Gin's aunty had been persistent in trying to get Ria to talk about how she met Gin, and all she had given the older woman was that they met at night at a port, which had been the truth.

Carmi hadn't been satisfied, but she'd finally left her alone when afternoon came. She needed to get out to talk to the person who could help her and Gin.

She glanced around the small living space, trying to calm her thoughts. Then her eyes landed on the seat in front of her where Gin had sat and where she felt his embarrassment only moments ago.

She smiled at the emotions she picked up with her psychestringere. Gin liked her. She knew he was attracted to her, but his emotions earlier had confirmed that he liked her. She might look so silly right now, smiling at a chair in front of her, but she couldn't stop the spreading happiness on her face.

"Ria." Gin's voice came from outside the door, and she shrunk with her thoughts.

"What?" She scrambled to stand. "Yes, I'm here."

The door cracked open, and Gin poked his head inside, a one-sided smile plastered to his face. "'You want to come out here for a bit? You can leave the chest behind the chair."

"What's wrong?" Ria asked, placing the chest on the floor by the seat's leg. She walked to him, wondering if there was anything wrong, but she sensed nothing of that sort.

"Just come one out," he said, jerking his head toward his back, but Ria had already started walking to him.

He stepped aside to her pass.

When she came out the door, the late morning sun was blinding, and she had to blink her eyes to adjust. It was hot and burning on her skin, but she had already gotten used to it from her days of being on the Opal.

She stepped on the boardwalk and looked at the floating houses over the turquoise blue ocean water, dark metal gray, and rusty brown human-made dwellings against the beauty of nature.

She gasped out in awe and heard Gin laugh under his breath. When she turned to him, he was a step away, smiling at her expression.

"What did you want?" She asked, sensing his eagerness.

"Do you want to dive?" he asked.

"Dive?" She glanced down at the water below the boardwalk. "Here?"

"There's a coral reef nearby. We can swim there from here." He was already removing his tunic, tugging it over his head.

Ria's face flashed hot. It wasn't the first time he'd seen him without a shirt, but she held her breath all the same and stared.

The bruise on his side under his ribs was fading, and the wound grazed by a bullet on his upper arm had crusted. When her eyes drifted to his chest, she forced herself to look down.

"Are you game or not?" Gin asked.

She lifted her face to him, focusing on his nose, his cheeks, his forehead, but trying desperately not to look into his eyes.

"I don't have any change of clothes," she said.

"Aunty will find something of hers that'll fit you." He pulled off his boots and set them aside beside the door.

"Alright." Ria nodded, stepping back and taking off her boots, too.

Gin jumped into the water with a light splash. Barefoot, she came to the edge to look down at him. His head emerged from the surface, wet hair matted. "Come on!" he called out.

Ria aligned her body and reached out, jumping, pushing herself off the boardwalk with the strength of her legs and torso, and targeting the water. She had dived so many times that the movements became a natural thing for her body. As soon as she was in the air, she ducked her head between her shoulders and leaned forward.

The water was cool and refreshing against the hot sun. It consumed her as she dove, full body engulfed in the clear sea. When her speed settled, she rolled over to turn her direction up and cracked the surface. She blinked out the salty marine and saw Gin grinning.

"Follow me," he said and turned. He propelled himself, extending an arm out alternately, toward the edge of the village where the water opened out to the sea.

Ria followed him, kicking with her legs and pushing forward.

They swam a little farther out but stayed close to the coastline until they reached the coral reef. The water was so transparent that Ria saw it even before they got there. A few meters below them, her eyes found the reds of corals first, then the oranges and yellows of fish swimming about.

Gin stopped at the center above a school that swam in a circle. "You want to dive?" he asked.

Ria grinned. "Yes!" And she inhaled a deep breath.

They both dove to the reef below the water, passing the barrier swirl of small tiny fish that scattered as they swam deeper.

Ria reached some corals that spread out like yellow branchy fans, where she found a black and white striped angel fish. It swam in front of her face without care, as if she was part of their precipice underwater. She followed it around one of the fan corals, swimming toward a large clam shell that opened its mouth to the ocean. Its hard body was carved with wavy ivory lines, its lips formed purple dots, and its tongue was a plump extension of its opening.

