#108. Storm
That night, the ship began to rock. Daphne woke up with a strong feeling of nausea. She thought it was the bed shaking, but it wasn't. It was just the whole room shaking.
“Ugh!”
Shr took some seasickness medicine and thought it would get better, but the nausea didn't go away. It seemed to get worse because the ship was rocking back and forth so violently. Daphne covered her mouth.
If this keeps up, I'm going to throw up... Daphne covered her mouth and retched several times. Her stomach was rocking even harder and showed no sign of sinking. Daphne got up from her seat. If she vomits in her room, it'll be hard to clean up later. There are no windows here, so the smell won't go away.
Daphne covered her mouth and headed to the bathroom. As soon as she got to the bathroom, she vomited several times. Why was it that other people were fine after taking the medicine, but her stomach still felt sick? Daphne was distressed.
When she stopped vomiting, she got up weakly. Daphne went out into the hallway and thought about drinking water as soon as she got to her room. Her mouth still tasted sour. She tried not to pay attention to the vomit that was still in her mouth.
It would be a good idea to take a sleeping pill and sleep. As she thought helplessly, the ship tilted sharply. It was a tilt of a different level than before. She lost her balance and fell on her butt. At the same time, she had no choice but to slip. She was in the middle of the hallway and had nothing to hold on to.
Daphne slipped from one hallway to another and reached the end of another hallway. She tried to crawl up to her room, but the room was upstairs.
The ship tilted violently. She was now stepping on the door leading up to the deck. There was an eerie sound of rain hitting the deck.
“Catch it!”
“Ahhhhh!”
There was the sound of people screaming and shouting. Dudududu, the sound of rain hitting the boat. The fact that she had slipped like this meant that the boat was almost on its side. So the sailors on deck...
At that moment, the ship began to tilt again, this time in the opposite direction. Daphne screamed only then. Her head was about to hit the wall at the end of the hallway on the other side. Daphne covered her head with her hands, but her hands were in excruciating pain.
Tilting, tilting. Daphne trembled, the nausea that had been surging within her gone. She had to stand up and walk, but when she tried to keep her balance, her stomach slid to the other side.
This is what a storm is like.
Will she die from the water rising like this? No, before that, she might keep crashing and breaking down. As the ship tilted again, Daphne rolled helplessly to the other side. At that moment, the door opened and someone appeared. It was Derek.
Derek watched Daphne slip away again. Daphne didn't think he would save her.
The reason was simple. Didn't she slap his cheek? Daphne squeezed her eyes shut, and Derek shouted.
“What are you doing! Get it!”
Derek held out his hand. Why this guy? That question could be answered later. Daphne crawled back up and grabbed Derek's hand. A tremendous force lifted her up. Thanks to that, Daphne was finally able to enter Derek's room. It was right next door.
Fortunately, the room was small, so there was no hard sliding. As she tried to calm her churning stomach, Derek said.
“Don’t you know that you have to stay in your room when a storm comes?”
Daphne was momentarily speechless at that scolding. She didn't even realize that a storm was brewing, and that she had to stay in her room. Derek said, looking at Daphne's aggrieved expression.
“If you have anything to say, say it.”
“I didn’t know. There was a storm, and I didn’t have to go outside.”
“...”
“I woke up because I felt like I was going to throw up.”
Derek was silent for a moment at her words. He knew that Daphne was struggling with a queasy feeling that she couldn't control. She even vomited as soon as she saw food. She suffered from severe seasickness, so it was natural for her to vomit when the ship was rocking like this.
Shaking, Daphne grabbed her head as if she were dizzy. Then she realized that she was still with this strange man. The room was small and scary.
“I’ll go to my room.”
“Are you going to slip again?”
“If you could help me just a little...”
Derek sighed.
“What can a person who doesn’t know what to do in a situation like this do when she’s alone in a room? I have to save you if necessary. Stay here.”
Daphne's attempt to go back was aborted. So was she supposed to stay with this awkward person? It was awkward, not to mention they didn't get along well. Daphne barely managed to find a seat in the corner of the cabin where she was moving. Derek didn't say anything.
The boat rocked more violently, and the rain seemed to fall harder. Daphne slipped and fell several times in this narrow room.
“Are we going to die?”
Her mouth opened. The ship was rocking, and the crew was busy. Derek, who had been quiet, spoke.
"Perhaps."
“...”
“Do you know how to swim?”
"No."
An awkward silence flowed again. When Derek mentioned that he might die, he became calmer. He was happy to be away from Asherad's clutches for just a few days.
