The Pirate King's Daughter - Chapter 44

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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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Episode 44
“I get it, let go of my hand……!”
Dilshad pried my hand away and straightened his posture.
He seemed displeased with the offer to help, stiffening his expression and staring straight ahead.
‘I know I’m being a hypocrite.’
Trying to play the good person could put my life and those I cared for in danger.
“Sorry.”
“……Sleep. Now.”
Dilshad covered my eyes with his hand.
The flickering light of the campfire faded, and silence settled in.
Though I expected sleep to be difficult, his gesture worked—my consciousness dissolved as if I’d fallen into a deep void.
When I opened my eyes again, the morning was bright and clear.
“You’re awake?”
“Why didn’t you wake me? Please tell me you slept at least a little.”
I sprang up as I spoke, and Dilshad grabbed my face, saying quietly:
“Don’t look back. There are bodies over there.”
“Don’t tell me……!”
My shoulders tensed involuntarily.
“Yeah. People who tried to escape at dawn.”
I kept my gaze fixed on him, my mouth open but silent, wanting to ask but too afraid to speak.
“Ben and Lily are alive. And I did what you asked me to.”
Dilshad continued explaining so I could understand what lay beyond my line of sight.
“Four people came back alive. The corpses—they were left beside us as a warning, it seems.”
And there I was, sleeping soundly the whole time, oblivious to everything.
“Why didn’t you wake me…….”
“Because you need to survive. You need to conserve your strength.”
The words ‘What about you—don’t you need to conserve yours?’ climbed all the way to my teeth, but I swallowed them.
‘I should just say it’s fine.’
I knew it was for my sake, yet I felt stubborn all the same.
That was when it happened.
“Ah, yes. Participants, did you have a peaceful night?”
A sphere materialized, and a voice came forth—Orde’s voice.
“Now then, we must begin the second game, so please all make your way to the Manor.”
The survivors headed toward the Manor that stood before the Maze Garden.
Apart from Ben, Lily, and us, the remaining four survivors were the people who had claimed the tents the night before.
As proof of the massacre that had occurred at dawn, all of them wore haggard, fearful expressions.
“As I said during the Maze-finding game, I prefer fair play. If you suddenly try to escape, I get upset.”
As we stepped into the Entrance Hall, Orde spoke again.
“If you don’t want to end up like those who were eliminated, participate in the game faithfully.”
“Now then, before we begin the game, the winner of the first game—please come up to the Second Floor.”
I stepped forward from among the gathered crowd.
When Dilshad moved to follow, Living Armor blocked his path.
“It’s okay. I’ll be right back.”
At his anxious gaze, I gave him a light smile to tell him not to worry.
Crossing the polished marble floor of the hall and climbing the central staircase made me realize just how vast this Manor truly was.
‘This madman—could he actually be a noble?’
The scale was far too grand for a lower-ranking aristocrat to own.
Following Living Armor into a room, I found Orde sitting in what looked like a parlor, sipping black tea.
“Sit.”
I settled on the sofa across from him, my eyes tracking the Staff placed beside him.
‘I need to take that from him.’
There were too many Living Armors in this room.
At moments like these, I felt utterly pathetic—neither knight nor mage.
“So, shall we begin the second game, the Puppet Play?”
Orde laid out eight cards before me.
Count, Countess, Third Son, Butler, Knight, Servant, Slave, and Hidden Character.
“Your job is to assign each person their role.”
I calmly scanned the cards with my eyes.
Now was not the time for questions. I had to simply accept what was given.
“It’s not as simple as Count being the best and Slave being the worst, is it? And you’re not actually going to have us act out a play.”
Orde wiggled in his seat like he’d been crowned a god as he explained:
“Puppet Play it is. Each person assigned a role will have a Mission to complete, and only by fulfilling it can you move on to the next game.”
“If we can’t do it, we die?”
“Come on, I’m not that cold-hearted. If you can’t complete your Mission, you can just kill someone instead. As long as they have a lower station than you. The Slave, for instance, can kill the Count.”
I should have seen this coming. Can you really expect a psychopath to give up murder?
“What about the Hidden Character?”
