Chapter 20: Counterattack (2)

“What are you doing? I’m offering to let you see it, and you won’t even pick it up?”

Claire bit his lip at Miguel’s snickering.

“Forget it. I don’t need it.”

“Hey now, don’t be so prickly when someone’s doing you a favor.”

Judging by his sarcastic tone and posture, it was obvious this wasn’t a favor. Miguel was the last person on earth to show Claire any goodwill. Hating the way Miguel peered at him as if waiting for a reaction, Claire simply turned his back and ignored him.

Unfazed, Miguel shoved the newspaper toward Claire’s arm.

“If I’m making you uncomfortable, I’ll head out. Read it at your leisure. Consider it a gift of gratitude for saving the Admiral.”

With that, he actually turned and walked out. Mary Read pursed her lips and shrugged.

“What’s up with that guy? Giving you something this expensive. Did the sun rise in the west today?”

“It’s not that. There’s probably something in here he knows I’ll hate.”

“You think? Now I’m curious. Give it a read.”

“I’ll read it back on the ship.”

Claire stuffed the newspaper into his pocket.

In his dim cabin, Claire sat brooding over the newspaper he had already read dozens of times.

[Renowned Physician Captured by Pirates? A Fall to the Very Bottom]

Henry H. Davis, the brave soldier who was kidnapped by an unknown pirate fleet and subsequently released, has come forward to reveal the status of his childhood friend still held captive. Claire D. Grant, a famous London surgeon, was abducted alongside him mid-last month, but is reported to have personally abandoned any attempt at escape.

Most shocking of all are the unbelievable reports that Grant is acting as a prostitute for the pirates. Davis, driven by a fierce loyalty to his friend, is said to have sent a petition to the Royal Family from Plymouth before immediately crossing the English Channel to rescue Grant. However, the response to the rescue movement has been cold, and the reputation of Grant—who has lost all honor to the pirates—is…

The body of the article was just as sensationalist as the headline. It depicted Claire as a man who had completely fallen from grace, portraying him as a collaborator with the pirate remnants.

Elpian’s fleet was labeled an “unknown pirate fleet,” and the use of Claire’s real name alongside the word “prostitute” made the intent of the article clear. He had been discarded by the society he once belonged to.

No one who read this would ever argue for his rescue.

While he had been circling the sea for weeks, these words had been scattered across the whole of Britain.

His future felt pitch black. The paper even included angry interviews with Claire’s relatives. Fortunately, there was no reaction from his mother or sister yet, but strong words like “disgrace to the family” and “disowned” were being thrown around.

His arms shook so violently that he hurled the newspaper to the floor.

The harder he tried to remain calm, the more rage and despair surged through him. While Claire sat huddled on the floor, clutching his head, Miguel peered through the small window in the door, flashed a grin, and walked away.

He was utterly disgusted by the situation. He couldn’t believe he had been growing accustomed to saving Elpian’s life and sleeping in his arms. He had been on the verge of conforming.

In the dark room, his blue eyes gleaming, Claire sank into deep thought. As the night deepened, he pulled several items from his pack and headed toward Elpian’s cabin.

Claire entered the cabin without knocking and threw the newspaper at Elpian, who was sitting in his armchair.

“Did you know about this?”

Elpian caught the paper but set it aside without even looking at it. Seeing his dismissive attitude, Claire knew for certain: Elpian had known all along, which is why he had finally allowed him to go ashore. Claire bit his lip.

“I believe I predicted it would turn out this way.”

“I’m leaving this ship.”

At Claire’s declaration, Elpian didn’t so much as blink. He leaned his head back against his arm and replied in a low tone.

“You have nowhere to go back to.”

“What?”

“No one wants to be treated by a doctor who was kept by a pirate.”

Rage boiled over at the sneer playing on Elpian’s lips. Claire glared at him with bloodshot blue eyes, but the man remained perfectly composed. It was even more agonizing because his words were based on reality, not just empty bravado.

Just as he said, there was truly no going back now. All that remained was to decide whether to live a life of disgrace or to put up one final struggle. Through trembling, reddened lips, Claire forced his voice out.

“Yes, you’re right. I have nowhere to return to, Elpian. Even without seeing this… it was gone the moment you violated me in that room while Henry was there.”

“Then you just have to become mine.”

“What?”

Elpian stood up and walked slowly toward Claire. He grabbed Claire’s weak chin and forced him to look up.

“A pretty face. And quite useful, too.”

“What are you— mmm…!”

Before he could resist, Elpian’s lips were on his. As a tongue he had grown somewhat accustomed to invaded deeply, stimulating a sensitive spot, Claire’s body flinched involuntarily. Pulling Claire by his slender waist, Elpian slid a large hand under his clothes.

