Finally, we managed to get ourselves back to our voyage and now, this was the finale. This would be the last stop which mean, we had finally had our route towards Ele Kingdom that was for me to take back what ought to be mine from the olden days. Captain Kenny was avoiding me ever since the love trial and it hurt me more than what I could bear. Thinking that he was secretly peeping for my stature without me looking and looked away when I was looking at him, seeing him pretending that he was not hurt despite knowing the fact that I didn’t love him anymore was killing me from within. My mind messed up and I myself in a dilemma whether I was still in love with him or not. Lady Fasasha hadn’t said anymore words than just a simple answer, “The fate will never face its back on you. Tell him that and you’ll know the answer.” Even for now, I hadn’t had any opportunity to tell him about Lady Fasasha’s answer of our relationship.
I was doing my daily chores as usual and finally, it was dinner time. Captain Kenny was speechless and the atmosphere died without any laughter from any of the crew. They didn’t dare to make even a sound, seeing their captain was completely down without any reasonable explanation. Two days more and we would arrive in Ele Kingdom very soon.
“Captain, we’re finally going to Ele Kingdom. It’s a sacred place...” Thomas couldn’t manage to finish his statement since Captain Kenny knocked the dining table and made quite a sound from it with his right hand. Everyone was astounded by his sudden actions and remained silent and stunned. Without anymore words, he took a last sip from his goblet and left the room with a loud bang coming from the door he slammed. Everyone was now staring at Thomas and we could see that his face was pale as white as a piece of paper.
“Did I just say a taboo?” He shivered.
Everyone faced each other in a bewilderment yet not being able to solve the captain’s mystery.
“It’s not like him to get angry without reason, right?” Sylvester added.
I left the room at my own pace, letting the children doing their chores in cleaning the table under the supervision of the blue snake-like dragon. I rushed towards Captain Kenny’s room and stood there for quite a moment until I gained myself some courage to knock his door. As I had expected, no answer came from the door unless I announced my identity.
“You don’t have to open the door, but please just hear me out, okay?” I uttered and there was still no answer coming from the other side of the door. My eyes started to water and my voice started to sound a bit husky but I just ignored it and continued saying what I had to say which I had kept for so long.
“Are you sure you want to disband me from this crew because of the trial?” I sniffed, holding my tears.
He still refused to give any answer from the other side of the door but I know that he was standing right in front of me since the shadow beneath the door was there, proving that he’s inside his chamber.
“What’s your main point in taking me as your cook in the first place? If I can’t be the one to stand by your side, then just let me stand behind you! Is that so hard to be done?” I sobbed and I finally realised that I could no longer hold my tears as one by one, dripping on the wooden floor.
“It was my main point to take you as a mere cook. She played this trick all along. She did this to us and she wanted this to happen between us no, to everyone!” His voice finally heard.
“Who?” I questioned.
“Who else do you think it was? You said Mammy was a fortune teller right?”
“Yes. But it can’t be her...” I was greatly astounded by his sudden statement as if he was putting the blame on Mammy.
“Of course it wasn’t her. Come to think of it, why couldn’t she and the old wizard predict about your step-mother’s plots? Why didn’t she and the wizard know about your whereabouts when Anna took you away from the palace? This is weird isn’t it? This puzzle makes no sense...” He mumbled.
“Are you saying Anna has been plotting all these scenes?” I asked again.
“If I were Anna, I’d rather have a life being thrown than having all the villagers die in vain. The virus, it was spread throughout the village,” He answered, sounding weird.
“How would you know about that?”
“Do you think that doctor won’t go and do some research on that case?” He murmured.
“You mean, Hardy made some research?” I was quite overwhelmed with what I was hearing.
“Of course he did. Right before he knew me. The virus wasn’t supposed to attack people unless the main source of the village had been contaminated with it. The virus won’t die unless being burned.
“So that’s why Mammy burned the whole village? Just to stop the virus from spreading?” I asked, forgetting my main point in chasing him to his chamber.
“Yes,” After he answered the single answer, the air around us grew awkward and silence took place for quite some time.
“Captain, what if I’m still in love with you?” I whispered slowly by the door, fearing that any of the crew might be walking nearby and might be hearing what I had said.
There was still no answer from him. I was determined this time. I must confirm my feelings towards him once and for all and if I no longer had feelings for him then, I must accept my fate to leave this crew. I begged for him to open his door but he still refused to do so. I had it enough! I shouted at the top of my lungs and said, “Fine! Then you won’t feel at all miserable if I date Frederick, right?”
