169 – Hostage Bargaining
“What?”
And with a gesture from Viktor, an elderly man was pulled out of the carriage. Sean’s eyes widened at the sight of an elderly man from the island.
“No, he’s an old man.”
“Let’s make the exchange.”
Viktor’s steely resolve made Sean push Scarlett further toward the railing. “Do you think I would fall for that!”
“What do you mean, manipulation?”
Viktor aimed a gun at the trembling old man’s forehead. “In my eyes, they’re all pirates.”
“Wait, Viktor Dumfelt!”
“To me, killing a few people is all the same.”
Then, a few more hostages emerged from the carriage. Sean realised they were pirates who had been taken from a pirate ship.
*pirates who’d been captured before and imprisoned
Naturally, he didn’t anticipate that a saviour would simply swoop in and offer to do anything necessary to retrieve his ex-wife. However, the crux of the issue was that Viktor Dumfelt was unaware of his own power and the ability to exert enough influence to drag pirates from prison for the purpose of exchanging for hostages.
Scarlett tightly closed her eyes, fearing to gaze down from a great height. Then, as the cold blade’s edge drew too close to Sean’s quivering hand, tears welled up in her eyes. Sean spoke up.
“I’m going to cut her arm first.”
“Then we’ll execute one of them.”
Viktor remained unmoved while Sean’s face slowly turned blue.
“We don’t need a hostage exchange. Hear what we’re asking for,” He cried out.
“There’s no negotiation other than a hostage exchange.”
Sean’s trembling hand eventually nicked Scarlett’s neck, causing her to bleed. Simultaneously, a gunshot resounded, and when Sean looked downward, a pirate was bleeding in front of him. Viktor spoke, reloading the gun. “Let’s continue.”
“W-w-what have you done? Punishments have been legally determined! If you kill pirates here, it’s not war; it’s murder.”
“I’m not aiming to engage in a moral discussion with pirates,” Viktor retorted, pointing his gun at the next pirate.
Then Sean screamed, terror-stricken.
“H-hey! Allow me to use the medicine without this condition. That’s all I ask. We all have the capacity to work on this condition, starving to death. Starving here, dying by your hands, but it’s the same!”
He was aware that Viktor Dumfelt didn’t negotiate with pirates, but Sean had come this far, determined to achieve something. Sean, who had calmed down, continued.
“Make a choice, Viktor. Consider our terms. Otherwise, I’ll kill this mechanic woman, regardless of how many you kill. I have to gain something.”
Viktor had been gazing upward silently for some time. Scarlett’s face turned pale as her blood flowed. She seemed to have already accepted that Viktor wouldn’t agree to the negotiations.
Viktor reloaded his gun and surveyed the pirates he had brought with him. It was a moral dilemma for him – not negotiating with pirates. It wasn’t just the lives of the men he had lost that he was now contemplating losing; it was also his honour, pride, and the trust of his men. Removing the condition was against the royal family’s will.
Remaining in that stance for a while, Viktor holstered his gun. “Bring Scarlett Crimson. I’ll accept the negotiations.”
Everyone in the vicinity regarded Viktor with a frightened expression upon hearing his words.
♔♔♔
A pirate and a navy officer met halfway and reached a conclusion in their negotiations. Scarlett emerged from the warehouse, and the Navy hurried to assist her in sitting down, taking only a few steps.
Viktor lifted Scarlett and settled her into the carriage. He used a handkerchief to cover the wound on her neck. With pale lips, she asked in a trembling voice.
“The pirate whose fate was sealed… Did you kill him?”
“He’s not dead. He will be dead soon.”
Viktor maintained his calm demeanour. “I had planned to negotiate from the start. We just needed something to negotiate with.”
“You don’t negotiate with pirates.”
“Because, until now, there hasn’t been anything to negotiate for.”
Viktor seated Scarlett, who was in the midst of speaking, on his lap, providing comfort despite wincing in pain.
“Compose yourself. I’m concerned you won’t be able to stand if you faint.”
“Are you trying to scare me…”
“I just told you. You won’t be able to stand if you faint.” Viktor playfully remarked, kissing Scarlett’s hair, then continued, “I’m sorry.”
“What…?”
“I was supposed to escort you, but I failed.”
Scarlett chuckled amidst a cold sweat at his words.
“I hadn’t even realised there was an escort. I suppose I’m a bit slow…”
“The royal police next to you provided quite an escort.”
“I understand.”
Scarlett shivered, feeling the chill as her blood drained. The carriage sped onward, entering a nearby hospital.
♔♔♔
I fell in love with this book when it was still ongoing and read it during COVID, anticipating each chapter’s release. I’ve been translating this book since 2020! I put a lot of time and effort over the years, hours on end manually translating and typing, and comparing with the original book so that my nuances are right, so that my translations are good (five years coming for TIDK).
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