Princess Celestia takes Charlotte to enjoy lunch in the ship's dining room.

Because it was first class, they enjoyed very good treatment, and on the top floor of the ship, in the restaurant specially prepared for VIPs, only the two of them were dining, while there was a large group of people around them. There weren't many guests on the Vincent this time, and only Swain could book first class.

Charlotte felt cramped to dine in such a luxurious place, many of which she had never seen before, let alone eaten, the exquisite dishes. While eating the macaron, she bit too hard, and the fruit sauce inside dripped onto her chin.

Caterina chuckled softly, and she held out her fingers to wipe the cream off Charlotte's chin and put it in her mouth to sip it off. "If you like it, eat it to your heart's content. You have to eat more, even if it's a girl, it's not okay to be so thin. ”

Charlotte blinked, although she didn't quite understand what the eldest princess meant, but since the sister who had been very good to her said so, she was not polite at all. Maybe it's because she doesn't usually eat well, she eats a lot and gobbles it up.

While the two girls were tasting dessert, Swain arrived.

In the dining room, the ship's violinist was playing slow, long classical music, and Swain, dressed as an old-fashioned gentleman, walked into the hall unhurriedly, his cane tapping to the rhythm of his footsteps on the floor, like a drum beat to the music.

"You're coming quickly. Swain's appearance surprised Princess Celestia slightly, and Swain seemed to end the conversation with the Rice couple without much effort, much sooner than Princess Celestia expected.

When Charlotte saw Swain appear, she lowered her head and even whispered a lot to eat. It can be seen that she still has a lot of fear of Sven.

"There's nothing to talk about. Swain put down his cane and sat down beside Celestia, "Just deal with a few casual words, it's just right for me to do this kind of thing." ”

Caterina frowned, she was still uneasy about Swain's words. "Do they want Charlotte to go back?"

"Yes, of course, I refused. Swain glanced at Charlotte, and although the little girl kept her head down, it was obvious that she was still listening to their conversation, "But what do you think, do you want to keep her with you all the time? ”

"I never had such an idea. Caterina's brow furrowed even tighter, "I'll respect Charlotte's point, and I won't force her if she doesn't want to." But, since you asked, then of course I think it's better for Charlotte to stay by my side. That couple's financial resources and energy can't give her a good environment to grow up, and if a little girl like her lives a hard life all the time now, what will she do in the future?"

As she spoke, she looked at Charlotte and asked, "How is it, Charlotte, are you willing for us to raise you?"

Charlotte looked up at Princess Celestia, then lowered her head again and did not speak.

"It's still a little difficult for her to make that choice now. Swain said, his tone as cold and rational as a scalpel, "She doesn't know much about us, and when it comes to feelings, it's natural to be more deeply connected to that couple." ”

Caterina sighed, she hoped that Charlotte could speak her mind now, otherwise, by the time Swain did it, she probably wouldn't have this chance.

When there was silence at the table, a waiter walked up to the table, bowed to Princess Swain and said, "Mr. Hex, Miss Winterforth, there is a pod of whales near the bow of the ship, do you want to see this rare sight?"

"Whales?"

"Yes, it's not too far from the port right now, and it's rare to see whales in shallow water. ”

"It's kind of interesting. Caterina changed her mood a little, and saw that the whale could also sweep away the gloom that Sven had shrouded in her mind a little, "Charlotte, do you want to go and see it?"

The little girl nodded slightly, although she had always lived in a port city like Konuet, it was the first time she had gone to sea on such a big ship.

"Then go ahead. Caterina took Charlotte's little hand and left the restaurant.

Swain didn't go with them, he wasn't too interested in that kind of thing. After hastily filling his stomach, he also left the restaurant.

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Princess Celestia and Charlotte soon saw the whales leaping out of the water, and there was already a group of people gathered around the bow to watch the rare sight. A huge whale spewed out a jet of water, causing people to exclaim.

"What a spectacle!" said Caterina, a rare sight for her.

Charlotte's eyes widened in curiosity, looking at something she had never seen before.

"Miss Winterforth. The first mate walked up to the two of them, "There is a better position over there, and the view will be more open." He pointed to a wide platform on the second floor.

"Ah, thank you. Caterina accepted his kindness.

At the position recommended by the first mate, Princess Celestia and Charlotte really saw the whale school more clearly and comprehensively.

"Sister, over there. Charlotte suddenly raised her hand and pointed to a dark figure in the distance, "What's that?"

Caterina looked in the direction of Charlotte's finger and saw a faint shadow of a ship. She didn't pay much attention to it at first, but she immediately thought of what Swain had told her before, and now because of the high taxes charged by Michel VII to the South, there should be no ships going to sea. Alert, Caterina immediately called the first mate and told him of Charlotte's discovery.

