"My guns..."
Sarah fell into Luke's arms, her crimson lips parting as a faint murmur reached his ear.
Although her awareness had already begun to blur, she had never forgotten about them.
Her two pistols had never left her side. Even when she slept, she always kept them somewhere she could reach with a single movement.
The moment they were no longer on her, a powerful sense of unease arose within her.
Luke saw that she was already hopelessly drunk yet still stubbornly forcing herself to remain conscious, and he could not help smiling.
"Don't worry. I'll give them back to you in a moment."
His voice was considerably louder than hers. The instant it sounded, the entire tavern fell silent.
A moment later, the noise resumed, accompanied by countless men grinding their teeth.
This bastard deserved to die!
He was openly doing this right in front of all of them!
Sarah's small hand slipped inside Luke's clothes. After groping around for a while, she finally found her pistols and unceremoniously took them back. Only then did she relax.
Her thoughts were already a mess.
She knew she was drunk, but her mind was incapable of resisting the alcohol surging through her body.
It felt as though she had completely lost control of herself.
At that moment, all she wanted was to sleep properly and stop thinking about anything else.
Luke handed Sarah back to Yurna. Yurna lifted her into a princess carry, and the two of them left the tavern with her.
They soon encountered a man in his early thirties. He had dark skin and a lean, muscular build.
"Captain?!"
The moment he saw Sarah resting in Yurna's arms, he cried out in surprise. His expression immediately turned cold as he looked at Luke and Yurna.
"Who are you?"
His hand moved toward his back, as though he were ready to attack at any moment.
Sarah seemed to hear the familiar voice. She forced her eyes open and, after her blurred vision made out Rafen's face, drunkenly said, "Rafen... They're... my friends. Take them... back to the ship."
After saying that, she finally closed her eyes and fell into a sleep so deep that it resembled unconsciousness.
Luke smiled faintly.
"You heard her."
"If you're the captain's friends, follow me."
After hearing Sarah's words, Rafen lowered his guard and turned to lead the way.
He had no idea why she had become this drunk. Ever since he had known her, he had never once seen her drink herself into such a state.
Truthfully, he had not completely stopped suspecting Luke and Yurna, but for now, he would follow Sarah's instructions.
Bilgewater's streets were tangled and complicated, resembling an enormous maze filled with hiding places for fugitives and wanted criminals.
In preparation for the day she would finally challenge the infamous Gangplank, Sarah had deliberately found herself one such refuge.
More than half an hour later, they arrived before a waterfall.
A concealed path allowed them to pass behind the falling water without getting wet. Beyond it lay a surprisingly vast hidden cavern.
A gigantic ship floated on the water inside.
It was large enough to carry several hundred people, nearly a hundred meters long and at least thirty meters wide. Its entire frame was immense, broad, and heavily built.
The hull had several decks. Countless dark openings lined its sides, clearly intended for cannons.
Even in Demacia, a ship like this would be considered a major military asset.
In a place like Bilgewater, only a small number of captains could possibly own such a vessel.
This was the source of Sarah's confidence in challenging Gangplank.
The moment Rafen boarded, a crowd gathered around him.
He glanced at them and said, "The captain drank too much. Our plan remains unchanged. We move against Borika's men tonight."
Hearing that Miss Fortune had become drunk, the crew members showed strange expressions and glanced toward the sleeping Sarah in Yurna's arms.
This was the first time any of them had seen Miss Fortune asleep. She looked less seductive and far more innocent.
One man pointed at Luke and Yurna.
"Who are they?"
"Friends of the captain," Rafen introduced them briefly. "I'll get them settled. The rest of you, move immediately."
"Got it."
"We've been holding back for so long. We finally get to make our move."
"Could that pretty boy be someone the captain has been secretly keeping?"
"I think it's possible."
The men made no effort to lower their voices. They had barely walked away before beginning to gossip.
"They speak without thinking. Please forgive them." Rafen offered an apology before continuing to lead the way. "The captain's room is this way."
They soon arrived outside Sarah's quarters.
