The Wilshire boy, as the crew started calling the young man they saved from the pirates, was thrown in Albert's room after having a quick conversation with Alex. Jeremy remarked regarding his arranged placement:
" It seems they throw the trash together."
Albert didn't reply despite understanding what the boy meant. He was busy flipping the pages of his book. However, the young man obviously had no respect for personal space or silent thinking as he approached Albert's chair asking:
" What are you reading? Do you love reading? I find it boring... I tried once to read a book to impress my Iris but it just didn't end!"
He was talking and moving in the room like a toy with a broken spring, never stopping. Albert wedged his head in his book deeper unable to concentrate at the contents as the man went on talking before he suddenly stopped. Albert sighed gladly as he raised his head again to enjoy his book but it appeared the lad's silence was the silence that comes before the storm as he burst with questions this time:
"You're appointed by the king, how come you're on board this ship?"
The hanged sash which remarked Albert as one of the king's direct officers caught the boy's curious wide eyes, he asked Albert inspecting the sash closely in his hands like a kid who found an interesting new toy. Albert opened his mouth to explain but the boy was asking and answering in the same time:
"I see... it's because this is an official mission for your kingdom's people, the king desires to have a hand in it!"
" Are they not your people too?"
Albert said this thinking he'd diverted the conversation smartly to his benefit but the young man answered frankly with some silliness:
"Don't ask me about these stuffs; ask my Iris who no one can understand the way she thinks, but we'll all follow her to the depth of hell if she so desires!"
At the last comment, the boy's wide eyes narrowed like a serpent's eyes, and for an instance Albert believed they were committing a big mistake, and Alex was probably right not to trust the man, But as soon as the boy started talking again with his cheerful ringing tone, he forgot all about it. He did not believe them to be the gazes of trickery, but of loyalty and ultimate devotion.
" All that matters to me now is to save my life so that I can see her again. I fulfilled my part of the deal and told your gloomy captain about the key place. I hope uphold your end of the deal as well."
Albert wanted to ask about the key but Jeremy had already changed the topic speaking about ships and sailing, Albert found himself absorbed in the conversation. Jeremy noticed this and asked the officer if he loves the sea, Albert replied proudly that his father was a sailor. Jeremy's eyes narrowed again as he said:
"The sea is a changeable fellow; he appeases you in the first few days just to rise against you afterwards. If you're not sly like him, you won't survive it."
Albert didn't like Jeremy's thoughts on sailing, he was ready to object and present his opinion but Jeremy had already started talking about a different topic again until the first beams of the sun started to rise. Did he spent almost an entire night without sleeping just listening to the Wilshire's boy rants?!
*****
After a bad night sleep, Albert stumbled around the ship pointlessly in the morning filling every corner with his sighs of boredom; there was nothing to do and no one to chat with. All the sailors were still ignoring him; he was a nuisance to the ship in their eyes. Vincent didn't leave his room and Alice was busy in her kitchen. The cook had more things to take care of than the royal officer onboard this strange ship, Albert thought smiling, so the only one left to speak with was Jeremy who woke up very early filling the place with his unanswered jokes. Albert thought carefully if he should really speak to one of the Wilshire family who had declared treason openly since he was representing the king. But there was no escape from Jeremy who suddenly appeared before the royal officer wishing him a nice day. His words were carefully embellished and his tongue so smooth that no kind person could ignore answering him. Two sailors passed by them, one of them told his friend loudly with the purpose to be heard:
"The noble dogs are parking together!"
Jeremy remarked looking with pity at Albert while laughing in a contrasting amusement:
"I see you've no authority here."
Although these words annoyed the officer, hearing it from the smooth - tongued lad didn't sound that upsetting. Albert found a chance to digress and go back to the old topic from yesterday.
"So, where's the key place?"
"The Island of mist."
Albert waited to hear more but nothing else was added. He felt that the man was taking him for an idiot; he'd never heard of this island before and the man just kept smiling without adding anything else. Still Albert didn't give up hope to win over one of this family.
"If it weren't for your family's stubbornness, a lot of suffering would have ended. How do you feel about yourself knowing that there's..."
Albert addressed the childish man with a serious expression, trying to pose his authority along his kindness, but he was astonished, not in a good way, by the boy's answer.
" This makes me feel better, actually. Knowing that my Iris isn't just cold and merciless with me, she's like this with everyone!"
