The curtain fell. The steward's sweat slid from his temples to his chin.
From that evening onward, everyone in the shipyard began calling the princess "Your Highness Elena" instead of "Young Miss." Whenever they saw her, their backs unconsciously straightened a little.
Night fell.
A sea wind blew in from the south, carrying a cold, damp saltiness.
The ship's skeleton cast a jagged shadow beneath the moonlight, like some gigantic beast lying in wait. Su Li stood on the unfinished middle deck, bare crossbeams and temporarily nailed planks beneath his feet.
Soft footsteps came from behind him. Saina had climbed up, still holding half a cup of hot water.
She walked to Su Li's side and handed him the cup. Then she leaned against the ship's railing frame, which had yet to be fitted with guardrails, and looked out over the pitch-black sea.
The wind blew her hair back.
"Su Li."
"Mm."
"I think I can already smell the sea."
Su Li took a sip of hot water. The salty wind carried warmth down his throat, leaving behind a taste he couldn't quite describe.
He handed the cup back. "Wait a few more months, and you'll do more than smell it."
Saina did not take the cup. She stared at the hazy line where sea and sky met in the distance, the corner of her lips curving upward.
"Mm."
Very soon.
Saina got to work.
On the west side of the shipyard stood a temporarily built wooden platform, originally meant for workers to eat and rest on. After checking the direction and wind, Saina shoved the tables and benches aside, clearing out a space two paces wide and three paces long.
She crouched down and took a handful of vegetable seeds from her pocket, spreading them across her palm.