"...~"
The crown prince of the Diamondium kingdom, disembarking the ship, was smiling happily and thrilled because of the tour of the sea vessel. As he walked, he made sure to act as if he was a seasoned veteran who had a hard time walking on steady ground after long months, or even years, of sailing.
"...!"
Even so, his good mood perished the moment he laid his eyes on the approaching group since he did recognize the distinct brilliantly golden hair that only a madman would dare to replicate.
"...haaaa..."
Prince Ester let out a groan and stopped in his tracks, furrowing his brows while examining the girl's companions - especially the towering black-haired giant with inhumanly disproportional features.
"...tsk…"
Even though it was already obvious that he was checking them out, Crown Prince Ester crossed his arms and clicked his tongue loudly to make it abundantly clear that all three knew he wasn't pleased about them being there.
After making sure that he was noticed, he rolled his eyes with such theatrical flair as if he were an actor in a play who wanted to ensure that even the audience in the seats furthest back would see his act. He then lowered his arms to show the bare minimum of politeness.
...a display which he immediately ruined by stuffing his hands in his pockets as he began to walk alongside the line of guards while ostentatiously looking away. Ester was very clearly intending to completely ignore Melinda, whom he remembered as an overbearingly clingy person.
But that behavior of his was the perfect way out of unwanted conversation for the current Melinda.
"My lady…"
"Ignore him. He put a lot of effort into looking like some low life, so let's play along and treat him as such."
Adrianna's eyes shifted between the prince and the noble girl, so Melinda instructed her calmly.
Zane didn't need any instructions. In the first place he wished Ester would just disappear for real... if anything, he wouldn't mind helping in making that wish real.
That was why the trio passed by the crown prince without sparing him a single word or even a glance.
"..."
As they passed each other, Ester tensed up as if preparing for an unpleasant conversation…
"...?"
But when nothing like that occurred, he blinked a few times and furrowed his brows…
"...?!"
To finally turn around and stare at Melinda's back in utmost disbelief.
While the prince was baffled, the girl and her servants embarked on the ship, and the planks used to board it were pulled up by the crew.
It took seconds for the crew to take their spots, and the ship set sail even before the King managed to approach his frozen son and wave...
"The duke will not be happy about this… what are we going to do if he will protest and demand your return?"
On the leaving vessel, Zane returned to his minimal height and asked, standing behind Melinda, who put her elbows on the railing, resting her chin on her hand while watching the figures of the king, the prince, and the guards get smaller and smaller back on the shore.
"He will be angry, but his protest will not be acknowledged. Not in this case. Taking me away after weeks of talks between two nations would be like Dimondium slapping Emeraldios in the face. And our king will not allow for that."
Melinda explained calmly…
*WHOOOOOSH*
"!!!"
As she said that, a wave of bloodlust erupted from the mainland and washed over everything, easily reaching the ship and causing a few crewmembers to cry out in panic.
Even Zane tensed up and began to sweat while staring at the dock they left.
It was getting hard to see, but two figures broke through elite guards and were now standing close to the king, watching the ship.
One was a gold-haired human, the other a dark-blond-haired halfling—the halfling being the source of the overbearing bloodlust.
"Hmhm~"
Despite many sailors being petrified from fear, the gold-haired girl didn't seem too affected - she merely smiled and hummed while moving one hand and waving at the newly arrived figures.
"Hmhmhmhmhm~!"
She chuckled harder when she noticed that the red-haired prince fell down, unable to handle the pressure.
"Do you think they will hear me if I call out?"
"?!?!"
Out of all the people who Zane imagined would be able to handle the bloodlust skill generated by guard commander Beo derived from his King Beast ability, Adrianna wasn't part of that group, and yet she ended up being the one calmly asking Melinda and causing the monstrous servant's eyes to widen.
"Duke and king? No chance. But commander Beo will."
Melinda scoffed and smirked at her maid before answering.
"Alright. If so, allow me to…"
Adrianna nodded with satisfaction, approaching the railing and leaning over it, putting both hands to her mouth.
"MISTER BEO! PLEASE TELL MASTER NOT TO FIRE ME! I WILL REGULARLY SEND UPDATES AND REPORTS ON HOW YOUNG LADY IS DOING!"
Adrianna shouted, and her voice carried surprisingly well over the waves.
Interestingly enough, it seemed that her words caused the stylish halfling to deactivate his skill as the bloodlust subsided completely. Although that might have more to do with the actual king being right next to him and the duke than the maid's call.
"Didn't you already explain that in the letter you were supposed to leave?"
Melinda asked with a smirk, glancing at the satisfied maid stepping back from the railing.
"Of course I did, but I don't imagine that either Mister Beo or Master managed to read the whole letter before acting."
"Yeah, they probably read just the first few lines and freaked out. That's the only explanation for how they got here so fast."
Adrianna pointed out, and Melinda agreed.
"It's a bit late, but neither of you have seasickness, right? We will be here for at least seven days."
The gold-haired girl straightened her back and turned around, looking between the maid and the monstrous servant.
"I would like to ask you the same question, young lady."
Adrianna lowered her head politely and talked back.
"How about we check out our cabins?"
Zane, whose face appeared to turn slightly green, joined in the conversation with a tense voice, lightly shaking the suitcases he was holding onto.