As Shan seethed, Chloe was conversing with Vivianne, his fingers idly twirling around the handset’s cord he had found aboard.
Truthfully, departing the room before securing the Turquoise Wings was not my plan, yet I found myself restless amidst Aeon’s pointed remarks.
What I truly desire? Is it Dawn he refers to? His cryptic knowledge urges me to wonder what gives him the confidence to speak so assuredly, so I had to restrain myself.
Just then, Shan emerged abruptly at the corridor’s end. Chloe, masquerading as Ronald, waved to him, but Shan’s expression collapsed upon sighting him, an ominous indicator.
As per usual, Chloe’s instincts were on point. Spotting him with the handset at the hallway’s end, Shan’s bellow resonated, alerting every guard aboard the airship.
“It’s Astar! I’ve found him!”
“Oh, my. Shan is maturing. He’s become adept at locating things.”
[What do you mean? Where exactly are you, Chloe? Chloe?]
“Up in the sky!”
Vivianne’s voice was urgent, demanding his whereabouts, but Chloe’s priority was to escape. He hastily told her the truth, hung up the phone, and began to run away from Shan.
“Astar is here! Astar has appeared!”
Shan announcing Astar’s presence caught the attention of the ship’s guards. Consequently, the number of personnel on patrol increased, and the ship swelled with people pursuing Astar, who was in Ronald’s guise.
Astar, however, appeared to be familiar with the ship, evading capture by taking shortcuts and narrowly evading their grasp at every turn.
After Astar turned a corner, Shan followed, only to find the broad hallway empty. Astar had disappeared as if by magic. Shan shouted in vexation.
“Where on earth did you disappear to?!”
As Astar vanished from view, Shan punched the wall, his action nearly eliciting a scream from Chloe as he wedged himself into a cleverly hidden laundry room behind a potted plant adjacent to a guest cabin. The laundry room’s discreet location meant it would likely go unnoticed by those not acquainted with the ship’s design.
Shan, indignant, assumed control over the guards. Once the turmoil outside had subsided, Chloe exhaled deeply and whispered, “How did they find out? The police couldn’t have informed them.”
With scant evidence at hand, brainstorming failed to yield any logical explanation. Frustrated, Chloe shook his head and reached into his pocket, retrieving a neatly folded blueprint of the airship’s layout.
“Without this, I’d have been caught.”
Despite leaving things to chance, the scarcity of information was a clear disadvantage.
Assuming the role of Astar, Chloe had meticulously gathered details about the airship during times apart from Shan, a feat easily achieved while masquerading as the Marchioness. For Chloe, committing the layout to memory was a simple task.
“Since my cover’s blown, I need to wrap this up quickly. Let’s see…”
Shan had mentioned they were five hours away. Chloe opened his pocket watch to check the time, then took out a small flashlight, placed it between his teeth, and spread out the map of the airship’s interior.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
***
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“Children, you must stay in the room… Hold on, Mr. President! Mr. President!”
She hastened after Aeon, peppering him with questions, her face etched with worry. Aeon, striding purposefully, didn’t break his pace even as she drew level with him. Dorothy had no choice but to quicken her steps.
“They’re saying Astar has shown up. Is it true?”
“If the detective is shouting to clear the airship, it must be true.”
“Good heavens. How could Astar get on board while we’re airborne?”
“Isn’t the sudden appearance and disappearance the hallmark of a phantom thief? I need to check on the Turquoise Wings first.”
The guards, in hot pursuit of Astar, saluted Dorothy and Aeon as they hurried by. The Marchioness had instructed them to show courtesy, for they were esteemed guests. Fortuitously, the guards did not detain them, allowing them to swiftly arrive at the cabin.
“…Your Grace!”
“Are the Turquoise Wings secure?”
The Marchioness, who had scurried from the adjoining room at the onset of the turmoil, stood quivering next to a glass case. To Aeon’s inquiry, she vigorously nodded and presented the Turquoise Wings in her grasp.
“The moment I perceived the detective’s alarm, I hastened here. They remain secure, yet I am uneasy about their confinement in a glass box’s lock…”
She revealed the dragonfly, then clasped her hands earnestly, forming a small sanctuary that concealed the Turquoise Wings.
