Chapter 108: Caught Unexpected People In The Ship
Evelina stepped out onto the deck, fixing the cloak around her shoulder gracefully.
Her long was tied back, and her face looked refreshed than before as she had slept well.
The moment she appeared, Ace’s movements instantly stopped.
His dark eyes locked onto her silhouette as he looked at her closely. Seeing that she looked well-rested, he felt a hint of relief blooming in his chest.
Ace dropped the rope he was holding as he stepped back, giving her space and not blocking her sight... Just as he had promised.
Call him insane but he was willing to do anything, be anyhow she liked if she let him be around him, even for another minute.
The moment she had left the Alvarez Estate, he had descended into despair.
The kind of despair he had never felt before, and one he thought he would never recover from.
But now... she was right in front of him.
Evelina completely ignored him as she walked past him.
In fact, the System had already informed her in the morning that the side mission was successful as the Duke played her guard the entire night.
And due to that, the System was relatively stable for now.
Feeling a hint of frustration and helplessness, Evelina had decided to ignore both the System and Ace for a while.
She walked toward the middle of the ship but suddenly, a foul odor suddenly drifted upward.
It was a terrible stench of heavy coal dust coming directly from the lower cargo hold.
Evelina frowned.
Before she could speak, a loud crash echoed from beneath the wooden hatch grates, followed by a harsh female voice that sounded familiar to her ears.
"You clumsy, useless old dog!" the voice shrieked, "You spilled dirty grease all over my skirt! Do you have any idea who I am?!"
"Shut your mouth, you foolish girl!" a weak male voice hissed back in panic, "Do you want the guards to hear us? We ran away from the capital with nothing! If the crew discovers who we are, they will throw us straight into the freezing ocean!"
Evelina stopped dead in her tracks.
A cold smile touched her lips.
Evelina walked over to the wooden hatch. And the arguing voices below instantly cut off.
"Who... who is up there?" Baron Snow’s trembling voice echoed in the quiet space.
As expected, it really was her father who had been banished.
Evelina paused for a brief moment before she reached down and ripped the wooden hatch wide open.
Bright morning sunlight flooded the dark hold, revealing a shocking sight. Squatting inside the black coal dust were a few miserable figures covered in soot, amongst whom Evelina was familiar with two.
Baron Snow and Selene Snow, indeed.
Their clothes were reduced to foul-smelling rags. They looked like literal beggars.
Selene shielded her eyes from the sudden light, squinting upward. The moment she caught a glimpse of the breathtaking golden hair, her jaw dropped in pure shock.
"E-Evelina?!" Selene shrieked, her voice cracking with bitter jealousy, "How are you here?! You lying b*tch! You stole our family fortune... Father, look at her. She is living so good. She is a Snow, she owes us everything. You... Hand over your gold right now, or I will make you suffer!"
It seemed like Selene had gone mad completely.
Baron Snow staggered to his feet, his knees shaking violently as his face turned pale.
Evelina tilted her head, "Hand over my gold? You mistake your position, sister. You ran away as rats, and you boarded my ship as vermin."
"Your ship? Liar! Liar...!" Selene hissed. She gripped the wooden ladder, trying to scramble upward to claw at Evelina. "You’re nothing! You’re just—"
Before Selene’s filthy hand could even reach her completely, a broad figure shielded her.
Ace stood in front of Evelina like an iron wall, as the temperature in the surroundings dropped drastically.
Baron Snow whimpered, his legs giving out completely as he fell flat into the coal dust, crying in pure fright, "Gr... Your Grace? Why... How could you be here?"
Selene froze entirely on the ladder, her body trembling. The bitter words died instantly in her throat at the sight of Ace who looked so handsome, so dangerous and so awfully protective of Evelina.
Ace’s eyes narrowed, "Remember who you are speaking to when you stand in front of my wife," He whispered, his voice soft but certain, "The next time your hands reach to my wife, they will be on the ground!"
Baron Snow’s body was shaking like a leaf.
The sight of Duke Ace Alvarez was enough to tear away the last shreds of courage he was latching on to.
Beside him, Selene’s face was altering between different colors. While fear gripped her chest, there was a burning envy completely consumed her mind.
Over the past few weeks, during their miserable flight from their banishment, they had heard the rumors. Every tavern and low-end dock whispered of Evelina’s incredible deeds.
They heard how she had single-handedly saved the northern citizens during the blizzard. She had distributed winter linen and earned the title of the savior of the Aurelia.
They heard how she had bypassed the royal family, cut ties with high society, and built an independent business network completely on her own terms.
Every word of praise about Evelina had burnt Selene’s body like hot iron.
It hadn’t been long since she had schemed to destroy Evelina.
Instead, Evelina was standing above them like an untouchable goddess now.
Even right now, she was commanding a flagship, something the higher nobles didn’t have the luxury to do!
And she was there, almost ruined, struggling to survive.
But what truly bothered Selene even more was Ace’s... visible devotion towards Evelina.
"I will ask you this only once and I only want the truth," Evelina stepped out from Ace’s shadow and took a small step forward, "Why are two banished refugees hiding in my ship, traveling past the Northern borders?"
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