Chapter 28

“Hello. You pirate scum and…” Aiden drawled, his dry greeting hanging in the air as he slowly surveyed the tightly bound men from left to right.

A red-haired man with a long scar near his eye. A silver-haired man sporting an eyepatch stamped with a skull motif. A black-haired man wearing a hat shaped bizarrely like a hook. While a few faces were entirely unfamiliar, others he recognized instantly from circulating wanted posters. Stopping his deliberate appraisal, Aiden locked eyes with the bear-like man positioned in the dead center and finished his sentence.

“…the naval dogs of the Trois Kingdom?”

The man visibly flinched at the soft, distinctly amused tone. Aiden tilted his head, a wicked glint in his eye. “Why so surprised? Surely you didn’t think I would be completely oblivious?”

Lifting a long, elegant finger into the air, he pointed to the center man before dragging it methodically across the kneeling captives. “You are Major General Kaydan. Beside you sits Colonel Nicolas, Ensign Dominique, Captain Cayena, and finally… you must be Ensign Mateo, correct?”

When they maintained a stubborn silence, Aiden released a low, dramatic sigh. “Ah, this is genuinely the first time in my life I’ve had to resort to such dirty, underhanded threats.”

Accompanied by his murmur, the sharp, metallic clink of metal striking metal echoed across the deck. Drawn by the sudden noise, every eye darted to Aiden’s hand. Several metallic cartridges rolled smoothly across his pale palm.

“I wonder if I’ll be any good at this.”

Smirking, Aiden extended a hand. Jerome, standing silently at attention nearby, immediately slapped a rifle into his waiting grip. Aiden pulled the bolt back, methodically loading the cartridges one by one with agonizing slowness. With every chilling click, the pupils of the Trois naval officers, Major General Kaydan included, trembled violently.

“Major General Kaydan, if you wish to avoid watching your subordinates die right before your very eyes, I suggest you answer my questions properly.”

Clack.

The fully loaded rifle snapped up, its dark muzzle pressing directly against Ensign Mateo’s forehead.

“Did the King of the Trois Kingdom order you to disguise yourselves as pirates and attack us?” Aiden demanded.

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” Kaydan spat, gritting his teeth. “Before you go tossing accusations, do you even possess proof that we’re the navy?”

“Ah, playing dumb.” Aiden let out a short, disappointed click of his tongue, the corner of his mouth curling upward. “If you refuse to cooperate, it’s truly a shame, but your dear Ensign will have to die.”

“W-Wait! If you just let me s-speak—!” Kaydan shouted in panic, but Aiden pulled the trigger without a shred of hesitation.

Bang!

A deafening gunshot ripped through the air, followed immediately by an ear-splitting scream.

“Aaaargh!” Mateo shrieked.

“You fucking maniac—! Huh?”

Despite the desperate scream, Ensign Mateo was perfectly fine. There was absolutely no blood—a rather crucial detail if someone had just taken a bullet to the brain.

“What the hell is…”

Aiden’s cold laughter echoed over Kaydan’s frantic confusion. “As expected, you really didn’t want to see your subordinate die, did you?”

Racking the bolt to eject the spent casing, Aiden pulled the trigger a second time.

Bang!

The weapon produced a massive blast of noise, but nothing actually fired. They were blank cartridges forged from magic. Finally realizing he had been completely played, Major General Kaydan ground his teeth together.

“You dare threaten me with cheap tricks?!” he snarled. “Do you honestly think that will make me answer your questions?!”

In response to his thrashing, Aiden casually tossed the rifle back to Jerome and unholstered the heavy revolver resting at his hip.

“Shoot!” Kaydan bellowed, his face red with rage. “Shoot me then! You think I’ll fall for that fake bullshit again?!”

“Is that so?” Aiden murmured.

Bang!

With an expression of utter boredom, Aiden pointed the revolver at the deck and pulled the trigger. A live round slammed violently into the solid wood. Sharp splinters flew into the air, accompanied by a curling wisp of white smoke. In an instant, a suffocatingly heavy silence devoured the deck. Kaydan’s eyes bulged in absolute disbelief.

“Why are you looking at me like that? You’re the one who told me to shoot,” Aiden pointed out smoothly.

“Y-You…!”

