Princess Aurora's life is a living hell, made unbearable by the king of her kingdom, to whom she was forced into a loveless marriage. Her world is turned upside down in a single moment when she is kidnapped by eight enigmatic, masked pirates. These...
- Quick authors note beforehand: I'm writing this story simultaneously in English and German. In the German version, I've already uploaded the map of the world 'Utopia' in the preface. I thought I had done the same in the English version, but apparently I missed it. I'm really sorry about that. (Meanwhile, I have fixed that). So here's the map now. Hopefully, it will help to understand the crew's decisions a bit better and to get a better overview. Enjoy reading! -
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After training with Yunho yesterday, I was completely exhausted by the evening. I finally understood how Hongjoong's ability of chronomancy took a toll on his body. Wielding and mastering such immense magic surely required a lot of strength. Even as a beginner, I was so worn out from using magic that I fell asleep early and didn't even notice when the Eight returned to the castle after their work.
Now that I was up early, I hoped to catch the pirates before they headed to the harbor. But when I reached the dining hall, no one was in sight. A bit disappointed, I turned to head back to my room when I bumped into Seonghwa at the entrance. His haste and inattentiveness indicated he was running late. Still, he looked as breathtaking as always. When he finally looked up after our collision, he smiled at me and pulled me into a tight hug. I hadn't seen him since our conversation a few days ago. "Hi Seonghwa," I murmured into his embrace.
"Hi, Aurora," he breathed into my hair and kissed my head warmly before loosening his hug. "How are you?"
I smiled and nodded. "Good, I guess."
He grinned. "Good or satisfied?"
I looked at him wide-eyed. "What did Yeosang say?"
"Oh, so it was Yeosang?" He smirked mischievously as I covered my mouth, caught.
"I didn't know anything, but your screams the other night were certainly heard by anyone not in a deep sleep. Even I heard it, and my room is at the other end of the hall." He looked at me with a mix of challenge and affection.
"Oh God, how embarrassing." I felt my cheeks redden. I should have known that the night of rolling in the sheets with Yeosang wouldn't go unnoticed.
"It's nothing to be embarrassed about. I'm glad you had fun. Yeosang was the perfect choice for that." There was something in his tone I couldn't quite decipher.
He cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Hongjoong wants to talk to you today about our next steps...," he hesitated before continuing, "we plan to set sail in two days." He looked at me expectantly. My stomach churned. In two days already? I had agreed to join them on this next journey, and I desperately wanted to, but I wasn't ready to leave Elaria and Velurien behind, nor my recently rediscovered horse.
"The day after tomorrow?" I whispered, somewhat shocked. Seonghwa nodded. "I know it's not much time, but we're already behind schedule on our mission. It's best not to delay our departure any further to avoid raising suspicion."