The first mate also looked in the direction of Charlotte's expenditure, because it was too far away for him to see clearly, so he took off his glasses, and the black shadow sail sign in the lenses startled him.

"It's the Shadow Sail Pirate!" he immediately cried out, beads of sweat oozing from his forehead.

"Pirates!" Caterina exclaimed. Her first reaction was why there were pirates in the waters of the Empire, but then she realized that now because of the rebellion in the South, the Leviathan fleet was blocking the supply lines of the Mahdia Empire in Langnal Seafood, and the Southern Fleet was also stationed in Port Leon and Port Bis, and neither side had the energy to fight pirates, so these rampant sea villains also dared to come to the offshore places.

The first mate immediately hurried towards the bridge, he was to report to the captain at once, and to organize the ship's sailors to prepare for the defense. A simple passenger liner like the Vincent is not capable of resisting pirates, and all they can do is speed up as fast as possible and get out of the pirate range.

The threat of pirates also discouraged Princess Celestia from whale watching, and she hurried back to their room with Charlotte. The people on the deck were immediately informed of the situation by the sailors, and they all ran back to their rooms in a panic.

"Swain!" As soon as the eldest princess entered the room, she saw Swain reading a book at her desk, and now the Count Jericho, who had just brought gloom to Katerina, had become a pillar in her heart, "There are pirates on the sea, do you have a way?"

Katerina didn't know if her question made sense, no matter how good Swain was, could he still fly away with two more people at sea?

"Pirates?"

"Just northwest, Charlotte spotted it just now when we were watching whales on deck. ”

"Yes. Sven said lightly, then looked down at his book again.

This bland appearance calmed down the eldest princess a little, and since Sven didn't panic, it seemed that there was no big problem.

"Now, at least for now, let's deal with the pirates first, we have no escape at sea. Caterina began to persuade Swain, although his calm appearance made Princess Celestia feel very reliable, but this indifference made her feel that Swain did not care about the lives of this shipwright, even if there were no pirates, probably he would not show mercy.

With a snap, the book was closed, and Swain stood up, staring at Charlotte with emotionless eyes. "How far are those pirates?"

Charlotte had been terrified of the name of the pirate, who was notorious in the coastal area of the Gulf of Bes, and in the fairy tales of the seaside dwellers, they were much more terrifying than the witch and the big bad wolf.

"I, I don't know. Charlotte, who was so young that she didn't have the knowledge to measure distances at sea, was so frightened by Swain that she couldn't tell at all.

"Probably a few kilometers away, they appeared at the end of the sea level, and we wouldn't have noticed it if it hadn't been for Charlotte's sharp eyes. Princess Celestia hurriedly said, although she didn't know how to judge the distance at sea, but she could at least roughly judge it.

"Yes. Swain's expression didn't change at all, and he really didn't seem to take it to heart, "Then the pirates won't attack us until evening." The Vincent didn't carry many people, and it could be delayed for at least a few hours if it was at full speed. Moreover, pirates also need time to find the best time. ”

"Timing?"

"Pirates don't act alone, and if they dare to show up so close to the coast, their fleets aren't too small, and there may be other ships waiting nearby. Swain put down his book and walked to the door to get ready to leave.

"What are you going to do?" Caterina asked quickly, she didn't feel safe if Swain wasn't with her now.

"You stay here. Swain twisted the doorknob, "Dinner is also sent to the room by the waiter, remember, don't go out for a day today." ”

Before Celestia could ask, Swain had already closed the door. Although he didn't explain why, Caterina could only trust him at this time.

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Captain Jackson stood in the cockpit, his binoculars clearer, and he could see the pirate ships very clearly. "We can't outrun them. "Seeing the black smoke coming from the chimney of the pirate ship, he understood that the ship of this group of pirates was also steam-powered and would not be slower than them. And the Black Shadow Sail Pirate can be notorious, obviously not the general.

"Captain, what are we to do, should we go back to Konue, or do we negotiate with them?" asked the first mate, nervously, who, unlike Captain Jackson, had confined his life as a boy at sea to telling the guests on board the sea, and had never really fought with pirates in rough seas.

"It's impossible for us to get back to Konuet, and if we run to Konuet, they'll quicken up to catch up, and they're in the northwest, completely blocking our retreat. Captain Jackson said categorically, his beard still shaking with the undulation of his jaw, "They should be ready to attack after nightfall." ”

"Then ......" the first mate was still afraid of fighting these pirates for his life, "We, can we give some money to let those pirates retreat on their own?"

