I glanced at the window, and judging from the light, it was still early in the morning. Maybe around seven. How did I even wake up this early despite being drunk last night? Must be the uncomfortable surface I slept on.

  I slowly stood up as a sharp pain radiated in my head.

  Goddammit, how much did I drink?

  I really couldn’t remember. In fact, I barely remembered anything. The last slightly clear memory was me pulling out Nira from the cabin after turning her back to a human.

  What the hell happened? What did I do during that black out?

  This was the moment I realized the weight of what I had committed, what I had done to myself, and regret immediately came rushing into me. This was bad, so bad. I had never indulged myself to this degree. I mean, to the point of blacking out and losing memories? I lost control of myself.

  I sat down on the edge of my bed and let out a long, tired sigh. I shouldn’t have done something so stupid. This was a bad sign, a gaping hint to my current state of mind. I was indeed starting to go that route, I didn’t want that. Never.

  When one’s mind is in turmoil, one often indulges in whatever gives them pleasures, in whatever helps them forget all their problems. And they disregard everything else. One of the most common things they do for that is intoxicating themselves, drinking alcohol. It all starts small, but as time passes, the more and more they consume.

  I don’t want to be an alcoholic.

  Others couldn’t turn back that easily, it was too late, they were already in too deep. Addicted to the ecstasy escape brings. And I stepped into it. Indeed, it felt like all problems vanished, where every action was inconsequential. One of those bad choices was giving Nira my blood. I never thought about doing it before getting drunk. It was a mistake.

  I still remembered the pleasant feelings as the alcohol started to cloud my mind. If I didn't stop it from here, I feared I'd go down a terrible road. Falling to my vices. Even back in the old world, I never had any of that. I drink whenever necessary. And I never drank that heavily voluntarily.

  Clenching the sheets of my bed, I was afraid of what I was becoming. I must avoid such temptations. Never again. I was in a volatile state. I might be pretty aware of myself, but even I get lost sometimes, losing my rationality and indulging my emotions. Disregarding everything just for a brief moment of respite, but in a not so good way.

  After taking several slow breaths, gaining a bit of composure, I stood up and headed for the door.

  I sure hope I didn’t do anything too drastic.

  The moment I opened the door, I had to close my eyes against the brightness. After a few blinks, my eyes refocused. I discovered that people on the deck were already preparing for the departure. Although there were still a few sprawled on the floor, heavily asleep. I then noticed Velar putting down a large bag, they were our things for the journey.

  As a small headache still radiated in my head, I got down to the deck. Plus, I was still a bit sensitive to the brightness.

  “Hey, Princess,” one of the crewmen greeted, which I nodded back.

  “Look who’s awake.” Shayla approached with a small laugh. “Really enjoyed the party last night, huh?”

  I winced. “I don’t even remember most of it.”

  “Told you to slow down on the wine,” Hartwin said as he came up behind me. He was already wearing something akin to a travel outfit.

  “You prepared early,” I said. “Surprised you’re not still all over on the floor.”

  He dryly chuckled. “Velar woke me up. You have no idea how agonizing it was to pull myself up.”

  “I see… So, um,” I awkwardly placed a hand behind my head. “Anything I should know that happened last night?”

  Velar, Shayla, and Hartwin looked at each other before they started laughing. I frowned deeply, whatever it may be, it must be humiliating. I mean, if it got them to laugh this much, it must be embarrassing as fuck!

  “First off, you vomited at some point,” Shayla casually said.

  Fuck! I fucking knew it. How undignifying!

  “Don’t worry, you let them all out onto the sea,” Shayla added with a loud laugh.

  That at least made it slightly better. But still not good, not good at all!

  “The dances though,” Hartwin said. “Never saw you quite loosen up. Although some dances are quite weird.”

  Stop! I don’t wanna hear that! I don’t even want to hear what kind of dances I did!

  “You even started dancing on top of the table,” said Velar. “Started shouting, mostly unintelligible, but I could hear some swear words.”

  I covered my face with my hands. On top of the table? Like, are you fucking serious? So embarrassing. I think I might have lost a good chunk of my dignity there. Getting incredibly drunk just removes all your shame, doesn’t it? Fuuuuck…

  “And you keep demanding more songs,” said Hartwin. “The moment one song ends, you demand for another immediately. Although, I do appreciate you wanting more of my performance.” He chuckled.

  “Still…” I lowered my head, my face still covered. “It’s embarrassing…” My face must be beet red right now.

  “Oh don’t worry.” Shayla patted my back gently. “Everyone was so supportive. Don’t have to feel that way. Is that right, guys?!” she suddenly shouted to the crew, to my utter horror.

