The Pirate King's Daughter - Chapter 12

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 12
A thick, saturated blue Mana poured down from above my head.
And then—bang!
The Caravan Leader’s body shot into the air.
Something black erupted from me, colliding with the guards and hurling them backward.
“Keep your head down!”
At the same moment, Serena burst through the door.
The instant I hit the ground, she moved with quick precision, using the Short Sword I’d given her to drive the men back.
“Serena…”
Watching her make such a dramatic entrance, I nearly wept.
“Stay still.”
Serena freed the rope binding my wrists and hauled me upright with one hand, effortless and sure.
We made for the warehouse exit together, but then—
“Ungh!”
Serena’s body twisted and she crumpled.
“Serena!”
“Run, you fool!”
“If I’d wanted to run alone, I wouldn’t have come here!”
I grabbed her arm and pulled her against me as we scrambled forward, when a sickening laugh rang out from behind.
“Ha! Serena, haven’t you learned yet? If you don’t kill them outright, this is what happens.”
“Aaaaahhh!”
When the Caravan Leader pressed the Ring on his finger, Serena screamed.
The men Serena had stabbed in the warehouse were advancing, teeth bared, out for blood.
“Ugh!”
The moment we broke free, we were caught again and thrown down.
Serena was holding on by sheer force of will alone. Collapsed on the ground, unable to push herself up, she could only breathe in ragged gasps.
“Indeed, there’s nothing quite like hands-on instruction.”
The Caravan Leader raised his Whip, and I quickly moved in front of Serena.
“What do you want?”
“How pathetic.”
The Caravan Leader looked back and forth between us, as if calculating something.
“The two of you would be tiresome to manage. I’ll let you live—now step aside.”
I stared at the thick Whip, dark and heavy.
‘That’s going to hurt like hell.’
How many strikes would it take to die? My mind would probably shatter before my body gave out.
Such is life.
“Damn it, you bastard.”
I spoke without flinching, my words grinding out through my teeth.
Then his eyes flashed with rage—the mask of reason torn away.
“Let’s see how long that petty courage of yours lasts.”
The Caravan Leader’s arm rose high. The long Whip lashed through the air.
I pulled Serena into my arms.
Crack—!
“Ngh!”
My breath caught in my throat.
Each gust of air that brushed my nose burned with searing pain, as if sharp blades had torn through tender skin.
Even as my mind reeled from a single blow, Serena trembled in my embrace, her breath shaking.
“Hgh, move…!”
I pushed myself to raise my head without crushing Serena, and the Caravan Leader looked down at me like I was an amusing toy.
“Hmm, you’re holding up rather well.”
He raised his hand again. But his violence ended there.
“Tatiana!”
“Ferien…?”
Ferien appeared from nowhere, rushed forward, and wrapped his arms around me.
Behind him, the Caravan Leader—who had stood so confidently moments before—staggered, blood pouring from his mouth.
Slash—!
Blood sprayed in all directions, following the path of the blade.
“Kiis…”
Kiis had come.
He stared hard at the falling Caravan Leader, his rage far from satisfied.
One of my captors was sent flying by a blow from Kiis’s side.
I turned to follow him and found Bertho kicking another man down.
It all happened in an instant.
“What happened—no, wait. Stay still for now. I need to check your wounds.”
Ferien’s serious expression as he examined my back made me involuntarily gasp.
“Why…”
Why did you come to save me, why did it take so long—I couldn’t decide which question to ask first, so I just gripped the hem of Ferien’s shirt hard.
Tears blurred my vision.
Ferien froze when he saw my face, then gently comforted me, careful not to touch my back.
“It’s all right now. Everything’s fine. You don’t need to be afraid anymore.”
His voice was so warm despite the obvious lie that I simply broke down and wept.
* * *
“Stay like that for now. Don’t move.”
Ferien finished disinfecting the whip wounds, applied medicine, and put away his supplies.
“The Painkiller isn’t working at all…”
As I lay face-down receiving treatment, the pain was unbearable. I bit down on the pillow in my arms, and tears leaked from my eyes.
“At least you took the medicine, so it hurts less than it would have.”
Ferien pulled a chair over to where my head rested and sat.
“So, shall we talk now?”
He smiled—soft and beautiful.
“What… what would we talk about?”
“Playing innocent won’t help.”
“Gods, it hurts. Honestly, I’m in so much pain today that I think you should just let me rest—I’m barely conscious.”