Captain Jackson turned his head and stared at the first mate. The old captain was a man who had been adrift at sea for half his life, and had fought against the raiders of the Mahdia in the Sea of Conquerors, until he was old, and he accepted the invitation of the owner of the Vincent to be the captain of a senior cruise ship, and the first mate had been on the ship much longer than he had been on the ship, and was the owner's man, not the brother with whom he had been at sea.

"We don't have many passengers at all this time, according to the rules of the sea, if you want to negotiate with pirates, you have to count the full number of guests, do you think the guests on our ship have so much money?"

"This ......," the first mate still held out a glimmer of hope, "the gentleman Hex who has booked first class has a generous hand, and maybe he can afford to get out." ”

"Hmph—" Captain Jackson snorted coldly, disdainful of the first mate's greed for life and fear of death, "Are you kidding me?" sir, do you know how many people our ship has to fill, and how much money it will cost? Even if that Mr. Hexes is rich, where does he get so much cash at sea?"

The first mate's face was extremely invisible, there was hardly a trace of blood, and now a battle seemed inevitable, and the hope of victory was extremely slim. Even if that Mr. Hex really had that much cash, the pirates might be evil, after all, a rich man who can take out so much money at his fingertips should have more ransom to kidnap him.

"Go and get the sailors ready, first mate!" cried Captain Jackson, "those who beg for a living at sea should at least have some integrity, or the king of Hades will look down on your soul!"

At the orders of the old captain, the whole ship was mobilized. Even on a passenger cruise ship, the Vincent still had a decent number of guns on board, and the sailors had more than enough rifles for each of them, and even some could be distributed to young and strong male passengers. However, compared to the pirate ships, they have no guns on board, and perhaps the pirates will want to capture the high-class cruise ship, and they will not fire their guns to avoid damaging the hull, but these outlaws will not skimp on shells when the time comes.

All the sailors were mobilized, and they kept order in the cabin and prevented the passengers from doing irrational things because they were too panicked. At the same time, the Vincent was sailing at full speed to the southeast, and although the port of Bess was still a considerable distance away from them, every meter of advance was now like a step closer to the light of salvation for the people on board.

The high-class cruise ship, which was still bustling with activity, was deserted at once, and there were only loaded sailors on deck, and no passengers dared to run up to see the scenery at this time.

Swain, however, was in a different mood, sitting at the bar in the casino bar with his martini glass filled with cocktails, sipping his glass as he watched the band play.

The band was originally hired by the shipowner to play music for guests in casinos and bars, but now there are very few guests on board the Vincent, and the only ones who can be counted as guests are Princess Swain and Grands, who have few opportunities to play. But surprisingly, in such an emergency, Swain kept them behind and asked them to play for themselves.

These musicians were supposed to be included in the ranks of sailors, taking up guns against pirates, but they were neither decent musicians nor qualified sailors, and the fear of pirates made them unable to hold guns at all. Therefore, after being asked by Swain to stay, they were happy not to go on deck, after all, it was a job that would most likely cost their lives.

"Change the tune. Swain drank the remnants of his glass, then casually tossed the empty glass on the bar, "For a rousing tune, don't you know "Volcano March"?"

The pianists stopped dancing their fingers, the violinists looked at each other, of course they would "March of the Volcano", but it was a triumphal piece composed by the musician Liszt in praise of the great victory of the Empire in the Silesian Wars.

But this is a request from the guests after all, and even if Swain now asks them to play the national anthem "God Save My Emperor", they can only obey.

As the music gradually rose, Liszt's volcanic feelings gradually erupted. He wrote this march to celebrate the great victories of the Imperial army, but when he was almost finished, news of the signing of the Treaty of Sromboley came. Like most soldiers, Liszt believed that such an entente was a complete loss of the great victory of the Imperial army on the battlefield of Silesia, and the Empire could have advanced its troops into the territory of Hadrian's Empire and forced those Hadrians to cede land and pay reparations, but the diplomats led by Metternich gave up their hard-won results and only demanded the privileges of the Sililian Empire in the territory of the Kingdom of Silesia. Thus, when the march was finally completed, its rousing music was not only a celebration of the Imperial army, but also a volcanic rage directed at the Marquis de Metternich and the Empire's diplomatic concessions.

Swain waved his hands as if conducting an orchestra. The musicians laughed at Swain's indiscriminate waving, and it seemed to them that Swain didn't know anything about music, let alone conducting, and that he was just posturing.

Of course, these people didn't understand what Swain was commanding. This is a track written by him, and of course he has to take over the baton, he will open the curtain, and he will star in all this.