CH 30

“What’s wrong, Olivia?”

“Water is coming into the boat.”

Callie was so focused on rowing that she didn’t even realize the water was slowly filling the boat. Only after hearing Olivia’s bewildered screams did she look down and see that water was in their boat. 

“Oh my! The bottom of the boat must be leaking.”

“We haven’t used this boat for a long time and it has been docked… I didn’t know it was in bad shape.”

Water reached her feet, but luckily, the hole wasn’t big, so it wasn’t a serious situation. Still, Callie couldn’t swim, so she just wanted to get out of the boat as soon as possible. 

It’s a good thing she asked the servant to follow us.

Callie was relieved by Olivia’s foresight and quickly asked for a ride in the servant’s boat. “Olivia, let’s move quickly to the boat behind us.”

“I guess we should.”

Olivia shouted at the servant behind them and instructed him to move his boat closer. When the servant moved, Olivia immediately jumped into the other boat. 

Callie, who had been centering herself in the middle to keep the small boat balanced while Olivia jumped, thought it was her turn now. But as soon as the servant confirmed that Olivia had safely moved, he sat back and held the ores with no intention of helping Callie.

What the, are you only going to help your master?!

Cally looked bewildered at the servant’s behavior and asked Olivia for help. “Olivia, could you tell him to pull the boat closer so I can cross?”

But while Olivia looked troubled, she gave no instructions to the servant. “Callie, I think that would be difficult.”

“What? What do you mean, difficult?”

“This boat is for two people. If you get in, this will also sink.”

After hearing Olivia’s words, Callie’s face turned black. “So, are you saying I should stay on the sinking boat like this? To drown or die?”

“Of course not. Wait a little bit. The servant will drop me off first, then I’ll send him back to pick you up. Fortunately, the hole in the boat doesn’t seem to be big, so there won’t be much water coming in.”

You’re telling me you’re going as I sit alone in this leaking boat and wait for the servant to return? 

Will you even send him back to me?

When it came to this situation, she didn’t trust Olivia.

“Olivia.”

Did she offer me a ride on the boat to do this from the start?

Olivia, perhaps seeing the look on Callie’s face, comforted her. “Don’t worry, Callie. Someone will pick you up immediately. Don’t worry. Just wait a little bit.”

“Really, are you coming back?”

“Of course.” 

She didn’t want to express her suspicion at the moment. Words like that wouldn’t help the situation. Rather, it might give her ideas, so Callie figured it would be better to look pitiful instead. 

Callie begged her, “Olivia, I can’t swim. So I think it would be terrifying if the boat were full of water a little more than it is now. So please come back soon.”

“We will. How could I not send a servant and leave you alone? If we keep delaying like this, your boat will sink before my servant can return. So don’t worry, Callie, and trust me.” 

She had no other choice. For now, I can only hope that Olivia won’t abandon me.

Callie stared at Olivia in worry and nodded. “Go ahead. And please send a servant quickly.”

“Just wait, Callie,” Olivia promised before instructing the servant to depart.

As the servant began to row, Olivia’s lips curled slightly, her back facing Callie.

Olivia’s boat was slowly pulling toward the shore. Brandon, who was looking for Callie in the area, saw Olivia’s boat coming in and hurried toward her.

“Olivia, where’s Callie? You two were together, so why are you alone?”

Brandon only had Callie on his mind. As soon as Olivia saw him concerned for Callie, not paying her any mind, she felt sick to her stomach. 

Olivia didn’t answer right away and felt conflicted. Shall I keep my mouth shut? Or shall I tell the truth that Calli is sitting on a sinking boat and waiting for rescue? 

When Olivia didn’t answer right away because she was worried, Brandon pressed on. “I asked where Callie was. Why won’t you answer?”

“Do you think I would have done anything to harm Callie?”

“I hope not. You know what I’m gonna do with you if you do. You know my personality well since you’ve been watching me since we were little. What will I do when someone carelessly touches mine?”

Brandon was smiling, but his eyes were cold. His quiet voice and cold eyes looked like he could choke her at any moment. 

How long will it take for the boat to fill with water and sink? Should I have told the servant to row a little slower?

With a worried look on her face, Olivia slowly opened her mouth, weighing the time it would take for the ship to sink.

“I’m telling you, Brandon. Callie said she wanted to row the boat herself, so we went out together owned by my family. But the boat must have had a problem because water started to fill it. You don’t know how surprised I was. Fortunately, the servant followed behind, so I got on the boat first.”

The smile completely disappeared from Brandon’s face when Olivia said the boat was leaking. The wrinkles on his forehead were so thick that anyone could tell he was angry.

When she saw Brandon’s anger, Olivia continued as if making an excuse, “She was going to come along, but this boat is only for two people. So I had no choice but to ride first. Don’t worry too much, Brandon. We just have to send a servant again to pick her up.”

“What? Don’t worry?” Brandon was furious enough to roll his eyes, but now was not the time to argue. Thinking he should not delay any longer, he hurriedly got the servant down and boarded the boat.

Then he asked the servant, not Olivia, his voice filled with rage, “Where exactly is my wife’s boat now?”

Absolutely terrified at being the target of the nobleman’s ire, the servant hesitantly announced Callie’s location, not even thinking to look at Olivia. “She stopped about halfway toward the middle of the lake.”

After hearing where Callie was, Brandon looked at Olivia with a lethal stare and said, “If something happens to Callie, Olivia, you won’t be safe either. So, you better sincerely hope that Callie returns safely.”

Brandon grabbed the oars and rowed nonstop toward the middle of the lake. The sweat running down his back soaked his shirt and the front of his chest, but he couldn’t slow down his movements.

The weather in Vihiru was volatile. A little while ago, the sun shone brightly, but soon, clouds covered the sun, and raindrops began to fall. 

“Why is it raining at a time like this?” 

Until now, he had never been particularly dissatisfied with Vihiru’s capricious weather, but at this moment, he couldn’t help but hate the pouring rain.

Callie Loris. Why do bad things happen to you when it rains? 

Just as I rescued you that day, I’ll arrive on time today, as well. So wait a little longer.

Callie was getting desperate as she eagerly awaited the boat that carried Olivia. She even screamed, waving her hands at the rowing boat in the distance.

Had I known this would happen, I would have moved closer to the rowing boats.

It seemed that no one could hear Callie’s cries as she had rowed far away so as not to interfere with the game. Unfortunately, her voice was also drowned in the shouts of participants distracted by the game. 

No matter how much Callie screamed, no one on the boats in the distance looked her way. 

“Hey, look over here. My boat is sinking. Help!” She tried to shout again, but the boats participating in the game only moved toward the finish line.

Finally losing her strength, Callie dropped her shaking hand. She said to herself, “They can’t even hear me. If Olivia doesn’t help, this will be the end of me. No, I’ll come back. I won’t let myself die like this. I have to believe that.”

Then, raindrops fell on her face.

Surprised, Callie caught a raindrop in her hand. “Oh my god! It’s even raining…”