Could Susie have told Mr. Hastur everything that was on her mind?
It was very possible. Tonight, Susie was clearly even more enthusiastic than usual about playing the role of a teacher.
Could Susie have misunderstood what she meant when she called her a "dog-headed strategist"?
So Susie had decided to help her make a choice and take a step forward?
The more Audrey thought about it, the more possible it seemed. At this moment, the small hand Mr. Hastur was holding in his palm felt as though it were burning.
Warm and cozy, especially on such a slightly chilly late night.
But she did not pull her hand back. After a brief silence, she raised her head and looked at Hastur beside her, revealing a faint smile.
"Mr. Hastur, once you hold hands, it's something for a lifetime."
...
When the sun rose in the morning, Audrey returned through the travel portal and placed a box of fried fish pieces she had specially bought in front of Susie as a late-night snack.
Audrey crouched down and gently reached out to stroke her head.
"Susie, thank you for the things you said to Mr. Hastur for me tonight."
"???"
Susie, who was in the middle of tasting the fried fish, suddenly had three enormous question marks rising above her head.
Had she communicated anything to Mr. Hastur tonight?
Woof, woof, woof?
Could Mr. Hastur have understood something incredible from those three barks?
But she had clearly only reminded Mr. Hastur that Audrey had something she wanted to talk to him about. She had not said anything extra.
Because among Emperor Roselle's famous sayings, there was one that clearly stated: "Feelings are a matter between two people. Other people should not, and cannot, rashly interfere."
She had strictly followed Emperor Roselle's words and would never do something thankless.
"Susie, if it weren't for you, I might really have ended this adventure carrying a tiny bit of disappointment and returned to Backlund." Audrey's tone was gentle, and her gaze was especially warm. "Susie, thank you for always staying by my side and helping me resolve my worries."
"???"
Susie froze for several seconds and seriously thought about it for a while, but she still could not understand the change in Audrey's attitude before and after.
Forget it. In any case, there were delicious fried fish pieces to eat.
After chatting with Susie for a while, Audrey returned to her bed, lay down, and pulled the blanket over her cheeks. The corners of her lips curved slightly upward as she could not stop recalling how she and Hastur had held hands tonight, freely walking through the late-night streets like a couple beneath the envious gazes of passersby.
They ate snacks from roadside stalls late at night, watched early-rising workers move cargo at the harbor through the night, and occasionally chatted with nearby diners about recent events at sea.
Then they strolled along the paths near the beach, watching the darkness of night gradually give way to the morning light.
Sometimes, even though there was only a single step between two possibilities, if that step was never taken, the experiences would ultimately remain completely different.
"Once you hold hands, it's something for a lifetime."
"Audrey, this should be the bravest thing you've ever done in your life."
Audrey whispered softly to herself. She had originally planned to catch up on a little sleep, but a series of knocks suddenly came from outside the door.
It was Xio, who had always liked waking up early and could never sit still.
"Good morning, Miss Xio."
Audrey opened the door, a bright smile naturally hanging on her face.
"Good morning, Miss Audrey." Xio was momentarily stunned before asking in confusion, "For some reason, Miss Audrey's smile today feels especially delightful."
"Only today?"
Audrey deliberately put on a slightly stern little expression, causing Xio to hurriedly explain, "Of course not. Miss Audrey is beautiful and charming every single day. Your smile is enough to heal every unhappy thing."
"Thank you for the compliment. Miss Xio is very cute too."
After being praised, Xio gave an embarrassed, silly smile and then invited Audrey to go have breakfast together.
As for that sleepyhead Fors, they would still have to wait a while before she was willing to leave her bed.
"Good morning, Miss Audrey."
"Good morning, Miss Xio."
Klein, who had also come out for breakfast, naturally greeted Audrey and Xio.
His gaze paused slightly on Audrey. If he had not sensed wrongly last night, that spatial fluctuation should have come from Miss Audrey's room.
Last night, someone had gone out together with Miss Audrey.
The three took their seats. Fors appeared while yawning, and a little while later, Susie slowly arrived at the dining table behind Hastur.
Hastur sat beside Audrey, exchanged a few simple greetings with everyone, then naturally reached out to peel shrimp for Audrey.
During their time aboard the ship, Audrey's favorite dish had been these plain boiled sea prawns. They required neither excessive seasoning nor complicated cooking. As long as the shrimp were fresh enough, they already tasted sweet and delicious.
It was just that peeling shrimp easily dirtied one's hands, which was hardly elegant, so she usually only tasted one or two.
Fors and Xio exchanged glances. They seemed to notice something from this small gesture and looked toward Audrey with meaningful expressions.
Audrey remained completely calm as she elegantly ate the shrimp Hastur peeled for her together with the seafood porridge served that morning.
Seeing no reaction from Audrey, Fors deliberately hooked her arm around Xio's and acted spoiled.
