16.
“Make way! Sir Lancel Dante, the master of this island and the new leader of the Blue Curtain Pirates, and Lady Mary are passing through!”
How had things come to this?
Lancel and Marigold were being carried deep into the island’s interior in a bamboo palanquin.
At first, when they were dispatching the initial wave of pirates one by one, they assumed they were just some petty criminals who had drifted ashore.
But when their numbers swelled past fifty and approached a hundred, Lancel sensed something was amiss.
“We surrender! We’ve lost!”
In the end, the eyes of those who surrendered and prostrated themselves held an almost reverent awe.
These fools had likely never seen a “knight” single-handedly defeat a three-digit pirate crew, so their trembling with helplessness was understandable.
The situation took an odd turn after that.
“Blackbeard! Please lead us, the Blue Curtain Pirates! We’re just poor vagrants of the sea! Blackbeard!”
“Black…beard?”
Lancel suddenly realized he hadn’t shaved in ages. Rough stubble covered his face from his mouth to his neck.
He glanced at Marigold, who had been trimming his hair all this time.
“It must have looked awful. Why didn’t you tell me to shave?”
“Sir Lancel looks handsome even with a beard.”
Marigold was completely smitten.
“Our base is just ahead. We’ve built something impressive; you’ll be satisfied.”
The man with a bruise covering half his face grinned as he spoke. It was a mark from his fight with Lancel.
Despite having fought with swords just moments ago, there was no trace of resentment or desire for revenge in his eyes.
In this sea where strength is law and power reigns supreme, Lancel’s overwhelming force might have been enough to captivate them.
After all, most of the combatants had been captured by Lancel in a single sweep. Submission was their only option.
“This way.”
As they ventured deeper into the jungle, the landscape began to transform.
“When did they build all this…?”
“It’s on the opposite side of the island, so we had no idea.”
Newly constructed watchtowers and spires dotted the landscape.
As they ventured deeper, bamboo houses ranging from three to five stories tall gradually came into view. The settlement appeared large enough to house several hundred people.
“They’ve been building this up steadily for the past six months,” their guide explained.
Since Lancel and Marigold had been living on the island for three years, this meant that the settlement had been secretly established while they were carrying their “desert island survival” series.
“The new master of the pirate crew! Everyone, remember this man’s face!”
The once-uninhabited island had transformed into a haven for lawless seafarers.
“When our former boss became fish food over a woman, we were at our wits’ end. But as they say, no one’s destined to die. He was a good boss, but damn, was he a fool.”
“A woman?”
“Ah! Hey! Show them the women the boss kept!”
At that, a hunchbacked man scurried forward.
“This way, please. We were going to return them if the boss ever came back from the depths, but now, consider them a gift. True to his obsession with women, he’d gathered every beauty in these seas.”
“No. Sir Lancel has no need for women.”
“Let’s just take a look.”
“Sir Lancel?!”
Marigold was flustered, but Lancel’s strange intuition had kicked in.
Pirate crew. Boss. Woman. It was a combination of information he’d heard somewhere before.
‘Could it be?’
Feeling Marigold’s gaze prickling the back of his neck, Lancel ventured deeper into the pirate base.
“This way, Sir.”
As the door swung open, a sweet, incense-like fragrance filled the air.
The room was incongruously carpeted, and silk curtains draped across the space gave it an unexpectedly luxurious feel for a pirate fortress.
Before him stood nearly twenty women, all of whom wore revealing outfits that left little to the imagination.
“The boss throws such a fit if you even make eye contact with them that we haven’t touched a hair on their heads. Since they’re all dead anyway, feel free to play with them as you please until the auction.”
Marigold gave Lancel’s arm a light pinch, her profile showing a hint of sulkiness.
Unsurprisingly, Lancel’s attention wasn’t on the women. He scanned the crowd, searching for familiar faces.
‘As expected. There’s no way things would go so smoothly.’
He abandoned his expectations and turned to leave.
“Have you already seen everything?”
“Yes. I have no interest in the women. You lot can handle them yourselves.”
“……!”
Marigold’s expression brightened.
“Just in case, would you like to take a look at this side too?”
At that moment, a pirate yanked open the curtain concealing a hidden chamber.
“Maybe I’ll just have a look.”
Marigold’s eyes narrowed sharply, her expression venomous.
Lancel followed the pirate into the hidden room.
“This is the woman who threw our boss overboard. When she was put up for auction, her price soared to fifteen gold coins. Rumor had it she was a legendary mermaid—her beauty is truly breathtaking.”
The room resembled a birdcage, with a teardrop-shaped iron cage installed.
Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!
At that moment, Pia, perched on Marigold’s shoulder, began chirping loudly and flapping her wings frantically.
“…Is this for real?” Lancel chuckled in disbelief.
“She can’t speak. She used to be too timid to even approach, but… just a heads-up, she’ll scratch anyone she doesn’t know, so be careful.”
Blue hair, sapphire eyes, a cold, aloof expression, and snow-white skin.
“Nine points. Out of a hundred.”
“Claria.”
The Third Princess Claria was there.
============
—Encounter event! You have met Third Princess Claria Arild Freesia’s original body. Rescue her immediately!
※ Bringing the bird—Pia, the red coral parrot—near her original body will restore both their souls to normal.
============
“…”
Lancel’s thoughts froze.
Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!
Bird.
Pia.
Red Coral Parrot.
The flower of the soul.
Chirp!
“Wait, Pia, why do you keep trying to run away?”
For some reason, the moment the parrot saw the Third Princess’s original body, it began struggling to escape.
“Mary, let me borrow her for a moment.”
“Huh?”
Lancel immediately grabbed Pia with both hands and strode toward Claria’s original body.
