IDHIT C6

Chapter 6

Angelina Agate.

The only daughter of the late Marquis Antony Agate, and the future Empress.

Her beauty and lyrical voice had captivated the entire Latria Empire.

Wherever she went, reporters followed. Her every move was reported in the newspapers. The dresses she wore became trends, and the items she used were sold at high prices.

Yet she had a secret no one knew.

This dazzling life was, in truth, her second.

In her previous life, she had been an actress in a country called Korea. An unknown one, with barely any popularity. She bowed to producers for minor roles and didn’t hesitate to embarrass herself on variety shows.

Then, she was cast as the lead in an action noir film by a Cannes-acclaimed director, and spent over a year in an action school. Thanks to the intense training, she became skilled enough to perform all scenes without a stunt double.

But during filming, she died in an accident.

At the age of twenty-five.

The role she had played was that of an all-purpose female warrior who had mastered every martial art and could wield all kinds of weapons—especially skilled in shooting.

Though the idea of hitting falling snowflakes was fictional, she was genuinely an excellent shot. So much so that the director had even advised her to quit acting and try out for the national shooting team.

The moment Captain Blaske fired his gun, Angelina snatched the pistol from Alexei’s waist.

It was pure instinct.

Before that damned captain could even align his eye with the scope, she slid the handgun and pulled the trigger.

“Argh!”

A direct hit.

Captain Blaske clutched his hand and collapsed to his knees.

“Angelina, you…!”

“Are you just going to stand there?”

“Ah.”

The men frozen both on the boat and in the sea snapped back to their senses. Together, Alexei and Angelina pulled Franz—who was clinging to the boat—aboard.

“That’s enough. Let’s go.”

The waves had already pushed the boat away from the pirate ship, but it was too soon to relax. The two grabbed the oars and rowed with all their strength. The crew, thrown into confusion by the captain’s injury, fired toward the sea.

But the bullets, now out of range, fell harmlessly into the water.

Enraged, the crew shouted after them, but the waves only carried the boat farther away, as if mocking them.

Once the pirate ship disappeared from view, the three finally relaxed and adjusted their seats.

“Are you alright?”

Water dripped from Franz’s body. Perhaps from the cold, he couldn’t answer, his teeth chattering instead. Angelina unfolded a blanket Franz had thrown earlier and wrapped it around him.

“Feeling better?”

Only then did he nod faintly. She wrapped another blanket around him, and Franz gave her a grateful look.

“What just happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you shooting the captain.”

Alexei’s expression was serious. She had expected the question, but she hadn’t prepared an answer.

How do I get out of this?

“Now that I know how to use a weapon, I guess this gun is mine?”

“Have you learned before? Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

“It was so long ago, even I had forgotten.”

The moment her hand gripped the weapon, she had known.

Maybe her skills still remained.

Of course, she hadn’t consciously thought it through before firing.

“It’s surprising that the Marquis taught you shooting, but I suppose he knew war could break out at any time. Honestly, you never fail to surprise me.”

“Excuse me.”

Franz raised his hand.

“I swallowed too much seawater… I feel nauseous. Could I have some water?”

“Water?”

Why did such a common word suddenly feel unfamiliar?

Angelina stared at the sack.

They had rushed through the storage room, stuffing it with whatever they could—food to fill their stomachs, cooking tools, weapons for self-defense, lanterns, paper, and other essentials.

But she had no memory of packing water.

“What… do you mean?”

Franz asked anxiously. Angelina stammered in response.

“Why… look for water? There’s… water everywhere.”

“Don’t tell me… you didn’t bring drinking water?”

“……”

“Is that what happened?”

After glancing between the two, Franz let out a hollow laugh.

“Water is the most basic thing, and you didn’t bring it…?”

“I brought water.”

For a moment, Angelina doubted her ears.

Did I hear that wrong?

“Did you just say that?”

Alexei asked.

So she hadn’t imagined it.

“N-no.”

Shaking her head vigorously, Angelina looked around.

It had clearly been a young girl’s voice.

But no matter how carefully she looked, she was the only woman on the boat.

“I’ve heard that on nights with a full moon, water ghosts appear in the Isti Sea.”

The two men swallowed nervously.

“Don’t say things like that.”

“Exactly. Who are you calling a water ghost?”

