Chapter 111: Storm In The Room
Evelina sat at the small wooden desk inside her private quarters.
In the quietness of the room, she looked out the small glass window, completely lost in her thoughts.
The sudden turn of events had been unexpected.
She had set sail on this long journey with a clear goal. She wanted to find the truth, complete the System’s main mission and find her mother.
But today, everything changed.
Before she could even reach her destination, she had uncovered a truth about the past.
Her mother had not died in shame. Instead, she had been taken away to the mysterious Jade Dynasty.
There was a real chance that her mother was still alive.
Evelina looked down at her hands.
She was holding the heavy jade token she had ruthlessly taken from Baron Snow. She stared at the intricate carvings on the dark green stone.
Her fingers trembled faintly. A hint of urgency completely occupied her heart.
If her mother was alive, every second mattered. She needed to reach the Jade Dynasty as fast as possible.
A soft knock broke the heavy silence of the room.
Evelina quickly pulled her hand back and slid the token deep into her silk pouch, hiding it from view.
She smoothed down her cloak and composed herself.
"Enter," she said flatly.
The door clicked open, and Ace stepped inside the cabin.
He closed the door behind him with a quiet snap, instantly making the small room feel much smaller with his presence.
Ace had taken off his heavy vanguard armor, wearing only a dark, simple tunic, Evelina noticed.
His eyes locked onto her face instantly.
He didn’t miss the way her hands quickly moved away from her pouch.
He knew she had just hidden the token, but he didn’t call her out on it.
Instead, he walked toward the center of the room, "Was this your plan all along?"
Evelina didn’t say a word.
"You wanted to travel to the Jade Dynasty for your mother, didn’t you?" Ace asked.
After Baron Snow’s loud confession in the coal hold, there was absolutely nothing left secretive about her journey.
Almost everyone on the flagship knew the truth now.
Evelina chose to stay completely quiet.
There was a hint of bitterness when Ace let out a small smile.
"And what of our divorce?" Ace continued, his tone shifting. He stepped closer, sounding almost entitled, "Is our divorce because of this too? Did you think I wouln’t help you told me the truth so you decided to leave me?!"
He let out a cold, cynical laugh. "All that talk about wanting freedom... was it just a convenient excuse to suit your needs...? What about me? Where do I stand in your eyes? Or do I, at all?!"
The mocking words struck a nerve.
The lingering bitterness from her past life flared up instantly.
The walls around her heart rose again.
The quiet vulnerability she had felt a moment ago disappeared, replaced by a wave of defensive anger.
She stood up from her chair, her chair scraping loudly against the wooden floorboards.
"Stop right there, Duke Alvarez," her voice was cold.
She took a step toward him, "Do not flatter yourself. My life, my choices, and my family are absolutely none of your business anymore. I have no obligations to disclose my affairs to you. More so, our marriage is over, and I owe you zero explanations."
She pointed a lender finger toward the door, "You are a willing guard on my ship. Your only job is to protect the ship and clear the path. So you can stop trying to figure out my thoughts. Get out of my quarters."
Her words did not push him away.
If anything, they only seemed to provoke the beast inside him.
His face darkened and he stepped towards her.
He closed the distance between them in two large strides.
He moved so fast that Evelina didn’t even have time to step back.
He was so close that the tips of his boots brushed against the hem of her long dress.
Evelina had to tilt her head all the way back just to keep her eyes locked onto his.
Ace didn’t look angry anymore, the complaints and coldness had completely melted away from his handsome face.
All that was left there was a raw longing; the look of a man who was deeply starving for the woman standing right in front of him, yet was forbidden from touching her.
The intense gaze trapped her in place.
The thick tension in the air became so heavy that it felt almost impossible to breathe.
Evelina’s heart hammered wildly against her ribs. Her gaze locked onto his parted lips, which were just inches away from her own.
She opened her mouth, her voice trembling faintly in the quiet room, "Ace, you..."
Before Evelina could utter another word, a strong roar tore through the quiet night.
A gale-force wave slammed directly against the side of the flagship.
The entire ship pitched sharply to the left, throwing the heavy wooden furniture across the floorboards.
The sudden impact completely threw Evelina off balance.
Her boots lost their grip on the smooth floor, and she found herself falling backward toward the sharp edge of her solid desk.
She instinctively closed her eyes, bracing herself for a painful impact.
But the pain never came.
Instead, a pair of strong arms lunged forward and wrapped firmly around her slender waist.
With a powerful pull, Ace dragged her body directly into his chest, using his own weight to stabilize them both against the swaying of the ship.
’Swoosh’
The room plunged into total darkness as the wind knocked out the single oil lamp on her desk.
They were pinned tightly against each other in the pitch-black cabin.
The storm raged outside, but inside the small room, the world seemed to freeze entirely.
Evelina’s chest heaved rapidly, her breaths coming in uneven gasps against the cold leather straps of his armor, "Ace..." she called out his name, but blanked out for a second, not knowing what to say next.
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