Bibliophile Princess: Volume 7 [Parts 1 to 7] by Yui

Author:Yui
Language: eng
Format: epub

Three forces ruled over Kelk Harbor. One was, of course, the mayor of the city. He had been personally appointed by the duke—the regional lord—and was apparently also a steward of House Odin. Thus, although he was ostensibly a humble mayor, his true authority and influence were immense. All the more so when he was in charge of a port as large as Kelk Harbor.

Another force was the president of the Maritime Merchants’ Guild. All manner of merchant ships entered and left the port of Kelk; some were owned by the guild itself, while others belonged to the Shipbuilders’ Guild, which only engaged in the repair and manufacture of ships. However, as far as trade was concerned, no vessels other than fishing boats were allowed to set sail without a permit from the Maritime Merchants’ Guild.

Pedestrian merchants braved much hardship and danger to bring their wares to Kelk Harbor, the last stop on the highway, where their cargo was then passed off to the seafaring merchants. Some of the larger trade guilds sailed their own ships abroad, while other merchants chose not to risk the high seas and instead entrusted the sale of their goods to others. And thus were captains- and crews-for-hire born.

The Maritime Merchants’ Guild oversaw the recruitment process. It was a natural outgrowth of the system. In the past, there had been a good deal of violent conflicts between merchants’ guilds and hired captains over their share of the profits. The captains and crews braved great danger to convert the goods into gold and silver. Proud of their contribution, these sailors would demand a better cut of the profits, but the merchants often refused to budge, arguing that a hit to their earnings would threaten the future of their business. On occasion, this would escalate into a small-scale brawl, and so the guild was formed out of a need for regulation.

Kelk Harbor was run by those two big shots, but there was a third force in play that wasn’t known to the public. That was Luwak Street, the slum where I, Alan, lived.

I was probably around seven or eight years old when I first arrived at the harbor. I was put straight into an orphanage, but it didn’t take me long to escape. Now that I’d managed to survive against all odds, I wanted to live my life freely, without being beholden to anyone or exploited for labor.

As luck would have it, I’d apparently been blessed with decent looks. Back when I was on the ship, no one had ever spared me a second glance. Bathing wasn’t an option on the high seas, after all; I was truly little more than a squalid child bedraggled by the ocean breeze. But lo, a merciless scrubbing at the orphanage had revealed honey-colored hair under the grime, and once my face had been wiped clean enough times, emerald eyes had peeked into view.

It was shocking to discover what I looked like. I’d only glimpsed my reflection in a mirror a few times before then.

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