  “That’s right! We’re just glad you were having fun!” said someone nearby.

  “You were pretty funny, but it was great!” one gave a thumbs up.

  “Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone about it!”

  That was not really comforting.

  Dammit! You’re not helping!

  It just got even more embarrassing! I buried my face into my hands even more to the point I could feel the warmth of my embarrassment. I really shouldn’t have done all of that. So disappointed with myself.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Velar chuckled. “Alright, that’s enough teasing. You should get ready for our departure, Princess.”

  I meekly nodded. But before all else, I needed to drink some water, I was parched. As I grabbed some water to drink, I could feel some pressure amidst the embarrassment I was feeling. I just wanna crawl under the sheets of my bed and hide. But then I was reminded I wouldn’t be getting a proper bed in a long time! DAMMIT!

  Anyway, after washing my face and my hair, I returned to my room. Speaking of which, I should get a proper bath — there was no time to do such as the ship was leaving. Perhaps we should find an inn with a proper bath or something. A good time to relax before going on our journey. Yeah, I really needed a bath. I was not feeling very good.

  Considering that I had already prepared a lot yesterday, there was not much else for me to take care of. Got some extra clothes, sheets, fabrics. Mine was more on a personal side. Even had my old daggers here. For the other essentials, Velar and the others were to carry them.

  After changing into my combat outfit, I slipped into my cloak. Carrying my bag to my back, I joined up with my other companions and lowered my bag along with the others. It was then I noticed Suda walking towards the ship.

  I met up with him.

  “Captain Suda.”

  “Miss Estelia, just wanted to check if your ship is about ready to go.”

  “They should be ready shortly.”

  He nodded. “Okay. We’ll be ready to move out in a couple of hours. You’ll see us on the waters.”

  “I understand. I’ll relay it to the crew.”

  He nodded. “By the way, are you okay? You look a bit haggard.”

  I touched my hair and wryly smiled. “Well, we sort of had a farewell party last night.”

  He chuckled. “I see. I’ll be going then. And oh, good luck here in our lands. Stay safe.”

  “Thank you.”

  “And a piece of advice. When you’re at the barren lands further on the island, don’t trust anyone. Trust only yourself and your allies. No matter how pitiful people may look, or how friendly, don’t put them first before yourselves.”

  Huh, it was more like a warning. But if a native was saying that, then I’d take it to heart.

  “I’ll remember your words. Thank you.”

  And with that, he went on his way, and I quickly relayed the information to my crew.

  Afterward, Shayla approached me, looking intently at my hair. “You’re really gonna go looking like that?”

  I mildly groaned. I was rushing to be honest, and I was not really in the mood to be meticulous about my look.

  “Let’s sit down for a moment, shall we?” she said as she grabbed a couple of chairs. “Let me braid your hair. Come on, we still have time.”

  “... Um, okay.”

  I sat down on the chair, and Shayla sat down behind me. She gently pulled my hair.

  “What beautiful hair you have. You shouldn’t leave them in shambles.”

  “...”

  She started combing them with her fingers. “You must have a lot of hair stylists in your palace.”

  “... No. My personal maid does my hair.”

  “I see. So you have a close servant.”

  “... I suppose… We are quite close…”

  “I’ll try my best to braid your hair. Don’t expect it’ll be as good as your maid though.”

  “That is fine.”

  She started tying up my hair. “Your hair is pretty long, isn’t it? Never thought about cutting it?”

  “No… I like my hair this way.”

  “I see. I’ll try to shorten it as much as possible. So it won’t get in your way.”

  This reminded me, I was planning on going for a bath later. Braiding it now might… Perhaps I could leave it be as I bathe. It would be a bit weird, but it should be fine.

  Shayla was braiding my hair in a way that would shorten its length.

  “You are going to a dangerous place, Princess. I pray that you will overcome any obstacle that may come your way.”

  “... Thank you. You too, but I’m certain you’ll return to Eventon with no problem.”

  “Of course. We’ll beat any challenges that may come. Although I wonder, Princess, your kingdom is under siege… Will war spread to the entire continent? Will it…”

  “Will it reach Eventon?”

  “Yes…”

  “It will spread on the continent if the Empire isn’t stopped. But for Eventon, it will depend. Either you become the underlings of the Empire willingly, or uphold your freedom as a nation and fight.”

  “... Fighting would cause a lot of losses and suffering.”

  “Yes. Don’t resist, and you will lose your independence, directly or indirectly. It’s up to your people what you choose to be. Although, I doubt it will come to you very soon.”

