How the Villainous Consort Avoids His Death Ending

“D Did the drinking water… really run out…?”

Someone asked in a violently trembling voice, but no one could answer.

There were likely still some preserved foods left, such as jerky or hardtack. One could endure without meals, but not without water. The loss of drinking water meant that the worst possible situation had arrived right before them. Fear spread rapidly among the crew.

“What is this supposed to mean! What are we supposed to do now!”

Someone shouted in a voice soaked with desperation. Accusations immediately erupted from all sides.

“We never should have gone to the Eastern Continent in the first place. Succeeding once should have been enough. We never should have taken such a dangerous route twice!”

“That is right. If the Grand Consort had not insisted on pushing the eastern route so hard, this would never have happened!”

Anger and fear were tangled together in the sailors’ eyes. The barrage of sharp accusations hurt so much that I wanted to collapse where I stood. Tristan wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me against him. Just as he was about to speak, someone among the sailors stepped forward and shouted back heatedly.

“Weren’t you all ecstatic when we finished the last voyage? Changing your tune so easily. How is this the Grand Consort’s fault!”

“He was too greedy. He should have stopped while he was ahead!”

“Who could have known the storm would twist the route like this? How was the Grand Consort supposed to predict that!”

“That just means he should have been more careful!”

The sailors’ voices continued to rise. The atmosphere grew dangerously hostile, as if it might erupt into violence at any moment. Then Tristan’s voice, cold as ice, dropped heavily into the air.

“Stop this at once. Anyone who causes disorder will not be forgiven.”

The sailors flinched at the sharp command and fell silent. Tristan fixed several of the loudest among them with a chilling stare.

“This is an emergency, so I will allow a single exception. But if anyone disobeys command again or threatens their comrades, I will treat it as mutiny and carry out summary execution. Understood?”

“Yes… yes, Your Grace!”

As if jolted awake, the sailors snapped their legs together and answered in stiff, frozen voices. Tristan continued issuing orders.

“Drinking water and food are scarce. From this moment on, rations will be strictly controlled. Just because this is a windless zone does not mean the wind will never blow again. If we endure, we will live. Do not waver.”

The gathered sailors collectively held their breath. I clenched my hands tightly and bit down on my lower lip. Tristan had stepped in to calm them, but even I could not fully escape the blame in some of their accusations. Their words were not entirely wrong.

Still, there was nothing more that could be done. All that remained was to pray desperately to survive.

❖ ❖ ❖

The food was completely gone. The drinking water reeked of damp mold, and even that was nearly depleted. The sailors lay scattered across the deck, faces drained of all vitality.

The waiting had no promised end. More unbearable than hunger was the thirst that felt as though it were scorching the throat from within. A deep shadow of despair gradually settled over the sailors’ faces. Mine must have looked no different.

I weakly adjusted Constantine in my arms. A child barely five years old, he was so exhausted that he no longer even had the strength to cry. I carefully poured small amounts of my allotted water into his mouth. His lips, cracked and blistered in places, parted slightly as he barely managed to take in the moisture and swallow.

“Grand Consort… my tummy is rumbling….”

“Just endure a little longer, Your Highness. Soon, just a little more patience… the wind will blow.”

I murmured the words as if trying to convince myself, gently patting Constantine. But the child seemed to lack even the strength to respond. Soon, faint breaths slipped from him as he tightly shut his eyes. It seemed he had fallen asleep as if losing consciousness from exhaustion. I let out a quiet sigh and leaned my head against the cold wall. The slight coolness was enough to make me feel marginally more alive.