"…"
Dubois restrained himself from giving a middle finger and instead turned to the kitchen to instruct them to prepare dinner for the "honoured guest."
"Roselle, I only just moved in today, and haven't even unpacked properly. I can't even produce a single good bottle of wine to entertain you with."
Edward spoke casually, "I was originally thinking of preparing things well over the next few days before inviting you."
"Hahaha, well, I didn't wait for an invitation and just ca myself."
Roselle chuckled, "The main reason is that I'm about to take a long trip and may not make it to your housewarming dinner."
"A long trip? Where are you going?"
"Setting sail for a long voyage."
He looked utterly proud, full of vigour and ambition.
Bernadette imdiately looked over, astonished in her heart—Daddy was going to set sail!
She hurried to look at her mother, only to see Matilda's expression calm and composed, obviously already aware of the matter.
She couldn't help puffing her cheeks in displeasure: Adults really were annoying.
Nevertheless, it didn't stop her from tugging at Roselle's arm and swinging it. "Daddy, will you take with you? No, you must take , because you already promised !"
Roselle patted her hair with a smile.
"All right, all right!"
Edward, however, froze in disbelief. Seriously, Emperor? Your situation with the Hidden Sage isn't even resolved yet, and you're thinking of setting sail? Aren't you afraid of dying?
Should I say this or not…Roselle had always been like this in his youth—reckless, fearless, charging forward without hesitation.
Thinking of this, Edward gave him a thumbs-up.
"Hahaha, the idea of setting sail has been brewing in my heart for over a decade or two.
It was always postponed by various affairs, but now I'm finally taking the step in earnest."
"I've always believed that a man's true journey lies in the stars and the seas!"
Haha, stars and seas?
And then you'll stumble across that primitive island tainted by the Mother Goddess, and later Mr. Door will trick you into 'visiting' the moon. That's what leads to your tragic future.
Sigh…Should I try to stop him, for Bernadette's sake, and change the tragedy that awaits him?
But Roselle was the protagonist of this era. His encounters were all pivotal turning points. If Edward ddled with events like that island, the entire future could collapse.
No, Emperor…the suffering that is yours alone to bear.
Wait, hold on!
Suddenly, Edward realised sothing. Here I am, playing both a noble and an "evil god", trying to approach Arodes through Roselle at the sa ti…Everything's progressing smoothly, and now you're about to set sail?!
Believe it or not, the Evil God's going to crawl into your bed tonight and beat you up!
Cursing inwardly, Edward maintained a nostalgic expression on his face. "The sea…Indeed, it's a place people can never forget. Freedom, wealth, passion, danger, and opportunity all coexist. That's why every year, countless people bravely step into the ocean, just like I did back then."
"Looks like I ca at the right ti tonight."
Roselle's face brightened. "I heard your fortune was made at the sea? Then you must have considerable sailing experience, right?"
With his current status, Roselle had no shortage of professional sailors. What he clearly wanted, however, was not "formal" navigation experience, but the kind that led to the unsafe, uncharted places he wrote of in his diaries.
"So, yes."
Edward quickly recalled his past "experience" at sea, coughed, and said, "It was mostly to get by. Personally, I think besides experience and strength, the most important thing at sea is luck."
"Bad luck, and a storm will sink your whole ship; Good luck, and you might randomly hit a small island and find an ancient ruin—you won't have to worry about the rest of your life."
"I think luck itself is a part of strength."
"Mhm, that makes sense."
"So hurry up and share more!"
Bernadette's eyes flickered between them, feeling rather pleased. Hmph! I already went to sea with Mr. Sparrow. He even has a huge pirate ship!
Huh? Could Mr. Sparrow really have been a great pirate before?!
Leading a ship full of fairy tale characters, robbing everywhere?
That's way too exciting!
I want to be a pirate too in the future!
Faced with Roselle's persistent questioning, Edward could no longer "modestly hide his skills." After so thought, he "taught" Roselle a few sailing tips—Of course, none of them were his own. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel•fire
So were things he heard from Danitz, others from Bernadette.
Roselle got more and more excited as he listened, already fantasising about his future voyage. Matilda, however, looked worried but remained silent, quietly listening.
"These are just so of my personal experiences, and they may not apply to everyone."
"I understand."
Roselle seed still unsatisfied. "Klein, have you…or have you heard of anyone who went beyond the end of the sea?"
"That…I'm not sure. The farthest I've ever gone was the eastern edge of the Sonia Sea—A sea area rumoured to be the relic of an ancient divine war, full of oddities and dangers. I almost didn't make it back, so I didn't dare venture further east."
Bernadette raised her hand. "If you go on an expedition next ti, can you take along?"
Edward glanced over—this little girl even knew how to speak in double entendres.
"Of course."
The two exchanged glances again.
Roselle chuckled, fiddling with his fingers. "Just wait. This ti, when I set sail, I will definitely reach the end of the sea…and the legendary Western Continent."
