"Hey!"
Katie grabbed the heavy gate, wrenched it open by brute force, then tossed it aside.
Behind her, Princess Louise watched Katie quietly before suddenly speaking.
"Katie."
"Hm? What is it, Louise?"
Katie flexed her wrists, preparing to open another door, and answered without turning around.
"Are you happy now?"
"Very happy! Being with Mr. Li Wei is so much fun."
"What about the people in the palace?"
"Hmm... they're all right, I guess."
Katie pursed her lips at Princess Louise's question.
"It's not that they're bad people. They're just not much fun. Pretty boring, really. But Mr. Li Wei is interesting, and he doesn't stammer when he looks at me, all weird like a broken toy."
As she spoke, Katie reached out, grabbed the second door, and gave it another hard yank.
"Creeeak!"
Katie tore the steel door, a full fist thick, straight out of the wall.
Princess Louise frowned slightly at the sight but said nothing. Katie heaved again, flinging the door aside as she continued.
"Besides, Victoria hasn't played with me in ages. She's busy too."
"Yes, Mother does have-"
"I know, but I just don't understand why so many people love power. Mr. Li Wei is much better. He doesn't have to live it up with those nobles or get headaches over all those annoying problems."
Princess Louise sighed quietly at Katie's words.
"That's not how you use 'live it up,' Katie..."
"Really? It all seems pretty much the same to me."
"It's completely different..."
Meanwhile, on deck, Li Wei stared at the enormous dark silhouette in the distance, utterly dumbfounded.
What the hell was that thing?!
When that island-sized head had first emerged from the sea, Li Wei had been terrified.
But as the creature gradually rose out of the water, his terror had given