The Precious Baby of the Bandit Leader Chapter 114

Damho’s mother was a rare woman with a tall, slender figure and a toned body.

 

She strode closer and curled her lips into a leisurely smile.

 

“My, my, Captain Kang—you’ve brought quite a crowd of welcome guests, haven’t you?” 

 

Swoosh. She seemed to scan us, then finally looked at the captain and muttered chillingly.

 

“Without even consulting me?”

 

At those words, the captain startled, shrank his shoulders, and burst into laughter.

 

He quickly pushed Damho forward.

 

“Ha, hahaha, D-Damho, my boy. Go to your mother, quickly! You explain things to her nicely, alright?” 

 

Damho scurried over as if he was used to it.

 

“Mother!”

 

“Son!”

 

She scooped Damho up and spun him around once before putting him down on the ground and finally turning her head toward us.

 

“I am Siho, Damho’s mother. I heard you are the family of Damho’s friend.” 

 

As she politely bowed her head in greeting, the Chief and the rest of the fortress family returned the greeting somewhat awkwardly. 

 

“Hellooo. I’m Seolyeong.” 

 

When I greeted her hesitantly, she clamped a hand over her mouth and inhaled sharply in surprise. 

 

“Oh my goodness! So cute…!”

 

Gasp. Cutting herself off from squealing aloud, she stamped her feet in excitement. 

 

Damho shrugged his shoulders, ahem, as if proud of that sight. Then, as if excited, he hopped up and down and rattled off compliments about me.

 

“Mother, this is my friend! She’s really small, tiny, and cu-cute, right!!”

 

Damho cast a quick, sideways glance at me before his face flushed slightly. 

 

“…She’s also really good at shooting a slingshot, smart, and cool! Just like you, Mother!”

 

“Oh, my word! She really is! Too adorable! To think such a pretty child exists in this world! I want to give her a big squeeze! I want to take her out to sea, show her all sorts of things, and shower her with so, so much love!” 

 

Siho, with her eyes sparkling and looking ready to kiss me over and over at any moment, spread her arms wide and approached me.

 

‘Gasp! What do I do?’

 

Just as I was flustered by the immense straightforwardness. The chief subtly pulled me behind him, pretending to be indifferent.

 

“It seems Yeong is surprised.”

 

“Oh my, was she? I’m sorry~~!”

 

“No, it’s fine!”

 

I quickly answered and hid behind the chief’s leg, cutely poking my head out to look at her.

 

Only then did Siho clear her throat with a cough, cough, trying her best to restrain herself, and brought up the main point as she looked around. 

 

“Now, enough joking. You’re heading to the capital, right?”

 

Everyone nodded and gathered their gazes on the chief.

 

“That is correct. There are those heading to the capital and those heading to Okryeong.”

 

“I will take charge of Okryeong. Wife!”

 

When Captain Kang shouted with a highly disciplined voice, Siho raised her eyebrows and snapped.

 

“And don’t you go breaking another ship, Captain Kang. If you do that again, there’s no food for you! I’ll only feed you seaweed.”

 

“Aw, come on, Wife~ When did I ever break our precious ship!”

 

“My ship.”

 

“Urgh, yes. Captain.” 

 

Siho smiled brightly and approached him. Then, patting her husband’s shoulder, she whispered softly.

 

“Then, Husband Kang, have a safe trip. Let’s see each other in the capital.”

 

“Heugh! Yes! Wife, I love you!”

 

The captain winked affectionately.

 

Seeing Siho skillfully train(?) him using the carrot and stick alternately, chuckles leaked from the surroundings.

 

Amidst that momentum, Siho clapped her hands, smack, and said.

 

“Now, this ship is heading to the capital! Passengers, please board at once!”

 

“I want to go with Mother! See you later, Father!”

 

Damho let go of his father’s hand without any lingering attachment and dashed over next to me.

 

It seemed he intended to follow me, who was heading to the capital.

 

“My love, may the blessings of the sea be with your voyage.”

 

As the Captain smiled warmly and bid his wife farewell, Siho gave a light smile in return. 

 

“We pirates also plan to move to the strait near the capital. They say it is darkest under the lamp, don’t they? It’s actually a better place to hide.”

 

“There are many people I know among the naval forces in the capital. They’ll turn a blind eye and hide us appropriately.”

 

Now I think I understood why the captain had spoken with such certainty.

 

Then Dupil carefully spoke toward the chief.

 

“Chief, Captain Siho… It seems she is the woman who became known during that… battle with the Kingdom of the Auspicious Qilin.”