“Besides, everyone knows a revolver is much better suited for threats than a rifle.” Lifting the smoking barrel from the ruined wood, he leveled it directly at Ensign Mateo’s heart. “Now then. I assume you’ve finally found the desire to answer my questions.”

Enduring such brutal humiliation all because of their wretched King. Watching his men face execution after blindly following orders. The reality of the situation was agonizing enough to kill him. Major General Kaydan dropped his head, biting his lip so hard it bled. It was then that a new voice intervened.

“I will take full responsibility for your family and your subordinates. And, of course, you as well, Major General Kaydan.”

A voice dripping with gentle warmth washed over the defeated officer. Whipping his head up, he met the gaze of a man with blonde hair more blinding than the sun itself.

“So, you no longer need to worry.”

“What…”

“You were merely following your King’s orders. This wasn’t your own volition, was it?” Clyde asked softly.

At his profound understanding, Kaydan’s fists clenched until his knuckles turned white.

“Your Majesty, I am a naval officer sworn to protect the sea!” the older man cried out, his voice cracking. “How could a man of the navy disguise himself as a pirate and murder… to assassinate the Grand Duke of a foreign nation and kidnap their Admiral! How could I ever agree to such madness?!”

“Major General Kaydan. Are you defying the orders of your ruler? I am the master of the navy. You will do exactly as I command. How dare you rebel?” Mimicking the likely threats used against him, Clyde spoke with an even calmness, making it abundantly clear he fully understood the helpless terror Kaydan had faced. “Rather than serving a King of Trois who carelessly tramples upon your naval pride, work under me. Work under Admiral Rosley.”

The deep blue eyes, vast as the ocean itself, curved into a breathtakingly bright smile. “At the very least, Admiral Rosley and I would never force you to disguise yourselves as pirates. We would never commit an act so vile as to crush your honor.”

“Isn’t that right?” Clyde prompted cheerfully.

Releasing a heavy, long-suffering sigh, Aiden finally lowered his revolver. “Isn’t it obvious? If I ever found out His Imperial Majesty ordered my subordinates to do something this disgusting, I would flip the entire palace upside down immediately.”

“Of course you would, Admiral.”

As a bright laugh spilled from Clyde’s lips, Kaydan tilted his head in sheer bewilderment. Does that man truly possess the power to do such a thing? While Kaydan himself couldn’t even muster a single word of protest against his own ruler…

Catching that look of sheer disbelief, Clyde offered a very helpful clarification. “You see, our dear Admiral flagrantly ignored a direct order from His Imperial Majesty, which is exactly how we ended up married.”

“…Excuse me?” Kaydan stammered, entirely derailed.

Before the prisoner could fully process this mind-boggling revelation, Jerome, standing rigid to the side, swiftly interjected. “The truth is, he chose to ignore those orders specifically to protect his subordinates. Because of his decision, every single man under his command survived the battle without a single casualty.”

It could have easily been a fabricated lie designed solely to appease him, but in that moment, Kaydan found himself desperately wanting to believe it without question. A leader who promised to take full responsibility for his men and their families. A leader who vowed never to trample on their pride as naval officers. A commander who would willingly defy an Emperor’s absolute decree just to keep his subordinates alive.

Those incredible promises hammered relentlessly against his weary heart. They had failed their mission; they were going to be discarded like trash anyway. If that was their fate, wouldn’t it be infinitely better to continue their lives as true naval officers in a country guided by this war hero and his compassionate Grand Duke? Above all else, he knew his men would vastly prefer that future over dying a meaningless, humiliating death disguised as common pirates.

Taking a slow, stabilizing breath, Major General Kaydan finally forced his heavy jaw open. “…Ask me whatever you wish. I will answer everything.”

Crouching down on the deck, Aiden brought himself eye-level with the prisoner. His slightly furrowed brow carried a silent apology: I’m sorry for what I did earlier.

Understanding completely, Kaydan offered a faint, strained smile in return: It’s alright. I would have done the exact same thing.

Receiving that silent absolution, Aiden’s eyes crinkled in genuine relief. The lethal frost that had dripped from him moments prior vanished completely, replaced by a devastatingly warm smile.

“Truth be told, we fully anticipated your attack,” Aiden confessed. Releasing a heavy sigh, his mind drifted back to the fateful day Julian had proposed seeking asylum.

