When she heard Repulse's words, Prince of Wales didn't say anything—but her body trembled slightly.
Repulse suddenly understood.
Prince of Wales, who outwardly appeared to be the strong, even somewhat ruthless big sister… was actually just a fragile girl inside.
Was she worried? Or scared?
Maybe she thought, if I don't expect anything, I won't be disappointed.
Repulse tucked her golden hair behind her ear and dragged over a chair, sitting beside Prince of Wales.
"Give me a glass, Your Highness."
Without a word, Prince of Wales poured her a glass of red wine and handed it over. "Not going to join the others?"
Repulse cradled the glass and took a small sip like a hamster, letting out a satisfied sigh.
"My sister's already over there. Just between us… she's so amazing, it's really stressful to be around her. Sometimes I just want to get out of her shadow, you know?"
Prince of Wales chuckled lightly.
But Repulse had already opened the floodgates, talking nonstop.
Prince of Wales mostly listened in silence, occasionally replying with a few words.
Time slipped by. The table was soon covered in empty bottles.
Face flushed red, Repulse coughed and suddenly said, "It's been over five hours."
Prince of Wales froze.
She hadn't been counting the time, but it had indeed been quite a while since Constellation discovered that Saratoga had vanished.
The sky outside had turned a pale azure.
If another shipgirl had been summoned, someone would have come to notify them. But now that more than five hours had passed and nothing had happened… Repulse likely missed her chance.
Prince of Wales glanced at her. Repulse, like her sister, had a build time of four hours and ten minutes.
"You've got a good shot, Your Highness," Repulse murmured, clearly tipsy, her face red as a rose, her feet in little round-toed leather shoes tapping lightly as she said things she normally wouldn't.
"A maid without a master… what kind of maid is that? I really want to be by the Commander's side, more than anything, I want to beat my sister at just this one thing. Don't you feel the same, Your Highness?"
Prince of Wales's expression shifted subtly. She set down her wine glass and adjusted her clothes.
"I can feel the summons. I must answer it," she said, giving Repulse's hand a gentle squeeze. "I'll be waiting for you there, Repulse."
And then her figure vanished into the air.
Repulse wobbled as she poured herself another drink and muttered, "That's nice…"
Prince of Wales — the second ship of the King George V-class battleships of the Royal Navy.
Compared to the Lexington-class which began construction in 1922, she was practically brand-new: laid down in early 1937, launched in May 1939, and commissioned in January 1941.
Her naval career wasn't exactly successful. She joined Hood in intercepting Bismarck, but it was Hood who was sunk in that legendary clash—a story still talked about even three thousand years later.
A footnote in Bismarck's tale of glory.
But Prince of Wales did her part in that battle—she damaged Bismarck's forward fuel tank, forcing her to abandon her mission and return to port in France for repairs. That setback ultimately led to Bismarck's demise.
Prince of Wales's shining moment came when she sailed to Newfoundland to take part in drafting the Atlantic Charter.
As a shipgirl, one of her skills is named after that historic event, boosting the accuracy of UK and US faction shipgirls.
But her more commonly used skill is called "Critical Strike"—born from that one shot that wounded Bismarck. It boosts shelling damage and reduces enemy evasion and armor. The added penetration is about equal to half of a Type 91 Armor Piercing Shell—very handy when facing powerful Abyssals.
Still, in her historical career, Prince of Wales didn't get many chances to land "critical strikes."
In late November 1941, she was assigned to Force Z, deployed to the Far East to support the US against Japan. In early December, she and her escort Repulse were attacked by nearly a hundred Japanese torpedo bombers and dive bombers—and both ships were sunk.
She couldn't protect Hood, nor could she shield her escort Repulse. She sank into the cold sea, full of unresolved grief and unrealized ambition.
Hikaru opened his eyes.
Standing before him was Prince of Wales, wearing a white gown and draped in a blood-red cape.
He looked up—but couldn't even see her face. Her figure blocked his view entirely.
Then he heard her voice, full of lingering resentment.
"If I hadn't seen you again, I might have truly forgotten you. And I'm not joking!"
She leaned forward and hugged him tightly. The scent of alcohol clung to her like a storm, rushing into Hikaru's nose.
How much had this girl been drinking?
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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