I Stole The Duke - Chapter 143

“Ah!”

The moment they reached the top of the wall, the sea breeze—pleasant from below—hit her with sudden force. Her silver hair, loosely tied back, whipped wildly in the wind.

“Startled? The wind’s always stronger on the eastern cliffs.”

“Ugh, the wind is… yeah, that caught me off guard.”

“It’s calming down a bit. Want to open your eyes now?”

Eliana slowly opened her eyes, which had been tightly shut against the wind. Far below the white stone wall perched atop a towering cliff, the endless cobalt-blue sea stretched out before her.

“Wow…”

Sunlight shattered across the water’s surface, scattering in brilliant, white sparkles—more dazzling than diamonds. The sight pulled a genuine gasp of awe from her lips.

“It’s beautiful.”

To the east, the deep ocean shimmered under the sun. To the south, rows of white buildings with blue rooftops stood huddled along the slope. That was the town’s shopping district and commoners’ residential area.

“……”

Michalis stood quietly, taking in the many everyday lives he was meant to protect. Carts moved slowly up steep roads. Fishing boats drifted in the distance. Life, as always, was in motion.

‘Are they happy?’

It was a question that had stayed with him since his days as the young heir. Whenever the weight of duty became too much, he’d climb up here and look down at this view. Back then and now—nothing had really changed.

“Michal, what are you thinking about?”

Eliana spoke gently, watching his quiet profile.

“I was just thinking… I hope this peace lasts.”

Michalis gave an honest answer—simple, but deeply him.

“What about you, Eliana? What were you thinking?”

“That I want to make you happy.”

Her response wasn’t one he’d expected.

‘Does she think I look unhappy? I guess… all she’s seen is me buried in work.’

‘My health is finally stable… the biggest threat is behind us. Maybe it’s time to start preparing.’

While Michalis felt flustered by her words, Eliana seemed perfectly at peace.

“Just having you beside me is enough. That makes me happy.”

It took some thought, but Michalis answered with quiet sincerity.

‘I should start cutting back on late nights.’

‘Boy or girl, I hope our child takes after Michal.’

Together, they looked out over the same view—but one of them was thinking about schedules, and the other was dreaming of a future family.

“Wait—! That’s… from the Mikkelsen family…”

The merchant from Kantoor stumbled back a couple of steps, clearly startled by the intimidating group in front of him.

“She doesn’t look like the young lady of the house…”

“She’s a relative.”

A soft voice came from the woman in front, her face mostly hidden beneath a wide-brimmed hat.

“Ah, I see… A relative of the Mikkelsen family.”

The merchant wanted to disappear into his warehouse. The last time a random sailor came knocking was bad enough. Now there was a woman flanked by a man built like a bull and another who looked more like a gorilla than a servant—both radiating a terrifying presence.

“It’s been a month and I haven’t heard anything, so I came to check.”

Eliana had run out of coffee beans sooner than expected, so she made the trip herself.

“T-that’s—”

“Speak freely. I’m not here to pressure you.”

At her wave, Cedric and Speaker took a few steps back to give space.

“We’re still sourcing the shipment locally. It’s not an easy item to find in the market, and gathering ten tons is taking longer than expected. We ask for just a bit more time.”

The merchant carefully chose his words, fearing one wrong move might earn him a punch from the bull-sized man behind her.

“I see…”

‘So coffee farming isn’t exactly thriving in Kantoor either.’

In other words—there was still no clear delivery date.

“We’ll contact you the moment the shipment is ready to depart.”

“I’ll be waiting for word.”

“Yes, of course. I’ll ask our people to speed things up.”

Without any real progress, Eliana climbed back into the carriage.

“Well, since I’m already out, I’ll take a look around town.”

“I’ll take you to the shopping district.”

The plain carriage rolled forward with quiet smoothness.

“Safe travels!”

“What did she say?”

“You showed up just in time. How’s the coffee bean prep going?”

The merchant, still watching the carriage leave, turned to the worker approaching him.

“We should be able to ship out soon.”

“Good. That’s a relief.”

The merchant let out a sigh of relief.

“So? What did she say?”

“Oh, nothing serious. She just asked when things would be ready.”

“As long as the order isn’t canceled, we’ll be fine. Most of the work is already done.”

The worker tried to reassure him—but his eyes lingered in the direction the carriage had disappeared.

‘We’ll need more guards next time.’

Bringing the 3rd to 5th highest-ranking knights in the Blue Order for a simple port visit—the Duchess’s security was on a whole different level.

“As you wish. I’ll complete the mission, even at the cost of my life.”

“Secure the target. Alive.”

After all, whether it’s a flower or a hostage, their value lies in staying alive.

“I understand. I won’t forget.”

One by one, twenty elite warriors boarded the ship. Their objective: to secure the flower of Flencia.

“……”

Maxim watched their backs disappear and clenched his fists.

‘This war will be the last time we rely on Zaiphon’s technology.’

