The conversation flowed casually.
From faint memories that were now barely recalled to the affairs of the estate, which she wasn’t particularly interested in.
Agnes listened to his stories half-heartedly.
“…So these days, after long voyages, sometimes more than half of the crew returns dead.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“Short voyages are fine, but strangely, only those who have been far out at sea catch this illness and die, so people call it the curse of the Black Wall.”
“The curse of the Black Wall?”
“Yes, because the standard for long voyages is mainly to reach the Black Wall.”
“The curse of the Black Wall?”
“Duchess?”
Why does this term sound so familiar? It feels like I’ve heard it before.
Agnes set down her utensils and pondered. Emmerich looked at her in surprise.
“Are you okay?”
“Oh, I feel like I should remember it, but I can’t.”
“What is it?”
“I feel like I’ve heard the term ‘curse of the Black Wall’ somewhere.”
“Is that so? It’s not a term known to many unless you’re a sailor.”
Just then, the main dish, a fish dish, was served.
“Please try it, Duchess. It’s freshly caught cod.”
“Mm.”
“If you squeeze the lemon beside it, the fishy smell will be much less.”
“Right. Squeeze the lemon. Lemon?”
Agnes muttered the words several times.
The curse of the Black Wall. And lemon.
“Ah!”
She suddenly stood up from her seat, struck by a realization.
Before the epidemic truly began in the south, many had died because of the curse of the Black Wall.
At first, no one knew the cause of the illness, so they whispered about it, calling it a curse.
Then a certain cook boarded a ship with a lot of lemons and started adding lemon to every dish he made.
Initially, the crew complained.
But miraculously, none of those who returned from that voyage had contracted the curse.
As this happened several times, people realized that lemons were the solution to the illness.
For a while, they remembered saying, “Eating lemons cures the disease,” and they added lemon to all their dishes.
“Count.”
“Yes. Please go ahead, Duchess.”
“Shall we make a deal?”
Her eyes sparkled brightly in the light of the lanterns.
Emmerich gazed at Agnes’s eyes for a long moment.
“What kind of deal do you have in mind?”
“I will tell you how to solve the curse of the Black Wall.”
“Is there a way?”
“Yes. In return….”
“Let me guess, you want me to let you go?”
“Yes. Of course, even after returning to Sutmar, I will never disclose your identity.”
Agnes spoke cautiously. Emmerich set down his utensils and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
The silence made him a little anxious.
“It may not seem like much, but think about how significant the effect of lifting the curse could be…”
“Alright.”
He answered clearly.
The worry of what she would say if he refused faded away as his response came quickly.
Agnes, who had been planning to persuade Emmerich, felt slightly flustered.
“Do you really agree?”
“Yes. I will do as you say, Duchess.”
So easily?
The words almost came out but then settled back down.
“You mentioned you would become king.”
“Mm.”
He brought up an unexpected topic. Agnes, unsure of his intent, chose her words carefully.
“Yes. Probably within a few years.”
“The Count of Cellon will support the Duchess’s intentions.”
“What exactly do you mean by support?”
“It means I support the usurpation.”
“What?”
Agnes was taken aback, half rising from her seat before sitting back down.
“Why on earth?”
She had casually mentioned usurpation to him under the influence of alcohol, but she never imagined the Count would side with her.
“However, there is a condition.”
“Alright. Go ahead. I can’t guarantee I can agree, though.”
“Please lift the trade sanctions with those beyond the Black Wall.”
“That’s certainly possible.”
“And please lift the restrictions on the number of ships that can be built within a single territory.”
“Hmm. Well, I’ll do that.”
“Also, please exempt the Leana trade tariffs for ten years.”
“…Count. You’ve come well-prepared.”
The conditions flowed out effortlessly, all of them quite substantial, leaving her amazed.
“Can I mention one more thing?”
Emmerich said with a smile. Agnes nodded nonchalantly.
“Go ahead, say whatever you want.”
“Please give yourself to me.”
“……What did you say?”
Agnes shifted her position. Emmerich casually repeated himself.
“Please give yourself to me. Honestly, that’s all I need.”
“Um, Count. Are you serious?”
“Just thinking of you makes my heart race, and I can’t sleep.”
“Uh, really?”
