Chapter 101
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 101
‘Now is not the time for such delusions! I have something I must accomplish today!’
She chastised herself, but in a dark corner of her mind where her wanton fantasies ran wild, a phantom with her exact face mocked her.
[It’s not an entirely unrelated fantasy, is it? You only came here today because of Cedric Kailas, after all.]
It was a ridiculous thought, yet she found herself at a loss for words. She couldn't argue with the voice in her head. Because it was the truth.
‘That and this are two different things!’
[What’s the difference? Surely you don’t think you’re going through all this trouble, risking your life, out of some noble sense of justice?]
Was the cackling she heard also a side effect of the drug?
Unable to rein in her chaotic emotions, she could only shake her head—until suddenly, someone grabbed her arm and yanked.
"Well, well! What a beauty we have here. You’re on a ship of revelry, so why are you hiding in the shadows?"
Harriet gasped in surprise. The fantasies dominating her mind vanished in an instant. However, while she was relieved to escape her strange mood, the man gripping her arm looked far from pleasant.
"L-let go of me!"
"Perhaps... your fantasy is to hide, get caught, and then be taken?"
The corpulent man in the pig mask flashed a leering smile and shoved her against the wall.
"I’m not joking. I have no intention of doing anything with you."
She pulled back, resisting, but her dizziness and lack of strength worked against her. The man seemed to think she was merely playing hard to get.
"Now, now. Your body seems to think otherwise, doesn't it? Come along, my lady!"
Tez’s promise—that unwanted contact would never happen—was a lie.
The man in the pig mask dragged Harriet toward his companions. Even as she screamed and struggled, he remained relentless.
"Hey! Hail the princess! She’s our 'first catch'!"
The man shouted as he displayed the stamp on Harriet’s hand. His companions, men and women alike, erupted in cheers. Then, they toppled her into the center of the large cushions they had claimed as their territory.
‘This is going to end badly!’
Her head spun. It felt as though she were paying the price for stepping into such a den of iniquity with a naive sense of justice. Just as she wondered if she should shout for Tez, she heard the pig-masked man boasting to the others.
"She was hiding in a spot where no one would notice her! Looks like she’s the type who enjoys being hunted..."
At that moment, Harriet saw a glimmer of hope.
‘This is a place where people fulfill depraved fantasies that would earn them public scorn outside, isn't it?’
She took a deep breath, calmed her racing heart, and surveyed those surrounding her. They were all so far gone she couldn't even hold a candle to them. They cackled excessively at trivial remarks, swayed unsteadily, or twitched their heads. The man who had brought her here was strong, but everyone else seemed sluggish and dazed.
Harriet gritted her teeth and sprang to her feet.
"What are you talking about? What I want is the exact opposite!"
When Harriet shouted, every head turned toward her. She marched up to the pig-masked man, who was staring blankly at her, placed her foot on his shoulder, and pushed with all her might. Already unsteady, he tumbled backward.
Harriet let out a sharp cackle, mimicking their madness, and looked down at the man.
"I’ll give you ten seconds. Run."
"W-what...?"
"Don’t let me catch you. Pant like a pig and run your hardest."
"Why...?"
"I find hunting down a fleeing man to be the ultimate thrill. If you can be a satisfactory prey, I’ll make you howl beneath me all night. But if not, I’ll find another quarry."
Perhaps thanks to the drug, her voice sounded provocative even to her own ears. Hearing her words, the man grinned foolishly and staggered to his feet. Harriet looked down at him like a queen and began to count.
"One, two, three..."
He adjusted his trousers, let out a snicker, and began to bolt. Seeing him, his companions burst into fits of insane laughter. Harriet slowly counted to ten, then, with the confident stride of a hunter pursuing her prize, she broke free from the group and began to run—straight to a place where they would never find her.
*
"How are things today?"
The ship’s manager replied with a satisfied smile to Albert’s question.
