Chapter 2.23: Voyage to the Blue Sea

After this, Leila left the room to see both staff members pale and anxious. She bowed her head, shocking them as she proceeded to apologize for any trouble she caused by confronting Oriane. The heiress requested a new stewardess to be assigned to their cabin and that only food be given to her. The old man was eager to agree to this. From his expression, the dark-haired woman could tell he was frightened. The teenager had no interest in any further arguments and headed to Liliko'i. The blonde was awake and could tell something had happened. But the curly-haired girl stayed silent when Leila said she would explain when they left the train. Explaining that she had been not only poisoned but raised losing her child was heavy.

And it was something she just didn't want to speak on without privacy. So, the rest of the train ride was rather mundane, with Lili looking confused when a new woman brought them fresh drinks. But as her timid, fragile self normally did, she stayed silent and just enjoyed the hospitality. The pair left the train and were met with freezing air. Even with her winter coat, Leila's body was shaking with tiny shivers from the temperature change. The jade-eyed woman looked at a nearby clock that domineered over her head, attached to a large brick tower. The arms displayed that it was noon, telling her that the ship wouldn't arrive for another five hours. The walk to the boarding area, showing their registration documents and finding their assigned rooms, still left them with a three-hour wait.

She then gazed down at the shivering blonde who bundled up against her side and made up her mind. Her shoulder nudged her softly. "Hey."

Liliko'i looked up at her, blinking sluggishly. "Hmm? Did you say something?" The country bumpkin was exhausted from the long ride.

"We have time to spare, so let's go get some winter clothes. The island will be covered in snow when we arrive, so we might as well." They had packed plenty, but she was doubting it was warm enough now.

Especially with the iciness of the ground, with frost scraping under their feet as they moved. From where they stood, she could sew several stores and outlets that advertised sales to tourists. Pre-made meals, jackets, children's toys, and more sat in windows with price tags attached. Some had labels with foreign names that had to be in another language, while others had to be locally outsourced. Their products did look on the cheaper side material-wise, but the heiress didn't care. They needed some things for the voyage, which would be long and stressful. Leila could see that the blonde was debating going on. The pair walked with the crowd, giving her a closer glance at it all. The blonde looked back at the long, dark-haired noblewoman with her large, doll-like pink eyes and answered.

"I guess…can we buy some treats? I'm hungry." Hearing this made the noblewoman feel a tad guilty. Lili had been anxious to eat on the train due to her overprotective, motherly actions. The blonde frowned, making the teenager wonder if she had made a face. "We don't have to, Cleo."

A knot forked in the heiress's stomach as she watched the blonde curl into herself. When they got home, she was going to beat Cale upside the head for making her so self-conscious. Quickly, she moved her arm down so that her hand was holding the smaller woman's. With a smile, she squeezed it.

"Stop that," Her words made the blonde wilt, so she made sure to speak softer as she continued. "Liliko'i, if you want to eat, we'll eat. You're fine. Now, what type of treats do you eat exactly?"

Slowly, the country girl unfurled from her anxiety-induced shell and gave a smile back. The two spent the next hour going to several shops, with Leila reassuring the blonde that whatever she wanted, she could get. The heiress had a large sum of money on her card and her wallet. Meaning she didn't give a damn about prices right now. Leila just wanted to placate the nervous blonde. It was better to make her smile and laugh before they boarded and everything changed. All because Leila let her guard down. With this in mind, the dark-haired girl pushed Liliko'i to take her time. The heiress would watch the clock while her sister-in-law went about the dozen aisles that stood before them. The fragile woman had wide eyes as she saw so many options. It was clear she'd never seen luxury candies before and was struggling to take in the sensory overload.

Growing up on a farm, Liliko’i must have lived a life of scarcity and caution. Money was something her parents watched carefully, even with her marriage to Cale. Everything from moving to a new country to meeting her in-laws was a part of that struggle. The poor blonde' life had entered a tailspin. Leila wanted to help let that anxiety disappear for a moment, even if it was for a second to give the blonde a break. One that she would remember even after she was chained to Cale for as long as she could survive. With her arms crossed, the heiress leaned on a wall and watched Lili crouch down to collect everything she wanted. In her arms were desserts, coats, and general snacks that would make Leila's real-life bank account scream.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

But here, she possessed enough to not care. And she didn’t as she watched the blonde smile with pure, genuine joy as she stood there. Their eyes met and the younger woman began to walk over. Only for a man to bump into the curly blonde and nearly knock her over out of nowhere. Boxes flew all over the place, causing some other shoppers to look over to see the commotion. The man wore a long coat like everyone else in the store. But unlike the rest, his coat looked to be more for show than warmth. He had a sour expression on his face as he looked at the blonde, who was flushed. Seeing that Liliko'i was too shocked to say anything, the noblewoman walked over and stepped in to defend her.

