Our Summer Isn't Over Yet - Chapter 59

As Dylan entered, Elio, who had been sitting, rose from his seat. Dylan briefly scanned him before sitting across from him.

“Let’s get straight to the point and finish this quickly.”

His words were coldly resolute, but Elio didn’t mind. He cleared his throat lightly and quickly continued his report.

“The royal army and some of His Majesty’s closest aides used the sea route a few days ago. It wasn’t an official movement, so I contacted you just in case.”

Dylan’s fingers tapped on the armrest of the chair. He felt as if ominous and unpleasant sensations were somehow falling into place one by one.

“They moved using the HN-Vega 8 route.”

The route Elio mentioned had no clear destination. For the navy, HN-Vega 8 was also a route used when dispersing and moving along multiple paths.

If they had used the top-secret route used by the Hippoli Navy for confidential operations, he could have clearly known the destination. But now, the destination of those under Morgan’s orders was uncertain.

Nothing was certain except for this ominous and chilling premonition.

“Which countries can be reached using that route?”

Dylan asked Elio, trying to push the worst-case scenario out of his mind.

“Several countries can be reached. However, it’s uncertain whether they will allow docking, as there are no treaties signed with those countries.”

“I asked where.”

“The most likely countries are Rodania, Sylvest, and Etra, and other possible destinations include Bensera, Karsen, and Pilate.”

Dylan, who had been tapping his fingers, stopped abruptly.

He couldn’t say for sure, but he was convinced they were headed to Pilate. He calmly sank into thought. The sudden capture of Jose, Morgan’s army leaving on the very day that incident occurred, and the subtle sense of incongruity he had felt, though nothing seemed different on the surface.

The puzzle pieces were falling into place one by one.

Perhaps Mia had noticed his betrayal long before he thought, and had joined hands with Morgan. Her counterattack, which he had thought would be a mere act of defiance, came as quite a shock to him.

At the same time, he also realized that he still didn’t know Mia Blair.

“Ha.”

Dylan ran his large hands over his face a couple of times.

“And yet I smiled without a care.”

His sunken pupils were pitch black. Elio frowned at Dylan’s unfamiliar appearance.

Dylan calmly organized his thoughts.

Mia seemed to be planning to get along with Dylan at least until the ship Morgan sent arrived with something. If she was going to act that way, Dylan could use it to his advantage.

With a chillingly calm gaze, Dylan instructed Elio.

“From now on, strictly control the entry of ships coming from outside. If an unauthorized ship appears, contact me immediately. I’ll return right away.”

He took out the handkerchief tucked in his chest pocket and used a pen to write down the address and number of the place where he and Mia would be staying for a while. Elio took what Dylan offered and checked the address, then muttered.

“Valencia is at least four days away from here.”

“I’ll be in the capital within four days, so do whatever it takes to prevent anyone from entering Hippoli.”

“…If His Majesty the King directly orders it, we have no choice but to obey.”

“Can’t you, the Vice Admiral, control the information for a few days? Under the pretext of the absence of Duke Richard, the highest authority in the navy. Do I need to create more loopholes?”

Elio fell silent at Dylan’s increasingly sharp words.

As he said, he could control those entering for about four days, and even if the report to Morgan was delayed, he could handle it on his own.

Having finished his thoughts, Elio nodded, and Dylan stood up as neatly as he had at the beginning.

“Are you leaving right away?”

Elio asked as he tried to move.

“Yes. Do you have anything else to say?”

“…It might be a good idea to keep a close watch on Annabelle Luke.”

Elio and Dylan’s eyes met. Elio couldn’t even remember when he had last faced Dylan like this. It was natural that he couldn’t recall, as they always had sharp conversations.

“Is that Vice Admiral speaking, or Elio Borman?”

Another moment of silence passed. No words were exchanged between the two, and Dylan seemed to know the answer Elio hadn’t given, so he began to move.

Elio spoke quietly to Dylan as he walked away.

“The latter.”

Dylan stopped walking. After a brief pause, Dylan nodded to Elio.

