The captain wasn’t threatening him. She was simply asserting her authority.

Though Kain’s true identity was unclear, for now at least, he was still her second-in-command. The captain wouldn’t allow one of her own subordinates to favor outsiders too much.

Kain quickly understood what she meant. He knew he’d been siding too heavily with the Imperial military in a series of recent decisions, and that he’d already displeased Roy. Yet she’d still given him her patience and help. Even a fool could see what that meant.

As captain, Roy could help her crew out of trouble and stand against their enemies. But in return, she expected them to devote themselves to supporting her—not to keep thinking about their old employer.

After a brief moment’s thought, Kain went along with her. “I understand. Just tell me what you need me to do when the time comes.”

Seeing that her second-in-command had finally caught on, Roy narrowed her eyes further. Her voice turned lazy and soft again. “Mm… that’s more like it. What kind of sailor doesn’t put the captain first?”

“As for what we should do, we’ll play it by ear once we get to the ball.”

After that final remark, Roy seemed to fall truly asleep. Silence settled over the carriage, broken only by the raindrops pattering against its walls.

After traveling for a while, the carriage gradually slowed. The sound of people talking reached Roy and Kain’s ears, telling them they’d arrived outside the estate.

“Greetings, Major. Please show me your invitation.”

“Of course. Thank you for your hard work, soldier.”

“Just doing my duty. After all, this is a ball hosted by the governor. Hmm… Your invitation is in order. Please go on in.”

As the navy guard finished speaking, the carriage started moving again. This time, though, the major’s three hundred men didn’t follow. They joined the navy troops and took up their post outside the estate.

“Captain?”

“Wh… what is it? Are we there?” Gently shaken awake by her second-in-command, Roy rubbed her bleary eyes and mumbled groggily.

“You really did fall asleep, didn’t you? Get ready. We’re about to get out.”

As her second-in-command’s voice came into focus, Roy gave a small yawn and lifted the curtain a little. She watched the garrison camp recede into the distance, and her gaze immediately sharpened. “How many Imperial troops are here this time?”

“Including the nobles’ guards, around seventeen hundred in all. Eight hundred navy troops, two hundred elite musketeers, three hundred from Fran Island’s original garrison, and the rest are mercenary swordsmen or retainers from noble families.”

Kain had already looked over the list of guests attending the ball at the major’s place. A quick estimate was all it took for him to give the exact number.

“That’s quite a few. Though it’s a shame—the musketeers are practically useless in a downpour like this.”

Roy let the curtain fall. There was no regret on her face; instead, she looked barely able to suppress her glee.

However many Imperial soldiers or Black Crow Society assassins died in this storm, it was all a matter of indifference to her.

“Captain, could you at least spare a thought for how I feel?” Kain reminded her with a dark look.

“Sorry, sorry.” The captain smiled sweetly, clearly with no intention of reflecting on her words.

At last, the carriage reached the venue. It was the most lavish building on the estate: a magnificent hall in the style of an Imperial palace.

Outside the hall lay an elegant garden dotted with square pools. They were stocked with many rare and costly fish, but in the torrential rain, the ornamental fish—accustomed to meticulous care—had all sunk to the bottom, refusing to show themselves before the merrily chatting guests.

The garden also held many openwork stone pavilions with domed roofs, where guests could admire the exotic fish and pastoral scenery. But none of the nobles felt like braving the rain for a leisurely stroll. They’d all gone inside early to meet Governor Federo, whom they rarely had the chance to see.

The carriage had barely stopped when a young steward in a black formal suit hurried over. He waved, and a servant came forward to take the warhorse’s reins.

The young steward bowed to the major, his expression respectful. “Are you representing the Howard Family at the ball again this time, Major?”

The duke often held banquets when he came to Fran Island, and the major represented the Howard Family in the Empire’s southern frontier. The young steward, who specialized in handling such events, knew him well.

After asking what he thought was a routine question, he teased, “So, which pretty young lady from town is your date this time?”

The major climbed down from the coachman’s box, and the steward’s words nearly made him stumble before his feet had even settled. He gave the steward an awkward grin and a glare. “No, no. I’m not attending the ball this time. I’m just the carriage driver.”

At that, the steward’s expression stiffened. “Major, when you submitted the names, you didn’t say you wouldn’t be attending. Bringing someone else in your place… well, that’s a bit of a breach of protocol.”

The steward had good reason to worry. Invitations to a ball of this stature were precious, and once a guest had been confirmed, sending someone else in their place would be an insult to the host. And the host this time wasn’t their own broad-minded duke…

It was the infamous Governor Federo!

If the governor lost his temper, he wouldn’t care who you had backing you. People really could end up dead!

“Changing guests is one thing. If you’d arrived a little earlier, I could’ve covered for you and smoothed things over. But you had to wait until everyone else was inside before pulling this…”

The distress on the steward’s face swelled like a rising tide. His meaning couldn’t have been clearer.

“Don’t worry. No matter how bad the governor’s temper is, he won’t take it out on you.” The major glanced at the steward, took an umbrella from the front compartment and opened it, then carefully opened the carriage door.

A silver-haired young man dressed entirely in black stepped neatly down from the carriage. He took the umbrella from the major, then walked around to the other side to help his dance partner out.

The whole process was silent. The moment the young man stepped out, the steward—who’d been wearing a deeply troubled expression—stared in shock, his mouth hanging open. He couldn’t possibly know the young man’s lofty status in the Imperial military, but he recognized the resplendent badge hanging from his chest.

A bronze lion badge with a purple sheen—the symbol of the Howard Family.

As the steward stared, a pale, delicate hand reached out of the open carriage door and settled into the young man’s. Like an elf descending into the mortal world, a breathtaking young woman stepped lightly down from the carriage. Her divinely beautiful face wore a perfect, flawlessly gentle smile.

“Th-these two are…” The steward finally managed to turn his stiff neck and look at the major, whose eyes were full of admiration. His throat felt parched.

He suddenly understood why the major was willing to serve as a mere carriage driver, and why he’d dared to put on airs at such an important ball by arriving last. It was all because of these two distinguished guests—if his guess was right.

“Oh, old friend. Who else could it be?”

The major whistled and held out a hand to the two approaching guests. With pride, he introduced them: “The governor’s most important guests, of course—the young master of the Howard Family, and his dance partner…”

“Elizabeth Anderson. You may call me by my surname.” Roy seemed to have no objection to the name at all. She smoothly picked up where the major left off and smiled.