"Lin En, are we really… doing this?"
In the dim corridor, a blonde girl stood behind the handsome young man, scanning their surroundings as she spoke.
Though there was hesitation in her voice, her movements were steady and without the slightest falter.
The girl's name was Aikefei.
In her words, the young man called Lin En didn't pause in what he was doing. He merely tilted his head slightly and gave a brief reply:
"I'll explain later."
The sharp, serious lines of his profile were reflected in Aikefei's eyes. Even blurred by the faint light, his charm made her lose focus for a fleeting moment—
Though they had known each other for months and had long since grown intimately close, she still found it hard to resist him.
Of course, that was also because she had never truly wanted to resist in the first place. But the current situation was… special.
'No. Don't get distracted… we're in the middle of something important.'
Knowing that another glance would likely pull her in completely, Aikefei hurriedly warned herself inwardly. Drawing on the cool clarity of the Cryo element, she steadied her mind and forced her thoughts back under control.
"Mm," she responded softly, resuming her vigilance. Yet after only a few seconds, she couldn't help but wail inwardly:
'Ugh… no wonder Mualani and the others looked at me like that when I left Natlan…'
'Lin En's face is downright illegal. Being alone with him is impossible to handle!'
'Good thing I threw caution to the wind early on. If I'd kept pretending to be stubborn, only to go running back to him later… ugh… I'd never heard the end of it from my friends in Natlan.'
Second by second, time passed. Aikefei forced herself to focus on their surroundings. With the chill of Cryo assisting her, the distracting thoughts gradually faded.
But while the distractions disappeared, her doubts remained. Even as she kept watch, she instinctively reviewed everything from the harbor until now.
They were aboard a cargo ship bound for Fontaine.
Don't misunderstand—they had intended to take a passenger ship. But by sheer misfortune, they'd missed its departure.
With no choice, they had planned to wait for the next one. While wandering about, however, they happened to meet the captain of this vessel. Lin En had struck up a lively conversation with him, and the warmhearted captain offered them a ride to Fontaine.
At the time, Aikefei felt something was off. But Lin En had seemed determined, ignoring her subtle hints and firmly accepting the invitation.
If this had been a few months ago, she would have insisted on her judgment. But after months together, she trusted that Lin En wouldn't do something foolish over a trivial matter.
So she had suppressed her doubts, assuming he had his reasons—
Only to discover that his "reasons" were this thrilling.
Once aboard, he had wasted no time, dragging her straight toward the cargo hold!
One must remember: during their earlier discussion, the seemingly bold and generous captain hadn't cared much about fare. His only request was that they stay within designated areas and not set foot in the cargo section.
Thinking back, Lin En had repeatedly reassured him—yet, in hindsight, he hadn't actually made a single concrete promise. Given how much Lin En valued his word, that could only mean one thing…
He had planned this from the beginning.
Aikefei knew Lin En's temperament well. He wasn't exactly righteous—but neither would he scheme against innocents without cause.
Which meant this ship truly had a problem.
But what kind of problem would make Lin En act like this?
'Contraband goods?'
'No. Even if it were contraband, Lin En wouldn't interfere this way. Reporting it to the authorities would be safer and more appropriate.'
'Then…'
Before she could think further, a faint click sounded, followed by Lin En's voice:
"All right. Come on."
Aikefei quickly turned and followed him through the door he had just unlocked.
Closing it softly behind her, she took out a small lantern and lit it. In the dim glow, she glanced around.
"Much drier here. The conditions are better than the quarters we were assigned."
She commented casually.
That wasn't surprising. On a cargo ship, the storage conditions for goods were naturally better than the living conditions for people.
Meanwhile, Lin En moved straight toward the stacked crates without hesitation.
"Aikefei. Over here."
"Coming."
In the darkness, the piled cargo looked like a single impenetrable mass. Only when Aikefei approached with the lantern did the edges of individual crates become visible.
Yet Lin En seemed to need little light. Even before she arrived, he had already lifted a crate from the edge and set it down precisely in a small open space, pinning it with one foot—all without making any noticeable noise.
"Sword."
Aikefei brushed her right hand lightly across her chest. As when she had taken out the lantern, a faint glimmer flashed, and a sheathed sword appeared out of thin air.
Lin En took it and used the sheathed blade as a lever, easily prying the crate open.
He stepped aside slightly, allowing Aikefei to see inside by lantern light—
"This is… a beverage?"
She frowned faintly.
The crate was filled with bottles of liquid. This kind of packaging was common in Fontaine, and the contents appeared entirely ordinary. Even picking one up for closer inspection revealed nothing unusual.
But if it were truly ordinary, would Lin En have gone this far?
She instinctively looked at him—
Only to hear footsteps approaching from outside the door.
They weren't loud, but in the enclosed space they were unmistakable. Nearer and nearer they came, finally stopping at the entrance. A pair of rough hands pushed open the half-closed door.
It was the captain.
Aikefei had already extinguished her lantern the moment she heard the sound. But the captain carried a brighter one of his own, its light illuminating his bold and friendly-looking face.
"Hmph… I knew it. Those brats must've forgotten to lock the cargo hold again."
"Oh? Mr. Lin En? Miss Aikefei? Did you lose your way? This place is a mess—why not head back to your cabin?"
His words were impeccably delivered, inviting them to seize the excuse and withdraw—perhaps even feel grateful for being "let off."
But Aikefei was no greenhorn. Her heart sank instead.
Friendly?
To her, this felt more like the calm before hostility—luring them out to avoid damaging the cargo.
She hadn't forgotten that this ship was his territory.
Fortunately, she had confidence of her own…
Yet just as she was about to respond, a soft chuckle sounded beside her.
"Heh…"
Lin En stepped forward, placing himself between her and the captain.
"Captain," he said calmly, "at this point, are you still going to pretend?"