“Perhaps it would be prudent for me to remain by your side until the airship docks? Alas, Astar could emerge abruptly and wrest it from me. Oh, what is to be done?”
The cadence of footsteps from the chase outside resonated with the Marchioness’s palpitations. Her heart’s rhythm intensified as the footsteps neared the cabin and subsided as they receded.
“Calm down, my lady. Even Astar wouldn’t take anything from Madame by force.”
Aeon moved closer, attempting to soothe her as she panicked over the peril. A crewman, informed of the situation through an extension phone from the cockpit, flung open the cockpit door and yelled to the Marchioness.
“They’ve lost Astar’s trail!”
“Oh, what do I do now? So, you mean to say you don’t know Astar’s whereabouts at this moment!”
The Marchioness was overwhelmed, her mind reeling. Aeon’s attempts to comfort her were in vain; the only thought that resonated was the possibility of Astar appearing at any second, ringing in her head like tinnitus.
Clutching the Turquoise Wings tightly, the Marchioness strove for composure, steadying her quivering voice before addressing Aeon and Dorothy.
“Sir, Madame, would you mind stepping behind the yellow line on the floor for a moment?”
While speaking, Aeon’s gaze dropped to a painted floor on the uneven wooden boards. The yellow line mentioned by the Marchioness was part of the painting, so well-integrated into the design that he would have missed it had he not been actively searching. The circle it formed was spacious enough to accommodate a person lying down.
How could they deny the weeping Marchioness’ plea? Though her request was unreasonable, the urgency of the moment compelled Aeon and Dorothy to step back twice without question. Once assured of their retreat, the lady faced her crew and commanded,
“Do it!”
“Understood!”
A crewman, buoyed by the order, twisted the ornate key on the wall sharply to the right. Aeon, who had mistaken the key for mere decoration due to its elaborate engravings, tensed upon discovering its true purpose. With the turn of the key, the bottom of the rounded yellow line broke apart with a loud snap, exposing the absence of a floor below. The base of the airship, soaring through the sky, had been unveiled!
The ship’s interior air rushed towards the opening. The garments of Aeon, Dorothy, and the Marchioness billowed in the tumult, as they stood at the brink. Gazing through the gap, the obscured sky offered no clues—whether mist concealed ocean or mountain, a fall from this height spelled certain doom.
“What… is this?” Dorothy inquired, her voice laced with curiosity and concern as the Marchioness edged closer to the precipice. With just two more steps, she would plummet. Dorothy emitted a small, startled squeak at the perilous scene, while Aeon remained still, observing patiently to see her next move.
“Everyone is aware that Astar is an expert in disguise and an exceptional actor; he infiltrated our ranks, posing as one of your detectives,” she explained.
Her voice wavered and then faded, overcome by emotion. Regaining her poise after a brief moment, the roar of the wind engulfed their conversation. She withdrew from the opening and faced Dorothy and Aeon, her expression resolute.
“Soon after we embarked on the airship, it was reported that I appeared at the security office, requesting a copy of the ship’s layout, claiming it was on the detective’s orders. However, at that time, I had not left Detective Shan’s side,” she asserted.
The woman extended her hand towards the void, the same hand that clutched the Turquoise Wings. Dorothy’s mouth opened involuntarily at the sight of the Turquoise Wings being discarded from the airship, while Aeon’s expression grew stern.
“Astar must have impersonated me with an uncanny ease. My crew isn’t particularly perceptive, yet I am a petite woman and he is a burly man; how did he manage to pass as me?”
“…Madame, may I inquire what occupies your thoughts at this moment?”
A single finger unfurled from her clenched fist, revealing the tail of the Turquoise Wings. Upon Aeon’s query, the Marchioness, her expression one of regret and her body steady, responded.
“Since Astar’s appearance and subsequent departure, the only ones to have entered this cabin are myself, Lord Aeon, and the doctor. This suggests a strong likelihood that either you or the doctor is Astar. Should this not be the case, I shall offer a formal apology once the truth comes to light, to the doctor as well.”
The lady faced Dorothy and extended her ring finger, exposing the delicate segment of the winter dragonfly.
