Chapter 34

Massera didn’t leave my side throughout the entire reception. It seemed like it was to make us look affectionate.

I couldn’t help but feel disappointed as I had wanted to chat comfortably with the other women.

And normally, guests could ask the bride for a dance during the reception, but strangely, there were a lot of applicants.

“If you dance with her—blessed by the Goddess of Fortune—your investment’s bound to be a jackpot!”

It wasn’t so much rational popularity as it was like a lucky pig bringing good luck.

And Massera broke his usual “stay cool at social gatherings” rule as he absolutely didn’t allow it.

“That greedy bastard… Trying to hoard all the luck for himself…”

He didn’t care that the dance applicants were sending him looks full of resentment.

And just like that, he stuck to me like gum until the reception was over.

‘He really is like a soldier—once he’s assigned a target, he carries out the mission diligently.’

But with a dose of strict principle.

I, who just wanted to make some friends, also looked at him with resentful eyes.

***

Our honeymoon destination was the capital of Medeia, and thanks to the efforts of Madam Lucanossa, we were invited to the royal palace as honored guests.

Before leaving, I took Eugene’s hand—he had looked teary throughout the ceremony—and gave him a gentle smile.

“Are you sad your favorite uncle got married?”

“It’s not like that.”

Unlike before, when he hated even being touched, Eugene didn’t pull away from my hand.

“I’ll bring you a present. Let’s spend a lot of time together when I come back.”

“No.”

“You’re just like the General—always saying no.”

Eugene, who had been giving me a pouty glare like a cat, hesitated and pulled his hand away.

“I didn’t say… that I didn’t want a present.”

“What do you want?”

“A train.”

Massera, who had been standing nearby and listening to our conversation, tilted his head.

“That’ll cost a few hundred million.”

He’s so expressionless that I can’t tell if he took it literally or if he’s just joking.

Anyway, after a long train ride, we boarded a cruise ship.

It was my first trip abroad, so I was quite excited, but Massera, who had traveled across countries during the war, looked rather bored.

I spoke to Massera as he sat in our cabin reading the newspaper.

“They say if we’re lucky, we might see a giant blue whale.”

“They probably all left after all the long battles at sea.”

“You never know. Besides, I heard there’s a party on deck with oysters and wine. Are we not going? Raw oysters are delicious, you know?”

He gave me an annoyed look, seeing that I was trying to drag him out to the deck no matter what.

“You can go by yourself.”

“No. I’ll be lonely.”

I was not someone who gave up easily, and he knew that if he refused, I’d keep pestering him—so he stood up with a weary expression.

“If there are no whales, I’m coming right back. After that, leave me alone for the rest of the honeymoon.”

“Then if we do see a whale, you have to do whatever I say for the rest of the honeymoon.”

I dragged the reluctant man up onto the deck.

People dressed in fine attire were enjoying oysters and wine while gazing out at the sea.

But the sea was still and quiet, as if it were empty.

“It’s truly tragic how the ecosystem has been destroyed by war. Many sea creatures died from torpedoes and bombardments. When I think of all the lives lost due to human greed…”

I overheard a woman speak.

Covering my mouth, I nodded sadly in agreement.

“It makes me sad too. On behalf of humanity, I’m so sorry…”

“In the future, when warfare becomes even more advanced, even greater tragedies will follow.”

Her words made me recall the world from my past life—devoid of green and life.

The wars waged by humans polluted the land, killing squirrels, deer, foxes, trees, grass, and even the moss growing on rocks.

“Unnie, did the cute dolphins die too?”

A black-haired girl looking out at the sea asked, tugging at the hem of my clothes.

“They moved somewhere else. Whales can send signals to each other, after all.”

Massera, who hadn’t seemed interested in the conversation at all, surprisingly gave a human-like answer.

“When will they come back?”

“Maybe when you’re all grown up.”

“Um, what kind of signals do whales send? I want to send them one so they’ll come back.”

“They send ultrasonic waves. You can’t do that.”

When I saw the child’s expression turn gloomy at Massera’s blunt reply, I quickly crouched down and patted her back.

“Just shout out at the sea for them to come back. A dolphin friend checking if it’s safe might hear it and tell the others.”

At my words, the girl’s eyes went wide with surprise.

“Really?”

“No. That’s not—”

I pinched the back of Massera’s hand for trying to ruin a child’s innocence. Then I scooped the girl up into my arms.

