The Villainess’ Beloved Plan: The Struggles to Avoid a Doomed End - Chapter 74

“Why would D’Artano take Sophia away?”

Randall twisted his head as he read D’Artano’s message to Cyril.

After reading it, Cyril had concluded that D’Artano had taken Sophia, but it didn’t quite make sense to Randall.

Randall knew D’Artano was royalty from the exiled kingdom of Feldrad. What could the exiled royalty want Sophia for?

“That’s …….”

Cyril’s words were muffled, as if he was reluctant to say them, but it was an unexpected person who gave the answer to Randall’s question.

“It’s because D’Artano is a pirate.”

It was Raqqa. When Randall turned around in surprise, Raqqa’s expression was not the fluffy, easygoing smile he always had, but a frowning face, as if pondering something.

“A pirate?”

“Yes. If he took Lady Sophia, isn’t it more likely that the D’Artano you speak of is the pirate D’Artano?”

“How could you possibly know that?”

Randall became increasingly suspicious. That’s probably not an information that an amateur painter will know. Could it be that he was trying to catch D’Artano and draw a picture of him? That’s stupid

Raqqa smiled slightly and took a small golden badge from his pocket. Randall had seen that badge, which depicted a ship’s sail and a dragon about to ascend to the heavens.

Right, it was the naval lapel badge of the Saladora nation.

“I’m sorry for not telling you. I’m actually a navy man who was undercover to trial D’Artano. I came to this town following an eyewitness report of sighting D’Artano’s ship in the Alto Sea, and if that’s true, then Lady Sophia, who was taken away, might be in this area …….’

“I see, so it’s the navy. If that’s the case, then that makes sense then… I don’t have a choice. I’m going to tell you, because I can’t hide it, that D’Artagno is definitely the pirate D’Artagno himself. I had the chance to get to know him a while ago, and in fact I gave him a job. I told the D’Artagno that I was looking for a woman to play the role of my lover to prevent his engagement to Carnelia. The reward is gold coins and a legal pirate’s permit issued by Verhund. A righteous pirate’s permit.”

“So D’Artagno kidnapped Sophia in exchange for the reward.”

“Kidnapped, or perhaps she’s following him now of her own volition, but I’m guessing that’s how it’s turned out.”

“But why ……?”

“That’s easy to guess. She just liked him.”

Cyril held his forehead and exhaled.

“I don’t know what the pirates are thinking, but I kind of know what D’Artano is thinking. He just wanted Sophia. That’s why he took her. That’s the kind of man he is.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“However, D’Artagno must be very serious. He has no reason to be loyal to me or Duke Voltio and wait leisurely in the Castle because his job was finished the moment he brought Sophia to me. It would have been merely his whim that had kept him company so far. …… Now I regret that I didn’t give him a new job contract and his reward.”

Randall was stunned. That meant Sophia could have been kidnapped by pirates and taken somewhere in the ocean. If they went far enough away, they might not even be able to trace her.

A heavy silence filled the room and a little later, Orion slowly opened his mouth.

“Mr. Raqqa, you said earlier that there was a sighting of D’Artano’s ship in this area. In other words, doesn’t D’Artano have something he wants to get in this area? And speaking of things in the waters around here…”

“….. You don’t mean, the Tears of the Selkie?”

Orion nods. He couldn’t say anything, so he remained silent. but D’Artagno route gives information that he found out where a large number of selkie tears were sunk, and that he came out to this area to go after them. In the D’Artano route, the details were not told because the story progression did not need the Selkie Tears, but if they succeeded, they could kill two birds with one stone by following D’Artano’s trail and getting back Sophia and obtaining the Selkie Tears at the same time.

“Right, It’s possible.”

Raqqa nodded.

“D’Artagno is a pirate who is more likely to go for such treasure lying somewhere than for plunder from other ships. The most valuable thing around here is, as you say, the selkie tears.”

“So you’re saying that if we look for the selkie tears, we’ll end up meeting D’Artagno?”

“Yes. And vice versa?”

“I see. It would be more efficient to look for D’Artano’s ship than to search in the dark for the selkie tear, which we don’t know the location of.”

Cyril turned his gaze to Raqqa.

“You said you belong to the Saladora navy. I need your help. We know D’Artano’s face. I’m sure we can provide you with information.”

Raqqa frowned.

“However this is a mission and it’s not up to me…”

“I see. Then what about this? Her Royal Highness the second princess of your country gave Sophia a strange thing called a love potion. We came here to get the antidote. In other words, we were forced to leave the castle because of Princess Carnelia, and during that time Sophia was kidnapped.How will your country take responsibility for this? ”

Cyril had the perfect smile on his face, but this was definitely a threat. He is saying that if he doesn’t cooperate, he will hold him responsible. If he is held responsible and Sophia is taken far away by D’Artano, then Saladora will pay a good price. The princess cannot be forgiven for doing what she did on her own.

Raqqa looked thoughtfully for a while and then shrugged.

“I understand. I am the one in charge of tracking D’Artagno and I will spare no effort to help you in this matter.”

After saying that he would contact his superiors, Raqqa stood up, bowed with a troubled expression and left the room.