Mero woke up slowly, disturbed by the absence of his nurse. The shadow of the empty cabin startled him. Usually, Leila was always there, ready to meet his needs or accompany him if necessary. He wondered if she had left for a specific reason or if something was wrong.

As he crossed the room, he quickly glanced around, but nothing seemed out of place. The other cabins were silent, and the sailors were asleep. The calm sea that night only accentuated the silence.

When he reached the bathroom, Mero took a moment to refocus, but the worry lingered. Why had Leila left the cabin? Was it an emergency? Or had she decided to go somewhere without waking him?

He decided to return to the cabin, scanning the darkness for any sign or answer. As he searched the room, he found that his belongings were neatly arranged and folded as usual. His daytime clothes were there. But something was wrong. His nightwear was missing. It didn’t escape him. Why hadn’t she taken his things with her if she was going out? A detail that only increased his worry.

Not wanting to waste time, he left the cabin and made his way through the narrow corridors of the ship. The dim light from the lanterns flickered on the walls, casting long and eerie shadows. The ship seemed silent, as if the sea itself was holding its breath.

He walked the deck’s aisles, the stairs, searching every corner for a clue. The sailors on watch seemed caught in a calm routine, almost too calm for the night. Some were just talking in low voices, but no one seemed ready to offer him any answers.

He then headed towards the crew quarters, discreetly asking those he encountered if they had seen Leila. They all looked at him, surprised, but none had any information to give.

Mero’s worry grew. Where could she be at this hour? And why hadn’t she warned him?

Mero headed to Master Antonin’s cabin, knocking gently before entering without waiting for permission. He knew this was against the rules, but he felt an urgency he couldn’t ignore.

When he crossed the threshold of the cabin, he saw Leila lying in bed with Master Antonin, her hair in disarray. The sight froze him in place. Leila, usually so reserved, was lying there, like an incongruous vision, her hair scattered around her. The sight of the situation left a bitter taste in Mero’s mouth, and a wave of conflicting emotions washed over him: confusion, anger, betrayal.

Master Antonin slowly turned his gaze to Mero, his expression calm and almost indifferent, as if he were fully aware of the situation. He looked at him with a placid stare, while Leila, woken by the intrusion, opened her eyes, her face marked by embarrassment.

The silence that followed was heavy, each second seeming to last an eternity.

Master Antonin, in a surprisingly soft voice, finally spoke: "You should apologize for your intrusion, Mero. But I understand your confusion. Go back to your room."

Leila, still in the bed, seemed ready to say something, but fell silent, her face marked by a strange shame. She gave one last look at Mero before turning towards Master Antonin.

Disturbed, Mero returned to his cabin, a sense of confusion weighing heavily on his shoulders. The silence of the ship seemed even heavier that night as he tried to process what he had just discovered.

He wondered what was going on. To him, Leila had always been this caring, unshakable woman, almost divine, like the goddess Mq, the one who watches over the moon, virgin and wise.

In his cabin, he sat on the edge of his bed, lost in his thoughts. The contrast between the image he had of Leila — always present, calm, and wise — and what he had just discovered disturbed him deeply. It called into question so many things he thought he knew.

Leila, this figure of constancy and protection, seemed to crumble in his thoughts. She had always represented stability for him. In his mind, the goddess Mq, the guardian of wisdom and the moon, appeared as a light in this night of uncertainty. Perhaps, like Leila, this goddess embodied a hidden force, a power Mero had not perceived until now.

But what could have happened for Leila to act this way? Was it betrayal? Or was there something more complex that escaped his understanding?

His eyes closed for a moment as he sought an answer. But all that came to mind was the image of the moon — calm and distant, mysterious and silent. It seemed like a protector, but also an entity full of secrets that he might one day have to uncover.

Mero sat by the window, watching the moon reflect on the waves. He didn’t immediately notice that he was falling asleep. When he woke up, he found himself in his bed. Leila was there, the book he had bought her in her hands, waiting for him to open his eyes. The sun was gently entering the cabin, warming the calm atmosphere.

Seeing her, Mero remembered her calm gaze, like a peaceful sea, which contrasted with the turmoil in his heart. But the book… the one he had bought her, symbolized something deeper than just a protector-pupil relationship. It reminded him that, despite the confusion of the previous night, strong ties still existed between them.

Leila looked at him, a barely perceptible smile on her lips, and said in a soft voice: "You seem tired, Mero. The journey and the new discoveries have exhausted you. But it’s time to continue the journey."

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Her words, however simple, resonated in Mero’s mind. He needed time to understand everything that had happened, but the reality of the journey pressed on. Leila seemed to have regained her usual wisdom, but something invisible hung in the air, urging him to question her further.

Mero thought he needed distance to understand what had happened. He shouldn’t rush, not like the night before. The boat had already left the port some time ago. Time seemed to stretch as he reflected on everything that had transpired. The calm sea, seen from the window, seemed to want to speak to him, offering a bit of peace. But deep inside, a flood of questions and emotions overwhelmed him. Why had Leila behaved so strangely? Why the confusion? Why this unease that both Leila and Master Antonin seemed to hide?