“Tatiana.”
Ferien’s expression grew serious.
“We need to—”
But he stopped himself.
Wanting to gloss over this meaningful moment, I avoided his eyes.
Ferien started to rise, dragging his chair back with a scrape, so I quickly spoke up.
“I’m sorry I caused trouble. I’ll be more careful next time.”
There was no reply.
“I’m going to wrap the Bandages now. Sit up.”
‘Was that all he wanted to say?’
For some reason my heart eased, and I shifted position as he asked.
His tone was the same as before. Or was it—slightly colder somehow?
‘Besides, I saved Serena, who I’m supposed to care about eventually.’
But I couldn’t say that. Such is life.
“Put the pillow down. Lift your arms.”
“Oh, yes.”
Sitting behind me, Ferien began wrapping Bandages around my body, starting at my ribs.
‘This is a bit embarrassing.’
The ticklish sensation brought heat rushing to my ears.
“The new shirt is in the wardrobe, right?”
“Yes.”
Still facing away, I remained as Ferien retrieved a fresh shirt and handed it to me.
“Looks like it arrived just in time.”
As Ferien spoke, a knock sounded from outside. Without waiting for an answer, he opened the door at once.
“Tatiana is—”
I locked eyes with Kiis, who stood in the doorway.
“The treatment is finished.”
The unspoken implication hung in the air: now go away.
Ferien left, and Kiis entered.
“Is she someone you know?”
Kiis kept a careful distance as he asked. He must have meant Serena.
“No. I just happened to see her and tried to help, then got captured myself.”
“Why didn’t you come to us first and tell us?”
“I’m sorry—I didn’t think the situation would escalate like this.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
Kiis’s voice was taut with suppressed rage. Maybe he was worried about how it looked to the Guards, involving civilians in violence.
“I’ll go testify to the Guards right now. It should count as Self-defense…”
“I’m asking again. Is she someone you know?”
At this sudden return to the original question, I lifted my head to look at Kiis directly. And then I understood.
‘I thought he must be worried.’
I was wrong. He was interrogating me now—his eyes held all the suspicion and caution from the first day.
“No. I don’t know her.”
“You just happened to go into the Caravan’s warehouse? The deepest part of it? You weren’t searching for her deliberately?”
“No. How would I, an Empire citizen, know about someone imprisoned by the Caravan in the Darkness?”
“If you could cross the Black Sea and the Darkness without dying, you could know.”
Did he still really believe I knew a way to survive the Black Sea?
“If I went into the Darkness and died, would you believe me then?”
“Then why—!”
Kiis burst out in fury.
“Why did you rashly go in alone? Tell me. Did you think I wouldn’t believe you? Is that why you keep lying?”
“…Yes.”
My short answer earned a sharp glare.
But what else could I say? The main characters always had predetermined answers in mind, even as they insisted they wanted to know my true intentions.
“You should have come back and told us first!”
“Then all I’d get is an interrogation about what I was up to!”
“…”
He went silent, his mouth opening and closing without sound.
“I am sorry for causing problems. I’ll be more careful going forward.”
Whatever his complaint was, Kiis ground his teeth audibly.
“Is that all? You’ll be more careful? You let yourself get whipped by a woman you claim not to know, and that’s your apology?”
“What else can I say? Should I promise not to let you save me next time something like this happens?”
“Tatiana Frey.”
Before I could even register how stupid my words had been, he strode closer.
His voice emerged like an animal’s cry, raw and primal.
“If it looks like you’ll suffer like this again, just pretend you don’t know. I won’t bother stopping you.”
Even as I tried not to feel hurt, a loneliness far deeper than when I was trapped underground began to crush me.
I turned away from him.
‘It’s all right. I knew this already.’
Ferien wasn’t the only one who suspected I’d made a demonic pact.
Kiis had been worried about scandal to the Empire’s name.
“Tatiana.”
“Please leave.”
“…”
I couldn’t see his face, but I could tell he was hesitating.
But after a moment, I heard the door click shut.
I lay face-down on the bed with the candles still burning. I just wanted to fall asleep, but the pain kept my mind achingly alert.
Then came a creak of wood and a rush of cold air.
“You’re still awake, it seems. Care to talk?”
A neutral voice reached my ear.
“Serena?”
As I pushed myself up, she leaned in close. And something cold slid deep against my throat.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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