How the Villainous Consort Avoids His Death Ending

The ships were technically seaworthy. They were not nearly capable of crossing the vast ocean to the Sarr Empire. Perhaps it would be better to dismantle them and use the timber as firewood to at least recover the costs of deconstruction.

Muttering this reluctantly, Tristan, the Grand Duke, tilted his head toward me and spoke calmly.

“On short routes, they could be useful. What if we repair them just enough and send them to transport glass products to the Northern Continent?”

“Eh? You mean the Port of Kalhaven?”

I was stunned by the unexpected suggestion. My eyes seemed to light up. Three small ships we had used before would be perfectly sufficient for transporting glass products. There would be no need to stop in Belforte for other cargo. We could send specialty glassware to the Northern Continent and bring back affordable and sturdy woolen products from the north that the people of Hezekia could use.

Tristan studied my expression and continued speaking calmly.

“Walter is recovering smoothly. He insists that he will join the fleet as soon as his body is well. However, it is still too risky to send him on an ocean voyage like to the Eastern Continent, and Wilhelm seems unwilling to send him far again. The Northern Continent is a distance that can be traveled in just a few days, so I am thinking of assigning the fleet to Walter.”

“Oh…”

Good heavens. Tristan had thought of that far ahead! I could not hide my excitement and almost wanted to jump for joy. My voice rose naturally.

“No, Your Grace, how wonderful of you! Three ships are definitely enough for the Northern Continent. They say even a backward cow catches a mouse…”

I praised him in an excited voice, unable to contain my joy, but Tristan’s expression changed subtly, and I immediately stopped speaking.

Tristan raised one eyebrow slowly and looked straight at me.

“You said ‘backward cow’? Mouse?”

“…No, that is not what I meant…”

I had accidentally voiced my thoughts aloud and became even more flustered. Tristan’s low and calm tone, pressing gently, made me stammer and scramble to explain.

“I mean… no, it was not meant that way…”

“Not meant that way?”

“Well, Your Grace always comes up with excellent plans, does he not? As always, but this time even more so…”

“Have I ever made a plan?”

“Never… no, I mean…”

At that moment, Tristan’s hand brushed lightly over my shoulder and lifted away. It was only a brief touch, but the warmth it left lingered. I drew in a breath without thinking and quietly looked up at his composed face.

Beneath his black hair, which partially covered his neat forehead, his gaze was calm and fixed on me. Sunlight caught in his long eyes, making them shine dazzlingly. Every time he blinked, his tidy eyelashes trembled slightly. His lips curved slowly, spreading into a beautiful smile.

His blue eyes sparkled like a clear spring lake. Tristan rarely smiled so openly, but now his corners of his mouth lifted, revealing a bright laugh. It was completely different from his usual calm and serious expression. Light and refreshing, it bloomed like a flower, cheerful and radiant as if he had set down a heavy burden.

I stared at him in a daze, completely lost. I could not breathe properly, as if I were entirely captivated by the man before me.

My heart was pounding violently. A strange sensation spread deep in my chest, throbbing and aching faintly. My mind felt as if it lifted and then dropped abruptly.

At times like this, I had no idea what I was supposed to do.

❖ ❖ ❖

One ocean voyage could not accomplish everything I desired. Although the funds had increased, Hezekia’s self-sufficient situation remained precarious, and anything could happen, so the journey ahead was still long.

A month later, the day came for the fleet to set sail once again toward the Sarr Empire on the Eastern Continent. From early morning, the port was bustling with people saying farewell. Families of knights and sailors hid their regrets behind bright smiles, waving their hands as they bid goodbye. Finally, the ships sounded a long horn, signaling departure.