Chapter 2: Elpian Temike Capfrancis (2)

Passing through the dim corridor where lanterns swayed, he was guided to a room with a sturdy-looking iron door.

In the center of the interior, which was much brighter than the hallway, sat a tall man in a chair.

Sleek black hair and a broad back draped in a black coat.

Even without seeing the front, Claire realized it was the same man who had saved him earlier that day.

“I’ve brought him, Admiral.”

He gave no reaction to Mary Read’s words, but she simply left, seemingly accustomed to such treatment.

With a creak, the iron door closed, leaving Claire alone with the man.

He waited for a moment, but the man showed no sign of turning around.

Judging by the scratching sound and the movement of the quill, he appeared to be writing something.

There were so many things Claire wanted to say, but he was too terrified to speak first.

He was overwhelmed by the word Admiral that Mary Read and the pirate man had used earlier.

‘If he’s the Admiral of the Capfrancis fleet… then he must be that man.’

Elkain Antoine Capfrancis.

Even Claire, who was far removed from the world of pirates, had heard that name.

In fact, it was likely the name most mentioned in all of England, perhaps even more so than the Queen’s.

A knight of the sea fighting for the Queen’s honor—a beautiful, brave, and elegant Great Pirate.

His reputation for refined features and heroic valor was so great that quite a few ladies secretly wished to be kidnapped by him; he was a truly charismatic figure.

However, a Great Pirate’s reputation is naturally more than half composed of notorious infamy.

Claire also knew of the man’s countless atrocities.

Claire stood still for a long time, so tense he couldn’t take his eyes off him.

After some time had passed, the man spoke.

“How long are you going to stand there like that?”

He slowly turned around.

Finally, Claire could see his face clearly.

The Capfrancis that Claire had always imagined was a jovial man in his mid-to-late thirties, so this man was much younger than expected.

However, his elegant face with pale skin—unusual for a pirate—was indeed as handsome as the rumors suggested.

With a strong, masculine forehead and lips, a sharp bridge of the nose, and vivid green eyes that were piercingly keen, his face looked more like that of a knight than a pirate.

There was an air of aristocratic dignity about him, and his sturdy yet slender, upright physique even hinted at an intellectual side.

Yet, Claire remembered the ruthless violence he had inflicted on the pirate earlier.

That brand of cruelty certainly did not belong to a soldier.

Though terrified, Claire swallowed hard and spoke in a trembling voice.

“What do you plan to do with me?”

Instead of answering the question, he gestured toward the left with his chin.

“Go sit on the bed.”

In the direction he pointed, though it couldn’t compare to a bed on land, there was something that could be considered a bed—a wooden platform covered with blankets.

Claire’s entire body was throbbing, and he longed for a bed, but instead of sitting down, he pleaded.

“Please let me go. I have heard that even as a pirate, you understand honor.”

“You know of me?”

“There is no one in the Kingdom who does not know your name. Capfrancis.”

The man knitted his brows.

“I am a Capfrancis, but I am not the man you are thinking of.”

Seeing Claire’s bewildered expression, the man continued in a blunt tone.

“I am Elpian Temike Capfrancis. Admiral of the Capfrancis Second Fleet and the captain of this ship.”

At that moment, as if in response to his words, lightning flashed outside the window, causing Claire to jump in surprise.

Elpian remained indifferent to the lightning, but he reacted differently to the sound of the rain that began to pour immediately after.

He glanced at the window briefly, frowned, and then stood up to head for the door.

Claire, who still had a mountain of things to say, shouted hurriedly.

“Please release me. If you drop me off at any port, I will pay whatever ransom you ask. I heard we are going to Plymouth, and I have relatives there—”

“I have no need for a ransom.”

Elpian cut Claire off, speaking dryly.

“I brought you here to serve as the medical officer of this ship. You will never return to your home country.”

Even though he had heard it before, the world seemed to go dark all over again.

The waves seemed to grow higher along with the driving rain.

The cabin was swaying, but the man before him remained as steady as if he were rooted to the spot.

In contrast, Claire’s hands were shaking violently.

“Please let me off at Plymouth Harbor.”

Claire finally managed to speak through his trembling voice.

“There are plenty of sailors there. There might even be someone there willing to take my place as a medical officer.”

“No, I will take responsibility and provide the funds to find someone else to board the ship. Please, just let me off there.”

“Only a fool chases an uncertainty when they have a certainty in hand. I already have a doctor right here, so why should I do that?”

Elpian mocked Claire’s proposal.

However, since he was at least listening, Claire pleaded even more desperately.

“Just let me off at Plymouth. Just as you need a ship and a sword to be a pirate, I need tools to act as a doctor. I have to go back and get my tools… my equipment.”

“You cannot get off at Plymouth.”

