Shrouded Seascape

"You're on friendlier terms with 134 and the other living relics. Please help me to keep a close eye on them. Looking at the current situation, they're extremely important to us at this point," Charles said in a solemn tone.

Margaret's gaze drifted away from Charles' head of writhing black tentacles as she nodded. "I understand. Anna had told me about this. That will be the core mission of Whereto."

Focusing her eyes back on Charles' face, Margaret realized that the former was staring at her.

"And what about you?" Charles asked. "How have you been lately?"

"Thanks to the trade diversion from Hope Island, Whereto has developed rapidly. As the Governor of Whereto, I'm doing well," Margaret replied in a calm tone. She then added, "But to restore the Cavendish family to its former glory, it can't be achieved by my sole effort. If something happens to me, the entire bloodline will be gone. So, I need to get into a political marriage. As a woman, I need to bear an heir."

"NO!" Charles shot up immediately; his reaction was fierce as if she had touched a raw nerve.

With her fringe covering one eye, Margaret looked downward at the ground to avoid Charles' intense stare.

"Governor, things that had happened in the past should stay in the past. After all, most marriages aren't based on love," Margaret commented. She then stood up and walked out of the room. She could vaguely hear Charles saying something behind her, but she didn't want to hear a single word he was saying.

She hastened her steps down the corridor and turned the corner. Leaning against the wall, a pained expression crept onto her face.

"I finally said it…" she whispered to herself.

She couldn't afford to let herself waste any more time. Even if she were to continue waiting, nothing would change. The Cavendish family needed to branch out and grow, and as the sole descendant left, Margaret knew she had to do this.

Initially, Margaret had thought that she would be able to move on once she had made her decision known to Charles, but clearly, it was simpler said than done. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Ever since she voiced her decision to Charles, her mood swings had been intense. She became increasingly irritable with frequent outbursts. She had long stopped using comfort fruits, but it had found its way back to her vanity table.

Despite that, Margaret insisted on continuing with her plan, sticking to the timeline and steps that she had laid out. Now, she had already begun the process of selecting a husband.

The current Subterranean Sea was in an unstable state, filled with both opportunities and dangers. However, that didn't mean there was a lack of promising candidates among the new governors.

A photo of a sullen-looking young man was placed before Margaret. The sullen-looking young man was a captain who had explored the surface world, and he was known for his decisive nature and ambitious personality. His island also had an abundant amount of resources. On top of that, it was just slightly over a hundred nautical miles from Whereto.

Being located in the Northern Seas, the status of the Cavendish family was exactly what this new governor desperately needed.

Social circles would inevitably exist where people were gathered, and governors had to join in those circles. If the two of them ended up getting married, then the new governor would gain the Cavendish family’s connections.

Although it would be just a marriage of convenience, the Cavendish family could provide ample benefits to the new governor, too. In addition, Whereto also needed the power and resources of the new governor.

If there's no better option, then he will do! Margaret thought. Her bloodshot eyes stared intently at the photograph on the table.

Gina, her head attendant, was combing Margaret's hair. Looking at the photo, Gina hesitated for a moment before asking, "Miss, doesn't this young man look a little like the past Mr. Charles?"

Deep in thought about the various pros and cons of the marriage candidate, Margaret suddenly froze. With a trembling hand, she picked up the photograph. The young man in the picture began to blur and overlap with the figure in her mind—a man she couldn't forget. He really did resemble Charles.

Even though she had forced herself to choose another man, she had unknowingly and subconsciously selected a replacement. She still couldn't forget Charles.

Margaret grabbed the opposite edges of the photograph and tore it apart, shredding it into pieces. Suddenly, a sense of defeat overwhelmed her as she slid down against the wall to the floor.

"Am I crazy?! What's so special about him? Why must it always have to be him?!"

Just then, footsteps echoed from outside the room. Recognizing that they didn't belong to anyone from the Governor's Mansion, Margaret quickly stood up, and with a swift wipe on her face, she reverted to her cold, composed self.

Upon opening the door, Margaret came face to face with a bald woman. The woman had a white inverted triangle painted on her forehead.

She was Linda, the ship doctor of the Narwhale, and in her arms was a boy, who looked no more than a few years old.

"This is?" Margaret asked, appearing visibly confused.

Without a word, Linda thrust the child into Margaret's arms before explaining, "Your brother Jack's illegitimate son. As his sister, are you not aware of his promiscuous lifestyle?"

The sudden news struck Margaret like a bolt from the blue. She froze in place, stunned. She couldn't process the information to formulate any response.

With a hint of impatience in her voice, Linda continued, "The captain instructed us to do this. Now that you have this child, you no longer have to get married, right? If you don't want to, then don't force yourself."

"Is this… Is this really true?" Margaret asked, her voice trembling as she held the child tightly in her arms. For a moment, she felt like she was holding her deceased brother once again—the carefree yet deeply responsible brother whom she had lost.

"Of course. In fact, your brother had three illegitimate children, but two of them died during the death light crisis. The Hope Island Navy's intelligence division took a long time to find this one."

Linda then gave Margaret a once-over before she added, "I've heard about your relationship with the captain. And my advice is that you shouldn't bother looking for another man. Knowing the captain, they probably wouldn't live long enough to marry you.

"Then again, I wouldn't suggest you to be with the captain either. Being his woman means that you wouldn't live long enough as well. Honestly, that human-eating monster is the most compatible one for him."

With that, Linda turned and walked away; she was just a messenger anyway.

***

Within the Governor's Mansion on Hope Island, Charles was seated in his chair as he spoke to the sand figures in front of him. He was in the midst of a Subterranean Sea Council meeting.

The attendees were few: Jenny, the representative of the Western Seas; Jax, the president of the Explorers Association; and Julio, the Governor of Cat Island.

Charles hadn't invited the other governors as he was certain that there were spies for the Foundation among the others.

Since the meeting agenda was to discuss how to deal with the Foundation, the fewer people involved, the better. Moreover, the others wouldn't be of much help in this matter anyway.

"My ships are currently monitoring the Sea of Mist," Julio reported slowly with a dark expression. "There's nothing unusual in the surrounding waters, but every single scout we sent into the Sea of Mist has never returned. So, as of now, we don't know the exact situation of the Foundation's circumstances or their next move."

Of course, Charles wasn't surprised by the news. If the Foundation was going to make a move, they would ensure that they are fully prepared.

They were undoubtedly scheming something at the moment.

Compared to the Foundation's reaction, Charles was more curious about where Julio had been all this time. He had assumed that the man was dead.

Being with allies, Charles didn't bother to beat around the bush and voiced his questions directly.

"My entire island was swallowed up. Do you think I would be able to contact any of you while that was happening?" Julio answered.

Jenny had a solemn expression as she followed up with another question, "After the black wall receded, was everyone really fine on the island?"