"Xio, can you peel a shrimp for me too?"
Xio reached out and lightly tapped Fors on the tip of the nose with one finger, saying indulgently, "All right. Wait obediently."
At this, a faint blush finally appeared on Audrey's cheeks. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, making it difficult for her to maintain her calm expression, but she still tried her best not to show anything and silently enjoyed the food Hastur was feeding her.
After eating two shrimp in imitation of Audrey, Fors glanced at Audrey and Hastur. Her little eyes rolled around before she continued acting spoiled.
"Xio, I want you to feed me personally."
"As you command, my beloved Miss Fors."
A bright smile spread across Xio's face. After peeling a shrimp, she pinched its tail and brought the translucent white shrimp meat to Fors' lips.
Fors slowly took a small bite. After finishing it, she deliberately looked toward Audrey sitting opposite her.
Under her gaze, the faint blush on Audrey's flawless face had already spread across her cheeks and was vaguely creeping toward her ears.
Suppressing the laughter in her heart, Fors deliberately said shyly to Xio, "Xio, it's so nice having you by my side."
Faced with Fors and Xio's teasing, the blush on Audrey's face spread even further. She glanced at Hastur and saw the smile in his eyes as he admired the sight of her cheeks turning red under Fors and Xio's teasing.
Unable to help herself, she gave him a charming roll of her eyes.
But soon, the blush on her face gradually faded. She raised her head, looked at Fors and Xio, then turned her gaze toward Hastur and smiled.
"Mr. Hastur, it's so nice having you by my side."
The moment those words, which were practically a confession, came out, Fors and Xio froze at the same time.
The same thought arose in both their hearts.
As expected of Miss Audrey. Even when it came to matters of love, she could still be this composed and courageous.
They had deliberately fooled around earlier because they wanted to tease Miss Audrey a little. Unexpectedly, she had immediately countered by stuffing them full of dog food.
While Fors and Xio stared at each other, Audrey, who had already brought her emotions under control, naturally placed a freshly grilled piece of fish onto Hastur's plate and poured him a cup of hot milk.
That composed display of affection, filled to the brim with dog food, made Fors and Xio unable to stop themselves from letting out a full burp.
This breakfast was a little too filling today.
Unable to endure any more, Fors and Xio both lowered their heads and focused on eating the breakfast on their own plates.
As for Klein, who was seated a little farther away, he merely glanced over with interest before returning his attention to enjoying the food.
Judging from today's sumptuous breakfast and the way the various seafood ingredients had been prepared, he could be certain that there was definitely an extremely skilled chef aboard this ship.
He was going to eat well during the rest of this journey.
After breakfast, Fors and Xio headed to the deck at the bow to get some activity, while Klein went toward the stern.
Audrey silently walked over to Hastur, who was looking at the scenery outside through the window.
She reached out and pinched his waist, pursing her lips slightly.
"Mr. Hastur, were you secretly feeling pleased just now?"
Hastur grabbed Audrey's small hand in return. With his other hand, he wrapped an arm around her waist and gently pulled her into his embrace.
Since they had already laid their cards on the table, there was no longer any need to worry about such things.
"Mr. Hastur..." Audrey looked around with slightly reddened cheeks. Only after confirming that no one was nearby did she relax and lean into Hastur's embrace.
"Before we went out to sea, your father, Earl Hall, once wrote me a letter."
"What did the letter say?" Sensing something was wrong, Audrey's voice trembled slightly.
"He asked me how much longer I intended to make you wait."
"Ah?"
Audrey's small mouth fell open and her eyes widened. The blush that had only recently faded once again climbed onto her cheeks.
"He also asked when I planned to go to Backlund and formally arrange an engagement with you."
"..."
After a long silence, Audrey finally spoke in a small voice.
"Really?"
"I think that was roughly what he meant in the letter."
"Mr. Hastur!" Audrey raised her head in embarrassed annoyance. She finally understood that Hastur had completely made those words up himself. There was no way her father would ever speak so bluntly.
Moreover, he fully respected her choices and would never rashly interfere in her romantic matters like this.
Looking at Audrey's puffed-up little expression, Hastur merely smiled, lowered his head, and kissed her on the forehead.
...
At the bow, Fors and Xio noticed that Audrey and Hastur still had not come out of the cabin and were just about to sneak over for a look.
Susie, who was lying at the entrance to the cabin, merely raised her head slightly and swept them with a glance, causing them to immediately abandon the idea.
"In the end, Miss Audrey still got together with Mr. Hastur." Fors sighed emotionally.
She was sincerely happy for Miss Audrey. This kind of development fit perfectly with the stories she wrote in her novels.
After going through adventures together, their feelings rapidly warmed, followed by a natural confession, and then the two smoothly ended up together.
But if that was the case, wouldn't Miss Sharron really become nothing more than a supporting character in the novel?
No, wait.
Miss Sharron just got her home stolen right out from under her!