Even though Elpian spoke firmly, Claire could not give up so easily.

His courage seemed to wither under the gaze of the expressionless man, but he didn’t care.

“How am I supposed to work as a doctor without medicine or anything else?”

“I have already secured your medical bag.”

“That only contains the bare minimum—”

“If you give me a list of what you need, I will send someone to acquire it for you.”

Elpian cut Claire off, firmly setting the matter in stone.

As the hope of disembarking at Plymouth vanished, rage welled up alongside his desperation.

Claire lunged at Elpian.

“Do you think I’ll just submissively play doctor after you’ve kidnapped me like this? Let me go! I didn’t study medicine just to treat the likes of pirates! I—!!”

But before he could even reach Elpian, the man kicked him.

With a loud thud, Claire was sent sprawling onto the floor.

“Do not waste your effort. If you act like this, it won’t be good for me, for you, or for anyone else.”

With a sharp metallic ring, Elpian drew his sword.

As the cold blade suddenly thrust toward him, Claire let out a small gasp and curled inward.

The man traced the floor right next to Claire’s face with the sword.

Screech, screech.

The chilling blade moved right beside his face as if sketching a silhouette.

He felt the sensation of a few strands of hair being clipped, but Claire stayed frozen stiff, unable to breathe, staring up at Elpian.

“As long as you are on this ship, you must follow my orders. I do not forgive disobedience. Furthermore, I do not repeat myself twice.”

Elpian remained expressionless, and his tone was flat, but his green eyes were icy.

After a moment of confrontation, Claire finally couldn’t hold out any longer and lowered his gaze in surrender.

The man sheathed his sword and turned away.

“If you write a letter, I will have it sent to your home from Plymouth.”

“…”

“I believe that is enough of an explanation. Go to the bed and lie down.”

Having finished his piece, he opened the door and left.

Claire lifted his arm to cover his eyes.

Even though he was alone in the room, he didn’t want to expose the fact that he was crying.

He had been in a daze until just a moment ago, but now his situation felt painfully real.

Was he truly never going to be able to go home?

His father, his mother, his friends, his younger sister—he might never see any of them again.

No, even worse, he might be caught in a battle tomorrow and buried at sea.

Tears kept flowing from the sheer helplessness of it all.

Only after sobbing quietly for a long time did his emotions finally settle a bit.

After crying, the heat of his emotions cooled, and his mind became a little more rational.

Claire sat up.

Now was not the time to be rolling around on the floor crying.

If he gave up in self-despair, everything would truly be over.

‘It’s not over yet. As long as I’m alive, there’s a way.’

His body wasn’t in great shape from the beatings, but he wasn’t tied up and he had the energy to move.

The surveillance didn’t seem strictly tight either, so if he waited, he might catch an opportunity to escape.

‘Somehow, I have to find Henry before we reach Plymouth.’

He made up his mind, but he didn’t dare step outside the room immediately.

Elpian might be right outside the door, and since he had already caused a scene, it would be troublesome to provoke further suspicion with hasty actions.

It was wiser to act submissively for now, pretend to have given up, and observe the atmosphere while looking for an opening.

Having decided that, Claire chose to rest for the time being.

In his current physical state, he would only be caught before he could even make a proper run for it.

“Telling me to lie on the bed… is he trying to act kind all of a sudden?”

Muttering to himself, Claire walked like a corpse to the bed and lay down.

Despite his predicament, the moment his body touched the blankets, exhaustion washed over him.

Claire quickly fell into a deep sleep.

He wasn’t sure how long he had slept.

He sensed someone sitting on the bed.

When he opened his eyes, the waves had calmed.

Only a single lamp remained lit, making the room dim, but he could tell that the person sitting on the bed was Elpian.

His handsome face was looking down at Claire from a very close distance.

‘What is he doing…’

The moment that thought crossed his mind, Claire was struck with horror.

This was because Elpian pressed his lips against his.

“Wha— what are you… mmph!”

He tried to turn his head away instantly, but the red lips followed and smothered him.

Something soft and firm invaded deeply between his parted lips.

Elpian toyed with Claire’s hidden tongue, sucking and violating it.

Claire was thrown into a panic by the sudden, dense kiss.

After playing with him like that for a while, the man pulled his lips away.

While gasping for the breath he had been holding, Claire blurted out the question that had been lingering in his mind.

“Why, why on earth… this…”

“This is the only bed on this ship.”

It was an answer that explained nothing.

Elpian’s large frame climbed fully onto the bed, pinning Claire down.

Supporting himself with both arms beside Claire’s head, he whispered low into his ear.

“Do you not understand the meaning of sharing a bed?”

As he spoke, Elpian gave a smirk.

And then, another violent kiss began, as if he were trying to bite him.