"What?"
She had already anticipated the boatman's reluctance. She knew what he was worried about, and she also knew what he would find difficult to refuse. "I guarantee you won't have any trouble. This boat is mine for the next three hours. Do as I say, and you'll get a reward. Now go."
Most people always seem to be subconsciously waiting to be led, to be given orders. Sometimes, a decisive command is far more effective than persuasion. Sure enough, the boatman hesitated for a moment, then did as he was told.
After the people on the larger vessel thought they had left, the white light from it vanished from the surface of the sea. Their small boat quickly extinguished its lights and cut its engine. Under the cover of darkness, it made a slow half-turn and began to creep back toward the large ship.
"I—I don't want any trouble," the boatman said, panting and terrified as he rowed with the oars.
"I told you, you won't get into trouble," Milady said calmly, her eyes fixed on the ship. "Stop here. We're still some distance away. As long as you're quiet, they won't spot us."
It was only a large ship in comparison to their own small boat.
She had never seen this vessel in the family harbor before. It wasn't even an ocean-going ship. On either side of its hull was a massive white paddle wheel, ringed with flat blades. The bottom half of each wheel was submerged in the sea, while the topmost paddles extended high over the ship's railings.
When the engine was engaged, the two paddle wheels would turn, pushing aside river water to propel the ship forward. But in the immense power of the open sea, it was hardly adequate. It could manage to enter the ocean, but only just barely. 'Why not use one of the Clan Leader's ocean-going ships?'
In the dim starlight, she could vaguely make out that its sails bore no markings, nor was there a small metal tower mounted on its bow. If she hadn't heard a familiar voice, no one would have ever recognized it as a ship belonging to the Tower family.
'Perhaps that was exactly why they were using a riverboat—so it wouldn't be recognized.'
In the deep, dark night, amidst the gentle lapping of the waves, Milady gradually began to make out another sound.
She couldn't tell what was making it, only that it seemed to be coming from the other side of the ship's hull. It sounded like a rope being slowly dragged across the ground… Milady frowned slightly and rubbed her temples. Her mind still felt a little foggy from crying, and she couldn't figure it out.
Come to think of it, she didn't even know why she'd decided to follow them. After all, whatever the Clan Leader was up to didn't seem to have much to do with her.
It was just that… her mother had been left to this sea. Her anchor in this world, her only home, seemed to have drifted here to this sea as well. Milady could almost hear Yidan's voice, just as casual as when she used to ask at home, "Where did I put the machine oil?" Now it was whispering in her ear, "What is the Clan Leader hiding from us?"
She wanted to give her mother an answer.
"Strange," the boatman whispered. "Isn't that a river dredger? What's it doing all the way out here?"
"You recognize it?" Milady asked, turning her head.
"I used to work on a dredger… They usually stick to the rivers. There's no reason to come all the way out to sea to dredge for sand." The boatman's curiosity was piqued as well, and he craned his neck to get a better look. After watching alongside Milady for a while, he finally asked, "Miss, can we leave now?"
Milady pulled a handful of coins from her pocket and pressed them into his hand. "You go. I'm not going with you."
The boatman froze, glancing around at the open sea.
"I'm going to go have a look on that ship," Milady said as she took off her boots and stuffed them into her backpack.
The boatman stared at her as if she were a mythical sea creature that had just taken human form. "G-go on that ship? How? Are you going to swim there? But the bow is so high above the water! How will you ever climb up? What if you get caught? Miss, don't be impulsive… We should just go. Now."
"I won't tell them you brought me," Milady said, looking at him. "Besides, I don't even know you, do I?"
"That's not what I meant… How will you get back to Haidu?"
'Since it's the Clan Leader's ship, it's bound to return to Haidu.' And even if it didn't, Milady felt it would make no difference to her. Her mind was made up, and every extra word felt like a waste of time.
"Wait ten minutes before you leave, and don't start the engine," she said, cutting him off. "Otherwise, you'll give yourself away too."
Without giving him another chance to speak, Milady finished her sentence, vaulted nimbly over the side of the boat, and leaped out. With a loud SPLASH, her vision was instantly swallowed by the Black Sea. The sea caught her, held her. Pushed and patted by the icy waves, she broke the surface, took a deep breath, and began to swim toward the large ship in the distance.