Holly scoffed and turned her attention away.

“Is this really the ship we’re taking?”

Cahill was equally disappointed. Since they had used teleportation magic to travel to the continent, it was his first time boarding a ship as well.

“It’s the earliest departure available.”

Adam replied quickly to Cahill’s question. No further explanation was unnecessary.

“Those bigger ships are slow to move. Weren’t we in a hurry?”

Adam added, and the man next to the cruise ship pointed at it, agreeing with him. Even though Cahill looked displeased, he didn’t suggest getting off.

“There are separate rooms, right?”

Cahill asked suspiciously, eyeing the small sailing ship.

“There are rooms.”

The man nodded in response. Then, amidst the noise behind him, Holly glanced at the bustling crew and back at the man.

“But all four of you will have to share one room.”

As Cahill’s expression, which had briefly softened, contorted again, the man laughed heartily at this.

‘Looks like the rest of the lesson is off.’

Holly glanced at Cahill with disappointment. She had been keeping her distance from Cahill, following Adam’s advice to pretend to be a man.

“Seeing how urgent it is, you must be fleeing from debt?”

The man inquired with a curious look. While his guess wasn’t entirely off, they couldn’t disclose their situation to someone they hardly knew.

“Don’t worry. In this business, we meet people with all sorts of stories.”

Just as she was about to shake her head, the man slapped her shoulder heartily, causing her to stagger from the force.

“We’re not in a position to report anyone, so don’t worry about that.”

As he uttered meaningfully, crouching to meet her height, Holly noticed that the dimples on his cheeks were not dimples but scars.

“And you.”

The man, squinting at her, suddenly spoke. Holly bit her lip, almost responding in her natural voice to the unexpected call.

“If you’re not into men, it’s better to be cautious.”

Not understanding his words, she looked at him with wide eyes. After scanning her up and down, the man grinned, revealing yellowed teeth, which made Holly uneasy.

“There are many quick-handed folks on this ship.”

“…I am a man.”

When she inhaled deeply and spoke in a lowered voice, the man chuckled.

“So naive. When you’re turned over, men and women are all the same.”

Holly’s face turned to horror at his words.

“You look pretty like a woman, just be careful.”

Startled by the comment, Holly flinched. The man raised his hand to pat her shoulder again, but Cahill swiftly caught his hand.

“Go find another ship, now!”

Cahill yelled at Adam while still gripping the man’s hand.

“Let, let go of my hand and let’s talk!”

The man struggled to free his arm from Cahill’s grip. As his face turned red, his fingertips white with pressure.

“The ship has already departed. And over there…”

Adam responded indifferently, pointing towards the bridge in the distance. A black crowd could be seen rushing towards the harbor.

“We’ll definitely run into trouble if we get off here.”

The group’s aim was to leave Centuria quietly without exposing Holly’s identity. Cahill, who cared for her more than anyone, couldn’t insist any further. So, in the end, he released the man’s arm as if throwing it away.

The man massaged his sore arm, glaring at Cahill, but didn’t dare to confront them further, sensing the group’s ominous aura.

“I’ll call someone to show you to your room.”

The man now spoke harshly, unlike his earlier hearty demeanor and went inside the ship. Watching his retreating back, Holly whispered softly.

“It looks like I’ll have to keep Shiver close to me until we get off.”

Hearing this, Cahill’s face twisted instantly.

“Shiver can still use its powers even in its natural state.”

He grumbled. It seemed like he was still learning about spirits through Holly.

“There might be times when I can’t sense danger.”

He couldn’t argue against her point. A spirit in its natural state only responds when called by its contractor.

“But if they find out you’re a spirit user and try something…”

Holly understood Cahill’s concerns.

“Unless it’s a dangerous moment, they won’t realize Shiver is a spirit.”

He tilted his head, not quite understanding. So, instead of explaining further, Holly decided to show him.

“Shiver.”

As a gentle breeze tousled the group’s hair, soon, Shiver appeared in Holly’s arms. At a glance, Shiver resembled a cat, so it didn’t look out of place.

Adam nodded after watching them.

“That makes sense.”

However, Cahill still looked displeased. He suddenly reached out and flipped Shiver over.

“Kkang! Klang!”

Struggling to escape his grip, Shiver squirmed. To others, Shiver’s cries sounded similar to a fox’s yelped.

― Let, let go!

Shiver’s voice resonated in Holly’s head. She grimaced in discomfort, covering her head with her hands.

― I hate this! Stop, stop, stop!

The force of Shiver’s resistance was so strong that Holly almost lost her grip. If she let go, Shiver would dangle in the air, held only by Cahill’s grip on its legs.

“Stop it, Cahill! What are you doing?”

“But I wanted to see if it’s male or female.”

He was carefully examining between Shiver’s legs.

“Cahill!”

Holly was appalled and swiftly cradled Shiver in her arms and turned away from Cahill, preventing him from touching Shiver again. His grip on Shiver’s legs loosened.

“That’s sexual harassment!”

Adam also raised his voice at Cahill, as he was always sensitive to such matters. Holly nodded vigorously in agreement.

“Exactly!”

Although in the form of an animal, Shiver wasn’t a real animal but a spirit.

“Even if you are a prince, such behavior is inexcusable!”

Cahill looked downcast after facing a barrage of criticism.

“Sorry, I was wrong…”

He apologized, bowing his head towards Shiver.

“And spirits don’t have a gender.”

Adam added, his expression softening as he saw his prince’s genuinely remorseful attitude. This revelation seemed to confuse Cahill further. He looked unsure if he should still be wary if it were without a gender.

Observing Cahill’s mixed feelings of apology and jealousy, Holly narrowed her eyes.

“Don’t you trust me?”

Holly’s question, which tinged with hurt, prompted Cahill to shake his head hastily.

“It’s not you I don’t trust, it’s the others.”

Saying so, Cahill pointed at Shiver and then Adam. Shiver turned away, burying its face in Holly’s embrace.

“Why me?”

Adam asked, looking both wronged and upset. However, Cahill merely glanced at him coldly, offering no explanation.

“Guests?”

At that moment, a voice called out from behind them. The group turned to see a man with exceptionally dark eyebrows standing there.

“My name is Raki.”

The man introduced himself in a tone that was a mix of formal and informal speech.

“Please follow me.”

Raki said, somewhat snatching the bags from Holly and Adam’s shoulders. His cheerful smile gave him a boyish appearance.

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