She took one last glance in their direction and shook his head.

"She was bound to come eventually."

She pulled Atheline forward towards their destination. He glanced back one last time and followed her.

Their appearance increased their problems by a hundred times.

’Those two are disaster magnets’

He just hoped they weren’t going to the same place they were, which was a fool’s dream.

He wasn’t scared but it didn’t mean he didn’t want a peaceful journey.

They reached the middle of the dock district where the largest and most expensive vessels were docked.

The docks were bustling with activity; cranes operated by manipulators lifted large cargo onto ships, while dock workers organized everything afterward.

Among them, some movements didn’t belong to commerce or fishermen.

He noticed them before she could point them out, armed viewers standing apart from the main workers, observing. Behind them, large dark ships with black markings and no official seal or registration loomed.

Pirates.

"They’re more than I had expected," he said quietly.

"Yes," she replied then added, " and more will come."

’This is going to be a mess... well the more the merrier’

They continued deeper into the dock district until the crowd started to thin and only crew members could be seen walking around or loading.

Eventually, she stopped.

He followed her gaze.

A medium-sized vessel sat moored slightly apart from the others. It wasn’t the best, but Atheline could see the aether lines around the wood.

It was very sturdy.

They had clearly focused on defense.

But there was something different about it. Unlike the official boats that carried official seals, this one only had a sketch drawing on the side, and there was no pirate insignia. It was basically a black sheep in the group.

"That’s ours," she said.

He studied it for a moment.

"It doesn’t look official. "

"It isn’t," she calmly replied.

"Pirate crew," he asked breaking the pause.

"A practical one," she said again.

’This is one hell of a surprise. So we’re going to fight fire with fire’

He gave a faint exhale.

"I am truly surprised," he quietly said, " are they really trustworthy or will we be fed to the fish the moment we leave the official routes?"

A small amused huff escaped her.

"No, everything is fine. They are more useful than the official boat."

Atheline nodded.

"They know the sea better. "

"Exactly. "

They moved towards the plank.

The moment they stepped on it, all the crew on the boat turned to them.

Lilith stopped in the middle of the plank and looked up. Above them, someone stepped forward on the deck. He leaned slightly on the railings looking down at them.

The stare didn’t last long. His gaze shifted from him to her.

"So it’s you my lady," he said loud enough for everyone to hear.

His voice was more boisterous than he had imagined but with the way he looked, it made sense. A full face of beard that had been twisted into two locks with short hair that seemed to be dyed bluish black.

He was human.

"It is," Lilith said without looking up at him.

From her tone, Atheline knew they were somewhat familiar.

The man exhaled through his nose, straightening a little.

"You’re on time," he casually said.

"I said I would be."

"And you brought someone, how surprising."

His gaze flickered to Atheline and stayed for a moment before he turned back to Lilith.

"He’s with me," she said. A small smile curved on her lips," he’s my husband. "

His eyes widened.

"Congratulations are in stored then my lady," he said without hesitation.

The man stepped back from the railing and jerked his head towards the entrances.

"Go on then."

They boarded the ship without hesitation. The wood creaked slightly under them. Despite that, the inside of the ship was well-maintained and fully reinforced like a ship built for surviving rough waters.

The crew seemed to have lost interest in them and had gone back to their work. They both continued forward without a care.

The man from before descended the upper deck, stopping a few steps in front of them.

"You can call me Rum, I’m the captain of this ship," he said extending his arm to Atheline.

He took the hand shaking it with a smile.

"Atheline. "

The man nodded. The fact that he didn’t seem the least bit fazed by nobility was also a surprise.

’Or doesn’t know’

He glanced at Lilith whose face was impassive.

The captain turned slightly, already shifting back into motion.

"We are leaving the moment the tides turn," he called out, voice carrying across the deck without needing to rise," finish loading and don’t forget to check the lines."

The crew moved immediately. Finishing their jobs.

The captain led them to the upper deck, which provided them with a clear view of the harbour.

He glanced towards the harbor. From the top, he could get a clearer view of the ships.

More ships were being prepared for departure than he had counted the first time.

"That is a lot of ships," he said to her.

"Everyone wants to be the first."

"Words really spread faster than anything. "

He looked back at her, a small curve on his lips.

"How do you know the captain? " he asked.

This had been bugging him and he couldn’t wait to ask her.

"I saved his life once," she said vaguely then met his gaze and a small sigh left her," I found him washed up by the beach twenty years ago, badly wounded and I was kind enough to help him."

"Really?" It sounded unbelievable.

She rolled her eyes.

"Tsk... what do you take me for, I can be kind sometimes. "

"I know, " he said," was he already a pirate?"

She shook her head.

"I might have suggested it once, I don’t really remember."

A chuckle slipped out before he could stop it. He looked at her helplessly.

"You cruel woman."

She rolled her eyes in response.

"Right now, he can be considered the best," she said while looking out at the rising sun," he knows me as a lower noble who saved his life."

’That answers his attitude’

At that moment footsteps came, the captain returned to them once more after his rounds.

"You picked a bad time to go chasing storms," he said.

She didn’t respond immediately.

"No ," she replied calmy her gaze on the distant sea," I picked the right one."

That earned a little huff from him, something between amusement and disbelief.

"People are already heading out," he said," half of them don’t even know what they’re chasing."

"I know."

"And that doesn’t bother you?"

"No," she answered without hesitation.

He students her for a moment, then shook his head.

"Good," he said," but you should be prepared for a blood bath."

All their gazes moved to the docking pirate ships and official ships each preparing to leave.

"Well, it was nice meeting you my lady and sir but I must go," he said casually and left before any of them could respond.

The tide started to shift, subtle at first and the crew felt it.

"Raise it," someone called.

He leaned slightly towards the railing as the vessel began to pull away from the dock.

The ship didn’t leave alone. At first, he noticed it from his peripheral vision, a second vessel pulling away from a different dock.

The crew on the ship seemed to be moving in an abnormal urgency, making them stand out among the hundreds of boats.

"That ship is moving as though it’s being chased, " he said jokingly while observing it.

"It’s just carelessness at this point. "

Atheline squinted his eyes, observing it. That was when he noticed something familiar.

"Why in the world are they on it?"