Chapter 69
***
Sponsored by LC. Thank you ❤️ (⅗)
***
It only took a moment for her vision to flip.
First, Josephine's bewildered face. Then the early evening starry sky.
Then the sea, darker than the sky.
It wasn't until she was swallowed by the water that Delnia realized she had fallen from the ship.
The cold, salty water rushed into every orifice in her body. A deep, low vibration, like a whale's heartbeat, rumbled through her eardrums and into her head, and then the world went frighteningly still.
Delnia instinctively flailed her limbs. But the water only gripped them tighter, pulling her downward.
Deeper and deeper into the depths.
Never to surface again.
At one point, Delnia stopped moving.
No matter how hard she struggled, it was impossible for a mere mortal to overcome Mother Nature. She felt helpless in the face of its overwhelming power.
She stopped her pointless attempt and slowly withdrew her strength from her body, as if surrendering to the tide that was engulfing her.
The ocean gently embraced the creature that no longer resisted it.
'So this is what it feels like to drown.’
Was this how Lena died?
Thinking about it, she no longer felt lonely or alone. Maybe this was a fitting end for her.
Feeling all her senses slowly fading away, Delnia humbly surrendered herself to the sea.
The calm waters were suddenly invaded by tumultuous bubbles, and then something violent grabbed her around the waist.
In a blur of consciousness so faint she couldn't tell if she was even keeping her eyes open, she took a last look.
The last thing she saw was the owner of the arms pulling her violently across the dark waters, hair blacker than the sea at night and light bluer than the sea by day.
And at the end of it, eyes that stared back at her, vague but clear.
Why?
The thought went no further.
A strong, distinct force pushed Delnia upward, breaking the pressure of the water as she lost consciousness. As if to defy the will of nature, whatever that might be.
"Ha!"
Roan let out the breath he'd been holding as his head finally broke the surface.
The salty water stung his eyes and his entire body. His tongue burned from the saltiness of his mouth as he gulped in the fresh air.
But he couldn't afford to pay attention to such insignificant sensations.
He clutched desperately at the woman who sagged in his arms. Taking every care to keep her face from touching the water.
"Don't die. I won't forgive you if you die."
He hissed in her ear like a madman, and then he waved through the water with his free arm, still holding her in his grip.
There was a commotion on the dockside, a rescue effort for the drowning, and he relied on the sound to guide him.
"Colonel!"
As he swam near the docks, the soldiers who had finally spotted him hurriedly tossed him a rope. He grabbed it tightly with his water-swirling hand.
Men rushed in, pulling Delnia and him up, one after the other.
A chill sea breeze rushed over their bodies as they surfaced. His soaked uniforms weighed heavily on his body. His skin tingled against the wind, and the blood in his veins boiled hot as if he had fought a fierce battle.
But even with his senses playing tricks on him, his eyes remained frighteningly focused.
"Colonel, are you all right?"
"Move."
Roan frantically brushed aside the arms of those who tried to support him and walked over to the woman lying there like a corpse.
Checking her breathing, Roan compressed her chest. But he didn't stop there, he pressed his lips to hers and breathed into her.
Roan was following the textbook instructions on how to rescue a drowning victim. There was no hesitation in his movements, no haste in his actions.
Only his face was immeasurably pale. It was as if he was the one who couldn't breathe, and he was suffocating.
Everyone stood by and watched, not daring to stop him.
"Kolok, Kolok!"
She finally breathed, a loud, ragged cough. The color drained from her pale face, and her chest rose and fell as she breathed hard.
Delnia's eyelids lifted with effort as she came back to life. A man appeared dimly beyond her blurry vision.
His face was wet all over. He had fallen into the water with her, so it was no surprise, but with his face so wet and contorted, it looked like he was crying.
Why does he look so desperate?
She wanted to ask, but her mouth wouldn't open. Her barely regained consciousness quickly sank into darkness.
The forceful embrace of her body faded beyond her flickering consciousness. It was almost dreamlike.
***
The Admiral sighed heavily, rubbing his burning forehead.
Viscount Nubel's screaming and proclaiming his innocence was one thing, but Roan Barthez's seemingly unyielding determination was another.
"Calm down, gentlemen."
The Admiral blew smoke from his pipe and waved his hand in the air.
Why was he playing mediator again?
Part of him wanted to throw all of them out of the room, but he couldn't just sit on his hands. After all, Josephine had drowned Roan's slave at sea.
Roan was determined to hold Viscount Nubel responsible. The explanation that it was an unintentional mistake fell on deaf ears.
Viscount Nubel rushed to the Admiral and asked him to mediate the situation. In effect, he was asking for Roan's will to be thwarted.
Call it an outrageous accident, but Josephine was his daughter, his flesh and blood. For the sake of the family's reputation, he had to stop this from getting out of hand.
The Admiral's wishes were not so different from the Viscount's. Whatever the story, the last thing he wanted was for it to get any louder here.
And so the meeting was arranged.
"Did I say something wrong?"
But Viscount Nubel was hardly listening to the Admiral, as if he hadn't asked for an intervention.
His eyes glazed over as if he were about to release all of his pent-up frustration, and the sight of him lashing out in front of his superior, unable to control his words, was enough to make the Admiral sick of him.
"Is it normal for the Colonel to be any like this over the injury of a mere slave? Not unless the Colonel is bent on bringing down my family!"
"Look here, Viscount."
"She wasn't merely wounded, she was nearly killed; and yet how can it not be attempted murder?"
“Look at that. They got into a fight and ended up falling all over herself, and now you’re trying to blame it all on my daughter……!”
Roan’s already cold blue eyes sank even more coldly. Even the Admiral was becoming uncomfortable with the vitriol Roan exuded.
But the Viscount's fierce mouth was in no mood to be silenced.
"No, even if Josephine meant to do it, how can it be murder? The other person was a slave! Since when do you insist that a slave is a person?"
For an instant, the air froze solid.
A lesser man would not have lifted a finger, but the Viscount stood bravely and unflinchingly against Roan. He proved the old adage that ignorance is courageous.
"Will you take responsibility for that statement?"
Roan asked sullenly, a cold gleam in his eyes as if he were looking down on a scurrying rat.
"It's bad enough that you're responsible for damaging my goods, you’ll be happy to pay for them, is that clear?"
The atmosphere was such that it wouldn't be surprising if something bad happened right away. For example, if a bullet went through the Viscount's forehead, he'd still be able to exclaim that it hit.
The Admiral, who did not want to see blood pouring out of his room, could not bear it any longer and kicked the seat noisily.
"Enough!"
His attention-grabbing yell was met with a cold gaze.
It was enough to make even the hardened Admiral flinch.
"This is only going to make things worse."
Shaking his head, the Admiral set down his pipe with a loud clatter, signaling his conclusion.
"I think we're done for the day. I think you both still need to cool down, so we'll settle in later."
"But Marquis..................."
"Uh-huh, I told you to stop."
The Viscount shuddered as if he didn't understand the Admiral's sudden braking.
The sight was so ridiculous that Roan couldn't hide his laughter. Of course, it would be safe to say that he didn't hide it on purpose
***
Support me @ https://ko-fi.com/doraaaaaaa
Write a comment