Regal [h.s au]

29. Miss Cortez

AMELIA

I hold my head high as I climb on the deck of The Raider, Captain Cortez's famous ship. The smell of sea and salt engulfs me, seagulls screeching in the distance, waves hitting the rocky shore with loud splashes. The Captain's crew members move out of the way as I walk, creating a path for me, voices whispering all around me. I don't know whether their obvious fear is because of my father or because they believe in that woman on board is bad luck nonsense.

I suddenly stop, carefully trailing my gaze over each of them before abruptly pulling out my dagger, the blade glistening in the sun. The pirates all recoil back, some of them gasping audibly as I fight a smirk from spreading over my lips. It might be they are just genuinely afraid of me. I polish the dagger with my skirt before putting it back in its place, continuing to walk towards the captain's cabin.

My chest expands as I take a deep breath, fingers wrapping around the handle and opening the door. It takes me a few moments to actually enter the cabin, its vast interior greeting me. Paintings are hung on the walls along with two silver swords forming an x, a desk with a nautical map on it and a compass settled on top of it.

"Amelia," Captain Cortez's rough voice says as he steps out of the shadows in the corner of the room, his black hat perched on his head. He hasn't changed at all, a few wrinkles settled beneath his eyes the only sign of his age. "Por fin, mi hija." (Finally, my daughter.)

"What do you want?" I bluntly ask. I know how much it bothered him when I didn't talk to him in our native tongue when I was a child, so I plan on not doing it today as well. He always made sure to remind me of my ancestry, about my mother's and his origins.

"No quieres abrazar a tu padre?" (You don't want to hug your father?) He asks, but when I stay silent, he lets out a sigh. "All right, I see how is this going to be."

"You honestly cannot tell me you expected a heartwarming reunion. The only reason I'm here is because you dared to meddle into something sacred to me, and that is my family, my sister. You had no right to force yourself into her life," I harshly say.

"She is my daughter, I had every right!" The Captain raises his voice. "And you, Amelia, you are my firstborn, the one that should be by my side and one day taking my place."

"I'll pass," I flatly remark. "You either answer me why am I here or I'm leaving, life is too short to spend my precious minutes on someone like you."

He sighs, a brief flash of pain washing over his features. "I needed to warn you, Amelia. The moment I heard you work in the palace for the King of Solis, I knew I needed to protect you."

"Protect me? From what?" I frown.

"Me," he quietly says. "All of us. We shall invade Solis soon."

My heart stops for a second as fear rushes through me. "You... what?" I pace towards him, my angry glare directed at him. "What the devil are you talking about?"