding the youthful immortality leaf in her mouth the whole time. She was only severely traumatized mentally, so she didn't need filling food.
"Don't speak yet."
Xia De whispered, and after softly chanting an incantation, a layer of silver moonlight, Cindyia's Silver Moon Grace, appeared on his palm. It was specifically for treating mental damage at night.
Carefully placing his hand on Princess's forehead, under the somewhat reverent gaze of the others on the boat, the red-haired girl finally succumbed to sleepiness and fell asleep.
Unlike Xia De, she had been in the bottom cabin for so long that even just standing still had greatly affected her mind. Coupled with the food of desire she had consumed, being able to hold on until now already showed her extremely strong mental power. Now, leaning against Xia De, as her physical and mental wounds were gradually erased, she finally couldn't control herself and fell asleep.
By the time Princess woke up again, the Coldwater Port City docks were already visible in the distance. The familiar lights of civilization greatly dispelled the suppressed feelings in the heart of the Princess who had just experienced an adventure.
She was covered with a blanket. When she opened her eyes, she saw the vast, brilliant starry sky above her. She felt the sea breeze, the rocking of the boat, heard the sound of the waves, then realized she was leaning against someone, and then realized it was very soft. She sat up and saw it was her maid.
The small boat had already entered the harbor area. The Boatman held up a kerosene lamp and waved it, and the inspection boat, receiving the signal, immediately moved out of the way. But looking around, Xia De was no longer on the boat. She wrapped the blanket around herself and raised her hand, signaling to the maids not to worry. After a nap, she felt much better.
"Where did Xia De go?"
Her expression was serious, and her tone was somewhat cold. It wasn't that she was angry about Xia De's departure, but that was how she usually was in front of servants.
Standing up, she looked at Coldwater Port City in the night. Although it was late at night, the harbor was still illuminated by gas lamps, and the shadows of ships and buildings could not obscure the lights of civilization. Coldwater Port City under the starry sea was incredibly stunning at this moment.
"Your Highness, that gentleman jumped into the sea and left five minutes ago. He said disembarking from that side was closer to the direction he was going back to. He also said he would come to find you on Wednesday, the day after tomorrow."
The older maid whispered.
The sea breeze blew the young girl's hair. Her long hair, dyed gold by the potion, had completely returned to the royal family's distinctive red.
Her lipstick color had long faded in the water. Her slightly pale lips moved, and her emerald eyes looked towards the harbor:
"What else did he say?"
The Boatman lowered his head, maneuvering the boat with the middle-aged man. The two maids exchanged glances, and finally, the older maid lowered her head and said:
"That gentleman said to ask Your Highness to help renew the room under John Watson's name at the Golden Rose Hotel on Hogglenz Avenue, and to meet at the hotel entrance on Wednesday morning. He asked you to send someone to inform the church about the Sea Return ritual and the evil god, and to try to act discreetly... He is attending the Holy Prayer Festival tomorrow, so he won't have time to come over."
Taking a deep breath, Princess couldn't help but shake her head:
"That really fits his personality, Xia De..."
It was clear the older maid was hesitant, but she still spoke the last sentence:
"That gentleman said he knows who you are now. Also, he had a very pleasant day today and left you a gift..."
Princess turned to her, slightly surprised:
"A gift? Even the clothes he's wearing were given by me. What kind of gift could he have?"
The two men on the boat desperately wished they weren't there at that moment.
The maid lowered her head, carefully taking a small box from the pocket in front of her skirt, and whispered:
"That gentleman said he bought a seashell bracelet for a friend at the souvenir shop (Note) and bought this for you. He originally wanted to give it to you after the tour guide mission was over, as a memento of two strangers meeting in a strange City. You said you liked this..."
The maid was a bit afraid to look at Princess's expression, while Leia Cavendish took the box. After opening it with a click, she saw a pair of Mermaid-shaped ruby earrings inside.
"He..."
Taking the earring, she thought of the exciting encounter in the alley at noon, the card game in the tavern, the casual chat by the dockside road, the sunset at the seaside lighthouse, the story told while the sea breeze blew, the dance on the deck in the night, the gaze exchanged in the cold cabin, and...
Her red long hair swayed slightly in the wind, her eyes narrowed slightly, dimples appeared on her fair face, and the corners of her mouth curved upwards.
She tightly gripped the earring, standing on the small boat and looking at Coldwater Port not far away. Although the blanket covered her body and her still-damp dress clung uncomfortably, Leia Cavendish, the Sorceress of Zaras Academy, the Third Princess of the Empire, the Red Rose of Tobesk, and the eternal Guardian of Roselle, was in a very good mood at this moment:
"Dorothy, at least this time, I admit your taste is truly excellent. However, when I fell asleep just now, I didn't ask you to temporarily take my place. You shouldn't be angry, right?"
The boat quietly sailed into the brightly lit Coldwater Port. Although they encountered danger, for Princess, this was indeed a "Coldwater Port holiday" worth remembering for a lifetime.
Especially since this romantic story she personally experienced was not the tragedy she detested (Note).