Anton was talking to Lucia and Antonia about different things one could find in the Amelia that would entertain a person with coins. He couldn’t believe it when the two girls said that this was the second time they experienced traveling to Rendindura in the Amelia. They nervously admitted that they were related to the owner of the ship and when they saw that he didn’t react to that information, the two girls were very obviously relieved.

“I don’t understand why you’re reacting like that. Does being related to the ship’s owner need to be kept a secret?” Anton asked the girls.

The girls’ jaws dropped when they heard Anton’s question. Then they saw that Anton didn’t really know the significance of being related to the ship’s owner which was understandable since aside from being young, he was also a citizen of Rendindura and not their home country.

“Lucia and I are cousins and our uncle, who is the owner of Amelia has several ships like this and is the richest man in New Drennor in the Gale Continent. We were told repeatedly not to divulge that information since it could be dangerous for us,” Antonia said nervously.

Anton rolled his eyes at the two girls again.

“Then why did you tell me? What if I’m someone who has nefarious intentions?”

“You’re such a good singer so I don’t believe you can be that kind of person,” Lucia said but then she blushed when she realized that she uttered an utterly moronic sentence.

“At first I thought you girls were very experienced mature people. I find it refreshing that you’re just as naïve as my little sister.”

“Anyway are you telling the truth that the entertainment you prepared for tonight would truly be amazing?” Antonia asked which was obviously just her, trying to change the subject since what Anton said about them being naïve was true.

Anton just stared at Antonia then after a few seconds all three of them laughed.

“We’ve been cultivating the mysterious lady image for a while and here you are destroying it for us,” Lucia said smilingly shaking her head.

“Actually, you both were successful. I was a bit intimidated when I asked to join you two, it’s just that there are no other seats here.”

“We’re actually here in the Amelia to escape our family since they’re trying to marry us off. We know that when we arrive in New Drennor, we can’t escape anymore. To be honest, our future husbands-to-be are not that bad. They’re brothers and both very good-looking but they’re boring. Their only ambition was to make sure that the family and by extension themselves would remain the richest in New Drennor. Me and Lucia are already so old. We’re twenty-five years old so we can’t escape anymore. It doesn’t matter anyway since this is the last time that the Amelia will travel to Rendindura,” Antonia said softly.

“You both are twenty-five years old? You’re correct Antonia, you’re old maids already,” Anton said jokingly and both of the girls protested.

“is the Undead Coalition truly scary? Won’t they just occupy a city and then let the people live as they are and they will just manage the place and gather all the funds just like normal conquerors?” Lucia asked.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“If that’s the case, me and my family wouldn’t have run away. They’re monsters. When they occupy a city, the citizens would either turn into undead, food, or sacrifice to increase the power of the undead higher-ups and nothing else. At least that was the case of the cities they had conquered so far according to the news that we had gathered.”

“That’s truly scary. I hope to never encounter them ever,” Antonia said while she shivered as if she was listening to a scary story.

“Isn’t there anything like that in the Gale Continent? I hate to run to a new place and find out that there is something like the Undead Coalition there and then we have to run again.”

“As far as I know, there’s nothing like that in the Gale Continent but I’ve only been to several cities but don’t forget I’m part of one of the richest and most influential families in the continent and that meant if something as dangerous as the Undead Coalition appeared, we would have known about it,” Lucia said.

“There were several groups, cults, and organizations that appeared in the history of the Gale continent who had malicious intentions and if left alone, they could become like the Undead coalition but there were also organizations in the Gale Continent that monitor something like those and they made sure to eradicate them as soon as possible,” Antonia said while drinking her glass of wine.

“Well, I’m glad. I just me and my family to come to a place where we can stay and develop safely.”

Soon they saw a performer climb the stage and Anton was surprised at the performance of the young man who was playing some sort of stringed instrument that he couldn’t recognize. The young man’s voice was very light like a flowing breeze during the afternoon when one was sitting in an orchard.

After the young man finished his performance, the audience cried “Encore” and then the young man performed again.

After the young bard completed his performance, he received vigorous applause, almost as loud as the one that Anton received.

“Since those patrons who wanted you weren’t successful, they might approached that young man,” Antonia said and soon they saw a waiter approaching the young bard and gave him some papers.

Anton could see the young man’s face was suddenly full of smiles and that meant that Antonia was correct in her assumption that someone messaged him, interested in becoming his patron, and based on the number of papers the young man received, just like Anton, it was more than one.

Suddenly a couple of men went to their table.

“Antonia, Lucia, are you not going to introduce us to your young friend?”

The two men looked to be the same age as Devon but they looked somewhat softer. Anton knew then that the men were idle rich young men, possibly of the same circle as Antonia and Lucia.

“Phillip, Walter, this is Anton. He is a noble in Rendindura. His family is traveling to Gale continent fleeing the undead monsters. Anton these are Phillip and Walter. They are our friends and also from rich families in New Drennor. They’re idle young men who have no responsibilities that’s why they’re wasting their time here,” Lucia said.

“Hey, we’re not wasting our time here!” Walter said then both men asked the waiter to get them some chairs and after a few seconds, the waiter returned with a couple of stools and two men inserted themselves into their small table.

Anton didn’t mind. The more the merrier and both young men looked amiable enough.

“Just like you, we’re also escaping our family’s demand for us to marry,” Phillip said.

“Especially Walter since his persuasion is not with the opposite sex,” Antonia whispered but loud enough that all of them at the table heard her.

They all laughed at Antonia’s whisper meaning that it was true and that they had accepted Walter’s sexual preference which surprised Anton a bit. Does that mean that homosexuality was not taboo or was it because Walter was very rich? Anton didn’t mind since he grew up in a place where one’s sexual preference was very open and in the grand scheme of this world where power and monsters exist, it was not really important.

“You’re cute! What about you Anton, do you prefer guys or girls?” Walter said with an overly lascivious tone but everyone could see that the man was just joking.

“Stop that! He’s only seventeen years old!” Lucia said while laughing.