“I bet a lot of sailors passed away, too?”
“I guess so.”
“Another person is dying because of me.”
They were caught in a storm while trying to help Daphne escape. Were her tear ducts dry, or was she unable to do anything because of the fear of death? Her face was dry, but she looked gloomily at the ground.
“Do you think it’s because of you?”
Derek looked at Daphne and said, and Daphne nodded.
“Everyone around me is dead.”
She smiled bitterly.
“I guess I’m going to die now. I should have died a long time ago.”
Derek laughed as if he were delighted by Daphne's bitter words.
“It’s funny that you’re saying that now.”
This kind of sarcasm was familiar to Daphne. 'Now,' yes. Now. She should have died long ago, but she was not smart enough to think about suicide, and not brave enough to commit suicide. It was a truly sinful life.
Daphne mustered up a little courage.
“Derek, what is your relationship with Fabian?”
"What?"
“You look like Fabian.”
At those words, Derek stared at Daphne. She knew it wasn't a good look. She was too scared to say anything, but Daphne knew that this might be the last time.
“I'm that kid’s older brother.”
Brother? Daphne opened her eyes wide. Wasn't Fabian the eldest? She remembers him taking care of his younger sister and mother... He frowned when he talked about his father... He never talked about his brother. Yes, Fabian also had the last name Pond...
She thought he was a cousin or Fabian's half-brother, but she didn't know he was his real brother. I see...
“He probably didn’t say anything about me. I left that house when he was little.”
“...”
“Compared to me, that kid was quite honest.”
Derek's face took on a sad look. Daphne smiled sadly at the regret in his blunt-looking face.
“You lost your precious brother.”
“...”
“The reason I asked this was because I wanted to apologize.”
“...”
“I foolishly trusted people I shouldn’t have, and I didn’t know I was being deceived, so I ended up killing Fabian.”
“...”
“If he hadn’t made me run away, he wouldn’t have died.”
When the common topic of Fabian came up, they didn't bother to count the days.
“Derek, can you swim?”
“...”
“If I survive, please tell Fabian’s mother and sister my apology. I’ve always wanted to apologize, but I never had the chance to.”
“...”
“It may sound like an excuse, but it’s true.”
Tears were falling from Daphne's face. Guilt. It was a feeling they had in common.
“I’m sorry for sending your precious little brother to his death.”
Even if she dies, she has no regrets. Her wish to live freely has already been fulfilled. She has lived away from Asherad for just a few days.
All sins will be taken upon one's own shoulders.
Derek lowered his head and let out a hollow laugh. He clenched his eyebrows with one hand.
“I have no right to be angry at you. I abandoned that guy.”
“...”
“But if I may say one thing, you have done nothing wrong. You know it very well.”
“...”
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Derek didn't understand why the stigma of being a 'bastard' followed him because of his father's and mother's bloodline. So he knew that it was unfair for Daphne, the daughter of a witch, to be criticized.
“I apologize, too. At that time, I wanted to scratch you. You are not the daughter of a witch. You are just you. You do not have to hold onto your mother’s sins. Also, Fabian’s death is because of the Emperor, not you.”
“...”
“If that child were alive, he would have thought the same thing. He probably wouldn’t have held any grudges.”
Derek was sure that Fabian would never have resented Daphne anyway. Derek and Daphne talked about Fabian.
Daphne's words were not hesitant because she was on the verge of death, and Derek accepted everything Daphne said. That's how they talked for hours. Their last conversation was while facing death. By the end of all those conversations, they were able to understand each other. It was a short but long time to become familiar with each other. Suddenly, Derek looked around, looked at Daphne's face, and smirked.
“I have one more thing to apologize to you for. I lied about you possibly dying.”
"Yes?"
“The Count of Locania is not that foolish.”
Are you referring to your father as the Count of Locania? Daphne looked puzzled, but Derek laughed.
“He wouldn’t hire a worm that can’t even withstand a storm.”
“...”
“Wake up.”
Daphne got up from her seat. The ship that had been rocking violently had stabilized. Derek got up and led Daphne out of the room and up onto the deck.
When she had just boarded the ship, Derek's appearance, when he had tried to comfort her, overlapped with her current appearance. She held Derek's hand and went up onto the deck. The sun had long since risen, and it was now midday.
The deck was slippery because of the water. But Daphne opened her eyes wide when she saw what Derek was pointing at. The blue sea was over. Land was starting to come into view. The cool, humid air tickled Daphne's hair.
Ah...
Now, I really am living a new life. Tears fell from Daphne's eyes.
