The Pirate King's Daughter - Chapter 38

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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 38
“I want to see Pudding.”
I brought it up deliberately, thinking that if I didn’t mention Pudding at all, he’d assume I was hiding something.
“I’m sorry, but that’s not possible.”
Dilshad refused without hesitation.
“Why?”
“Pudding thinks I’m keeping you here by force. At the first opportunity, he’ll escape and call you to come with him.”
“Wouldn’t it work if I told him otherwise?”
After he finished drying my hair, he brought onion soup and bread.
“He won’t listen to anything I say right now. Once he calms down a bit, I’ll let you see him.”
“I understand…”
I answered glumly and picked up the spoon. The moment I was about to ladle the soup, I froze.
‘Please don’t tell me he put something strange in it again.’
Revulsion washed over me. If he’d put a sleeping draught in it, that meant he could put anything else in there too.
“Tatiana?”
“Hmm?”
I jumped and looked at Dilshad in alarm.
“Why aren’t you eating? Is something wrong with the soup?”
“No. I was just thinking about dipping the bread in it first.”
I laughed weakly and forced a spoonful of soup into my mouth.
“It really is delicious.”
My stomach churned. I wanted to vomit on the spot.
The dreadful day was drawing to a close.
Dilshad was more affectionate than usual, and occasionally he’d withdraw the vines and slip into the Navigation Room to check our course.
At first I was angry at the betrayal, my mind fixed solely on finding a way out, but the more I thought about it, the stranger it all seemed.
Dilshad had changed far too abruptly.
Could the Crimson Aura that occasionally gleamed inside his clothes be connected to it somehow?
But it was still just a vague suspicion.
“Tatiana.”
Dilshad entered the cabin.
“Is this the scar cream? I found it in the Infirmary.”
I examined the Herbal Paste he offered. Its green hue and sticky consistency looked identical to what Perian always applied.
“Probably. Though Perian usually makes it fresh each time…”
“You didn’t apply it last night before sleep. He must have made it in advance since you were going to drink. Let me do it for you.”
“No, wait. I’ll do it myself.”
I was sitting on the bed, but I found myself unconsciously backing away.
“Why?”
The Crimson Aura flashed again. It rang like an alarm bell in my mind.
“Perian can, but I can’t?”
“That’s… it’s not that. Perian is a doctor, but I’m embarrassed with you. I don’t want to show you my scars.”
Dilshad’s frightening expression softened.
“There’s no need to be. It’s a scar that formed because of me.”
“Later. After we reach land and find better medicine.”
“All right.”
Dilshad handed over the paste without argument.
“I’m going to wash up, so apply it while I’m gone.”
Dilshad kissed the top of my head and left.
“This is terrifying, honestly.”
Even as he seemed to care for me, there was an obsession about being my Savior that felt unsettling.
“Still, I’m grateful he’s responding to my gentle approach.”
Now, while Dilshad was showering, was the moment I had to move.
I cracked the door open and glanced toward the bathroom. The light shone through the translucent small window—he was already washing.
I moved quickly but carefully, avoiding the creak of the wooden deck.
I climbed to the second deck at the stern and stopped before the vines blocking the Navigation Room entrance.
I reached into my pocket.
What I pulled out was the Artifact that Kies had given me.
This wasn’t something Dilshad had made—Kies had specifically ordered it from a merchant on the Uninhabited Island.
His reasoning was frugal indeed: since we could rifle through Kai’s pockets, there was no point in making it one of our precious assets.
As a result, I could now catch Dilshad off guard.
“Is it because he’s a crown prince? His foresight is remarkable.”
Without hesitation, I activated the Artifact.
Flames erupted from thin air and rushed forward. The vines caught fire instantly and crumbled to ash.
Now it was a race against time.
I kicked the scorched door open, and it swung wide with a loud bang.
“Pudding!”
Pudding was trapped inside a glass bottle on the central table.
“Tatiana!”
I rushed over and yanked the lid open. Pudding burst into tears and clung to my face.
“There’s no time. We have to go now.”
I headed toward the sea with Pudding.
“Go find Kies and bring him back. Can you do that?”
Pudding nodded through tearful sobs.