"I won't go inside. Please help her get settled." Rafen stopped at the door and opened it. "The two rooms next door are also empty. You may sleep there tonight. I'll have blankets delivered later."
"Thank you."
Luke nodded and entered Sarah's bedroom without ceremony.
The room was exquisitely decorated, resembling the bedroom of a wealthy household. Paintings hung from the walls, and even the candle lamps were golden.
A large bed stood in the center.
The entire room carried a pleasant fragrance identical to Sarah's scent.
Yurna placed Sarah on the bed. Perhaps because she had returned somewhere familiar, Sarah adjusted herself into a comfortable sleeping position on her own.
Just as Yurna prepared to leave, Sarah suddenly reached out and grabbed her sleeve. Her brows furrowed with anxiety as she murmured, "Mom... Don't leave me..."
Having never been drunk before, Sarah had no idea how vulnerable she appeared.
Two glistening tears slid from the corners of her eyes.
Yurna found herself troubled. She stood beside the bed, momentarily uncertain what to do.
"It seems she likes you. That works out well. You can sleep here tonight and look after her."
Luke laughed softly at the sight.
He stepped forward and gently brushed his fingers across Sarah's temple. A faint trace of dark mist slipped into her.
"Sweet dreams, Captain."
Then he stretched and left without another word.
Yurna watched him depart so decisively, helplessness flashing through her eyes.
In the end, she slowly sat beside the bed again and gently stroked Sarah's brow.
Sarah's furrowed expression quickly relaxed. Her breathing became steady, though her hand continued tightly gripping Yurna.
That night, for the first time in many years, she did not suffer a nightmare.
Instead, she had a happy dream.
She seemed to have returned to the paradise of her childhood.
She sat behind a table in the workshop, playing with a little toy her father had made. Whenever she looked up, she could see her mother's back nearby.
Sunlight poured through the window.
Everything was beautiful.
She had no worries and was completely happy.
Sarah could not remember how long it had been since she last experienced such a pleasant dream.
Because of the shadow cast by that terrible day, nightmares were usually the only visitors to her sleep.
Again and again, she saw towering flames, heard the murderer's arrogant laughter, and found herself surrounded by ruins and corpses.
No one knew how she had managed to survive all these years.
She had gone from an innocent girl who knew nothing of the world to Miss Fortune, a woman feared by countless people.
The next day, the moment Luke opened his eyes, he saw Sarah sitting at a table not far away.
The redhead's face was dark with anger. The shadow inside her beautiful eyes made it seem as though she wanted to swallow him alive.
Her beloved pistols lay on the table, gleaming with a cold metallic light.
"Good morning."
Luke yawned, rolled over, and prepared to go back to sleep.
He generally had no trouble sleeping in unfamiliar places. No matter where he went, he could always rest comfortably.
"There's nothing good about it!"
Sarah rose through clenched teeth, grabbed Luke, and pulled him back around. Her eyes stared at him coldly.
"We don't have time to watch you sleep all day!"
Luke blinked.
"Isn't this my room?"
"This is my ship!" Sarah emphasized every word.
"You're not very polite to your guests."
Luke lay on his back and stared at the ceiling.
"Your face and eyes are red, your lips are dry, and you have dark circles beneath your eyes. Those are obvious signs that your temper is running too hot. Getting angry like this will only make your condition worse."
Sarah inhaled.
A nameless rage instantly surged into her chest.
Through clenched teeth, she said, "And whose fault is it that I'm this angry?"
"What did I do?"
Luke looked genuinely puzzled.
"You..."
Sarah opened her mouth, but the words stopped in her throat.
Rumors were spreading everywhere outside.
People were saying that Miss Fortune had found herself a pretty boy, spent the entire night enjoying his company, and was no longer available.
That very pretty boy was now lying in front of her.
There was no possible way she could repeat such words to him.
Her memories after getting drunk were completely absent. She remembered only a few blurry fragments, while everything else was gone.
Even so, she did not need much imagination to guess what had happened last night.
The culprit responsible for everything was the man currently lying on the bed with an innocent expression.