"Another record-breaking day, my lord. Angelic has already sold 100,000 Dirham worth, and the special underground section brought in 820,000 Dirham."
A smile spread across Albert’s lips. He wanted to hold a Shipboard Party every day, but following his father’s advice that 'scarcity breeds obsession,' he limited it to once a week. After a single night like this, his secret ledger would show two million Dirham in tax-free profit.
‘This is how you truly make money.’
He had to clench his jaw to keep an unseemly laugh from escaping. At this rate, becoming as wealthy as Cedric wouldn't be a dream. Once the money accumulated, power would follow, and he would no longer have to grind his teeth while looking at Cedric’s back.
‘Cedric. Soon, you’ll be the one looking at my back, feeling nothing but despair.’
He let out a sneering smile, then opened a small box he pulled from his pocket. Inside was the Ruby Brooch, stolen at the risk of his life by a servant he had planted in the Kailas Ducal House.
"My lord, an order forbidding anyone from leaving has been issued at the Ducal House! You’ll keep your promise to get me out of here safely, won't you? I’m not the type who can endure torture!"
The man was someone Albert had covertly employed at the Kailas Ducal House on the condition of forgiving his 150,000 Dirham debt, but the fool didn't know his place and had begged for greater mercy. He should have extracted himself once the job was done, but why did he stay there until that bastard Cedric noticed something was wrong?
‘There are always those who rush toward their own demise. Though it does simplify things for me.’
By now, the man would have eaten the peanut butter his wife supposedly sent and drawn his last breath.
Albert took out the brooch and held it up to the light. The dazzling ruby was a top-grade gem, showing not even the slightest impurity, and the surrounding diamonds were clearly of the highest quality. Cedric’s assessment had been correct.
"This won't even be worth 150,000 Dirham, so it’s definitely my loss."
But he couldn't just sit there and lament. If he offered this item as a prize for tonight’s event, even if it didn't bring in immediate cash, it would elevate the party’s reputation, making it a long-term gain. And imagining Cedric’s reaction when he found out his family heirloom had been buried in the bosom of an old, ugly prostitute lifted Albert's spirits.
Albert, smiling faintly, put the brooch back into the box and addressed the manager.
"Good. Shall we begin tonight’s event?"
"I’ll prepare it immediately!"
As the command was given, a chair was placed on the stage in the hall. Lights illuminated the platform, and as a rumbling drumroll began, even those engrossed in their depravity lifted their bleary eyes to the stage.
Then, a lively trumpet fanfare sounded, and a handsome man ascended the stage, greeting the crowd.
"Waaah!" Cheers erupted.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for attending the Angelic Shipboard Party, the most delightful place under the heavens! To repay your support, we’ve prepared another wonderful event for you today!"
He announced the start of the event with practiced charisma.
"For tonight’s event, we’ve invited a very special guest. Please give a round of applause for Madam Rominas, who has earned the nickname 'Queen of the Night' on our ship!"
Deafening applause erupted from all sides, and a middle-aged woman in a dress that half-revealed her enormous bosom strutted onto the stage. A famous courtesan and madam in these circles, she was enjoying her second golden age on Albert’s ship. No one was better than her at catering to the perverse tastes of the guests.
She blew air kisses in every direction, then feigned elegance as she sat in the chair placed center stage, deliberately leaning forward to show off her overflowing cleavage to the crowd. Everyone immediately noticed something tucked between her breasts.
The host continued.
"Tonight’s prize is a men’s brooch! But this is no ordinary item. This is a relic of Duke Rowan Kailas, who fell in the Kifren War!"
Gasps of astonishment echoed through the hall. As people stared brazenly at Madam Rominas’s chest to confirm if it was real, she, with a playful gesture, pulled up the neckline of her dress. The brooch vanished from sight; to retrieve it, one would have to force their hand deep into her cleavage.
"You’re all very interested, I see. So, how can you acquire this?"
After raising the tension to its peak, the host shouted as if popping a balloon.