“When I’m with you, I become jealous of everything your gaze touches.”
A heartfelt confession followed.
His face and eyes looked more sincere than ever.
“If you wish to confirm my sincerity, I can split open my chest and offer you my heart. So please, allow me a piece of you.”
“…Uh.”
Agnes was extremely flustered and didn’t know what to say.
“So, um. I didn’t know you… felt that way about me, Count.”
She stammered, her face awkward as she spoke.
“I’m, um. I’m sorry, but I already…”
As she searched for the right words, Emmerich’s loud laughter echoed above her.
Agnes quickly lifted her head.
“What? Do you really believe all of that?”
“Huh?”
“Of course, it was a joke. What would I do with the Duchess?”
“Huh?”
“The cod will get cold. Hurry and eat.”
“What?”
Agnes couldn’t hide her disbelief. Emmerich calmly chopped the cod in front of him and put it in his mouth.
“Where does the joke start and end?”
“Well…”
He smiled mysteriously. Meanwhile, Agnes’s face hardened.
“Could it be that it was all a joke from the beginning?”
“Calm down. Except for the last condition, everything else is sincere.”
“You truly support the usurpation?”
“Yes.”
“Why on earth?”
Cellon lacked nothing. Even under Sebastian’s rule, they have no shortage.
Yet, suddenly claiming to support usurpation seemed suspicious.
“I’m just tired of hiding and selling the goods I’ve pirated and smuggled.”
“Oh, so you mean you want to stop smuggling? Asking to cover up what you’ve done before?”
“No. I want to be a pirate openly now.”
Agnes was left speechless. Emmerich took a sip of wine.
“Keeping an eye on the center while sending ships out at night to transport goods can only be done a few times. How long can Cellon remain just an ordinary pirate?”
“Aren’t you already the Pirate King?”
“Should I be satisfied with that?”
“Huh, really.”
Since he was so openly declaring his intent to be pirate, she didn’t even feel like pointing it out.
Suddenly, Emmerich wiped the smile off his face and spoke seriously.
“Now, let me tell you the real last condition.”
“What is it?”
Agnes’s lips turned down. She was tense, and her palms felt slightly damp.
She clenched her fists under the table.
Emmerich stood up and extended his hand.
“Please dance a song with me.”
“What?”
“That’s the last condition.”
While she sat there in confusion, the musicians who had been preparing began to play.
“Dance? All of a sudden?”
“You’ve come dressed so beautifully; wouldn’t it be a shame to leave without dancing at least once?”
Emmerich didn’t wait for an answer. He walked over to Agnes and grabbed her hand.
“May I have the honor of dancing with you?”
“I allow it.”
It was brazen to ask for permission after already holding her hand, but she couldn’t refuse.
The two stepped into the center. Emmerich wrapped his arm around Agnes’s waist and held her hand.
“What’s your real intention?”
“I have no ulterior motive. I’m simply looking to ride the new wave and make a profit. Besides, would the Duchess cast aside someone who stood by her in difficult times?”
“Of course, that’s true.”
Still, there was a lingering unease in her heart.
As if sensing her feelings, Emmerich smiled.
“You said you didn’t want to die.”
“That’s right.”
“So…”
“Hmm?”
With the explanation added, her confusion deepened.
On a summer night, dancing to music flowing along the river was incredibly romantic, but Agnes’s mind was just a jumble of thoughts.
“How do you feel?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you feel like you’re falling in love?”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“It’s the last night of the Rose Festival. They say if you go boating together with someone, you will fall in love.”
Emmerich’s chestnut-colored eyes shimmered in the light. He gazed intently at Agnes.
“That’s all superstition.”
“Is it?”
Agnes scoffed in disbelief. Emmerich just laughed.
The boat’s speed gradually decreased. The castle began to come into view in the distance.
Just then, the music was also drawing to a close.
“By the way, about that curse of the black wall…”
“Yes?”
“Make the crew eat lemons.”
“Lemons?”
“Yes. As often as possible during the voyage.”
“Can that really break the curse?”
“It’s not a curse to begin with; it’s just an illness. Lemons will definitely help. Just trust me.”
“I believe you.”
With those words, the music came to an end.
Agnes lowered her hand from his shoulder and pulled away.
