How the Villainous Consort Avoids His Death Ending - Chapter 84.2
Beyond my blurred vision, I saw Tristan lower his head toward me.
As though handling fragile glass, his lips came down to mine, exceedingly gentle and careful. Between our softly overlapping lips, the alpha’s scent grew clearer and surged in. Riding on our mingled breaths, thick pheromones blended together with a dizzyingly sweet intensity.
The vivid fragrance felt as though it were enveloping my entire body, almost to the point of suffocation. Without realizing it, I wrapped both arms around his neck and pressed myself close. Tristan stroked down my back and pulled me in by the waist. Sweet and fresh scents tangled deeply together and filled the bedroom.
Little by little, my mind, which had been taut and sharp, softened and melted away. And at last, with the Sea of Death and the agony of thirst completely erased from my thoughts, only a quiet, sweet moment together with Tristan remained.
Cradled in his comforting, soothing scent, I finally regained my calm and slowly drifted into a deep sleep.
❖ ❖ ❖
After barely managing to stabilize Ruellin, Tristan stood gazing silently down at him as he slept limply on the bed.
His pale, bloodless face and exhausted, slack posture were painful to look at. The image from earlier, of Ruellin leaning far over the railing at the bow as if he were about to plunge straight into the sea, kept flashing through Tristan’s mind.
The shock and fear of that moment still weighed heavily on his heart. Every time he thought about the suffering Ruellin must have endured in his frail body, it felt as though the inside of his chest were being slashed apart by blades.
Tristan slowly straightened and began to walk with heavy steps. The corridor leading to the reception room, where the knights would be gathered and waiting, felt as though it stretched on forever. How many sacrifices had Ruellin been forced to make to build this fleet.
He had always led the fleet with a confident front, but Tristan knew better. Ruellin had spent countless long nights and days worrying, agonizing, growing anxious and afraid.
He had never imagined, not even in his dreams, that the fruits of all that effort would collapse so helplessly.
Standing before the doors of the reception room, Tristan paused to steady his breathing and steel his resolve. Then, with a hardened expression, he threw the doors open. The knights who had been waiting in haggard condition rose at once, greeting him with tense faces. Eyes filled with vague hope, fear, and anxiety turned toward Tristan.
Standing silently before them, Tristan suppressed the guilt and pain shaking his heart and thought of Ruellin lying peacefully in the bedroom. Even if Ruellin’s efforts, dreams, and hopes were to be shattered by these words, a decision had to be made now.
Nothing was more precious than life itself. Tristan issued his command to the knights with unwavering resolve.
“Lower all the lifeboats. Begin preparations for a full evacuation.”
Shock flickered briefly across the knights’ faces. Then, one by one, they closed their mouths in silence. Soon after, Mildred raised a formal salute with an expressionless face.
“We will follow the Grand Duke’s command.”
Everyone knew what this decision meant. The Grand Duke had chosen survival over the fleet he had built at the cost of everything.
After the knights dispersed in perfect order, Tristan headed back to the bedroom. He carefully lifted Ruellin into his arms. His slender body was so light it made Tristan’s chest ache. Ruellin’s breathing, deep in sleep, was faint and weak, as though it might stop at any moment.
When they slowly made their way to the deck, Gehardt was waiting, carrying the exhausted, sleeping Constantine on his back. Along with the flagship, the other two ships that had received the signal lowered their lifeboats all at once.
After struggling for quite some time, everyone finally managed to take their places in the lifeboats. Tristan gently set Ruellin down and let him rest against his own knee. The silent gazes of the knights and sailors fixed on Tristan. He lifted his eyes one last time toward the sky. In the cruelly clear heavens, there was not a single cloud to be seen.
At last, Tristan clenched his teeth. His heavy voice spilled out roughly.
“Lower the oars.”
Dozens of oars dropped at once on both sides of the lifeboats. Everyone silently gripped their oars and began to row, wringing out the last of their strength. The many lifeboats slowly slid across the surface of the water. Just like that, the small boats gradually put distance between themselves and the three massive ships, which remained quietly floating atop the transparent sea.
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Sonia.k
Is it just me, or do I think they lack brain cells? If they had lifeboats, they could have used those to tie the ships and then tried rolling the lifeboats and pulling the ships along. That’s the most logical thing they should have done from the beginning—the minute they entered the dead zone. They should have tried and struggled to pull the ship out of that area. Instead, they were just going to wait for the wind.