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Chapter 31

This is it. I'm dead.

I struggled with all my might, and in the end, I'm going to die.

Angelina squeezed her eyes shut at the swords and guns threatening her.

Wait. Their goal is kidnapping. They won't kill me.

She opened her eyes again.

But the one who hired the kidnapping is the Tordi Emperor.

If that bloodthirsty Emperor wants to personally dispose of the enemy crown prince… then I'm dead anyway!

Angelina closed her eyes again.

Will there really be a third life after this?

The Buddhist concept of reincarnation, which she'd never cared about, flickered through her mind.

I lived comfortably this life, so maybe hardship awaits in the next.

Suddenly, she felt wronged.

So what if my early years were easy?

In the end, I'm doomed to be killed without any fault of my own!

No, I don't want that!

Angelina screamed inwardly, eyes shut tight.

If only this were a movie.

A movie where a helper appears like a miracle to rescue the protagonist in crisis.

"Cover them."

The crew rushed at them with large sacks. Angelina instinctively resisted.

Damn it.

This is all that rotten illustrator's fault.

Traitor Franz Boyl.

Go to hell!

"Stop."

Huh?

"Stay back."

A real helper?

As the crew stepped back, Angelina pulled the sack off her head.

Her blocked vision cleared, and before her stood Franz Boyl—the very man she had been cursing.

Why is the traitor here?

And tied to Franz's arm was none other than Naomi.

Ah!

"Hand over those two," Franz shouted.

"It would be better for you to go your own way and leave that child. I can't sleep thinking about how you fooled me."

"I never fooled you. You're the ones who clung to me and invited me to drink."

"If you take, you shouldn't betray."

"Want to see what real betrayal looks like?"

Franz pressed the gun deeper into Naomi's forehead. Naomi whimpered.

"Father…"

What is this nonsense?

The man who left to go his own way shows up with the child he pushed away—what is he doing? I'm grateful he broke the standoff, but this is too much.

Angelina started to rise, but Alexei stopped her.

Watch for now.

His eyes said as much.

Angelina had no choice but to suppress her surging emotions and sit back down.

"If you don't decide quickly, I can't guarantee your daughter's safety."

"Fine."

An unexpected answer came from the captain's tightly shut lips.

"'Fine'? She's your daughter."

"I don't need someone who left because she hated the sea. Kill her or save her—do as you like. I won't stop you."

At that cold expression, Naomi's face went white. Angelina couldn't hold back.

"Crazy… and you call yourself a father?"

"Hmph."

Captain Blasquez glanced at her and snorted.

"Keep going."

The crew, who had stepped back, moved again. Angelina kicked at the approaching men.

"A poorly mannered woman."

Captain Jin Blasquez aimed his gun at Angelina.

"It would be better if you behaved. I'd hate to settle accounts right now."

"You can't. You have to deliver the hostages alive."

"Exactly—alive. It doesn't matter if one part is damaged."

It was meant to intimidate her, but it didn't break Angelina's spirit.

"Are you sure about that?"

The captain's brow twitched.

"Your orders weren't followed, and they acted on their own—that must make you angry, right? Even if I don't know who hired you."

"……"

"If you can't fix her habits, there's always the option of knocking her out and taking her."

Captain Blasquez lowered his gun, then suddenly raised it—ready to strike her head.

"What about the telescope? Don't you need that too?"

Naomi shouted urgently.

The captain's expression—the one who had said to do as he pleased with his daughter—shifted.

What's a telescope?

"If you take these two, you'll never find that telescope again."

Sensing the change in his mood, Franz added.

"Hand over the two."

Good heavens.

Captain Jin Blasquez was hesitating.

It really must be one of his treasures, as Naomi said. If he finds out she sold it for five Bath, he'll be furious.

"Hand over the telescope."

"People first."

Captain Blasquez nodded with a grimace. The two stepped out of the straw bales and moved to where Franz stood.

"The telescope?"

"The telescope?"

Franz parroted the captain's words.

"I don't have it. I gave it to my sister."

The pirates' eyes turned to Angelina.

"I don't have it either…"

"What are you trying to pull?"

Enraged, Jin Blasquez raised his gun at them. The crew drew their swords in unison.

"It's a long story…"

"Just the conclusion. Where is it now?"

"I sold it to an antique shop."

"You're playing with me? Grab them all!"

"Wait!"

Angelina raised her hand.

"We can get it back. We can."

"You can get it back?"

"Would a shop refuse to buy back something? Let us go. If you take even one step, I'll never tell you where it is."

When drowning, you grasp at straws—and right now, that straw was the telescope.

A telescope she'd sold for a measly five Bath.

She didn't understand why it made the captain freeze, but it must have been a great treasure. And the antique dealer hadn't even recognized it. The injustice stung anew.

"You go."

The captain's gun gestured toward Franz.

"I don't know where it is," Franz shook his head. Blasquez's face darkened.

"Only the two of us know. Let us go."

"Are you insane? There's no guarantee you'll come back."

"You have other hostages."

Angelina pointed at Franz. Franz's jaw dropped.

"Is this how you repay me for saving you?"

"We have no choice. Just bear with it for now."

"Is this something you can just pass off as 'bearing with it'?"

"It probably isn't, but what can we do?"

Angelina's calm response flustered Franz.

"I should have minded my own business and gone my own way."

"Think of it as the fate of a traitor."

"Why does everyone call me a traitor? I've never been on anyone's side."

"If you moved together, you're on the same side."

"Enough, enough."

Captain Jin Blasquez was confused.

Had they known each other all along? Was the drinking with me all part of a bigger plan to help them escape?

The thought that he'd been played made his blood boil.

The captain aimed his gun at Franz Boyl.

"Wait, why me?"

"This is all your fault."

"I agree," Angelina nodded.

"Then killing you wouldn't matter."

The captain raised his gun. Franz couldn't stay still either. As two gun barrels lined up, Angelina stepped between them.

"I agree with you, but I'd rather you didn't kill him."

Her gun was aimed precisely at Jin Blasquez's head.

"You've seen—I'm faster than you."

"……"

"I'll stay here. Let the men go."

"No, Angel."

"This is the best option. How about it?"

The captain glanced at the men and jerked his chin as if to say, Go ahead.

When Alexei didn't move, Angelina shouted.

"Hurry, Alex. Or I might lose control and pull the trigger."

"…I'll be right back."

"It's fine. They can't touch me. Go safely."

"If you lay a finger on her, I'll kill you."

At Alexei's warning, Captain Blasquez snorted.

Alexei quickly turned away.

What conditions should I set to retrieve the telescope and stop the pirates' pursuit?

Finish the easy part first, then worry about the rest, Alexei thought as he walked.

---

"That telescope has already been sold."

The antique dealer looked as if to say, Why are you asking for it now?

Only three days had passed. Alexei, who had hoped to find it immediately, was taken aback.

"Already?"

"Three days is a long time."

For someone saying that, the shop was full of dust-covered items everywhere.

"The exterior and function were excellent, so it sold quickly."

The dealer sang a completely different tune from when he'd bought it.

"Who bought it?"

"How would I know? I just give them what they ask for."

The dealer avoided eye contact and answered evasively.

"Still don't get it?"

Franz revealed the gun hidden in his sleeve. Startled, the dealer stammered.

"Th-That nobleman bought it. He said he collects telescopes and took it right away."

"Then you know who it is, since he's a regular."

When the dealer hesitated, Franz openly rolled up his sleeve. At the sight of the gleaming pistol, the dealer, pale as a ghost, shouted in panic.

"E-Eberhard! The Duke of Lyon!"

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