“Excuse you!” Leila huffed as the man just stood there. She reached down and helped Liliko’i up, who had turned pale with a little bruise appearing on her jaw. The older girl’s blood boiled at the sight.

With an eye roll and an annoyed tsk leaving his mouth, he replied. “She came out of nowhere.”

The heiress blinked and made sure she had heard correctly before retorting. “No. She didn’t. If you had been paying attention, you would have noticed she was getting something from the bottom shelf.”

It was ridiculous that he couldn’t just say sorry instead of glaring at them. The man was looking at the two like they were scum. One of his eyebrows lifted upward and his nose turned. This ticked her off even more as the jade-eyed woman waited for his next excuse. Instead, the strange man seemingly deflated.

"I apologize." The stranger said directly to Leila, ignoring the person he walked into.

Noticing this, she stepped aside and nudged the blonde to the front so the man could see her. The taller woman gestured at her with her hands. She spoke this time with less anger now that he was acting apologetic. Also, because they had a growing audience of busybodies. It was better not to scream to the point they got kicked out.

The man clears his throat, his long braided hair falling to the side as he speaks. "I'm sorry for walking into you. I honestly didn't see you earlier." His tone and face were giving off a sympathetic vibe, but Leila just felt like something was off with him.

Liliko'i bit her bottom lip and played with her hands before responding. "It's alright. I'll forget it if you can help me pick up my things off the ground." Timidly, she looked down at the mess the pair had created earlier.

"I…Of course, I can." And with that, the man began to help Lili gather her things. The entire time the jade-eyed heiress watched the stranger intensely.

There was something about this man that gave her red flags. His eyes were sharp like a viper waiting to strike despite his change in demeanor. She could see a tattoo that covered the majority of his arm, hidden by the long coat he wore. The tattoo for some reason made his shiver, she had to have seen it before. But where she wasn't too sure. The heiress felt her stomach tighten even more as she wondered what exactly was wrong. Leila debated if she was just being overly protective after everything that happened. Liliko'i being drugged was her fault. The blonde was dragged into her war and would become a casualty. What had happened could have been avoided if she had just stayed awake. So, she might have been jumping to conclusions. But the dark-haired woman still couldn't shake the feeling that weighed on her.

Due to this she quickly stepped in to grab the younger girl once she stood back up with her things. She looked at the man and pulled Liliko'i to her side. "Thank you for helping my sister-in-law. But we have a ship to catch, so we have to go."

The man nodded, putting his hands in his coat pockets as his long braid fell across his shoulder. "It's no worry." Suddenly he pulled out a large, oval-shaped wallet. "I would love to pay for your tickets to make up for the trouble I caused."

Her blonde companion looked around anxiously at the mention of money. The younger woman's eyes went as large as saucers once he flashed a wad of cash. The heiress found her mouth dropping a bit. Leila was shocked someone would be carrying so much so casually. There had to be over ten thousand in just that pocket. If they were in the real world, or at least the neighborhood Leila was from, he would be robbed soon after. The man noticed the two women's blatant surprise and quickly began to explain himself with a faint blush.

"I work near here, so I carry cash. You guys don't have to accept it for the tickets. You can just take it as compensation to me for wasting your time." The man held out the cash, and this allowed the jade-eyed woman to see the tattoo covered that too.

Her eyes darted to his other hand and she could see that it was inked everywhere, too. If she wasn't jumpy, she'd take the time to ask where he got it. But for now, she shook her head and gave a weak smile. "Oh? It's fine! My sister-in-law and I have already accepted your apology, so you don't have to offer us anything."

With a nod, the blonde in question agreed, her eyes still trained on the huge chunk of money. By now, the audience the trio had gathered had dissipated. That left them being the only ones who saw the cash. He put the money away, and the three said their goodbyes. The heavy feeling in the heiress's heart remained despite this as she walked away. She needed to get her head together and focus. Whoever that man was, he was just a man that bumped into Lili. Not some mysterious fiend that lurked around every corner waiting to strike.