The door flung open and the image of a pissed man who looked as if he would kill someone appeared in front of me and quickly grabbed my hand and pulled me in his room and had the door shut.
“Can’t you find any other man better than that womanizer? Are you a sicko? You never learn!” He shouted shrilly, being very pissed off.
I finally managed to laugh after all these time, being all gloomy thinking of his reaction towards me and somehow I was so relieved that he could scold me that bad rather than avoiding me. Tears watered my eyes and I could stop crying. I rested my head on his broad chest and hit it over and over again using my right hand non-stopping.
“You’re so evil! You know that you’re enchanting me all over again. I know now. I am now secured. Captain I love you. I love you so bad that it hurts me so much when you actually want to disband me. It hurts me so much when I know the fact that I have to be separated from you,” I shrieked from my sobs.
“But what about the trial?” He was quite insecure with my exclamations.
“You believed in such superstitious?! Am I not being persuasive enough?! Just what should I do just to make you believe me? Are these tears are not enough? How much longer do you plan to omit your own feelings?” I begged him.
He spread his arms and held me into a longing hug, not wanting to let me go, “I don’t want to believe in such stuff. I don’t care even if you love me no more. I just want you. I just want to own you for myself solely. I don’t care if you love other man, I’ll definitely kidnap you and make you look at me again!” His hazel eyes were so cold and piercing that it pierced directly into my eyes with such a possessive look in his eyes.
“Then don’t ever let me go! Don’t ever let me fall for any man other than you! Let me be by your side forever!”
Suddenly, a low thud came from the door. Captain Kenny quickly released me and opened the door swiftly with the look of an evil devil carved on his face since that in front of him were his fellow crews who were eaves-dropping us from the very beginning.
“How much have you heard, rascals?” His monotonous tone was somehow sarcastic and deadly.
Everyone turned pale and gave me a glance of begging but even I myself couldn’t say a word due to the shock and was unable to help them.
“A-all of them!” They said synchronically.
“Starting from...?” Captain Kenny gave them a poisonous glare, the glare that could kill the most pious person.
“We was wondering why Eleanor said that you won’t care if she date Frederick and we now know the main reason now,” Rio uttered rather convincingly.
“Capt’n was so mean to address me that way,” Fredrick was somehow being rather far from the other crew mates, probably sulking.
“Seriously you guys, just date already...”Keith added, a bit annoyed.
“And who gave you the permission to eaves-dropping?” The menacing glare of his grew rather intense.
All of them bowed and said rather simultaneously, “We’re sorry, Capt’n! We won’t do it again.”
I chuckled a bit and slowly, my chuckles turned into a merry laugh that I could feel a heavy weight had finally been lifted from my tightened chest. I was now secured that whatever happened, the fate between us would never change. We were destined to be together and we were fated to be together. The furious captain could finally calm down and he finally sighed.
“Since everyone has already knew this, I would like to make it official in front of everyone then,” He heaved a heavy sigh, as if he had no other choice.
He took out a small box, saying, “I will not delay this anymore and I will regret if I don’t do this as soon as possible. I want every one of you be the witness of this event.”
I could see that everyone was blanked with bewilderment on what he would be doing right now. He approached me and stood still in front of me.
“I have made peace with my mother from the last letter I sent her and she sent me this and I know well of her purpose of sending me this,” He paused as he knelt down in front of me and took my right hand. My heart was throbbing and it was beating loudly that I could hear them thumping like mad. I had never imagined this but this was it! This was going to be the most memorable scene ever! “Eleanor, or rather, Princess Eleanor Lieselotte... Will you marry me?”
Everyone’s jaw flung right open and my face flushed from the embarrassment of being under excess satisfaction! Tears once again streamed down my eyes and I just couldn’t say no. Everyone was grinning towards each other and elbowed each other. I took both his hand as he stood up. Our eyes met and finally, my lips grew into a most beautiful smile ever, replying for his propose and finally saying, “Yes.” Everyone cheered with merry smile and even the sulking Fredrick got back on his feet and shared the joy with the others. He gave me a hug but he hesitated whether to kiss me or not since the bunch was just right behind of us. Couldn’t they just give us a little bit privacy here? Well, that’s not important and what’s important right now was I WAS ENGAGED! And my fiancé was the well known ‘The Devil of the Sea named Kenneth Rogers! I was so happy that I could hardly sleep. I wonder what would happen once we’re arrived at Ele Kingdom. I couldn’t stop imaging me in a white gown as he took me by the hand and we exchanged oaths and for the finale, exchange rings. I was ecstatic by it that I could hardly sleep!
