"Whose ship are we on, though?" Aurianna wondered as she surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings.
"Hmm, a familiar scent mixed with so new ones," she mumbled, her nose twitching slightly.
"And I’m starving," she grumbled, rubbing her growling stomach.
"All you ever think about is food, Aurianna!" Eva scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"My tummy speaks, and I must heed its call," Aurianna responded with a nonchalant nod.
"To the kitchen, then!" she declared, getting up and readying herself to leave the room.
"Do you even know where it is?" Eva asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I have no idea," Aurianna replied with a thumbs-up.
"You really need to fix that sense of direction of yours. Besides, the ship is different, so the kitchen might not be where you’d expect," Eva cautioned.
"One day, maybe," Aurianna shrugged.
"And I need to trim these nails; they’ve grown way too long," she muttered, noticing her overgrown claws.
"Before I head to the kitchen, I definitely need a good bath and a change of clothes," Aurianna added as she caught sight of herself in a full-length mirror near the door.
Her hair was disheveled, her dress torn in places—though, thankfully, not revealing too much due to its durable fabric. Her face was smudged with dirt, and her lips were chapped.
"There’s a bathroom at the end of the room," Eva pointed out.
"Really? Let see!" Aurianna bead, rushing to the door and opening it to reveal a luxurious bathroom. A large tub stood in the center, already filled with bubbles. A bath sponge and towel were neatly set aside.
"Since I knew you were going to wake up, I prepared you a bath. You worry so much, child," Eva sighed, shaking her head.
"Looks perfect! Thank you, Eva! I’ll be out in two hours!" Aurianna chirped happily before disappearing into the bathroom.
"Worriso child," Eva muttered with a slight smile.
---
Two hours later, Aurianna finally erged from the bath, fully dressed and feeling refreshed. She wore a sumr dress adorned with floral prints and a pair of sandals. Her hair was neatly combed and trimd.
"Ah, that was a good bath," Aurianna sighed contentedly, her expression clearly relaxed. "I’m so happy to finally be out of that annoying sea after two whole years!" she declared, raising her hand in a victorious pose.
"Hmm, ti to et the others, I guess," Aurianna murmured before opening her room door to reveal a hallway.
’I just need to follow the strongest flow of mana and move toward it. Let’s do this,’ Aurianna thought, locking onto a concentrated area of mana before teleporting there.
She materialized in front of a door and stepped inside, finding herself in a dining room where people were already seated. The room was eerily quiet, and she imdiately noticed 14 individuals at the table.
Boara, Kiana, Hadina, Avriel, Jugi, Jade, Zagan, and seven unfamiliar faces were seated, eating various fish-based dishes. The unfamiliar group seed extrely uncomfortable, but they tried their best to eat.
"Ohhh, Aurianna, you’re awake!" Jugi chirped, waving as he noticed her approach. "Good to see you’re doing better. I could use so good rest myself to help this old back of mine," he chuckled.
"How long have I been asleep?" Aurianna asked.
"Just a few hours," Kiana replied. "And I’m glad you’re doing well," she added.
"Thanks," Aurianna responded with a smile.
’Wow, she smiled. Is she an imposter? No way—she still has those dead blue eyes. It’s definitely her!’ Kiana thought as she chewed her food, glancing at Aurianna.
"You woke up earlier than I expected," Jade remarked coldly, staring at her.
"Well, I’m not one to sleep the day away," Aurianna replied with a smirk.
’That shot was supposed to keep her asleep for at least a few days. Yet she woke up in just eight hours. Interesting,’ Jade mused, his brows furrowing for a mont before he resud eating.
"Well, I got dinner ready, so wanna join us?" Avriel asked with a proud smile.
"I never knew you as the cooking type," Aurianna chuckled.
"I may not look like it, but I actually know how to make so Russian dishes!" Avriel huffed, snorting with amusent.
"Russian?" Aurianna blurted, confused by the unfamiliar word.
"Never mind that—just co sit down and eat," Avriel insisted.
"Master, co sit by , , !" Hadina eagerly called out, pointing to the empty seat next to her.
"Avriel," Aurianna called while sitting beside Hadina, imdiately piling her plate.
"Yes, Aurianna?" Avriel responded.
"Please stop staring at them like they’re food," Aurianna said with a passive-aggressive smile as she noticed Avriel eyeing the unfamiliar seven people—four teenage boys and three girls, with Avriel’s gaze particularly fixed on the boys.
"Oh, the freshness of youth," Avriel sighed, causing Aurianna to scrunch up her face in disgust.
"What’s that look for?" Avriel asked, noticing Aurianna’s expression.
"Don’t try that around ," Aurianna growled before picking up her fork to start eating.
"Fine," Avriel muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Princess Aurianna Vanluad, do you rember ?" Saem suddenly blurted out, his tone serious as he stared at her from across the table.
"Who are you again?" Aurianna asked, a bit confused, as she looked up to see a burly guy with hair covering most of his face.
"We t four years ago. You used to attack pirates, and you saved . Your reason was pretty ridiculous—you said it was because I looked funny," Saem said with a slight chuckle.
"I used to attack a lot of pirates back then, so you’ll have to be more specific," Aurianna replied.
"Take a good look at my nose," Saem said, brushing his hair aside to reveal his face.
"Oh, long-nose boy, it’s you! You’ve grown so much from that scrawny kid you were!" Aurianna exclaid, clearly surprised.
’Wow, the captain actually knows this lady. She’s beautiful, but she looks scary too. I hope Captain Saem hasn’t brought us to our doom calling them to stay here,’ the young shark man nad Niar thought nervously.
"I’m surprised to run into you out here like this," Saem added with a light smile.
’So it’s his ship—or maybe not? Everyone here looks as young as him. Seven of them seem to manage this ship, but how?’ Aurianna wondered.
"Oh, Aurianna, I just wanted to ntion that I altered the ship to accommodate all of us," Jugi chid in, hoping to clarify things.
"That makes sense and explains a lot," Aurianna said with a nod.
"Who’s she, Captain Saem?" a curious cat girl asked, her brown eyes darting between Saem and Aurianna.
"Princess Aurianna Vanluad of Sandeph," Saem answered calmly, recalling the day they t on that ship.
After the ship was destroyed, Saem had managed to survive and swim to shore. Over the next two years, he befriended his current crewmates, and together, they decided to beco pirates. They eventually acquired a ship and set out to sea. Fortunately, they weren’t inexperienced, as they all ca from a sailing background, which made it easier for them to adapt.
"Why are you all the way out here at sea?" Saem asked.
"Just dealing with so complicated stuff. What about you?" Aurianna replied.
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