IDHIT C7

Chapter 7

It was cold. They were hungry. Their strength had been completely drained.

Franz pulled out a compass.

“There are small islands northwest of the Isty Strait. For now, heading there is our best option.”

“So we’re moving farther away from Latria.”

“When the ship was attacked, I saw an island in the distance.”

Naomi cut in.

“Which ‘we’?”

Angelina shot back sharply.

“When the pirate ship attacked your passenger vessel. I saw that island from the opposite side of the deck. It was maybe the size of a fingertip?”

“So?”

“So if we keep going in one direction, we’ll eventually hit land.”

Naomi’s finger wandered, pointing vaguely across the sea.

“If that’s the logic, I could say the same thing.”

“The Aurora was heading toward the Kingdom of Rio, and the pirate ship came in from the left. So what Naomi saw must’ve been one of the islands around Winterland.”

At Alexei’s calm deduction, Naomi shrugged exaggeratedly, as if impressed.

“Kid. Did your dad tell you to lure us to that island or something?”

“No! And stop treating me like a child. It’s annoying!”

“Then what are you, an adult?”

When Angelina scolded her, Naomi only gritted her teeth in frustration.

Angelina couldn’t help but feel strangely pleased. Coming-of-age really had its perks.

For a while, the two women continued their verbal sparring, while the men silently rowed. The boat moved forward, steadily, relentlessly.

Toward an island somewhere out there.

“Hey, there!”

Some time later, Franz narrowed his eyes, stared at a point ahead, then abruptly stood and pointed.

“There!”

Alexei rowed harder and looked where Franz was pointing.

A triangular shape rose above the dark blue sea.

An island.

“Roughly an hour to get there,” Franz estimated.

“That sounds right.”

Would they even have the strength to endure another hour?

The sea wind was cold, but Alexei didn’t feel it. Sweat beaded on his forehead despite the chill.

“Want me to take over?”

Perhaps noticing his slowing pace, Angelina spoke up. Alexei tightened his grip.

“I’m fine.”

“Then at least let me—”

She turned to Franz, who was exhaling frosty breaths like winter itself.

“Ah… no, I’m okay.”

He looked like he desperately wanted to hand the oar over but held himself back. Angelina returned to her place. The rowing continued—sometimes stronger, sometimes weaker.

They wanted to reach the island as quickly as possible. Sitting still only made the cold worse. And dealing with a girl in a constant state of teenage defiance was exhausting in its own way.

Angelina called out to Alexei again, intending to persuade him once more.

“I said I’m fine.”

He looked so pale he might’ve been praying for death.

“I told you, I’ll do it.”

And yet his back remained stubborn as ever.

Was he some kind of oar-dependent life form?

“A princess, huh?”

“What?”

“A pampered princess who does nothing but receive everything.”

After a moment of silence, Naomi was back to picking fights.

Angelina forced herself not to glance at the gun beside her.

“Noble ladies can’t do anything on their own, right? Just sit around in pretty dresses dreaming about marrying princes?”

“Who said that?”

“Everyone I know.”

“Oh, pirates?”

Angelina sneered. Naomi’s eyes sharpened.

“So what’s your problem? Did some noble girl who can’t do anything hurt you personally?”

“……”

“If you’re jealous, just say so. Don’t start picking fights.”

“I’m not jealous.”

“The more you act like that, the uglier you look.”

“……”

“Experience talking.”

“What experience?”

Naomi scoffed. Angelina turned her gaze back to the sea.

Would this child even understand what it meant to start from nothing?

A past life where she had nothing but dreams because she had nothing at all.

Days when she believed effort could earn her anything, only to watch those dreams slowly collapse into despair.

And just when she finally thought she had achieved everything—

It all ended.

Like swallowing a pill of borrowed luck that didn’t belong to her.

How could it be like this? It wasn’t fair.

Even as her head struck something hard and blood spilled, that was what she thought.

So this is a life destined to be unhappy until the end.

A life that ended as miserably as it began.

But then she was reborn.

Into a country she had never heard of. Whether real or imaginary, she wasn’t even sure it had ever existed on Earth. She cried again in a new world, learned everything from scratch, and somehow lived twenty years.

Even held a coming-of-age ceremony recently.

A life completely opposite from before.

A life with more than she wanted. A life where affection and attention came without asking.

Death had been a reset button.

She understood that now. She was glad. Certain.

A second life had many pages ahead—pages that would be peaceful, steady.

But then—

Damn it.

A husband she didn’t love. Pirates. Of all things.

It felt like a single page of her life had been stuck in the wrong book.

Just one page.

It had to be that. It had to.

“We’re here.”

While Angelina was lost in thought, the boat reached its destination.

Land finally appeared before them.

The four of them collapsed onto the sandy shore the moment they disembarked. After catching their breath, Alexei and Franz tied the boat to a fallen tree. Naomi ran around the beach, full of restless energy.

“Hey.”

Naomi ignored Angelina completely when she called.

“Naomi.”

When Alexei spoke, she turned instantly like a boomerang.

“From here on, you can’t come with us.”

“Why? You said I could join!”

“We said only until land,” Angelina answered instead. Alexei added calmly,

“We’re returning to the mainland. Our paths diverge here.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Stop acting like a child.”

“I am a child. That means I can act like one.”

Naomi stuck her tongue out at Angelina.

“We can’t be your guardians. If Captain Blasque finds out you’re with us, he won’t ignore it. We can’t risk that.”

“I could be useful as a shield.”

Even Alexei’s firm tone didn’t shake her.

“That’s our decision.”

“But I have things too.”

Naomi quickly pulled a spyglass from her bag.

“It’s one of my father’s treasures. It can make things far away look right in front of you. Really valuable.”

She peered through it dramatically at the sea. Despite her performance, the three of them looked unimpressed.

She rummaged again.

Then pulled out her second card.

“Ta-da. I also have water. You need water, right?”

She shook the bottle. The three of them inhaled slightly, their expressions flickering.

This time… maybe she’ll get through—

“May God be with you.”

Alexei turned away coldly. The others followed.

No. This couldn’t be happening.

Naomi quickly grabbed his sleeve.

“Wait. I still have more.”

“Let’s go, Alex.”

Ignoring Angelina’s urging, Naomi pulled out a piece of paper.

Alexei reflexively reached for it—but she pulled it back instantly.

“Promise me first. Take me with you. Then I’ll give it.”

“What is it?”

“It doesn’t matter to me. But it’ll matter to you.”

“Don’t fall for it, Alex. She’s playing you.”

Alexei remained silent. He couldn’t decide whether or not to accept a child’s bargaining.

“My father will keep chasing you. Even without me. So you might as well take me as a shield.”

“No. The pirates won’t chase us. They’ve already gained enough. I don’t think Captain Blasque is foolish enough to risk everything for personal revenge.”

“That’s not it!”

Naomi hit her chest in frustration.

“The target was you two from the start. That’s why they attacked the ship.”

“What do you mean?”

“Then look at this. But promise me first.”

“…Fine.”

Alexei nodded.

Naomi handed over the paper.

Alexei unfolded it.

— March 25. Kidnap the bride and groom of the Aurora. Must be taken alive. Bounty: 30,000 Baht.

Franz, glancing over, froze when he saw the signature at the bottom.

“Raul Garcia…?”

“The Emperor of the Tordi Empire.”

Alexei’s eyes turned ice-cold.