That night, the ship began to rock. Daphne woke up with a strong feeling of nausea. She thought it was the bed shaking, but it wasn't. It was just the whole room shaking.
“Ugh!”
Shr took some seasickness medicine and thought it would get better, but the nausea didn't go away. It seemed to get worse because the ship was rocking back and forth so violently. Daphne covered her mouth.
If this keeps up, I'm going to throw up... Daphne covered her mouth and retched several times. Her stomach was rocking even harder and showed no sign of sinking. Daphne got up from her seat. If she vomits in her room, it'll be hard to clean up later. There are no windows here, so the smell won't go away.
Daphne covered her mouth and headed to the bathroom. As soon as she got to the bathroom, she vomited several times. Why was it that other people were fine after taking the medicine, but her stomach still felt sick? Daphne was distressed.
When she stopped vomiting, she got up weakly. Daphne went out into the hallway and thought about drinking water as soon as she got to her room. Her mouth still tasted sour. She tried not to pay attention to the vomit that was still in her mouth.
It would be a good idea to take a sleeping pill and sleep. As she thought helplessly, the ship tilted sharply. It was a tilt of a different level than before. She lost her balance and fell on her butt. At the same time, she had no choice but to slip. She was in the middle of the hallway and had nothing to hold on to.
Daphne slipped from one hallway to another and reached the end of another hallway. She tried to crawl up to her room, but the room was upstairs.
The ship tilted violently. She was now stepping on the door leading up to the deck. There was an eerie sound of rain hitting the deck.
“Catch it!”
“Ahhhhh!”
There was the sound of people screaming and shouting. Dudududu, the sound of rain hitting the boat. The fact that she had slipped like this meant that the boat was almost on its side. So the sailors on deck...
At that moment, the ship began to tilt again, this time in the opposite direction. Daphne screamed only then. Her head was about to hit the wall at the end of the hallway on the other side. Daphne covered her head with her hands, but her hands were in excruciating pain.
Tilting, tilting. Daphne trembled, the nausea that had been surging within her gone. She had to stand up and walk, but when she tried to keep her balance, her stomach slid to the other side.
This is what a storm is like.
Will she die from the water rising like this? No, before that, she might keep crashing and breaking down. As the ship tilted again, Daphne rolled helplessly to the other side. At that moment, the door opened and someone appeared. It was Derek.
Derek watched Daphne slip away again. Daphne didn't think he would save her.
The reason was simple. Didn't she slap his cheek? Daphne squeezed her eyes shut, and Derek shouted.
“What are you doing! Get it!”
Derek held out his hand. Why this guy? That question could be answered later. Daphne crawled back up and grabbed Derek's hand. A tremendous force lifted her up. Thanks to that, Daphne was finally able to enter Derek's room. It was right next door.
Fortunately, the room was small, so there was no hard sliding. As she tried to calm her churning stomach, Derek said.
“Don’t you know that you have to stay in your room when a storm comes?”
Daphne was momentarily speechless at that scolding. She didn't even realize that a storm was brewing, and that she had to stay in her room. Derek said, looking at Daphne's aggrieved expression.
“If you have anything to say, say it.”
“I didn’t know. There was a storm, and I didn’t have to go outside.”
“...”
“I woke up because I felt like I was going to throw up.”
Derek was silent for a moment at her words. He knew that Daphne was struggling with a queasy feeling that she couldn't control. She even vomited as soon as she saw food. She suffered from severe seasickness, so it was natural for her to vomit when the ship was rocking like this.
Shaking, Daphne grabbed her head as if she were dizzy. Then she realized that she was still with this strange man. The room was small and scary.
“I’ll go to my room.”
“Are you going to slip again?”
“If you could help me just a little...”
Derek sighed.
“What can a person who doesn’t know what to do in a situation like this do when she’s alone in a room? I have to save you if necessary. Stay here.”
Daphne's attempt to go back was aborted. So was she supposed to stay with this awkward person? It was awkward, not to mention they didn't get along well. Daphne barely managed to find a seat in the corner of the cabin where she was moving. Derek didn't say anything.
The boat rocked more violently, and the rain seemed to fall harder. Daphne slipped and fell several times in this narrow room.
“Are we going to die?”
Her mouth opened. The ship was rocking, and the crew was busy. Derek, who had been quiet, spoke.
"Perhaps."
“...”
“Do you know how to swim?”
"No."
An awkward silence flowed again. When Derek mentioned that he might die, he became calmer. He was happy to be away from Asherad's clutches for just a few days.