The girl’s voice rang out again.

“That wasn’t you this time either, right?”

“Y-yeah…”

The three of them looked around in fear. Just as an eerie chill began to spread, the cloth covering the back of the boat was pulled aside.

“Looking at a perfectly alive person and calling her a ghost.”

“……”

“Hi.”

A strange girl popped up with a bright smile. The three instinctively huddled closer together. The girl burst into laughter, her voice almost ghostlike.

“Who are you?”

Angelina asked warily. The clear voice—once thought to belong to a ghost—answered:

“My name is Naomi. I’m Captain Jean Blaske’s daughter.”

Naomi blinked in disbelief at the scene unfolding before her introduction had even settled. Though she was clearly outnumbered, one person held a gun, another a sword, and the last gripped an oar.

What, are they going to push me into the sea if I make a move?

She had thought people from land would be different.

Maybe following them had been a mistake.

Still, being stuck among boring men with nothing but endless blue waves had been driving her mad. Every time she asked when they’d reach land, her father only told her it wasn’t her concern.

Great pirate, my foot.

Just a bunch of sea bandits.

So for now, it was important to get on their good side.

Naomi obediently raised both hands in surrender.

“You’re not seriously going to throw me into the sea, are you?”

Please don’t. I may be a pirate, but I can’t swim.

“And that gun—you already injured my father. Pointing it at his daughter too? That’s a bit much, don’t you think?”

She hadn’t seen it herself, but she had heard everything clearly from under the tarp.

“The same goes for the sword. You’re really going to stab a kid with that? You want to live like that?”

“If you’re a pirate’s daughter, that makes you a pirate too.”

Angelina replied coldly.

“So what, you’re going to shoot me too?”

“But thanks to me, you escaped. I didn’t report you to my father. You should be thanking me—not pointing weapons at me.”

The three exchanged glances before slowly lowering their weapons.

“Why didn’t you say anything? And why did you follow us?”

“I wanted to escape too. I didn’t have the courage alone, but then I saw you trying to escape.”

“When did you even get on the boat?”

“While you were looting the storage room. I got in early and hid—on the outermost boat, the best one for escaping.”

It had been dark and rushed. They hadn’t had time to inspect the boat closely. Even if they had, they would never have imagined a girl hiding under the tarp. Only now did the ladder hanging off the ship make sense.

“Let me join you.”

“No. Go back.”

“From here? Are you going to take me back to the pirate ship?”

At Naomi’s provocation, Angelina clicked her tongue.

“How old are you?”

“Fifteen.”

“Running away at your age?”

“It’s called running away because I’m underage. If I were an adult, it’d be independence.”

Angelina bit her lower lip.

A rebellious pirate teenager. Just great.

“It’s boring being stuck with a bunch of men I can’t even talk to.”

“You don’t stay home for fun—you stay for safety. There’s no one here to protect you. So go back to the pirate ship.”

Angelina spoke firmly, like an adult. Naomi scoffed immediately.

“So you are taking me back.”

“No. Swim.”

Angelina dropped the gun and grabbed the oar, pointing it threateningly at Naomi, as if ready to shove her overboard at any moment. Naomi’s lips formed a small ‘o.’

“If you kill me, you’ll be a murderer.”

“You?”

“Then what should I call you?”

“You won’t be calling me anything if I push you off.”

Tension filled the air.

“Angelina…”

Alexei’s voice rang softly beside her.

He was telling her to hold back.

The tip of the oar, pressed against Naomi’s chest, slowly lowered.

“Just until we reach land.”

Naomi immediately broke into a wide grin. The sight irritated Angelina all over again. She hadn’t truly intended to push her off, but she turned away and made the sign of the cross.

Amen.

Still, she couldn’t let her guard down.

The moment Naomi took a step forward, Angelina raised the oar again.

“Don’t move a single step. I won’t go easy on you just because you’re a kid.”

“Are you really going to push me this time?”

“Of course.”

Naomi stuck out her tongue as if she didn’t believe her. Angelina clenched her fist tightly, but Alexei covered her hand and whispered:

“Finding land comes first.”

“…Right.”

Agreeing, Angelina scanned their surroundings.

An endless ocean.

How long would they have to drift like this to reach land?

Would they even make it before nightfall?