“Wanna shout, ‘Whales, come back!’ together?”

“Whales, come back! Scarlett is waiting for you!”

The little girl—whose name seemed to be Scarlett—clenched her tiny fists and shouted with all her heart.

“They’ve probably already abandoned their home for good.”

A gentleman, whose dry sensibility seemed to match Massera’s, smirked and puffed on a cigar.

“Aren’t the Esahts also unable to return to their homeland? Like whales whose habitats have been destroyed.”

Seems like he’s a bigot. I looked down at my silver hair and sighed.

“Perhaps you should return to your homeland and enjoy your specialty sausages. Oh, unless you’re leaving because your homeland’s a war criminal nation?”

Oddly enough, Massera stood up for me.

Strictly speaking, he wasn’t exactly taking my side—he was just using the man’s background of coming from a war criminal nation to publicly humiliate him

Feeling the harsh gazes around him, the gentleman flinched in surprise.

“What makes you so sure I’m from a war criminal na–”

“You’re covered from head to toe in your country’s products, and you expect no one to notice?”

“Ha, they say justice belongs to the victors. As if there are many countries that haven’t started wars.”

Massera narrowed his eyes at the grumbling man, eyes cold and sharp.

“Then maybe you should’ve won.”

The surrounding people also glared at the man with hostility.

“You’re like part of a ruthless slaughter gang! Get lost!”

“It’s bad luck just being on the same ship! Maybe we should just toss you into the ocean!”

In the end, the man couldn’t handle the backlash and fled in a hurry.

“It looks like your luck isn’t with you today. There doesn’t seem to be any whales, so I’ll be heading back now.”

With his usual cold expression, Massera turned to head back to the cabin.

At that moment, the girl clutching my hand tightly pointed out to the sea.

“Unnie, look! It’s a rainbow!”

Beneath the rainbow hovering over the sea, a spray of water shot up like a fountain.

Wooooong—

Then, with a mysterious cry, waves rose on the once-still sea. A giant whale’s body soared into the air, traced a grand arc, then slowly splashed back into the ocean.

Kiiiiii—

The whale’s cry echoed far and wide. Then, with a splash, the waves stirred by the whale rocked the cruise ship slightly.

People screamed in awe and astonishment at the breathtaking sight—something they may only see once in their lifetime.

The whale disappeared beneath the sea in a shimmering spray of water that sparkled like a multicolored jewel.

“Was that a humpback whale? You almost never see those here! It must’ve fled here by chance because its habitat was destroyed. What a stroke of luck…!”

Just then, someone nearby began explaining about the whale.

“Humpback whales are kind animals. They’re known to save other creatures too. There’s even a story of one rescuing sailors from a ship that had been sunk by a bomb.”

Hearing that, I poked Massera, who was staring out at the sea with a strange expression.

“See, I told you we’d see one if we were lucky. It was even a nice and lucky whale. Come on, say it—’Thank you, lucky whale!’”

The always expressionless Massera curved his lips ever so slightly, making an expression that said, ‘I lost.’

“From now on, I shall call you the Princess of Luck.”

Aack!

***

Because the lucky whale appeared and he lost the bet, Massera had to accompany Cynthia on her cruise exploration.

Most of what she did involved eating.

“Do you enjoy eating that much?”

“Of course. Eating delicious food makes me happy.”

The casino they passed was packed with people who believed they’d been blessed by the lucky whale, but Cynthia said, “If you spend your luck in a place like that, you’ll have to pay the price.”

“The fireworks will begin shortly. It will be a great memory for your trip.”

Hearing the crew member’s announcement, Massera thought for sure Cynthia would start pestering him again.

But instead, she looked at him with a suddenly serious expression.

“General, let’s go back to our room.”

“Are you not going to watch the fireworks? I thought you’d be the first to run there.”

“I just want to go back and rest. Since it’s a first-class suite… the soundproofing must be good, right?”

What’s that supposed to mean?

Massera made a puzzled expression as he processed her words.

He had realized it late—unlike the train which had two rooms, the cruise cabin only had one.

“Don’t you want to rest too, General?”

“I’m going to see the fireworks to make memories.”

Flustered, he blurted out something completely untrue, but she shook her head and tugged at his sleeve.

“Just stay with me.”

Cynthia gave him a look like a pitiful rabbit.