“I’ll cherish you. I’ll dominate every corner of your body until you can’t survive without me. If you obey, I’ll let you do as you please, and I won’t restrain you even on land.”

The sweet whisper fell against his ear. The face offering this temptation was as seductive as a demon’s. Staring straight into Claire’s eyes, Elpian kissed his ear. His hand, having already mapped Claire’s body over the past few nights, unerringly found the places that made him feel. As his legs threatened to give way, Claire forced himself to stand firm, blocking his own surrender.

“Is this what you wanted? To kill me personally and socially, to drive me into a corner so I have nowhere else to run?”

“You just need to be by my side. Look only at me, and listen only to what I say.”

Despite the selfish, arrogant words, Elpian possessed an aura that could enchant even the strongest of souls. With trembling hands, Claire pushed him away with all his might. Though unintentional, he must have pressed against the wounded area, as the force pinning him down weakened slightly.

Seizing the moment, Claire slipped out from between his arms and stood with his back to the window. He stared directly at the frowning Elpian and spoke with conviction.

“That will never happen. I’d rather die.”

Despite the rejection, Elpian’s beautiful red lips curled upward.

“You want to die now? After you’ve survived all this time?”

“I said dying would be better, I didn’t say I would die. Because right now, I have a much better way than dying.”

Claire reached out and grabbed Elpian’s pistol hanging beside the bed. Elpian tracked every movement with his eyes, yet he didn’t seem intimidated or afraid. He looked down at Claire with that same leisurely smile.

“Are you trying to kill me this time?”

“I’m more than capable of it.”

Claire leveled the muzzle at Elpian. Contrary to his confident tone, the hand holding the gun was shaking.

“Even if you kill me, you have nowhere to go. Do you plan to jump into the sea and commit a double suicide?”

“Just because I can’t go back doesn’t mean I have nowhere to go.”

Elpian remained unfazed by Claire’s assertion. Claire gritted his teeth and spoke more forcefully.

“At the very least, I can leave you.”

“Without my protection, you’ll be found as a corpse in the jungles of Las Palmas by tomorrow.”

Given the brutal security of this place, Elpian’s words likely weren’t far from the truth, even with a gun. Instead of arguing, Claire lowered the weapon and continued in a low voice. Once the gun was lowered, his arm and voice finally stopped shaking.

“Elpian, I’ve spent a lot of time with Mary Read. I’ve heard about your miserable past, and I’ve realized why you’re so twisted.”

“…”

“So, I know. I know there’s a much more effective method than biting my tongue and dying, or stabbing a knife into your heart while you sleep, or even becoming a spy and selling information about you to the Spanish.”

Claire’s blue eyes locked onto Elpian’s.

“I am going to leave you and go to Elkain Capfrancis.”

At those words, articulated with sharp focus, the leisure finally drained from Elpian’s face.

“I will serve Elkain, I will help him, and I will block you when you come to kill him—I will sink you. That way, I can watch you die filled with resentment, unable to even close your eyes.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Claire was shoved with violent force onto the bed. Elpian was over him in an instant, his eyes burning with a terrifying light. His heavy hands pinned Claire’s body down, gripping his slender neck.

Stunned for a second, Claire quickly regained his senses. Like a flash, he pulled a needle from his pocket and plunged it into Elpian’s body.

“Ugh…!”

A low groan escaped Elpian’s lips. Looking down at the site of the pain, he found a silver syringe buried in his arm.

“You shouldn’t have been so careless as to let me go to the market freely,” Claire said. His voice was raspy from being choked, but he was smiling.

“This is enough to put an elephant to sleep. When you wake up, we’ll be in Madeira. By then, you’ll never see me again.”

What he had purchased from the apothecary at the market was a quantity of sedative strong enough to keep a man asleep for days.

The unsuspecting Mary Read probably thought it was medicine for Elpian’s wounds. Since he would simply be sleeping until they arrived, there was no reason for suspicion.

He would keep injecting him until they arrived, and once they hit Madeira, he would volunteer for Elkain’s fleet. If he did that, Elpian’s reach would never touch him again.

The leisure was gone from Elpian’s eyes as he stared at Claire.

“…Even you are leaving to chase after vanity?”

“I wonder…”

Claire gave a vague answer and shrugged. Truthfully, he didn’t know what lay at the end of this path either.

Elpian’s lips moved as if to say something, but they closed as his solid body slumped over Claire. After looking down at the man’s peaceful face for a moment, Claire walked out of the cabin.