Chapter 862: Crossing The Sea
While they traveled across the sea, Rowena spent most of her days above the deck. Julian turned out to be a little seasick but did his best to cope. During a much sunnier day, Rowena stared up at the sky.
Numerous seagulls and other birds flew off and took their place in the air.
It was such a beautiful sight that made Rowena sigh softly. "They're so beautiful, aren't they?"
"Uck. Yeah." Julian covered his mouth and swayed slightly at the ship. "I'm a bit sick. Can I do it over the sea? We have the stuff to talk about below the deck, but I'll let you enjoy the air a bit."
"You were so worried about sea monsters at first, but it seems like all you need to puke is just a little wave." Rowena chuckled as she watched the much older boy.
"I'll say sorry to the fish but I can't take it anymore–"
"Julian, wait, those are dolphins!" Rowena's eyes widened when she saw a couple of large creatures soar up into the air and then dove back into the water. "It seems like they saw the boat and wanted to play with us."
"Really?" Julian's uneasy expression lightened a little as he watched the free-spirited nature of the creatures. He cracked up a grin and said. "They're way better than birds, at least they can't poop on your head."
"Are you really that unlucky?" Rowena couldn't help but giggle.
"It was actually my clothes, but I had already changed earlier." Julian chuckled. "But you see what I mean right? It's not just the waves, even the birds can be a little troublesome… and sometimes other stuff as well."
Since Rowena and Julian boarded the ship and realized that most were travelers, merchants who just visited Ashland, Rowena decided to ease up a little and wore more comfortable clothes, and abandoned her hood.
Despite wearing simpler clothes, Rowena's beauty still seemed to shine.
Even when Julian wanted to stay under the deck until they reached the new continent, he chose to stay by her side to keep the other people from interacting with her. However, it didn't stop the onlookers.
"If there's any monster in the sea, I bet it would be sirens." A young man approached Julian and Rowena. He was dressed in finer clothes than either of them and smiled brightly at her. Julian frowned and realized that this boy had really been eavesdropping.
"Sirens?" Rowena raised a brow at the sudden interjection. "I think I've read about them, but aren't they supposed to be in another realm? I don't think they're in the human realm at all."
"O-oh… you're quite well-read." the young man slipped up and coughed.
Julian made a face. "And who are you supposed to be?"
"I'm Tel, my family are merchants who visited Ashland and we're heading back to our country," He introduced. "What about you two?"
"What were you actually supposed to say?" Rowena interrupted him with a smile. "I think I cut you off at the siren part, Tel."
The merchant boy blushed and scratched his cheek. "Well… I think sirens would arrive, but only because they'd watch from afar and be jealous of your beauty. They wouldn't even be able to say a single word."
Julian stared at the other man and then broke into laughter. "Are you serious?"
Rowena blinked for a moment. She knew and learned how to interact with noblemen due to the lessons that Lady Liz and Lady Mary instructed her with… but even she was surprised by the sudden interaction.
Tel glared at Julian and asked. "And who are you even supposed to be?"
"Sorry for laughing, you were just… funny." Julian chuckled and slowed down a little. "I mean, that's not how you court a girl. Hey, Rowena, what do you think of his words–"
Rowena elbowed Julian in the gut and smiled apologetically. "Sorry about him. He's rather rude, I hope you can forgive him. However, I do not think th
at I'm as beautiful as sirens for them to get envied…"
"But you really are! I've never seen someone as beautiful as you," Tel said. "If we're heading the same way, would you like to join my family? You seem like a traveler."
Rowena cleared her throat. Some men were a little pushy, so Rowena needed to make things clear for him. "While, I sincerely appreciate the sentiment, Tel. I don't have time to socialize right now. We have many important things to do."
It was a polite rejection.
"It's fine… I think I just embarrassed myself." Tel bowed his head and waved his hand. "Thank you for being kind to me. I'll leave the two of you alone, Miss."
Without further need, the man hunched a little and then left to return to his family. A couple of them gave nasty looks towards Rowena… well, mostly Julian. It was a bit difficult, but Rowena chose to ignore them with a sigh.
"Did you really have to make him feel bad?" Rowena whispered to Julian after the other young man left.
"Sorry." Julian scratched his head. "I just thought that the line was bad… and don't you agree that it's best to keep other people at arm's length for now? You made the right decision. He seemed nice at first, but he didn't even stick around to be friends."
"I know…"
"Those people are the worst," Julian said. "We gotta be more careful."
Rowena glanced over her shoulder. There were a lot of passengers in the ship, and she understood Julian's wariness. If any of them discovered who she was, their destination might get disrupted and they'd turn back.
There was a time to make friends, but it seemed like now wasn't so appropriate.
Even though it was tough, both Rowena and Julian needed to learn how to watch each other's backs. It initially seemed like Julian was rude, but somehow, it seemed he used his character and attitude to gauge Tel's intentions towards her.
Now that she thought about it, Rowena managed a smile and said, "Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me. I was just looking out for you." Julian played it off with a relaxed grin. "After all, while you do have the smarts, you came here to learn real-life guidance from the best, right?"
"That reminds me, what do we do when we finally reach the port?"
"I have a couple of plans," Julian replied confidently.
.
.
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From Missrealitybites:
ODETTE & THE CURSED KING
I have been helping my mentee, Ogi, translate and edit her story "Odette & The Cursed King" for two months now and I have been crying and laughing throughout the process.
I LOVE that story, maybe a little more than I love my own. I feel so attached to the male lead who I think is a very complex man. I just love him! I even pay to turn the story into a comic because I really want to see the story come to life in pictures.
Because of that consideration, I have suggested Ogi not sign the book to ReadNovelFull with an exclusive contract because then we won't be able to continue the comic. ReadNovelFull will basically own the book, just like they own most of my stories and they won't allow us to make our own comic. So... yeah.
Therefore, we plan to publish the book through a third party in April. It will be available on ReadNovelFull, but since it's through a third party, the author won't be able to respond to comments, much like translation books. The publishing would use a separate channel.
However, I really can't wait to share it with you now. Well, at least the early chapters, so you would know why I am so in love with the book. You can now find the book on ReadNovelFull. Just search by the title "Odette & The Cursed King". The cover is green. You can see it in the comment.
Please go there, read the early chapters and let me know your thought.
LOVING THE CURSED WEREWOLF KING
My other mentee, Gigi, has published her story and I am so happy to see she finally wrote her first snusnu scene.. lol. Suprisingly... it is REALLY GOOD! I love the love scene between Ronan and Arielle. It is super sweet and wholesome. You will get to read it in a few days.
If you haven't read Gigi's book, go read now. It's really sweet and fluffy. The title is "Loving The Cursed Werewolf King".
As you can already guess, I came up with the titles.. hahahhaha. I might have a penchant for cursed male leads.