"Leon, are we really... doing this?"
In the dim corridor, the blonde girl stood behind the handsome young man, scanning their surroundings as she spoke.
There was hesitation in her voice—but not in her movements.
Her name was Alix.
Without stopping what he was doing, Leon tilted his head slightly and replied in a low voice, "I'll explain later."
The faint light traced the sharp lines of his profile. Even blurred in the darkness, he was dangerously attractive. For a split second, Alix found herself staring.
They had known each other for months now. They were already closer than close. And yet… she still couldn't quite resist him.
Not that I ever tried to.
Her situation right now, however, was a little special.
Get it together. We're working.
Alix forced herself to look away. A thin chill of Cryo energy spread through her body, cooling her thoughts and clearing her mind. She gave a quiet "Mm" and returned to keeping watch.
But only a few seconds passed before she let out a silent wail in her heart.
No wonder Mualani and the others looked at me like that when we left Natlan…
Lien's face is straight-up unfair. When we're alone, I seriously can't handle it!
Good thing I stopped pretending back then. If I'd kept playing hard to get and then later went crawling back to him… ugh. I'd never be able to show my face in Natlan again.
Second by second, time ticked on. With deliberate effort—and the steady coolness of Cryo helping her—her stray thoughts faded.
The doubts, however, remained.
While staying alert, she instinctively replayed everything that had happened since the harbor.
They were currently aboard a cargo ship bound for Fontaine.
It wasn't like they'd planned this. They had intended to take a passenger ship, but they'd missed the departure time by accident.
With no choice but to wait for the next one, they wandered around the docks—and happened to run into this ship's captain.
Leon hit it off with him almost immediately. The captain, warm and enthusiastic, offered them a ride to Fontaine.
At the time, Alix felt something was off. But Leon had seemed determined. He ignored her subtle hints and accepted the offer anyway.
If this had been a few months ago, she would have insisted on trusting her own judgment.
But after spending so much time with him, she trusted that Leon wasn't reckless. Not over something like this.
So she swallowed her doubts, assuming he had a plan—
Just not a plan this thrilling.
Once aboard, he didn't move at all at first. Then the moment he did, he brought her straight to the cargo hold.
And during their agreement, that bold and friendly captain had barely cared about fare. His only real condition was that they remain within the designated area and not enter the cargo section.
Thinking back now, Leon had responded with plenty of reassurances… but not a single concrete promise. Given how seriously he took his word, that could only mean one thing.
He had planned this from the start.
Alix knew Leon well. He wasn't exactly a saint—but he wouldn't scheme against innocent people for no reason.
Which meant this ship really did have a problem.
But what kind of problem would make him act like this?
Illegal goods?
No… even if they were transporting contraband, Leon wouldn't interfere like this. He'd report it and let the authorities handle it. That would be the safest and cleanest way.
Then what—
A faint click interrupted her thoughts.
"All right. Come on in," Leon said quietly.
Alix immediately turned and followed him through the door he had just opened.
She closed it behind them and pulled out a small lantern, lighting it. The warm glow pushed back the darkness just enough to see.
She glanced around. "Lower humidity. Better conditions than the cabin they gave us."
Not surprising. On a cargo ship, the goods were treated better than the passengers.
Leon, already inside, didn't slow down. He headed straight for the stacked crates.
"Alix. Over here."
"Coming."
In the dim light, the piled cargo had looked like a single massive shape. Only when she approached with the lantern did the edges of individual crates become clear.
Leon barely seemed to need the light. Before she even reached him, he had already lifted a crate from the outer edge and set it down in a small open space with effortless precision. One foot pressed on top of it to keep it steady. The entire process made almost no noise.
"Sword."
Alix brushed her right hand lightly across her chest. Just as when she'd taken out the lantern, a faint flash of light flickered—and a sheathed sword appeared in her hand.
Leon took it and, without even drawing the blade, used the sheathed weapon as a lever. The crate popped open easily.
He stepped slightly aside.
In the lantern light, the contents were revealed.
"This is… a beverage?" Alix frowned.
The crate was filled with bottles of liquid. The packaging was common in Fontaine, and the contents looked completely ordinary. She picked one up and examined it carefully. Nothing stood out.
But if it was so normal, why had Leon gone to all this trouble?
She instinctively looked at him—
Footsteps echoed outside the door.
Not loud, but unmistakable in the confined space. They drew closer, then stopped right outside.
A pair of rough hands pushed open the half-closed door.
It was the captain.
The moment she'd heard the sound, Alix had already extinguished the lantern. But the captain carried one of his own—brighter than hers. The light illuminated his broad, genial face.
"Hmph… I knew it. Those brats must've forgotten to lock the cargo hold again."
He blinked in apparent surprise.
"Oh? Mr. Leon, Miss Alix? Did you get lost? How did you end up here? The cargo hold is a mess. You two should head back to your cabin—"
His words were smooth. Persuasive. The kind that made people want to accept the out he was offering—and maybe even feel grateful for being let off easy.
But Alix wasn't some inexperienced rookie.
Her heart sank instead.
Kind?
To her, this felt more like the prelude to turning hostile. He wanted them out to avoid damage to the cargo.
She hadn't forgotten—they were on his turf.
Fortunately, she had confidence of her own.
Just as she was about to respond, a soft chuckle sounded beside her.
"Heh…"
Leon stepped forward, subtly shielding her behind him.
"Captain," he said lightly, "at this point, are you still going to keep pretending?"