“That’s a hidden one, as the name suggests. As the Puppet Play progresses, they’ll be revealed when conditions are met. Until then, even they don’t know their Mission.”
Orde elaborated further in response to my question.
“How many survivors can there be?”
“Four.”
I stared at the cards for a moment, then noticed something odd.
“But why the Third Son instead of the eldest or the heir?”
“The older brothers are all busy.”
I began turning possibilities over in my mind.
I had to design the game assuming I couldn’t complete my Mission—ready to kill someone and withstand threats.
After working through every possible combination and reaching my decision, I picked up the cards and headed to the first floor.
“Tatiana!”
Dilshad positioned himself in front of me protectively as people crowded around.
“Hand over the Count card while I’m asking nicely.”
It seemed they’d overheard the game explanation while I was talking to Orde.
A man with cropped hair threatened me—the one who’d torn into Dilshad’s scalp.
I would have my revenge on him.
“You simple fool.”
“What?”
A tendon bulged on the cropped-hair man’s forehead.
“You think the Count just gives orders and survives alone easily in a situation like this?”
Leaving him speechless, I handed the Count card—the one on top—to Ben.
“Ah…… Thank you.”
Ben bowed his head, apparently having heard something in my words just now.
Next, I gave the Countess card to Lily, and the Third Son went to me.
Ben couldn’t kill Lily, and she posed the least threat to me of anyone there.
The Butler went to the red-haired woman, the Knight to an ordinary-looking man among them, the cropped-haired man became the Servant, and the largest man was assigned the Slave.
‘With this setup, the tent people will fight among themselves. Looking at their characters, they’ll clash quickly—I just need to provoke them a little.’
If Ben survived the murder threat, and I killed one of the remaining people, then Ben, Lily, Dilshad, and I could all survive.
“Dilshad, I’m absolutely going to keep you alive.”
The final role was Hidden Character.
A character who, even after the game begins, doesn’t know their own Mission or who they can kill.
Because of this, they face no threat from anyone at first.
In the meantime, I would provoke the others, and if Dilshad ever faced elimination, I’d end my own life.
I’d give up my own Survivor slot, and if that still wasn’t enough, I’d use every ability I had to protect him.
“You should be the Hidden Character instead. Dealing with people will be hard for you.”
Dilshad had said it with murder in mind.
But how could I falter now? I had to grow stronger. To survive without being a burden and bring these people to the Empire.
I’d only received help in the Maze.
“We don’t know what Mission will come up. You have a better chance of succeeding than I do.”
And so our roles were decided, and we were each positioned in our places.
Dilshad went outside the Manor, and I entered the Third Son’s Room on the Second Floor.
The room was just like a real nobleman’s bedroom—perfectly appointed for a young aristocrat.
“Is this the Mission?”
I picked up a white sheet of paper resting on a side table.
But what was written there was entirely unexpected.
The Third Son’s Mission was simply: Survive!
Congratulations! As the young master of the Manor, all you need to do is eat well, sleep well, and survive just fine, yes? Clap clap clap!
“What is this…….”
The unfairly favorable Mission left me confused rather than pleased—I couldn’t even comprehend what Orde was thinking.
I flipped the paper over and searched the entire room for any other information, but that was all there was.
Knock, knock.
“Miss Tatiana, are you inside?”
Ben knocked and asked.
“Yeah. Come in.”
Lily came in alongside Ben, leaning on a crutch from somewhere or other.
Both of them were dressed in the outfits of an aristocratic couple—like puppets brought to life.
“We need your help to complete our Mission, Miss Tatiana.”
“What is it?”
The two handed me their papers.
Ben’s Mission, as the Count, was to find the Heir’s Ring and give it to the Third Son, while Lily’s Mission, as the Countess, was to sing a lullaby to the Third Son at ten in the evening.
“This is ridiculous.”
On the surface it seemed easy, but depending on who the Third Son turned out to be, it could be an impossible Mission.
“I’ll start by finding the heir’s ring.”
Ben said it matter-of-factly and moved toward the door, as if we were naturally allies.
But the moment I opened my lips, Ben’s feet came to a halt.

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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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