“But if I leave like this, you’ll be in danger.”
“It’s fine. I don’t think he’ll hurt me.”
Confinement, maybe—but honestly, I was sick of being caged.
“Wait! I need to take the Treasure.”
“The Treasure? The one I showed Dilshad?”
“Yes. I felt a suddenly ominous aura just now—like something demonic. It’s not an ordinary Treasure.”
So it wasn’t a mineral at all. It was an object that controlled human beings.
“Then why was I unaffected?”
I’d just asked when—
“Tatiana.”
I spun around to find him staring at me with shock etched across his face.
Without hesitation, I threw Pudding into the sea.
“No!”
As Dilshad reached out, sharp vines materialized and lunged. But they didn’t reach Pudding.
I squeezed my eyes shut and blocked the incoming vines. Then came the splash—Pudding fell safely into the water.
“What are you doing, you reckless fool!”
At his harsh shout, I cracked one eye open. The vines had halted mere inches from my face.
Dilshad strode toward me and gripped both my shoulders, shaking me.
“Wasn’t betraying me enough? Are you trying to get yourself killed?!”
“You’re the one who betrayed me. You hid your disgusting true self and pretended to be friendly, then kidnapped me.”
“It’s not kidnapping—it’s protection!”
The Crimson Aura radiated more intensely than ever before.
‘So that’s what that light is—the Treasure itself.’
I had to steal it. That thing was the reason Dilshad had changed.
Should I try now? No. I need to wait for him to let his guard down again.
“But I was afraid.”
I lowered my head and covered my face with my hands. This time, no tears came.
“You suddenly became different. You’re still angry, and your face is frightening.”
“Hah…”
Dilshad exhaled a long breath and pulled me into an embrace, trying to soothe me.
“You should have just told me from the beginning.”
Good. A little longer and I can grab the Necklace.
I wrapped my arms around Dilshad and buried my face against his chest.
“How could you say that? I have no power. If I upset you, you could kill me.”
“Don’t say such impossible things. How could I ever kill you?”
“You gave me a sleeping draught and put Shackles on me. How could I not think that?”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
Dilshad loosened his arms and looked at me face to face.
“But you were wrong to call him. You can’t be near him. It’s dangerous.”
I couldn’t understand why Dilshad saw Kies as a threat to me.
What did that Treasure actually want?
If it was connected to something demonic, could it be trying to prevent Kies from returning to the Empire?
“I didn’t call Kies. I let Pudding go because I was scared of you. Pudding can live in the sea, after all.”
“Is that really true?”
Dilshad asked with evident suspicion.
“I genuinely didn’t want to see Kies. Doesn’t the Broken Engagement prove that?”
“Then why were you trying to return to the Empire with them?”
“Because I had nowhere else to go. With no ability to earn money, those were my only options.”
“Now you have me. Just trust me.”
I nodded.
“Never betray me again. You’re my only Savior, the only one I trust. If you leave me, I can’t survive.”
“I understand.”
Fortunately, I wasn’t confined again. But from that day forward, Dilshad never left my side for a moment.
* * *
I disembarked on a Small Island.
“Where are we?”
“I don’t know.”
At Dilshad’s blunt answer, I forgot my gentle demeanor and glared at him.
Notably, the Treasure was still hanging around Dilshad’s neck.
Dilshad slept on the sofa in my cabin, so I’d tried to approach him at dawn, but he woke the moment I drew near, and I failed.
“Tatiana.”
Dilshad, who had been walking along the path into the forest, came to a halt.
“Would you wait on the ship?”
“Why?”
He was watching me intently, fire in his eyes.
“Just a feeling. Something doesn’t feel right. I’ll see you back—wait in the cabin.”
“I can’t do that.”
Someone burst out from the grass before Dilshad’s premonition could be dismissed.
A man with unkempt purple hair and a small, lean frame.
“Who are you?”
Dilshad stepped in front of me and spoke.
“You’re carrying something nice.”
The man’s gaze fixed on the Necklace around Dilshad’s neck.
It was hidden inside his clothes and wouldn’t gleam unless it was exposed. How did he know?
But my question was answered quickly.
The red gem embedded at the top of the man’s Staff began to glow intensely.

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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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