Chirp!
Without the slightest bit of hesitation, he shoved the terrified creature into the spindle-shaped iron cage.
In the next moment…
“Nooooo!” Third Princess Claria’s mouth opened.
The hunchbacked pirate, who had been acting as their guide, stared in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief.
“She… she’s talking! She’s speaking human words!”
“Send me back! Send me back!”
Ignoring the stunned reactions around her, Third Princess Claria lay sprawled on the deck, screaming at the top of her lungs.
Only the red coral parrot, once known as Pia, tilted its head curiously and fluttered its wings.
“Noooooo!”
‘What kind of a reaction is this?’
17.
“Didn’t you say it was just somewhere around here?”
“Yes, Lord Rox Ruin. We should see the island soon.”
Rox Ruin stood anxiously at the helm of the sailing ship, tapping his fingers impatiently.
‘I must find her first. I can’t afford to appear any more incompetent to my father. If I’m told I’m even worse than my younger siblings, my future will be ruined.’
The moment news of the Third Princess reached him, he ordered his warship to set sail faster than anyone else. He even skimped on supplies to save time, bringing barely enough provisions.
‘Find the Third Princess. Earn the title of Imperial Hero. Become the heir to the Ruin Family. Enter the capital. Gain access to the Empire. Become the Third Princess’s fiancé. Become the Emperor’s son-in-law?’
A wide grin spread across Rox Ruin’s face as his imagination soared.
He didn’t consider this mere fantasy. If he actually rescued the Third Princess, it could all become reality. At least, that’s what Rox Ruin firmly believed.
“It’s far better to focus my efforts on the Third Princess than that damned Lady Iceford.”
Until recently, his target had been Lady Iceford, the woman who had been driving the Navy to the brink for the past three years.
Despite her atrocious personality, she was still the daughter of the Count of the Palace and Count Iceford’s precious jewel. Even most ducal families wouldn’t dare speak carelessly in her presence, a testament to her extraordinary lineage.
True to her reputation as one of the Empire’s three great beauties, she was flawless as a marriage prospect—except for her dog-like temperament, which dampened her stunning looks.
That was why the Ruin family had pampered her for the past three years, indulging her every whim and granting her every convenience.
But what would happen if the Third Princess became his new target?
‘Lady Iceford, I will certainly bring you to your knees and make a mockery of you!’
Rox Ruin ground his teeth. His resentment toward Lady Iceford, who had resisted his advances time and again, had reached its boiling point.
“Lord Rox Ruin! Over there! I see something!”
“What is it? Where?”
“Southwest! An island! It’s quite large!”
“Bring me that pirate!”
“Yes, Sir!”
Soon, the captured pirate was dragged before him.
“Is that the island you mentioned?”
“Y-yes, yes, that’s it! That’s the one!”
“And you said the woman you spoke of was there too?”
“Y-yes, Boss’s prized woman! I remember her clearly!”
“Is that so? If you’re lying…”
Rox Ruin raised his sword to the pirate’s throat.
“Hic–! It’s true! Why would I lie in this situation?! Please, just spare my life…”
“Of course we’ll spare you. We need you alive to feed to the octopus if you’re lying.”
Rox Ruin smirked.
He had a good feeling about this.
“Bring the ship closer! Everyone disembark and search the island!”
18.
“Pia… Your Highness the Third Princess…?”
Marigold had been in shock for hours, unable to process the revelation.
The bird she had raised and lived with for the past three years was actually a princess. She couldn’t quite grasp the truth.
For the record, the bird’s true form—a red coral parrot—was currently perched comfortably in a small cage, nodding contentedly.
“Mary, you won’t hate me, will you? You’re all I have left! Please, let me stay with you! You’re my only friend, my only family now. I’m begging you!”
“Pia… I mean, Your Highness the Third Princess…?”
“You can call me Pia, Mary. I’m giving you special permission! Call me Pia! Stroke my hair, kiss me, and let me sleep with you, just like we always used to!”
“H-how could I possibly dare?!”
“It’s alright. I’ve given you permission! Just for you, Mary!”
For some reason, the Third Princess was clinging to Marigold, begging and pleading.
‘What the hell is going on here?’
Lancel glanced around nervously, checking for eavesdroppers. He had just chased all the pirates outside as soon as the Third Princess regained her senses.
It wasn’t a sight anyone would want to witness.
The ignorant pirates had retreated, muttering nonsense like, “Looks like you’re already planning to have some fun.”
“First, explain the situation, Your Highness,” Lancel interjected, unable to bear the scene any longer.
The Third Princess’s gaze shot toward him like a sharp arrow.
“I don’t like Lancel. He’s trying to take Mary away from me.”
“……”
“No, Pia! You’re being rude to Sir Lancel!”
“……! That’s so mean, Mary…! I’m better than Lancel!”
“If I have to choose, I’ll choose Sir Lancel.”
“E-even when I’m begging like this…?”
“No means no. Now, answer Sir Lancel’s question, Pia.”
Is this truly a conversation between a princess and a naval soldier? Lancel felt dizzy, encountering this unprecedented reversal of master-servant roles for the first time in his centuries-long life.
The Third Princess lowered her head, her face filled with dejection. After a moment, she mumbled, “If I return to the Imperial Family now… my siblings will kill me.”
Her face suddenly paled.
“I… I only ran away because I wanted to live. Becoming a bird was unexpected, but meeting Mary made me think it was for the best. I thought I could live like this.”
The image of the villainous princess who once showered ridicule upon everyone had long vanished.
“There’s no place for me in this crumbling Empire. I’m just a pitiful outcast.”
Now I feel bad for her
Damn, this empire is really trash
Damn, this empire is really trash