Chapter 2
“Kanoe?”
His voice jolted me back to my senses. It felt oddly unfamiliar to be addressed by name rather than as a criminal or prisoner.
“Yes.”
“Come sit over here.”
Inside the room stood a wooden table. A small lamp sat atop it, and two chairs faced each other across its surface.
The walls were painted a dark gray. They seemed specially treated for soundproofing and to prevent escape.
I slowly approached the seat and sat down. Then, a hand reached out toward me.
“I’ll remove the handcuffs. They won’t work in here anyway.”
“I see.”
Clink.
A soft sound. A fleeting sensation at my wrists. The handcuffs fell away easily in his hands.
“This is just protocol. We conduct a basic identity check before prisoners are transferred to the prison island. Think of it as a casual conversation.”
“Alright. I understand.”
We exchanged simple dialogue—name, age, place of birth, previous residence, and the charges currently pinned on me.
“…The murder at the Bluebell Hotel you managed. Are you truly the one who orchestrated it, Ms. Kanoe?”
I think I had answered him like this the first time we met here.
“No. I’ve never done such a thing.”
I was innocent. Confident in my own integrity. I’d rather break than bend. That principle had been the foundation of my life.
It was the only lesson I ever received from that person—a strength that raised me every time I fell, a way of protecting myself.
But what had he said then?
Something strange. Strange enough that I would mull over it even after dying four times.
“If you continue like this, you won’t break—you’ll slowly wither away. If your body rots from the fingertips until you’re just a pile of ash… what’s the point?”
And after dying four times, I finally understood what he meant.
“No matter how loudly I shout that I’m innocent, the world doesn’t care. Honest people are the ones who get screwed.”
“…Excuse me?”
Ian Frederick—the man who owned this ship—gazed at me with an unreadable expression.
He had shown me an inexplicable kindness. After five conversations with him, I came to understand.
He was the only one who called me by name here, the only one who uncuffed me and treated me like a person—not a criminal.
Running the Bluebell Hotel had taught me how to read people.
His behavior wasn’t the arrogance of someone confident he could overpower me, nor the complacency of being on home turf.
It was simple kindness. For reasons I didn’t understand… even when I said odd things like that, he let it slide. That proved it.
“Sure, I might look like an idiot for getting dragged here. But if I’m going to rot slowly in prison, I’d rather float on the sea like a sea otter and knock on clams.”
That was when his unreadable face suddenly shifted.
He let out a short laugh of disbelief.
“Sea otters are actually quite intelligent and clever animals.”
“Is that so? That makes me want to be one even more.”
His eyes narrowed at my reply, as though evaluating me. His gaze was sharp, but I didn’t flinch.
“But you can’t, can you?”
I can’t live in the wide-open sea like an otter. My place is in a cramped prison cell.
That’s what he was telling me. I smiled faintly.
To avoid being thrown into that hellish prison island, I had to escape from this ship.
And the easiest way to do that… was to win over its commander.
“What if I said I have a way?”
The reason I was confident I could win him over—
“Well, they say the Admiral of the warship Marina was dishonorably discharged, right?”
A clue I found in my fourth life.
Because I could give Ian Frederick what he truly wanted.
The prison island was disturbingly beautiful.
Surrounded by emerald waters and steep, awe-inspiring cliffs. Flowers bloomed in every color, and lush forests blanketed the terrain.
It was here, behind towering gray walls, that the special prison for the gifted—Carcer Prison—was built.
Nicknamed the “Graveyard of Criminals,” the underground cells were designed to completely cut off contact with the world. Every action was monitored. Freedom did not exist.
But even that place was inhabited by people. And where there are people, there are flaws.
“We’ve got about 30 minutes before the seniors return. Said they ate too much lunch and went for a walk.”
The guard tossed a newspaper through the food slot.
Thanks to repeating death, I’d racked up about ten years of prison time. I’d long since figured out the guards’ personalities and quirks.
This one in particular was more daring than she looked, quick-witted, and habitually looked down on others.
“Yeah, must be boring in here. And you can’t even spend all that money you’ve stashed up, right? Gotta use it somehow.”
100 gold per newspaper.
That was the deal between her and me. I had given her the code to the secret safe—assets not yet seized from the Bluebell Hotel. Once she verified it, she agreed.
