Chapter 103: His Wife Left Him
Ace dragged his feet, his broad shoulders tensing every time they passed a window showing the widening dawn sky.
Ace simply didn’t know what to do.
His brilliant tactical mind, capable of conquering entire enemy nations, was turning blank every passing second.
He was trying to buy himself a few extra seconds of her presence.
As they descended the grand marble staircase and approached the main lobby, there was already a gathered crowd awaiting them.
Word of the their separation had already spread like wildfire through the Alvarez estate overnight.
Dozens of servants had gathered over and the atmosphere was incredibly somber. These people had watched Evelina transform the once-barren, cold Northern Duchy into a flourishing paradise.
If the Duke saved the lands, she helped in adding life to it. To them, she wasn’t just a Duchess by title; she was the literal savior of their livelihoods.
Near the front of the crowd, Marta stood with her hands gripping her apron, sobbing silently. Her eyes were red and puffy, and large tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked at Evelina.
The younger maids behind her were actively wiping their eyes with their handkerchiefs, everyone completely teary-eyed at the sudden loss of their mistress.
Evelina’s gaze swept over the crying faces of the staff. For a split second, a faint hint of unexpected heaviness pressed against her chest.
In this life, she had decided she wasn’t an emotional woman by nature, and she had always treated her time here as a temporary assignment, but seeing their sincere care made her heart waver for a fleeting moment.
Evelina let out a long, quiet sigh, exhaling the last bit of her lingering sentimentality into the crisp morning air.
Ace noticed her pause, his heart leaping with a sudden hope that she might change her mind. But as she continued walking toward the door, his chest collapsed again.
They stepped out into the courtyard where a travel carriage was already waiting, hitched to four of the finest Northern horses.
Ace walked up to the back of the carriage and carefully stowed her heavy trunk inside.
Ping!
[Side Quest Completed: The Price of Freedom!]
[Reward Dispatched: Sea Navigation Network Unlocked. Entry Port Coordinates: The Eastern Frontier.]
[System Data Synchronized. Global asset lock avoided. Safe travels, Host!]
Relief washed over her mind as the detailed network firmly printed itself into Ghost Routes record.
She had gained decent knowledge of other kingdoms and sea routes but she had never travelled before. And travelling alone was a task so she couldn’t mess around with the map.
But now, the map was secured. Her path out of this kingdom was completely clear.
She stepped into the carriage without looking back.
The Duke stood in the morning mist, the faint golden sunlight catching the silver tips of his disheveled hair. He looked entirely broken yet Evelina seemed to have turned a blind eye to his sufferings as she calmly closed the wooden door behind her.
After seconds, the carriage moved.
Ace stood entirely frozen in the center of the empty courtyard, watching the carriage shrink into the distance.
As the dust settled, his large hands slowly dropped to his sides, his fingers clenching into fists so hard that his knuckles cracked like thunder in the morning quiet.
She was really gone.
His wife left him!
...
The carriage ride to the northern harbor took several hours.
The steady click-clack of the horses’ hooves against the stone road gradually replaced the tense memory of the Alvarez estate that was lingering in Evelina.
When the carriage finally pulled to a stop, the briny scent of the sea rushed through the open window.
Evelina stepped out onto the wooden docks of the northern harbor. The port was a bustling hub filled with towering masts, massive ships, and the loud shouting of sailors hauling barrels of fish.
It was vastly different from the luxury of high society.
Evelina walked toward the edge of the dock her cloak fluttering in the sea breeze. Finding a relatively quiet corner behind a stack of shipping crates, she took a deep breath, ’System.’
The System flickered.
Evelina ignored the various tabs and focused entirely on the corner of the screen where her wealth was tracked.
[Total Balance: 0 Gold Coins]
Zero. Absolute zero. Her wealth was tied up in lands and textile stocks, not raw cash.
Could she just buy a ticket on a normal passenger ship? Absolutely not.
Standard ships were slow, preyed on by pirates, and wouldn’t follow her secret Ghost Routes map. She needed her own fleet to have full control.
Evelina adjusted her cloak and walked straight toward the Northern Merchant Guild Hall.
Bang!
She pushed the double doors open, stepping into a room packed with the wealthiest, most hardened sea magnates of the North.
The low murmur of their financial discussions instantly died down when they saw a woman who clearly didn’t fit in.
Every single head turned toward her.
The oldest guild master was a man with a thick grey beard and a deep scar across his brow. He slowly lowered his pipe, blew a thick cloud of smoke, evaluating her unescorted figure.
"Young lady, you’ve walked into the wrong hall," the old man dismissed her completely, "The registration office for small fishing boats is down the street. We are currently discussing international shipping routes."
Another merchant lord crossed his arms, scoffing at the sight of her and her single leather trunk, "A woman traveling alone shouldn’t be wandering into the grand guild. Go home before the harbor thugs find you."
The other men around the table chuckled in agreement.
Evelina walked right up to the edge of the circular table, her calm gaze meeting their judging stares one by one.
"I am certain that I am in the right room," Evelina said smoothly, "And I am here to get three of your highest-grade warships for a voyage across the great seas to the East."
...
A/N: Thanks for your support. We are heading towards the new volume of this book already!
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