This man was supposed to be a prince of Demacia?
He alone had already overturned every impression Sarah had ever possessed of Demacians.
"Calm down. We're partners now, after all. Besides, I told you last night that you could spit the liquor out. You were the one who insisted on acting tough."
Luke continued speaking with complete innocence.
Sarah could not argue against that.
Had she known she would become so drunk and embarrass herself in front of him, she would never have forced herself to finish that drink.
But it was far too late now.
The rumors had already spread throughout Bilgewater, and the wind had carried them all the way back to her ship.
Everyone aboard now knew that the pretty boy sleeping in this room supposedly belonged to her.
"All right. I need to change. Go outside."
Luke sat up, yawned again, and gestured for Sarah to leave.
He wore silk sleepwear that looked thin but was extremely comfortable. The fabric easily outlined his muscular body, and the collar hung low enough that a glance revealed a perfectly sculpted chest.
Sarah naturally noticed immediately.
She had to admit that his physique was excellent, and his face was undeniably handsome.
For a brief instant, she even considered simply allowing the misunderstanding to become reality.
It lasted only a moment, but the thought had certainly appeared.
After one more glance, she stood, picked up her pistols, and walked outside.
Luke soon changed his clothes and left the room.
He found Sarah leaning against the wall and casually asked, "What time is it?"
Sarah gave him an irritated look.
"It's almost noon."
Luke could not suppress another yawn.
"I slept that late?"
As long as his sleep remained healthy, Luke simply slept for however long his body desired.
He lived according to his mood. When he wanted to sleep, he slept. When he no longer wanted to sleep, he naturally woke up.
"I don't remember ever meeting a Demacian as lazy as you."
Sarah sneered, though the curve of her lips naturally carried a seductive charm.
She silently added that he was a prince on top of that.
"Laziness is a privilege granted to humanity by the heavens. In fact, everything humans struggle to achieve is ultimately meant to allow them to be this lazy."
Luke spoke with absolute confidence.
"Imagine waking up with food already prepared, sleeping for as long as you want, and doing whatever you please. People may take different paths, but everyone is working toward that same destination. I simply had the good fortune to be born there before the rest of you."
"What ridiculous logic!"
Sarah snorted disdainfully.
His words were also infuriating.
What did he mean by being born at the destination?
What an insufferable bastard.
However, after thinking about it, he was a prince of Demacia. He truly had been born at the summit.
"Someone is going to beat you up sooner or later."
After some thought, Sarah added the warning in a leisurely tone.
She understood him now.
With his personality, someone would inevitably attack him while he was walking down the street one day.
"Then I'll only go outside at noon, neither sooner nor later."
Luke smiled calmly, completely unconcerned.
Sarah froze, then rolled her eyes at him.
No one could ever outtalk this man.
"Let's go. My crew is already waiting in the meeting hall."
She led the way forward.
Her walk resembled that of a model striding down a runway, naturally projecting the commanding presence of a powerful woman.
"By the way, thank your maid for me later."
Sarah slowed until Luke was walking beside her.
"Why?"
Luke asked.
"I don't know what I'm like when I'm drunk, but I probably made a complete fool of myself." Sarah showed no embarrassment as she spoke in a quiet voice. "She looked after me all night, so I should thank her."
It had already been fairly late when Sarah awakened.
She had discovered herself clinging to Yurna like a squid, apparently unwilling to let go.
She had undoubtedly caused Yurna trouble, but Yurna had not complained.
Sarah had no memory of how they had ended up sleeping in the same bed.
She knew only that she had slept peacefully and comfortably.
She had also experienced a wonderful dream.
"She is very good at caring for people, but I think you should thank her yourself."
Luke smiled, refusing to do it on Miss Fortune's behalf.
"That's fair."
Sarah nodded gently.
By then, the two of them had reached the entrance of the meeting hall.
The ship truly was enormous. It had taken them quite a few steps merely to reach this part of it.
When Sarah pushed the door open, they saw that many people were already seated inside.
Rafen, whom Luke had met the previous night, was among them.
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