  “I fear the future… To be honest, I love sailing the sea. It’s so simple.”

  “Simple?”

  “It’s fun. It gives that peace of mind. Freedom. You just see the expansive horizon and think ‘I bet I can go there’, and you could. Limited only by courage. That is basically all you need to think about…”

  “I see. Indeed, it is. You have a choice, Shayla, unlike me, to sail the seas freely.”

  “Unlike you…? That’s… sad.”

  “... No matter. I have a home to save.”

  Some time later, Shayla was done braiding my hair. I held out my hair on my palm and nodded with a smile. It was finely done.

  “Thank you, Shayla.”

  She formed a wide grin. “Heh. You have pretty smooth hair. Take care of it.”

  As we waited, we hung out with the crew together for a while. Nira had also joined in sometime after, it would seem she was mingling with the other crew members under the deck. Making friends already, she was moving fast in life. But then again, it was easier to get along with the allies of your allies, if you get what I mean.

  Taneva also joined in a moment later, he mentioned he was at the beach to get some fresh air. And the motherfucker of course didn’t forget to make fun of me about last night.

  Little shit’s gonna keep at it for a while.

  I could just imagine him suddenly bringing up that moment at any point in the near future. Ugh, whatever. At any rate, every one of the crew gathered on the top deck, mainly to talk with us — ones staying here — one last time. We would never know if we would ever meet again. Likely never.

  While we were busy having a good chat, one guy suddenly came up on our boat, politely smiling. He was a thin and beardy man.

  “Hello. I heard this ship is due to depart.”

  “Who are you?” one of our crewmen warily asked.

  “Ah, I’m the harbormaster assigned to this area.”

  “What happened to the other guy? The fat one?”

  “Ah, yes, him. He was found dead, his head hit by a rock.”

  “Really? How?” Everyone was surprised to hear that, although mostly pleased about it. Well, everyone must have thought he deserved it or something.

  “Not sure. But I heard he was incredibly drunk that night. So he might have gotten into an accident. Anyway, I’m here to take his place.”

  Oh noooo, how sad. How tragic. He must have had a terrible slip to have killed him like that.

  It was like maybe he stepped into something slippery, like a surface of ice, right next to a stone that could potentially hit his head and kill him. And it might have been a lonely night too, and no one could have helped him, so he just bled to death from his head. But of course the force of the impact might not be strong enough, so there might be some wind that helped with that.

  Ahem…

  “Anyway, just want to confirm if your departure is permanent and won’t be coming back anytime soon?”

  “Yes, we’re leaving,” Shayla answered.

  “Got it, just please make sure you don’t leave any trash and keep it clean before you leave.”

  Hm, we were pretty clean, so there’s no need to worry about that.

  “Sure.”

  “That’s about my reason for being here. Good luck with your journey. And uh, right, if you ever return, when you temporarily leave, please ensure to notify the harbor master so we can reserve your spot. You left without warning yesterday and came back, thankfully no new ship arrived.”

  “... I see. Thanks for the heads up,” Shayla answered.

  Well, I doubt they will be coming back anyway.

  Once his business was finished, the new harbor master left. And we returned to our casual chatter. Well, at least the new one was a decent person compared to the last one.

  Some time later, one of the crew saw Suda’s ship on the water. That was the sign for them to depart. And this was the time to say our goodbyes.

  “Well then, crew, this is goodbye. If one day we meet again, any one of us, then it is a day to be celebrated.” I formed a soft smile. “Farewell, my crew. Our time together was wonderful.”

  “You too, Princess, take care out here.”

  “Yeah, keep safe.”

  “And thank you for everything you have done for us.”

  “We are grateful.”

  “We pray for your success and safety, Princess.”

  I nodded. That was nice of them to say.

  With our things in hand, I, Velar, Hartwin, Taneva and Nira got off the ship and down on the wharf carrying all our belongings. We watched and waited as my ship, that which had no official new name yet, started to depart. And then a short while later, it started to move away, its sails loose.

  The crew waved at us as they slowly floated away. Of course I waved back, Nira was quite energetic doing it too. All in all, it was a nice departure. Once the ship was quite a distance away, I turned around.

  “... Let’s find an inn. I’d like to take a bath. Let’s set out tomorrow.”

  “Will we go by the weapons’ shop for additional equipment?”

  “We will. By the way, do they even have decent baths here?”

  Taneva shrugged. “Guess we’ll find out!”

  Ugh…

  There better be. I would like to feel refreshed before setting out there in the chaotic unknown.

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