He forced himself to breathe deeply, not to rush like the night before. He knew it was easy to be swept away by events, but reflection was now necessary. There was no rush, he had to move carefully, understand his surroundings before acting.

He observed Leila, still silent, the book delicately resting on her lap. Her gaze seemed lost, but she appeared calmer than the night before. Perhaps, in her own way, she too needed time to digest what had happened.

"Leila," he said softly, breaking the silence, "You seem… different this morning."

She lifted her eyes to him, a faint smile forming on her lips.

“There’s nothing to understand, Mero. It’s just a pause in our journey. Sometimes, we simply need to take a step back.”

But there was something in her tone, a softness that barely concealed an unease, a secret that seemed ready to spill out.

Mero then realized that, even though he needed space, this moment of calm could be the prelude to something larger. The question was: was he ready to face the truth, or would he rather stay in the shadow of this apparent tranquility?

The sea and sky seemed to offer him a moment of peace, but inside, conflicting emotions clashed.

The question swirled in Mero's mind like a tide that refused to recede. He wondered if the truth could really give him what he sought, or if, by discovering it, he risked losing a part of what he knew about his reality.

Looking at the sea, he felt the weight of an uncertain future. Investigating, seeking answers, was a courageous act, but also a risky one. The truth, at times, could destroy what one thought was solid. Yet, ignorance could also lead to missteps, irreversible mistakes. The fear of change crept into him, but a sense of duty pushed him forward.

He thought about his mission, his journey, his future in the Empire. If he truly wanted to understand who he was and what awaited him, he would have to face what unsettled him. Perhaps this truth, though painful or destabilizing, would allow him to grow. Maybe knowing this reality would give him the strength to make decisions that would shape his future.

The whispers of the sea seemed to remind him that it was still possible to face uncertainty, as long as one accepted the unknown. But then, was he ready to confront what this truth might reveal?

Leila looked at him, her eyes filled with mystery and a burden she seemed to carry alone. She waited for him to speak, or perhaps she simply awaited his understanding. The moment of truth seemed to have arrived.

Mero finally broke the silence:

“Leila… May I ask what happened last night between you and Master Antonin?”

Leila seemed to hesitate for a moment, her gaze avoiding his. There was something heavy in the air, as if she weighed each word before saying it. Finally, she sighed, her gaze softening as it settled on him.

“I... I didn’t want you to learn about it this way. Mero, I need to tell you that what happened between Master Antonin and me is not what you might think. It wasn’t what you believe.”

She paused, clearly searching for her words, her face marked by an embarrassment she struggled to conceal.

“There are things I didn’t want to reveal to you, things about Master Antonin’s past. Connections that go back long before you were under his tutelage, and which I always thought were unnecessary to explain. But not everything is as simple as it seems, Mero. What happened last night is tied to these secrets.”

Leila lowered her head, a new emotion appearing in her eyes. Was it sadness, guilt, or a mix of both? She seemed to be waiting for the right moment to say everything, but a part of her still seemed hesitant.

“I’m sorry, Mero. For not warning you. But I didn’t want you to get involved in all of this.”

Leila’s words echoed in Mero’s mind, each syllable adding to the confusion that overwhelmed him. The sea, calm on the outside, seemed to silently observe, just as he did, as he tried to understand the depth of what he had just heard.

Leila looked at him with a tenderness almost maternal, a fleeting smile dancing on her lips.

“You’re wiser than most men, Mero. You don’t push, you accept what I can tell you, and I’m grateful for that.”

She gently closed the book she had been holding in her hands and placed it delicately on the table next to her bed.

“When you’re ready, if you want to know more… I’ll be here to answer you.”

Then, she stood up and bowed slightly, as she always did in a sign of respect. She seemed relieved, but also troubled, as if she expected a different reaction from him. Before leaving the cabin, she paused and cast one last glance toward him.

“Rest a little more. The sea will be rough today, and you’ll need all your strength.”

With these words, she disappeared through the door, leaving him alone with his thoughts, swayed by the gentle movement of the ship on the waves.

Perhaps he didn’t understand everything, but one thing was certain: his journey was just beginning, and deeper mysteries still awaited him.

Days passed in an unrelenting routine. In the mornings, language lessons. The study of dialects, the subtleties of the cultures of the Empire and neighboring kingdoms. Each lesson grew denser, each word heavier with meaning. Rhetoric was a subtle art, and he had to learn it, to better negotiate, understand, and master the influences that shaped this complex world.

In the afternoons, history and sciences took over. Lessons about great battles, military strategies, scientific discoveries. The centuries past came to life in his mind. He learned not only to read the past but also to draw lessons from it for the future. With each lesson, he felt the weight of the expectations on his shoulders. He was not just a student, but a prince of the Kingdom of Sel, and he always had to live up to it.

Then came the weapons training. The sword, the rapier, the saber, but also the dagger. A weapon that, though small, required deadly precision. Under the watchful eyes of his masters, he trained relentlessly. Perfecting his techniques, his endurance, his speed. Each move became more fluid, more instinctive, each gesture quicker, surer.

Weeks passed, blending into each other, but the sea, it seemed, never changed. The horizon, vast and endless, became an infinite space of opportunities and challenges. Yet, one day, something began to take shape in the distance. A new land, a new future...