Sea Monster Stew Chapter 70
The day the news spread across the sea that Live-Skinner Kisa had kidnapped Hildert’s bride, the imperial capital grew peculiarly restless.
Armed patrols were stationed on every street, and security checks around the harbor became even more stringent.
It also happened to be the day the Emperor was hosting a special banquet, a gathering that convened nobles, high-ranking officials, and even the newly “meritorious” privateer.
A tense undercurrent swirled through the palace corridors, and at its center was Duke Akstain.
Adjusting the buttons on his court attire, he walked slowly toward the banquet hall.
Everyone had expected the Duke to skip the banquet because of his kidnapped granddaughter.
Yet, in defiance, he had appeared at the palace.
Though his face was gaunt, his walk and bearing remained as elegant and dignified as ever.
He ignored the whispers, proceeding down the corridor with a serene expression.
His relaxed demeanor seemed utterly at odds with a man whose granddaughter had been stolen by a pirate.
It was only when a few nobles offered cursory condolences that the Duke finally adopted a sorrowful look.
“Thank you for your concern. My prospective son-in-law must also be heartbroken.”
Despite Hildert’s legitimate title of Marquis Barnabus, the Duke often referred to him as “prospective son-in-law” in public—an arrogant slight, revealing his refusal to acknowledge a privateer as a true noble.
Finally, the Duke entered the banquet hall, filled with a subtle fragrance of flowers.
The moment he took his seat with impeccable etiquette, another man appeared.
The arched doors swung wide, flooding the hall with brilliant sunlight.
A black-haired man of cool dignity entered slowly, his back to the light.
He wore a silk shirt and a cape adorned with gleaming gold, his skin radiating vitality.
His clear, cold eyes swept over the assembled nobles, who glanced at him nervously.
“So that’s Hildert, the one who took Hawk’s head.”
“I never imagined he’d be so young.”
Some nobles whispered loudly, as if for his benefit.
Could this handsome youth truly be the architect of the brutal slaughter that had drenched the pirate islands in blood?
Then the Emperor arrived, and the banquet commenced.
Swallowing their confusion, distaste, and suspicion, the nobles continued to steal glances at Hildert.
As the banquet reached its peak, the Emperor raised a silver cup and spoke solemnly.
“We highly commend the merits of Marquis Barnabus, who pacified the pirate islands and restored order to the seas.”
“You honor me too greatly, Your Majesty.”
Hildert raised his cup with a slight smile.
He continued his meal quietly, maintaining perfect decorum and an air of subtle detachment.
After the banquet, Duke Akstain slipped out and wandered slowly through the rose garden.
He paused under a hexagonal column wreathed in red rose vines just as quiet footsteps approached.
He knew it was Hildert without turning.
A faint smile on his lips, Hildert came to the Duke’s side.
“You handed Biche’s friends over to a stranger.”
Hildert came straight to the point, his face showing neither wariness nor concern.
The Duke gritted his teeth but kept a courteous smile.
“Some suspicious individuals, disguised as your subordinates, approached my knights. They were likely remnants of the Crocus pirate gang.”
“You handed over hostages without verifying their identities? How pathetic.”
“Are you criticizing my knights? I’d rather not hear that from a man who lost his bride to a mere pirate.”
The air froze. The Duke shot Hildert a sidelong glance, realizing his mistake.
The taunt “mere pirate” had been an error; the man holding the naval power here was Hildert.
“…What of the pursuit of Live-Skinner Kisa?”
The Duke forced a calm smile, though his words trembled slightly.
Hildert saw his agitation with piercing clarity.
“Do not trouble yourself. Speaking of “mere pirates” to a privateer is, after all, your prerogative.”
“…Yes. My apologies. It was a slip of the tongue.”
Only after the Duke had yielded did Hildert offer a faint smile.
“We tracked the ship of the Crocus remnants but were defeated in a naval engagement.”
“What? Then my granddaughter is…”
“She escaped with the pirates.”
A cold sweat dripped down the Duke’s spine.