“My husband advised me that should I cross paths with Astar, I must not hesitate to cast the Turquoise Wings to the heavens if I doubt my ability to safeguard it. It is preferable to risk losing it than to allow Astar to claim the master’s creation.”
She extended her middle finger, and the dragonfly’s wings unfolded in response. Clinging to the lady’s fingers, the dragonfly attempted to pull itself down by its own weight.
“Hah, if Astar is not among you, then my actions are futile, but since I’m uncertain, I must do this before he arrives. He will be captured before he lays hands on the Turquoise Wings, as I plan to seal every entrance and exit of the airship until he is apprehended.”
The lady grasped the wing of her cherished Turquoise Wings, caressing her cheek with her free hand, filled with sorrow.
“When he presented it as a master craftsman’s work, I imagined what sort of gem it might be. Yet, it was nothing more than a tawdry dragonfly carcass. Holding it thus is unpleasant. I cannot fathom why my husband valued it so dearly, nor why the creator deemed it a masterpiece.”
From outside the cabin door, a multitude of footsteps approached rapidly, Shan’s voice among them.
“I was mortified to have received an insect’s carcass from His Majesty, so I concealed it until now. But the time has come to part with it. I feel a sense of relief. Farewell, loathsome little dragonfly.”
Finally, the lady unfurled her fingers, and the delicate dragonfly plummeted. Yet at that moment, someone dove into the void to catch it!
Watching someone fall, the Marchioness let out an involuntary scream.
“Aaaaah!”
“Madame, what’s happening?”
Shan yelled, bursting through the cabin door. A throng of guards stood behind Shan. Shan peered into the room, struck dumb. Dorothy was sprawled face down in the center of the hollowed-out floor, reaching downward.
Clasped in her hands was Aeon, whose other hand was aloft, clutching the Turquoise Wings.
.
.
.
Dorothy, clenching her teeth and struggling to pull Aeon up, managed to speak with difficulty.
“…Mr. President! You… Why are you being so reckless right now!”
“Because you would catch me.”
Despite the ground beneath him being a dizzying abyss, Aeon remained calm, seemingly oblivious to the peril at the edge of the line of fire. Dorothy, jolted from her daze by Aeon’s words, surveyed her surroundings.
The Marchioness, stunned by Aeon’s heedless leap, stood on the opposite side of the gap. Moreover, all the guards in the cabin were too distant from the opening, and Shan, along with others who had just entered, were immobilized, not taking a single step.
They were all too far to catch him if he fell, confirming Aeon’s belief that Dorothy would be the one to hold onto him. Aeon’s trust in Dorothy was expected. The issue, however, was their respective weights.
The weight of a tall, muscular man differed significantly from that of a slender, petite, middle-aged woman. Indeed, Dorothy was so light that if she caught Aeon as he fell, she would likely tumble down with him. Aeon, who encountered her daily, surely knew this.
After composing herself, Dorothy straightened her expression and smiled broadly at Aeon, revealing her little pointed fangs.
“How did you know I was Astar?”
Translator’s Corner:
Wow!! What a turn of events – and a cliffhanger. Moments like these are the reason I translate this series. Not to mention, with how often women in BL are portrayed in a very stereotypical and nonsensical manner, the Marchioness being so intelligent and perceptive is a huge breath of fresh air. Love it!
What are you all’s thoughts? Did anyone guess he was disguised as Dorothy? Also, how do you think Aeon figured it out? I’d love to hear everyone’s speculations.
PS. Perhaps consider rating PTSD on Novel Updates if you enjoy it so far. Seems like the usual BL-hater crowd left a few 1-star ratings and brought it down to a 3.9. 
thought he was Aeon lol
here u go 5-stars rating!! Thanks for the chapter! <33
I can totally see that! Especially with how quickly he was making his way to the cabin.
Thanks for the constant support! I always love reading your comments. 😊❤
oh my god the abbreviation for this novel is ptsd? that’s hilarious
also fuck those queerphobic ppl! I’m gonna go upvote this novel right now!
Hahaha yes it is 😂💜Thank you! I don’t get why so many people will downvote simply because it’s BL. My main goal with translating this story is to share it as best as I can, so I don’t want people to be discouraged by the false 1-star ratings. Granted, if the story warranted it, that would be a different matter…