“But you’re really obsessed with that guy, huh?”
“…?”
“The former owner of the Marina. Every newspaper you ask for has something about him in it.”
Lounging outside the iron bars, she occasionally shared gossip from the outside world.
That was the true value of 100 gold.
“Who’d have guessed someone so upright would commit something so heinous? Brought disgrace to the entire Frederick family!”
She laughed until she clutched her sides. Apparently, prisoners weren’t the only ones who got bored.
“I used to see him sometimes aboard the Marina, but I doubt I’ll run into him again. Serves him right for disobeying the royal command.”
“…The papers say he was discharged on purpose to retaliate against his family.”
“Then he’s a real lunatic!”
The guard shivered, disgusted.
A navy admiral, disobeying orders and disgracing his noble house. Even from deep in the prison, the scandal echoed.
The head of the family declared he would protect his son, while the son vowed to expose the family’s corruption…
“Well, at least Ian Frederick was hot, right? Gotta have something nice to look at when you’re stuck in prison!”
There’s always a reason someone goes mad.
<“Ian Frederick Finally Speaks: ‘What I Want Is…’”>
I read the headline in the corner and folded the paper. I’d dedicated my fourth life to gathering escape clues.
“Thanks, newspaper.”
And now, I think I’ve finally found the key.
“…You’re saying some strange things.”
A low voice broke me out of my thoughts. The man from the headlines now stood before me.
No wonder the female guards were obsessed with him. This level of beauty was rare even on land.
“I did think something when I first met you. You reminded me of a tree—rooted firmly in a desert.”
A tree in the desert. It sounded like he was describing my past self, withering without even realizing it.
“But now, you seem like someone else. You’ve always looked upright—not like a criminal—but now…”
“…?”
“…Now you look like a cunning negotiator.”
“You said sea otters are clever, right?”
“How amusing. I’ve never negotiated with a sea otter before.”
He chuckled. The conversation had taken on a joking tone.
He knew how to control a conversation. After only a few exchanges, he had read me and was steering things where he wanted.
“Personally, I think this version of you suits you better.”
He released his clasped hands and tilted his head slightly.
Golden eyes—like those of a bird of prey—locked onto mine. They were chillingly beautiful.
“But I’m still the Admiral of this warship. And if a prisoner suddenly turns into a sea otter on my ship… that’d be troublesome.”
Just because he had shown me kindness didn’t mean I could trust him. We were strangers. A criminal and a royal soldier.
A prisoner like me would only get one shot to cross the line.
“Kanoe. Tell me what your method is.”
Which meant I had to seize that one chance.
“…I’d like to make you an offer.”
He remained still—like a calm sea. But I didn’t hesitate.
“Help me escape. And I’ll give you everything I have.”
I had waited all this time in that dark, cold prison for the moment I could say this.
“Even my reputation as ‘the criminal who killed a man and nearly betrayed her friend.’”
Clunk.
He abruptly stood and closed the distance in a single step.
His hand clamped down on my wrist—right where the cuffs had been moments before.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Did you know? Not all infamous criminals are truly guilty.”
I didn’t expect him to react so strongly. My lips curled into a faint smile. There’s no way he could refuse.
“If you let me go, you’ll be the admiral who freed a notorious criminal. And that criminal, it turns out, was innocent.”
This was the moment he’d dreamed of—delivered to him on a silver platter.
Still, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down. Fair deals only exist when both sides stand as equals.
Even if he accepted my offer, I would never trust him.
Our gazes collided in the space between us. A faint musk mingled with the scent of the sea.
“Kanoe. That’s quite the offer.”
I expected suspicion. Interrogation. Doubt.
But instead, he said—
“Sounds like you’re saying helping you would benefit me.”
As if he’d been waiting for this moment.
“Yes.”
“So then, what do I get in return?”
“Freedom.”
This time, I answered without hesitation. His eyes widened.
“Wow… you really are insane. Lived an upright life just to stage a fall and disgrace your family? Banking on infamy for maximum impact?”
An infamous criminal—and the admiral who freed her. A perfect scandal to tarnish his noble house.
“I can give you the freedom you want.”
<“What I want… is freedom from the Fredericks.”>
Because he longed for the same thing I did.