 

Uncle Gaeddong stepped forward and added in a whisper.

 

“That’s right. I’ve heard of it too. A legendary fisherman’s daughter who steers a ship better than the navy, and has the ability to accurately predict strong waves and even the weather! Rumor has it she brought one ship and won the battle…!”

 

Come to think of it, though the captain was also an outstanding naval officer…

 

She didn’t seem to be an ordinary person either.

 

“Yes. It seems she is indeed that woman.”

 

The chief nodded and looked at her face anew.

 

Then he spoke to Jeon Bongjin as if requesting a favor.

 

“I leave the southern region in your capable hands. We will communicate secretly through the pirates’ falcons, or through Dupil. Inform me as soon as the base is complete. I will go check it right away.”

 

“Yes, Chief. Do not worry.”

 

Jeon Bongjin and Dupil bowed their heads together.

 

“Everyone, gather your belongings and board the ship! We head for the capital!”

 

Following the chief’s order, everyone began to move busily.

 

Watching the luggage being loaded onto the carts, I found myself glancing at Damho’s family.

 

The atmosphere around them was completely different from any family I had seen until now. 

 

Regardless of young age or different gender, it felt like they trusted and respected each other within the fence called family?

 

And that sight… looked really nice to me.

 

‘Damho… must have grown up receiving a lot of love from his mom and dad.’

 

I think I knew why he was so unwrinkled, spotlessly bright, and had such high self-esteem.

 

‘If I had a mom too… could I have grown up in an atmosphere like Damho’s family?’

 

Suddenly, a distant memory floated up in my mind.

 

Even in my past life, the existence of a ‘mom’ didn’t exist for me.

 

In my very early childhood, which I barely remember, my mom quietly packed her bags and left the house. After that, I was always alone.

 

Perhaps that was why. 

 

When I saw friends holding their moms’ hands on the way to school, a feeling of envy would unconsciously wash over me.

 

‘A mom… what kind of existence is that.’

 

Until now, that word had merely been an admiration and an illusion to me, feeling only like someone else’s story.

 

Suddenly, a passing remark came to mind.

 

“Since she married Dad… does that mean she’s… like… a mom… to me.”

 

I had once shared a conversation with Gaon regarding the Chief’s late wife.

 

“Now that I think about it, she seems a bit similar to you. The hair color, the eye color… that’s exactly how Her Highness was.”

 

And Gaon had said that.

 

I unconsciously fiddled with my brown hair braided into two pigtails. A rare color here.

 

Since most people had black hair, I too thought it was truly fascinating that I resembled her.

 

‘Huh? But…’

 

I suddenly remembered what Jeon Bongjin muttered after returning the flower to me at the secret base.

 

“You really… resemble Her Highness.”

 

It was a small whisper, but I, at least, heard it clearly.

 

And, one more thing.

 

“If only it hadn’t been revealed… that you are the biological daughter of His Highness the Deposed Crown Prince…”

 

That remark from Park Dohyul.

 

At the time, I was so distracted that I didn’t have time to think about it further, and I only thought Park Dohyul had naturally misunderstood.

 

Thinking about it, he was someone currently in close contact with the Prime Minister’s information.

 

The probability of the Prime Minister spouting nonsense was remarkably low.

 

So, really, perhaps Park Dohyul might have said that with solid grounds.

 

‘Could it be… really?’

 

I looked up at the chief once. Today as well, like me, he had a destiny ribbon tied to the end of his hair.

 

Looking at that ribbon, the emotion crouching in a corner of my heart began to swell.

 

‘Maybe not. No, it’s highly likely. Because it’s just a guess. Still…’

 

If he really was my biological father.

 

If so… then maybe I wasn’t abandoned? Maybe I just had to hide to be protected?

 

As that thought occurred to me, my breathing began to grow slightly ragged.

 

“Yeongie, let’s go.”

 

While I was looking at him without being able to say a word.

 

The chief reached out, smoothly picked me up, and held me in his arms.

 

I buried my head tightly in his embrace. Just like that, we boarded the ship together.

 

“Raise the anchor and unfurl the sails!”

 

In response to Captain Siho’s booming command, everyone moved in perfect coordination. 

 

“Set sail!”

 

And the ship powerfully cut through the current and began to move forward.

 

In the center of it, held in the chief’s embrace, I quietly closed my eyes.

 

‘I’ll have to investigate properly once we get to the capital.’

 

Resolving that I would find the clue to my true identity myself.