When Duke finished his meal, his plate was empty and clean; not even a crumb remained. The two ate everything that was provided, which made Duke feel relieved. He was not fond of leaving anything. He wiped his mouth and took a sip of water. "Our journey will take two days. I should find you an activity, so the travel will not bore you, princess." He said, looking at the girl.Once she had her last bite from the fruit salad, she only giggled at his comment about finding her an activity.

"Pl-please, my l-lord, do not ma-make me la-laugh. Being on a s-s-ship that is n-not going to w-war it is mu-much mo-more pleasant than ot-other trips I h-had in my life," she said, then had one boiled egg, then avocado and the butter. He curiously looked at Aravis working and preparing the ingredients in such an elegant way, which only made him smile.

‘It appears she remembers some manners after all.’ He thought, but when the young princess's snack was ready and offered to him, Richard raised an eyebrow. He never saw such a combination of ingredients but gladly accepted.

"I-I had it on-once wh-when I wa-was a kid. Tr-try it."

 "Thank you, Princess." He spoke as he took the sandwich with his fingers brushed against her hand. At first, he curiously checked the slice for a brief moment, then at the same time, both of them had a bite and properly chewed it. The two experienced this in different ways. This unique, tasteful snack woke old good childish memories of the young princess. 

"How many times do I have to tell you... It is good, but you should always try something new?"
Her father said as he had a sip of warm coffee and looked at his daughter strictly. Her mother laughed a little "let her enjoy it," she said, then petted her child. It was always this kind of conversation the three would have in the dining room. Recalling this peaceful memory brought a faint smile to her lips.

'Why all the good things must come to an end....?' she thought as she had a sip of the fresh orange juice and kept eating her snack while traveling in that beautiful, long-distanced memory. On the other hand, Richard was not impressed by the snack, but he did not find it displeasing.

"Thank you for the meal," Richard said politely and wiped his mouth, catching the attention of the young princess. She looked at him as she kept eating. Suddenly, he rang the bell, and the maid stepped in, welcoming her master with a bow. "Princess, I will leave for work. I leave you under her care. If you have any requests, tell them. I also ask you to be mindful of the crew and their work and not cause trouble." He explained in a kind manner and stood up from the table.Aravis looked at him as he was leaving. Her mouth was still full of the last bite of her rich breakfast. Listening to his 'orders' , she just only agreed to them. Once she was left with the maid, she exchanged looks with her. Even if she wore the thick fabric around her eyes, she could easily see through it. Slowly she picked up the napkin and whipped her mouth gently, then stood up and smiled softly at her.

"Sh-shall we g-go and re-read books? If...th-they have," she wanted to start studying, to remember how the letters look and how she could pronounce the words correctly. She would never let all these seven years to destroy her just so simply.

"I am afraid the ship does not have a library. One of the maids reads books; perhaps I can ask her to borrow some." The woman replied politely. Aravis then took a deep disappointed breath and said

 "Th-then maybe w-we could fi-find something mo-more proper f-for me to we-wear?" She asked her.

 "Regarding a different attire, some simple dresses have been purchased. They are stored in the lower deck." The maid explained to the princess. The young princess at first found it a great idea, but she gave it a second thought

 "We wi-will go a b-bit later, o-okay? I am go-going to re-rest, and I wo-would like to b-be alone if th-that is okay wi-with you", she said that, then stood up and walked to the bedroom door, slowly opened it and headed to her bedroom. The maid smiled and bowed her head.

"As you wish, Princess. I will wait for you in the hallway. Rest well." The woman said politely, leaving the room to sit near the doors and patiently waiting.

In the meantime, Richard checked his cargo and made notes with his assistants. He was focused on his task, completely forgetting about Aravis. His head was filled with numbers and formulas as he recalled his previous experiences to determine which course of action would provide him with the highest income. At the same time, Aravis sat quietly in the bedroom and undid the blindfold revealing her beautiful long eyelash matching perfectly with her blue eyes; they had grown weaker over the years of not opening them.

"Hm?" A woman in the crew's nest, along with a male crew member, heard the gentle song of the mermaid, but she couldn't recognize it at first since it was quiet. "Do you hear something?" She asked the man who was behind her. She turned around and saw him standing like a statue, bobbing left and right.

"Yes..." He murmured with delight in his voice. "It's a lovely song, isn't it?"

The woman's eyes opened wide from shock.

"MERMAIDS!"