The man thought gladly, as a naive a happy expression dominated his face. Albert wanted to explain to the young man the grave ordeal the kingdom and its people were going through but he felt it was no use. The man wasn't stupid, this was obvious. His eyes were shining with a glow of sharpness and acumen. He simply didn't want to involve himself in this case; it seemed all what he cared about was the ongoing rejection from his elder cousin. He spent a lot of time describing her even though Albert didn't ask him to. Nevertheless, it wasn't boring to listen to. Albert learned something about his enemy; dealing with that woman, the head of the Wilshire family, wasn't going to be easy. Jeremy could spend hours describing his beloved Iris if seeing Serena getting out of her room didn't stop him. The woman's beautiful blue eyes and fair blonde hair caught his eyes. Serena approached from the two young men but her warm smile vanished when she noticed the way the Wilshire boy was looking at her, he stuck his face too close to hers like a bee that had found a nice blooming flower. As she pushed him gently, he noticed his rude behavior and apologized explaining himself:
" Please forgive my rudeness, but you're so similar to a woman I saw once before. If it weren't impossible I'd say that she's risen from her grave!"
The man was joking, even Albert giggled but immediately ceased his laughter when he saw that the joke was not to Serena's taste.
"This woman, who is she?"
Albert asked, his curiosity getting the best of him, and the young man turned around making sure no one other than the three of them were listening then pointed with his finger at Albert and Serena stand closer. The rescued girl didn't seem interested to know and didn't approach them and Albert followed her suit embarrassed at his childish curiosity. And so Jeremy whispered carefully:
" The captain's fiancé."
" Alex's fiancé?!"
Albert exclaimed in surprise drifting his eyes to the command cabin; he never imagined that Alex had a betrothed but from the context of Jeremy's joke, she was apparently dead. Perhaps that was the reason of the captain's silence and the shade of sadness his eyes always bore.
"Isn't she dead? Why speaking about her, especially you, Wilshire boy?"
Serena said with sharp tone, unafraid to hide her disdain and anger before leaving without any other word. Albert wanted to go after her but he was stopped by Jeremy who did not think it was wise to bother her more.
" I think women don't like to be assimilated to the dead."
Jeremy remarked in remorse, and Albert felt sorry for the girl, it was very clear that she has hidden admiration for Alex who didn't even look at her eyes for once. Jeremy put his hand friendly around the young officer advising him:
" Don't make such a mistake with your round - cheeked cook, my friend!"
Albert followed Jeremy's eyes that were following Alice entering the kitchen holding some pickles, embarrassed. He then found himself being dragged after the merry boy down the few stairs to the kitchen. Although he hasn't been with them for long, he surely has noticed every little detail on this ship, from the design to the relationships brewing on the deck.
Alice was standing in front of a huge pot, she smiled at Albert happy with his visit but her smile quickly disappeared when she saw the Wilshire boy with him. Of course, this sudden change in expression was not missed by Jeremy.
" It seems my family is quite detested on this ship! Did they really do a lot of bad things?"
Jeremy asked turning at Albert who sighed in frustration at the stupid question, from where could he possibly start describing this family's haughty and arrogance and the cruel ways they treated the people below them, finally culminating in preventing everyone from the sacred water leaving them dying but he has given up on having a serious conversation with the lad. Just when Alice was about to burst with Albert's thoughts Jeremy passed to another topic, allured by her long brown hair:
"You've a very long beautiful hair, I admit... it's somehow as beautiful as my Iris's hair..."
He approached from Alice and allowed himself to hold her long braid in a gentle way; winking at Albert while touching her hair:
" This hair has for sure captured someone's heart..."
Alice pulled her braid away from the boy's hand, not feeling flattered at all. She thought the boy was making fun of her, while Albert stood awkwardly wasting a chance of confession, though a poor one.
Like a little kid, everything around Jeremy attracted his attention, starting with the kitchen stuffs to the tasty smell that emitted from the boiling pot:
"This smells very delicious , definitely better than the pirate's kitchen!"
As if excited to try a new recipe, he surrounded the cook with his arm friendly, declaring
" You're the best cook, Lady Alice!"
And although Alice didn't want to accept the Wilshire boy as a good man, a poor country girl like herself couldn't but lean at the "lady" part. She pushed him away more gently this time, struggling to hide her smile and chased the two young men out of the kitchen to continue her cooking. Albert stood silent at the corner thinking and watching her with trembling heart. He was weak, he was a coward and feared rejection, unlike the blonde lad who never stopped boasting about his love though openly and repeatedly rejected. Is that perhaps how true love works?