The nagging sense of unease Julian had given him had only untangled the moment the Emperor mentioned the Principality of Zeriana.

Securing exclusive trade rights with the Opros Kingdom and having me, a high-ranking military officer, seek asylum…

It mirrored the treacherous actions of the Zerianan Minister of Finance—who had embezzled national funds and siphoned off their military assets—entirely too well. That realization had pushed Aiden to directly provoke the man. He knew that if Julian fell for his trap and named a specific country, they were facing a catastrophic repeat of the Zeriana incident. If no name emerged, it was merely reckless, empty posturing.

“I believe the Trois Kingdom would be ideal.”

Crushing his desperate hope that it was the latter, the name of a very specific nation had spilled from Julian’s lips. A bitter taste coated Aiden’s mouth. However, he couldn’t simply wash his hands of the situation. Just as he had done for Raymond, he had to uphold his sworn duty as an Admiral.

“The Trois Kingdom… Then we should request aid from the Duchess leading the King’s opposition faction. She will listen to us.”

From that moment on, Aiden and Clyde had meticulously gathered information piece by piece. When they finally uncovered the Trois King’s grand scheme to incite a full-scale war, Aiden had literally wanted to slaughter the man. After everything we sacrificed to build this peace, how dare he try to shatter it.

Anticipating the worst, he had quietly attached a warship to their escort and stuffed their passenger vessel entirely with his own disguised subordinates before departing on his honeymoon. It had unfortunately led to him displaying a deeply embarrassing side of himself to his husband, but if it meant preventing another bloody war, he could endure a little humiliation.

“Admiral, we’ve spotted a pirate ship.”

Right on cue, as they neared Trois waters, the enemy struck. Every single variable played out exactly as predicted. If they were the Celton Empire’s navy, they would have seen right through our trap instantly, Aiden thought with a wry, self-deprecating smirk.

Pushing the bitter memories aside, he focused on the prisoner. “Major General Kaydan. Is it absolutely certain that Julian Lamour is the one backing the Trois King?”

“Yes. He betrayed the Celton Empire, and as a reward, he was elevated to Duke Julian Schmier.”

Even though he had already deduced this agonizing truth, his heart still felt as though it were burning to ash. We swore to our dying brothers that we would live happily for their sake, that we would preserve our pride as naval officers to the very end. Why did you have to change so horribly?

Without realizing it, Aiden clenched his fists so fiercely his knuckles turned bone-white. The sheer force he exerted sent visible tremors wracking down his arms. Closely monitoring him from the side, Clyde reached out without a word, wrapping his large hand tenderly over Aiden’s white-knuckled fist. A soothing, grounding warmth seeped slowly through the point of contact.

The steady heat worked its magic, gradually unraveling the furious knots in Aiden’s chest. It was true; he couldn’t reverse the vile transformations of his former comrades. All he could do was fight to ensure he never lost himself. Taking a deep, measured breath, he let the crisp, salt-tinged sea breeze sweep through his lungs. Exhaling a long breath, Aiden spoke again.

“What were the exact, specific orders the Trois King gave you?”

“We were commanded to slaughter everyone except for you, Admiral Rosley. We were ordered to frame the massacre entirely as a pirate raid and successfully abduct you. I have an encrypted letter proving these directives.”

Kill everyone except for me… Raking a hand through his hair to sweep his bangs back, Aiden let out a dark chuckle. “He wants to ignite a war, but the Trois Kingdom is pathetically weak in naval combat. He desperately needed an Admiral of my caliber to even stand a chance.”

“It brings me great shame, but yes. That is correct,” Kaydan admitted.

“But even if you managed to abduct me, it would be utterly useless if I refused to cooperate, wouldn’t it?”

“I voiced the exact same concern, Admiral. However, His Majesty refused to share any details of the subsequent phases of the plan with me.”

Aiden swept a cool, analyzing gaze over the Major General. Given his utter defeat, the man didn’t appear to be lying.

“Well, it hardly matters. The complete truth will undoubtedly come to light soon enough,” Aiden murmured. Thinking of the terrible reunion awaiting him with his oldest, most wretched comrade-turned-traitor, the Admiral could only offer a bitter, hollow smile.