“I bet a lot of sailors passed away, too?”
“I guess so.”
“Another person is dying because of me.”
They were caught in a storm while trying to help Daphne escape. Were her tear ducts dry, or was she unable to do anything because of the fear of death? Her face was dry, but she looked gloomily at the ground.
“Do you think it’s because of you?”
Derek looked at Daphne and said, and Daphne nodded.
“Everyone around me is dead.”
She smiled bitterly.
“I guess I’m going to die now. I should have died a long time ago.”
Derek laughed as if he were delighted by Daphne's bitter words.
“It’s funny that you’re saying that now.”
This kind of sarcasm was familiar to Daphne. 'Now,' yes. Now. She should have died long ago, but she was not smart enough to think about suicide, and not brave enough to commit suicide. It was a truly sinful life.
Daphne mustered up a little courage.
“Derek, what is your relationship with Fabian?”
"What?"
“You look like Fabian.”
At those words, Derek stared at Daphne. She knew it wasn't a good look. She was too scared to say anything, but Daphne knew that this might be the last time.
“I'm that kid’s older brother.”
Brother? Daphne opened her eyes wide. Wasn't Fabian the eldest? She remembers him taking care of his younger sister and mother... He frowned when he talked about his father... He never talked about his brother. Yes, Fabian also had the last name Pond...
She thought he was a cousin or Fabian's half-brother, but she didn't know he was his real brother. I see...
“He probably didn’t say anything about me. I left that house when he was little.”
“...”
“Compared to me, that kid was quite honest.”
Derek's face took on a sad look. Daphne smiled sadly at the regret in his blunt-looking face.
“You lost your precious brother.”
“...”
“The reason I asked this was because I wanted to apologize.”
“...”
“I foolishly trusted people I shouldn’t have, and I didn’t know I was being deceived, so I ended up killing Fabian.”
“...”
“If he hadn’t made me run away, he wouldn’t have died.”
When the common topic of Fabian came up, they didn't bother to count the days.
“Derek, can you swim?”
“...”
“If I survive, please tell Fabian’s mother and sister my apology. I’ve always wanted to apologize, but I never had the chance to.”
“...”
“It may sound like an excuse, but it’s true.”
Tears were falling from Daphne's face. Guilt. It was a feeling they had in common.
“I’m sorry for sending your precious little brother to his death.”
Even if she dies, she has no regrets. Her wish to live freely has already been fulfilled. She has lived away from Asherad for just a few days.
All sins will be taken upon one's own shoulders.
Derek lowered his head and let out a hollow laugh. He clenched his eyebrows with one hand.
“I have no right to be angry at you. I abandoned that guy.”
“...”
“But if I may say one thing, you have done nothing wrong. You know it very well.”
“...”
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Derek didn't understand why the stigma of being a 'bastard' followed him because of his father's and mother's bloodline. So he knew that it was unfair for Daphne, the daughter of a witch, to be criticized.
“I apologize, too. At that time, I wanted to scratch you. You are not the daughter of a witch. You are just you. You do not have to hold onto your mother’s sins. Also, Fabian’s death is because of the Emperor, not you.”
“...”
“If that child were alive, he would have thought the same thing. He probably wouldn’t have held any grudges.”
Derek was sure that Fabian would never have resented Daphne anyway. Derek and Daphne talked about Fabian.
Daphne's words were not hesitant because she was on the verge of death, and Derek accepted everything Daphne said. That's how they talked for hours. Their last conversation was while facing death. By the end of all those conversations, they were able to understand each other. It was a short but long time to become familiar with each other. Suddenly, Derek looked around, looked at Daphne's face, and smirked.
“I have one more thing to apologize to you for. I lied about you possibly dying.”
"Yes?"
“The Count of Locania is not that foolish.”
Are you referring to your father as the Count of Locania? Daphne looked puzzled, but Derek laughed.
“He wouldn’t hire a worm that can’t even withstand a storm.”
“...”
“Wake up.”
Daphne got up from her seat. The ship that had been rocking violently had stabilized. Derek got up and led Daphne out of the room and up onto the deck.
When she had just boarded the ship, Derek's appearance, when he had tried to comfort her, overlapped with her current appearance. She held Derek's hand and went up onto the deck. The sun had long since risen, and it was now midday.
The deck was slippery because of the water. But Daphne opened her eyes wide when she saw what Derek was pointing at. The blue sea was over. Land was starting to come into view. The cool, humid air tickled Daphne's hair.
Ah...
Now, I really am living a new life. Tears fell from Daphne's eyes.
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