"Hahaha, then your na will surely be rembered forever."
"No, no, no!"
He waved his fingers proudly. "My na is already renowned throughout history."
Dubois walked over. "Mr. World-Renowned Son of Steam, it's ti for dinner now."
He paused, adding mockingly, "If you don't mind the simplicity of the dishes here."
Roselle stroked his handlebar moustache and snorted. "Klein, can your butler serve dinner?"
Edward shrugged and gestured, "Be my guest."
"Did you hear that, Butler?"
"Understood," Dubois said dryly. "I'll fetch you a baby's high chair."
———
Of course, dinner wasn't actually simple. At worst, there weren't any rare or fancy dishes, but Roselle had already tasted almost every delicacy over the years. Many of the finest dishes most people couldn't afford in their entire lives had long since beco tireso to him. What actually felt sowhat novel were Endili's special roast ats and grilled fish, so much so that Roselle imdiately decided to go back and find a few such chefs.
"Oh, by the way, speaking of overseas delicacies, there are two things you absolutely must try soday."
Edward poured himself a glass of wine and filled the glasses of the two ladies with juice while speaking. "One is a dish from Bansy Island, supposedly of Elven origin—Blood Curd. The taste is apparently quite remarkable…"
"Blood curd?!"
Roselle's voice shot up. The quintessential Chinese dish left him stunned. Ignoring everyone else's confusion, he quickly asked, "You're sure it's of Elven origin?"
"Well, that's what the legend says."
"Are there Elves on Bansy Island?"
"No, it seems elves have gone extinct, and only a small number of humans with Elven blood remain."
"Do you know any other legends about elves?"
Edward shook his head. "I'm not sure. All I know is that they can be traced back to the Third Epoch or even earlier. Because they are nearly extinct, information about them is extrely scarce. The last known settlent was on Sonia Island."
"Sonia Island, huh? Then that's definitely sowhere I need to visit."
Roselle seed sowhat disappointed.
Bernadette raised her fork and asked, "What's the other delicacy?"
Edward smiled as he winked at her.
"rmaid at."
"???"
The little girl dropped her fork with a clatter. "rmaids?!"
Roselle also looked puzzled. "Wait…do you an the rmaids I think you an? You're telling they're…eaten? Shouldn't they be—"
Standing beside him and pouring wine, Dubois asked calmly, "Should they be what?"
Matilda cast her husband a cool glance.
Roselle imdiately straightened.
"…Admired, of course. What else?"
Bernadette anxiously interjected, "Mr. Sparrow, that can't be true, right? How could anyone eat rmaids? They're…so cute, beautiful, and kind…"
Right. Maybe I shouldn't tease a child with this kind of 'joke.'
"Sorry, I didn't explain it clearly enough," Edward explained. "More precisely, it should be called a 'sea monster.' It's a special aquatic creature that silently sneaks onto passenger ships to attack humans, dragging them into the sea to devour them. It's basically a beast."
Bernadette imdiately let out a sigh of relief.
He was about to give a detailed explanation that real rmaids were actually man-eating monsters disguised as beauties, but then thought better of it—no need to shatter a child's imagination.
During the al, Dubois went out briefly, but returned quickly to continue "serving" Roselle—personally cutting his steak, stirring his mushroom soup, and nearly trying to feed him directly, which grossed Roselle out.
Toward the end of the al, Roselle suddenly picked up his glass and offered it, while taking the remaining half-bottle of wine himself. "We haven't had a proper drink in quite a few years, have we, Dubois?"
"…"
Dubois silently stared at him for a mont, then took the glass.
Roselle's moustache twitched upward in a grin. He clinked bottle to cup. "I won't waste words. Just…may you find true love and have many children! Hahaha!"
Dubois tilted his head back and downed the wine, responding plainly, "Smooth sailing."
———
By 8:30 PM, Edward escorted the Roselle family to the front gate and helped the slightly tipsy Roselle into the carriage.
"All right, better get so rest now."
The carriage had just started moving when Roselle poked his head out again. "Klein! Don't forget to fire Dubois!"
"All right, all right, next ti, next ti for sure."
"Good night, Mr. Sparrow~"
Bernadette stretched out a small hand from the carriage window and waved several tis. The carriage slowly drove farther away.
Edward pinched his chin and clicked his tongue. "You know, Dubois,"
"What?"
"I used to think Roselle ca tonight to repay a favour. Then I figured maybe he ca to seek advice about sailing. But now…"
Edward patted his shoulder. "I'm absolutely sure he ca for you."
"…"
"Now be honest with —what exactly is your relationship?"
Dubois sighed heavily. "I like won, and so does he."
"Mhm, that's why you two are perfect for each other!"
"…"
After a brief silence, Dubois said, "During dinner just now, I received a ssage: A callia flower has been placed in the window of the second floor of No. 2 Callia Street."
"Oh?"
Edward's smile vanished.
———
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