After leaving the beach house, I immediately headed to where Lieutenant Arla was sitting under a large hut, deep in conversation with Captain Xu. They both looked serious, but honestly, I’d rather stay here than deal with Eisha, who was just causing chaos among the cooks. Captain Masashi had finally come outside too and was now reluctantly helping Lieutenant Leigh with the cooking—though his face clearly said he’d rather be anywhere else. His squad would probably murder him if he refused.
When I approached, they both turned and smiled at me.
"Oh, Nyssa! That swimsuit looks perfect on you," Captain Xu complimented warmly. I smiled, feeling my cheeks heat up slightly.
"Thanks?" I replied awkwardly before taking a seat. "You two looked pretty intense earlier. It’s already hot out—no need to make your tempers rise too."
"Ahahaha! You’re right. But we were just discussing… well, confidential matters," Captain Xu chuckled. I smirked. Obviously.
"By the way," Lieutenant Arla cut in, "I heard about the land you wanted to buy from Captain Zeid’s family. Even if crows turned white, they’d never sell it to you. Especially since I heard they’re giving it to him—isn’t he planning to build a house there?" She glanced at Captain Xu for confirmation, who nodded with a grin.
"Looks like he’s planning to move out. Think he’s preparing for a wife?" Captain Xu teased.
"That’s impossible. Unless they’re pushing him to marry Aina again. Why didn’t their wedding push through, anyway?" I asked curiously.
The two exchanged glances before leaning in slightly. Lieutenant Arla lowered her voice.
"Honestly, we don’t know. But if you ask me, it has something to do with what happened in the hall. Didn’t they see you there?" She gave me a pointed look. I blinked and pointed at myself. She nodded. "I know you’ve heard about his late wife—the one who looks exactly like you. So if they saw you, they’d definitely question it. Why are you here? Is Mira alive? Were the Chen Clan lying to the Hong Clan? Too many possibilities. But I really don’t know the reason." She leaned back, and Captain Xu and I straightened up as well.
"Fair point," I muttered.
It wasn’t far-fetched that I was the reason. But maybe they also thought it was too risky for the Chen Clan, so they postponed—or canceled—the wedding. After all, wasn’t there chaos around the time they were supposed to marry?
Ugh, but that’s not my problem anymore. They can deal with it themselves—just don’t drag me into it.
Please don’t drag me into it.
"Come on! Let’s swim!" Eisha’s voice rang out as she sprinted toward the water. I glanced up at the sky—the sun was blazing. A swim sounded nice, but our skin was definitely going to pay for it later.
I stood and looked at Captain Xu and Lieutenant Arla, who shook their heads, saying they’d join later. So I walked to the shore alone, wading into the water. Eisha and Leigh soon joined me, and we swam and played around. Honestly, this wasn’t really my thing, but I got swept up in their energy.
At some point, Ren ran over and handed us some barbecue.
"This is why I like you, Ren!" Eisha praised before snatching his food and running off, leaving him chasing her.
Leigh and I just shook our heads and laughed.
My gaze drifted to the other hut, where Zeid was talking to Captain Kei. Nearby, Captain Masashi and Captain Kaito were sweating over the grill, shirts already discarded, wearing only trunks.
Hah. Typical.
After swimming, Leigh and I got out and helped set up the food on the long table. Once everything was ready, we all sat down to eat.
The others chatted about random things—well, they did. I was too busy eating properly, haha!
Only then did I notice Zeid sitting across from me. He ate silently, but at one point, he paused, staring at his plate. I peeked and saw carrots.
Oh. He’s allergic.
Without thinking, I reached over, picked the carrots off his plate, and ate them.
"I love carrots. If you don’t want yours, just give them to me," I said casually before continuing my meal.
I felt his stare but ignored it.
"By the way, how are things with you and Maxson?" Lieutenant Arla asked between bites of meat.
I looked up. Everyone was waiting for my answer. Them asking about me and Maxson? Weird question.
"We’re fine. Just busy lately," I replied.
Lieutenant Ren smirked like he had something up his sleeve.
"Really? So no time for each other?"
Huh?!
I caught Zeid’s icy glare. What’s his problem?
"We’re not dating, so we don’t need time for each other. Besides, we have a lot to deal with."
Like Maxson’s never-ending woman problems, probably.
They kept teasing me—even the other captains joined in. I just laughed it off. They knew the boundaries between Maxson and me, but they still joked anyway.
"Why don’t you marry him?" Zeid suddenly asked, raising an eyebrow. His tone was dead serious.
Excuse me?
And why the hell would I do that?!
"No, thank you. Maxson and I are just friends. That’s it," I replied, smirking challengingly. "You. Why don’t you marry me?"
Half the table choked on their food. Zeid and I locked eyes like we were in a staring contest. His gaze was murderous, but I didn’t back down.
"Why would I marry you?" he shot back, voice sharp.
I laughed.
"Of course. You hate me," I blurted out without thinking. His expression shifted slightly. I quickly waved my hand. "I mean, I’m not your type, right? So I’m not the best choice."
Phew. Saved it. Though I had just voiced my old thoughts. Tsk.
"At least you know," was all he said before resuming his meal.
The tense atmosphere lifted as Lieutenant Eisha loudly launched into some ridiculous story, diverting everyone’s attention.
I can’t believe I actually had the guts to ask that. Hahaha! Well, hopefully, Zeid won’t ambush me later and chop my head off.