“Thanks for the advice.”

After expressing his brief gratitude, Dylan left the reception room.

After Dylan disappeared, Elio, left alone, slumped into his seat and pressed his hands hard against his eye sockets, then took them away and muttered.

“Rick, I’m doing my best.”

Rodrigo, who had always haunted him like a nightmare, flickered before Elio’s eyes like a phantom. Rodrigo, who always cried and told them to live well among themselves, didn’t do that today.

‘Thank you, hyung.’

The grown man, now frozen at twenty-three, grew younger and younger. The ten-year-old boy he had first met smiled brightly at Elio.

It was still difficult for Elio.

At eighteen, and even now at thirty-six.

‘Being able to miss someone together is quite a blessing.’

Ten-year-old Rodrigo, twelve-year-old Dylan, and eighteen-year-old himself were drawn in turn. Their relationship, which had soured after the death of Rodrigo, whom he had cherished like a younger brother, felt particularly poignant today.

Elio sighed slowly. He tilted his head back for a moment, then turned his gaze to the side.

Beyond the curtained window, fluffy clouds floated in the bright blue sky that young Rodrigo had particularly loved. Elio closed his eyes tightly and muttered.

“…I’ll only be sad until today. Only until today.”

Dylan, who had left the reception room, leaned his back against the door and let out a long sigh.

Even if he were to look for Mia now, she would surely be having a private meeting with Morgan. From the start, Mia had no intention of meeting Jose.

She had simply chosen that as the clearest way to deceive his eyes, as there would be no reason for her to meet Jose directly.

Dylan calmly predicted the conversation that would take place between them.

Since they had already sent people to Pilate, they wouldn’t discuss that in depth, so what remained was…

“The remains.”

Dylan muttered, recalling what Walter had told him.

Jose had directly told Mia that he knew where her ‘parents’ remains’ were, so she would convey this fact to Morgan and get hints or information from him.

Dylan got a grasp on what he had to do now. He had to silence Jose so that he couldn’t reveal the information.

Dylan checked the watch on his wrist once and hesitated for a moment. He couldn’t delay too much. Just then, Morgan’s closest aide appeared.

“Your Excellency, you were here.”

“What is it?”

“It’s just that His Majesty has granted the private meeting with the Fourth Prince that you requested earlier.”

It was perfect timing.

It wasn’t difficult to see that Morgan had set up this situation for a private meeting with Mia. Dylan, who had been waiting to meet Jose immediately, replied without a moment’s hesitation.

“It would be good to confirm. Lead the way.”

Suppressing the laughter that was about to escape, Dylan leisurely scanned the other man. The aide shuddered at his cold gaze.

“Yes, let’s go.”

The bright blue sky was particularly dazzling.

After staring at the passing fluffy clouds for a moment, Dylan slowly followed behind the aide.

As they entered the underground, the musty smell of the prison stung Dylan’s nose.

Morgan’s aide, who was guiding Dylan, frowned and waved his hand as if he wasn’t used to the smell. Dylan, who had been watching his actions expressionlessly, nodded.

“I’ll go alone from here. Is there a guard inside?”

“No, it’s empty.”

“Why?”

“The guard has gone to get the sedative to feed the prince. His statements at the time of the arrest were so strong. His Majesty is preventing any unforeseen accidents…”

“Can I administer that drug myself?”

“Your Excellency?”

Morgan had ordered the drug to be administered today, so it didn’t seem to matter much who did it. Besides, the person in front of him was a duke trusted by Morgan.

“I think it’ll be fine. Ah, the guard is coming.”

The aide nodded as he saw someone coming down to the underground. Dylan accepted the sedative he brought.

“Wait in front, and don’t let anyone inside.”

“Yes, how long will you be?”

“Ten minutes.”

At Dylan’s answer, the aide nodded and left the underground with the guard. Left alone, Dylan slowly walked towards the iron bars that exuded a damp aura and stopped.

There, Jose, in a hideous state, was sitting.

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