Mary looked at the gold coins on her palm. She was illiterate but she could tell that the money was too much to compensate for the damaged furniture.

She looked up to see Kira, thinking the woman would demand change after Mary calculated the cost for the damage. However, Kira was already gone. She walked following Emmelyn out of the diner, looking jolly.

"Miss! This is too much!" Mary called her, but Kira only waved one hand without looking back and told her to keep the change.

The maid couldn't believe her luck. She quickly put the money in her pocket and got ready to clean up. Her mood was so good that she no longer winced in disgust when she saw the bloodied hands scattered on the floor.

She even hummed when she picked one up and put it in the trash basket.

***

"Welcome," said Emmelyn as she opened the door and welcomed Kira into her room. The pirate lady furrowed her brows as she cast her glance around.

"Why did they give you a better room than me?" she protested.

"Well, I have no idea. When I came here this is the last available room as the occupant just checked out. Maybe when you arrived, this room was unavailable," Emmelyn explained. She could tell that Kira had a short fuse and was easily angry.

Truly, this woman reminded Emmelyn a lot of herself. She was also a bit short-tempered and impatient when she was younger. Now, she was more mature and wiser.

"Do you want more wine?"

Emmelyn decided to offer wine to lighten up the atmosphere. Kira nodded. So, Emmelyn took the wine jug from the table beside the bed and poured wine for them.

Fortunately, the inn provided two cups for the guests, in case they would have guests like what she had now. She gave one cup to Kira.

"Where did you learn how to fight?" Emmelyn asked Kira. She took a small towel from the cabinet and used the water in the basin to wash her face. Soon the huge 'birthmark' she put on her face was gone and her skin looked clean and fresh.

Kira was surprised to see how the 'ugly man' now had turned into a beautiful woman. She was truly breathtaking, Kira thought. For a moment, the pirate princess looked dumbfounded.

"Hey... why are you staring at me like that?" Emmelyn turned around to see Kira since she felt stared at. She wanted to laugh when she saw Kira's reaction.

Maybe her disguise earlier was way too ugly that when she showed her original appearance, the contrast would make her look many times more beautiful than what Kira expected.

"You are so beautiful," Kira said bluntly. "Why are you covering your beauty and make yourself look so ugly? I don't get it."

"Why do I want to look pretty?" Emmelyn shrugged. "It will only invite problems. Men will ogle, and worse is they will try to harass me. I can probably get rid of them with my sword, but it's a waste of my time and energy."

Kira thought about it while sipping her wine and she had to agree with Emmelyn. She liked fighting but sometimes she wanted to have a relaxing time for herself. Being constantly on your toe did sound tiring and annoying.

"So, who are you, and why are you here?" Kira asked back. "You said you have a daughter. Why don't you stay with your daughter? Aren't moms supposed to be with their children?"

"It's a long story," Emmelyn explained. "The point is I am here to find a kingdom called Myreen. It's ruled by a powerful wizard family and they unfairly and one-sidedly cursed me to have a bad life. I left my daughter so I can focus on getting that stupid curse broken."

"Whoaa... sounds intense," Kira replied. "Do you know why they cursed you?"

Emmelyn shook her head. She had wiped her face dry and went to sit next to Kira. She took her wine and sipped it slowly. 

"I wish I know..." she sighed. She was really curious and dying to know the answer.

"I know some wizards and they are usually quite sensible people," said Kira. "Perhaps you did something to offend them."

"If I did, I wouldn't know. I have never even met anyone from Myreen," said Emmelyn tiredly. "Anyway... that's my story. If you are looking for adventures and handsome men, you are in for a treat. I tend to meet handsome men on my journey and I happen to know some too. I can introduce them to you and you can experience how it feels like to have your heart flutters... ahahaha."

Both ladies laughed heartily when Emmelyn mentioned the handsome men. Emmelyn actually wanted to tell Kira that love was overrated. It was better to be alone but happy, than with someone who only hurt her feelings.

But she realized, it was the reason why Kira was interested in going with her. So, she shouldn't say anything that would deter Kira from it. At least not now.

"You seem to have a bad life," Kira commented. "Well... I don't really have anywhere specific that I want to go to. I told my father I will go on adventures for 2-3 years and he shouldn't expect me to return anytime soon. So, I can go with you. I want to see what Summeria looks like... also other places."

"If adventures are what you're looking for, you will get them," said Emmelyn. She clinked her cup to Kira's and smiled. "My name is Emmelyn. Nice to meet you, Kira."

The pirate princess smirked and raised her cup too. "So, when are we leaving?"

"I still need to buy a horse. Do you have one already?" Emmelyn asked her back.

Kira nodded. "Yeah. I do. You can just ask the innkeeper to get you a horse and pay her. She knows these things."

"You are right. I will talk to Elora," said Emmelyn. She thought it was a better thing to do. She didn't have to go through the hassle of choosing a horse for herself. "Once I get the horse, we can go tomorrow."

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