A dry, desert-bound nation.
In Kantoor, where timber was scarce and the land was barren, shipbuilding had never truly developed. Without wood to build vessels, there could be no progress in naval engineering. With only paddle-driven reed boats at their disposal, the most they could manage was nearshore fishing.

“No ship in the Empire is faster than this one. You can rest assured.”

“If you followed my instructions, it should be.”

The Xyphonese captain replied in clumsy Kantoorian. The ship had three slightly tilted masts and a sleek, narrow build—it was clearly not designed for trade. It had been constructed in secret in Xyphon, per orders to build the fastest vessel in the world.

“As long as the alliance between our two nations holds, we’ll make as many trips as necessary until the mission is complete.”

“Then I give the order—set sail.”

“Yes, Your Highness. We’re departing.”

The high-speed vessel, carrying ten tons of coffee beans and twenty elite warriors, sped off into the distance.

‘A true shield should never have a weak point.’

Maxim let out a quiet snort, recalling the faint image of the Duchess of Ascher. A shield that cracks when struck isn’t really a shield at all.

‘Is it confidence… or foolishness?’

He couldn’t understand the Duke of Ascher. Word had even reached Kantoor that the Duke was deeply devoted to his wife. Not only had he created a weakness—he had broadcast it to the world.

‘You should’ve taken after your father. Why become a man like this, Duke Ascher?’

He had expected a tiger. Instead, the Duke acted like a foolish pup. And when someone reveals their weakness so openly, it’s only natural to want to strike it.

‘If I can just shatter the shield… the Empire will be nothing.’

The wasted gold spent on foreign ships, the humiliation of having to hire foreign captains due to a lack of navigation skills—Maxim swore all of it would end with him.

“Your Highness!”

As Maxim stood with his hands behind his back, watching the ship disappear into the horizon, someone called out.

“Did you get them?”

“Yes. Just as you said, we’ve detained everyone who kept watch on this area for more than five minutes.”

A warrior knelt behind him and reported calmly.

“Bring them all to the palace.”

Maxim turned around, a pleased expression on his face.

‘If it were me, I would’ve planted spies the moment I heard someone was becoming king.’

The House of Ascher had earned their vassals’ loyalty for centuries by treating their lives with great value. Even low-ranking sailors had reportedly blown themselves up to protect the house. The thought had once filled Maxim with disgust.

‘Among the ones we caught today, there’s bound to be someone who once worked in the palace or visited it frequently.’

Loyalty can protect its master—but sometimes it becomes a trap. Maxim was oddly certain that revealing himself at the port would draw out the Empire’s spies. He had failed to steal the saltpeter, but he could still blind the Duke’s network—his eyes and ears—before taking the next step.

One hour after departure.

“Uwehhh!”

“Ughhh! Blaaargh!”

The elite warriors of Kantoor—said to be the strongest in the desert—were now sprawled helplessly across the deck, vomiting everything they’d eaten that morning. They looked more like dried squid than soldiers.

“I can’t… stand… Ughhh!”

They were hit by intense seasickness.

— These are Kantoor’s finest warriors?
— Well, maybe not the finest—but they’re definitely desert people. No sea legs at all.

The Xyphonese sailors moved around them with practiced ease, shaking their heads in disbelief.

“I didn’t know seasickness was worse than a hangov—urrgh!”

“My body… feels like it’s shutting down—blehh!”

“Hold on… You’ll get used to it—blargh!”

Not a single one of them was okay. Even the Xyphonese crew, hardened and well-traveled, couldn’t understand how not even one of the elite warriors could handle the sea.

“Gasp, gasp… Didn’t we have a navy too? What happened to them?”

“Ugh… They were disguised as pirates for training, but… the Ascher fleet sank them all.”

“……”

All their pre-departure bravado had collapsed under the weight of seasickness. It became obvious—they had no chance of defeating the Empire at sea, not while the Duke of Ascher was in command.

“We’ll win… once we make landfall.”

“Yes… land…”

Of course, getting to land was the hard part.

— Hey, warriors, take some seasickness pills!

In the end, it wasn’t courage or patriotism that saved them—but cheap seasickness pills from a Xyphonese sailor.

One week later.

The high-speed ship from Kantoor finally docked at the Port of Flencia.

“Don’t expect to succeed on the first try.”

Dressed like low-wage dockworkers, the warriors stood tall, listening intently to their commander.

“We’ll repeat this as many times as needed, until we’ve earned enough trust for the target to approach us.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“From now on, don’t call me Commander. Call me ‘brother.’ We’re all supposed to be cousins, remember.”

“Yes, brother.”

Though the seasickness pills had helped them survive the journey, they’d taken a toll. The cheap meds had upset everyone’s stomachs—each warrior looked pale and drained.

“We’ve received clearance to unload. You can begin.”

The Xyphonese captain gestured to the portable gangway attached to the ship.

“Unload the cargo.”

“Yes, sir!”

The Kantoor warriors began hauling sacks of coffee beans on their shoulders, one by one. Finally—they had set foot on land.

The mission had begun.

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