The unchanging sea glittered with flecks of sunlight, like an endlessly stretching mirror that reproduced the sky's blue in its entirety. Stared at for too long, that pure blue brought a sense of frozen suffocation more oppressive than a storm. In Boer's eyes, the Blossom's ornate railings, spotless decks, and corridors forever fragrant with flowers were gradually losing their leisurely holiday charm, revealing the contours of an exquisite cage.
Inside the cabin, Boer stretched at length, his bones giving faint cracks. He walked to the window and gazed at the overly placid sea, then suddenly turned, his voice carrying a deliberately affected impatience. "Robin-chan, this ship is too slow. I'm going to start growing seaweed if I stay here any longer. Shall I fly you straight there? To the next island."
Robin did not answer immediately. She sat leaning against the headboard, a soft silk quilt covering her to the waist and leaving a stretch of jade-white shoulders and neck exposed. Her eyes lowered to the thick ancient book on her lap, she steadily turned the final page, finished the last passage recording an ancient ritual, and only then gently closed the book with a clap. Raising her head, she looked calmly at Boer with dark brown eyes. "Does Lord Boer find being with Robin... boring?"
The question left Boer speechless. He could only shake his head repeatedly with a rueful smile. "Lord Boer," Robin said, her voice softening, "that's what life is like. Peaceful, tranquil, unchanging... that's already the rarest luxury on this sea." As she spoke, she threw back the silk quilt and rose, her white back fully exposed to the sunlight slanting through the porthole. Its smooth, graceful curves seemed to absorb every ray of light, breathtakingly beautiful. She sat at the dressing table and picked up