The Captain was right; the sun finally shone onto the cabin at lunchtime. A warm breeze accompanied the arrival of sunlight, making it seem as if we had arrived at warm rich soil in the south. Lucia was relieved. Nier and I didn"t go anywhere in the day. We kept Lucia company and played chess. Nier was somewhat eager to go outside; however, when I said we"d play one more game for every loss, she resolved herself to compete until the next dawn.
The temperature warmed up after the sun came out. Life returned to Lucia after lunch, and she aggressively challenged Nier to a fight to redeem herself for the humiliation she suffered earlier in the morning. I didn"t give them time to fight, though. The plan was to get in the water for a swim after lunch.
The Captain chose a location where the waves and wind were calm to stop the s.h.i.+p, allowing me to enter the water. I could tell Lucia and Nier looked forward to playing in the water. Lucia could swim. The swimming finesse she displayed in the bathroom in the elven Imperial Palace was quite decent. As for Nier, I never saw her swim before. Regardless, if she was trained by the military, then she should be a great swimmer. However, I presumed the two of them didn"t have any experience swimming in the ocean, which was why they were eager to experience it.
The Captain walked up to my side and reported, "Your Majesty, everything is ready. The water temperature is fine, and there are no waves. The small boat has also been prepared."
I gave the captain a nod then placed my cup of tea down. Lucia jumped to her feet with excitement. She was obviously very lively after the weather warmed up during lunch and after lunch. Perhaps she was making up for her feeble self in the morning. Nier placed her cup of tea down and smiled: "Let us go for a swim, then, Your Majesty. I am looking forward to it. Do we need to prepare food? I shall go and prepare it now."
"We don"t need to prepare food. Just have the maids prepare tea and some snacks. Give us a bottle of wine after we come back up, and that"ll do."
Lucia had already ran off outside. I said to the captain, "I also need a fis.h.i.+ng rod and towels. It"ll be fine if you just put them in the small boat."
"They have all been prepared. However, I hope that you do not stray too far away from the s.h.i.+p. This is not a safe zone; therefore, I hope you can do your best to stay close to the s.h.i.+p. That would also make it convenient for us to provide support should anything come up. I would also like to request your permission for the guard s.h.i.+ps to stay by your side for your safety"s sake."
"Keep some distance."
I was reluctant to let others see Nier and Lucia in their swimwear, as the swimwear was unlike our modern day swimwear. To be honest, the new swimwear model was basically designed for others to ogle at. I could accept Nier and Lucia donning them in front of me, but I"d want to kill the entire crew if the group gawked at them.
The Captain nodded: "Yes, Your Majesty."
I removed my cloak and placed it on the table before going to the deck. A small boat was prepared on one side of the s.h.i.+p. There were towels placed in the boat already. My wives" pure-white skin radiated underneath the sunlight. The sailors who came over all felt awkward, because they wanted to check them out, yet didn"t dare to. Everybody froze stiff as if they were zombies.
I returned to the room to change. I wore on shorts, and then went to sit on the small boat. They lowered the small boat. I noticed the guard s.h.i.+ps were ready on both sides and up ahead. In essence, we were basically in the middle of their formation. The surroundings appeared to be calm. The sea water was unexpectedly a clear light blue. I, consequently, could see gravel and what resembled corals below. Having said that, they were definitely carnivores, because I saw them gobble a tiny fish.
Admittedly, the place was perfect for swimming. The Captain sure knew how to find the right place.
I suddenly wondered if there"d be a huge octopus that was common in transmigration stories…
I started to think, "If Nier and Lucia encountered one in the water, then… then… then…"
"Your Majesty… What is…"
Noticing the state of my crotch, Nier"s eyes flourished with excitement. I lowered my head with my face all red and refused to speak. She smiled mischievously. She checked to ascertain n.o.body was watching us. Then, she suddenly grabbed my crotch… With a mischievous smile, she said, "What"s wrong, Dear? Are you turned on seeing me in my swimwear? I can wear this swimwear tonight and we can…"
"Hmph!" snorted Lucia, glaring at Nier. "I knew it. Humans are animals that enjoy that sort of thing. Doing something holy for the sake of feeling good… Also, it"s obvious you didn"t make His Majesty erect. It"s definitely me. But… Your Majesty… If we do it, I will be in a lot of pain…"
"… Can we please not argue about this?"
The boat landed onto the water. From above, the Captain shouted, "We shall stop here, then, Your Majesty. You must be watchful not to go too far away from us!!"
"All right," I responded in a loud voice, and then began to slowly move the boat.
We put some distance between us and the s.h.i.+p. Lucia and Nier were eager to try getting in the water. They gazed down into the clear blue sea. They entered the water one after another, and then both surfaced at simultaneously. They each grabbed an arm of mine and pulled me into the water.
In an instant, I found myself drowning in the water. Droplets of water flew into the air as we splashed into the water, reflecting the sunlight. I was submerged in the warm and gentle water. I shut my eyes to focus on the sensation of being in water. I could still seemingly see the blue ripples and incredibly warm sun despite having my eyes shut. I, additionally, saw a gentle pair of blood red eyes. Those blood red eyes were so gentle and blissful. I wasn"t sure if the water ripples were what made them seem as though they were expressing love…
"Ling Yue…" I called out in my mind.
"Puah!"
I surfaced and rubbed the water on my face. Life was restored to my heavy lungs again. The sound of the water current by my ears was replaced with our shouting, the gentle breeze and the sound of the water ripples. Nier and Lucia stuck to me with smiles. I smiled back: "You two sure are energetic. I was planning to fish first."
"Don"t fish first. You want to fish when I"m by your side?"
Nier wrapped my arm in hers and Lucia immediately took my other arm as she resentfully glared at Nier. Lucia pulled me over with all her might and seriously said, "His Majesty has to swim with me first, of course. Didn"t we do this in the bathroom at Duargana? You couldn"t move. Luckily, you can move now, so of course we have to play in the water."
"What?! You two…"
It was Nier"s turn to be surprised. Truthfully, Nier and I didn"t bathe together, because Mommy Elizabeth was the only person who could bathe with me. Despite being the Royal Princess, Nier didn"t have the right to use the biological royal family members" bathrooms. She was only allowed to bathe with me if I went to bathe with her, or Mommy Elizabeth gave her permission to use the royal family"s bathroom.
"So let"s go. Let"s go."
"Wow…"
I never thought Lucia swam the same way as a fish did. She grabbed me and swiftly swam away. I know she could swim well in the bathroom but didn"t expect her to swim extraordinarily in the ocean…
Glossary
*Lucia uses "… Majesty" to address in this chapter.
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