Ria wanted to gasp at its beauty, but she tried to keep her breath in her lungs and smiled instead. The angel fish had swam somewhere behind the clam and had gotten away from her.

She felt a tap on her shoulder, and when she turned, Gin pointed at something behind her. Her eyes followed the direction and found a giant leatherback sea turtle swimming above.

They swam toward the majestic beast. As soon as she neared, the creature's length grew more than her height, and a wave of wonder and admiration exploded in her chest. She wanted to laugh.

Sivona's deep waters were not like this. The reefs there were deep and dying because of the growing ports. They were dark and grey with little life. And they were never this beautiful.

Gin swam beside him and pointed up to the surface. She followed him and burst out into the air with a gasp.

"That was amazing!" she said, laughing.

"Come on." Gin jerked his head. "There's a sandbar over there. We can rest." He led, and she followed, though she wanted to dive back down and swim with the giant beast again. She thanked the water for the experience.

The strip of sand was short and mostly submerged. They walked out of the water and found the spot where the sun hit the land. Ria sat on the grainy beach while Gin rang his ears dry before flopping down beside her.

"That was fun. Thank you," Ria said.

Gin only nodded, and they both looked at the bright blue horizon, taking a moment to dry of the cold water from their clothes.

A cool breeze came, and she closed her eyes, feeling the caress over her face, letting the wind blow away her worries. When she opened her eyes again, Gin had turned to her and watched her.

"You're the princess," he said.

Ria swallowed. "I know."

"Are you going to explain this to me?"

She wasn't expecting him to demand any explanation from her, but she understood why he needed it. She might as well since he already knew who she was. "I'm adopted," she started.

"Tell me something the whole kingdom doesn't know."

Ria took a deep breath. "I thought I was adopted, but I'm not."

"The indenture." Gin nodded.

"I learned that Mistress Evita was hiding adoption papers for the late king, and I thought they were mine. I wanted to know about my real parents, where I came from, or anything about my past, but--"

"It's not yours. It's your brother's," Gin supplied. "He's not a blood heir."

Ria stared at Gin, searching him with his psychestringere for any malicious intent, but there was none. All she found was patience for her to keep going. "I don't know if it's real. The indenture meant that I was sold. I'm not adopted, not a princess, and I still don't know who my real parents are." She looked away, letting her eyes linger toward the distant blue horizon. "It doesn't matter anymore. I don't want to know the people who traded me."

Gin was quiet for a while. She could hear him breathing, a natural sound that blended with the soft rushing of the waves. "I'm sorry," he said after a few heartbeats.

She turned her gaze back to him, a dark beauty against the white sand, turquoise waters, and bright skies. "Why are you sorry."

He shrugged. "I'd be pissed if my pa sold me."

"I'm glad he didn't," she told him, and he smiled.

Gin nodded. "What do you plan to do with the documents now?"

"I don't know. I need to get them to my brother." As soon as she said the word 'brother', she felt a sting. All her life, she'd known that it wasn't real, but to understand that they were not even adopted siblings, that she was simply his servant, drove the knife deeper into her heart. "He'll know what to do." Her voice shook as she said the last words.

"Hey." Gin reached out and touched her hand. "I'll get you back to Sivona. I promise." His skin was warm and brought comfort to her.

"It's not that," she said. "I mean, I know you'll get me to Sivona. I trust you." She looked into his brown eyes and wanted to lean closer to him, to intake more of that warmth against the emotions that were consuming her now. And she dared to incline her head toward him.

He mirrored her movement, bending to her face, to her lips. "Ria," he whispered.

Her lips parted, and so did his. She didn't say a word, careful not to scare off whatever this was.

"Ria," he said again and didn't move, but his eyes widened. Realization flowed from him.

She almost screamed No, but all she could do was wait for him to withdraw.

"You're the princess," he said, leaning back and swallowing, draining the urge from his lips and fighting the want in his heart.

Ria slowly straightened back. "I'm not the princess," she said.

Gin's face crossed with pain. "To the whole kingdom, you still are." He began to stand. "Let's get back," he said and left Ria with parted lips, sitting on the sand.