His granddaughter, returned to him after five years, was back in the hands of filthy pirates.
They were back to the beginning.
He remembered the despair he felt when he had secretly sold his granddaughter, betraying Arwen.
When Captain Hawk announced Arcobicche’s survival and demanded an exchange, the Duke had wished for her to die in that pirate den.
He had even concealed the fact that Arcobicche had been captured on the pirate island.
But it was his poor daughter Arwen who died from the shock, while his hateful granddaughter returned alive, once again a burden to the ducal house.
‘I’d hoped to sell her to the privateer to secure safe passage at least…’
His granddaughter, who had almost proven useful for the first time, was back in pirate hands.
It was too late to cover it up as he had five years ago; the news of Arcobicche’s kidnapping was already all over the sea.
Hildert stared silently at the Duke, lost in thought. After a long silence, he slowly spoke, rolling a rose between his fingers.
“Do not worry too much. Biche will return to me soon.”
“…How can you be so sure? You’ve lost the leverage to threaten her with.”
“Are you aware that Live-Skinner Kisa, her kidnapper, utterly despises sea monsters?”
The Duke recalled the handsome youth’s portrait from the newspapers and nodded.
“I believe… I’ve heard something to that effect.”
“He hated them so much he wouldn’t even make leather dolls from sea monsters.”
Hildert crushed a rose, a perfect smile gracing his lips.
“Biche… that girl wouldn’t want to be killed by the hands of her beloved, would she?”
The Duke processed his words, then his eyes widened.
His arms, casually held behind his back, went slack, and his jaw dropped.
“W-what are you saying? Don’t tell me, my granddaughter and that pirate…?”
“I gave Biche a deadline. If she isn’t back by the feast day next week, I told her I would reveal her true nature to Live-Skinner Kisa.”
Hildert gave a light laugh and placed a rose in the Duke’s hand.
“This was a pleasant chat. I will visit you with Biche soon.”
He calmly patted the Duke’s trembling shoulder and left the garden.
Behind Hildert’s broad back, red petals scattered carelessly.
The Duke’s body swayed as he stared at Hildert’s retreating figure.
A guard knight, who had been watching from a distance, rushed to support him.
“Are you alright?”
“…If not for that filthy monster…”
Gripping the knight’s arm, the Duke gnashed his teeth.
His resentment targeted the sea monsters who had seduced his daughter Arwen—the one who vanished after his granddaughter’s disappearance and his daughter’s death.
“…Find that monster. Now.”
“Pardon? Whom…?”
“My granddaughter’s father.”
The knight supporting the Duke glanced around nervously.
Even after ensuring no one was listening, he whispered.
“Akis… you mean?”
“Yes. That pathetic monster who fled the moment Arwen died.”
The Duke gripped the knight’s arm tightly.
“My thinking was shortsighted. I cannot fully yield my granddaughter’s leash to that pirate.”
Even with her in the privateer’s hands, he needed leverage.
Her one and only father would be more valuable than two monsters who shared no blood with her.
“I must find that monster…”
Muttering as if to convince himself, the Duke slowly moved into the darkness.
* * *
The dawn wind from the northeast swept over the rough waves.
A haze of grey dust and fog lay over the waters of Whecoca, the island of the sea witches.
Kisa’s ship arrived at the mining harbor, surrounded by white limestone and grey rock.
Standing on the deck, Biche scanned the port and spotted a familiar ship.
“That is…?”
“The Resistance ship.”
Kisa came closer, pointing at the large vessel.
“To be precise, it’s Commander Orca’s flagship, the ‘Blue Knell’.”
“That’s the ship you left me with, right?”
“Correct. You recognized it, even with the disguised sails?”
Biche gazed vacantly at the ship resting silently in the fog and nodded.
Commander Orca. The man who had vowed to save Calante and Fui.
Yet, not long after, the Duke had handed them over to Hildert.
‘Is Commander Orca there, I wonder?’
She had feared he might have infiltrated Hildert’s lands to keep his promise, but it seemed her worry was for naught.
Comments (0)