The 17th Princess Just Wants to Live

Albert the Great.

About five years from now, he would become a notorious pirate in the empire.

He roamed the western and southern seas of the empire, gathering large and small pirate crews under his banner. Over time, the pirates began to revere him as their king.

Eventually, Albert brazenly declared his intent to establish a kingdom for pirates and occupied the western islands.

And it was Tristan who ultimately destroyed that pirate kingdom and executed Albert.

That incident allowed Imelda to win the hearts of the western people. I particularly loved the scene where Tristan talked about Imelda in the pirate’s lair.

But was this Albert really that Albert?

“Pirates weren’t unheard of around here, but the ones causing trouble since last fall have been unusually brutal.”

Andrea said, drawing my full attention. If I wanted to know whether his younger brother was the future Pirate King, I needed to hear more.

“These pirates not only wielded surprisingly high-quality weapons but also moved in a disturbingly organized manner, making us suspect there was someone backing them. And then, Albert started flying a pirate flag and attacking western nobles.”

“Your brother attacked nobles…?”

Andrea ground his teeth.

“Not just any nobles. He has been brutally killing those from families that support me as duke. Three families have fallen victim already.”

My jaw dropped.

So, he wanted to become the duke, but since his brother’s faction was too strong, he turned to piracy and started killing nobles who supported his brother? Wasn’t that outright terrorism?

“Other nobles and merchants have been attacked too, but they were ransomed and released. Only my retainers are being killed.”

Andrea’s voice seethed with anger.

“But if this gets out, Albert could never become the duke.”

No matter how common succession battles were, this kind of method would disgust people. Not to mention, the mere fact that the duke’s son was a pirate would be a massive scandal.

“Of course, only a few people know about this. Officially, Albert is said to be on leave for health reasons. As for the knights loyal to him, it’s claimed they deserted out of dissatisfaction with their pay.”

Andrea said he had only learned the truth a few weeks ago.

“One of the nobles who was ransomed told me. He saw several of our family’s knights at the pirates’ hideout. I couldn’t believe it, so I tracked them down, and at the end of that trail… was Albert.”

Andrea thought his brother, who had gone south for treatment, was recuperating. Instead, he was leading a band of pirates.

Andrea immediately stormed into the duke’s office, only to hear something shocking.

“Father said, ‘There’s no proof that Albert ordered this. You’re overreacting just because a few deserters joined a pirate crew. I didn’t know you hated your brother this much.’”

Andrea let out a harsh laugh.

“That’s when I realized. Father knew all along. He knew and chose to overlook it, all because he wanted the son of his beloved woman to become the duke.”

With that, Andrea bowed his head. Silence filled the room.

Richard and I exchanged several glances. The unspoken conversation between us went roughly like this.

– What do we do? Why don’t you comfort him?

– Why me?

– He’s your friend, isn’t he?

– Who said he was my friend?

Sadly, it wasn’t a particularly helpful exchange.

“Brother.”

A soft voice broke the silence.

“Here, take this.”

Christian held out the last remaining cookie to Andrea.

I wasn’t sure if he understood the conversation or if he simply felt sad for Andrea, but either way, it was an endearing gesture.

Andrea looked up at Christian. I expected him to smile, touched by his little brother’s kindness.

But for a brief moment, disgust flashed in Andrea’s eyes as he looked at Christian.

“Ah.”

Even young Christian noticed it.

No, perhaps being young made him even more sensitive to it.

Shrinking back, the boy stammered.

“I’m sorry. I just…”

“No, no. It’s fine. Thank you, Chris.”

Andrea hastily adjusted his expression, taking the cookie from Christian’s hand and popping it into his mouth. Yet, neither Andrea nor Christian looked pleased.

“Aschenbach’s involvement was discovered while digging into Albert’s affairs.”

Andrea said, his voice suddenly became livelier as if trying to dispel the heavy atmosphere.

“Why that shady scoundrel is stirring up the West, I don’t know, but one thing’s certain. This is a declaration of war — not just against Cardina, but the entire western region. I’ll make Aschenbach answer for this.”

It was quite an intriguing story.

Andrea seemed unaware of the rebellion plans. He had merely stumbled upon Aschenbach’s trail while investigating family matters. The personal grudge that developed had only heightened his animosity toward Aschenbach.

From Cardina’s perspective, it must have been baffling. While Aschenbach and Cardina were often grouped together as two dukes of the empire, they were perhaps the furthest apart in every sense — from geographical location to political alignment. The two houses barely had any interaction.

So, for Aschenbach to suddenly strike first, it was no wonder Cardina saw it as a declaration of war.

How much Duke Cardina knew was unclear. At the very least, it seemed the two ducal houses weren’t collaborating on some grand rebellion. That was a relief.

“But Aschenbach is no ordinary opponent. That’s why I sought strong allies and, upon hearing of someone in the imperial court tracking Aschenbach, decided to send an invitation.”

“Where on earth did you hear that?”

I asked, frowning.

“I didn’t. I guessed.”

Andrea replied with a hearty laugh.

I wasn’t amused by his playful attitude. Security matters weren’t something to joke about. I glared at him.

“You expect me to believe that?”

“You don’t have to, but does it matter right now?”

Andrea smiled at me.

“What’s important is what help we can offer each other.”

He had a point.

I pondered for a moment. The jumble of his story and my memories from the original narrative swirled in my head.

“We need evidence that Aschenbach is supporting the western pirates.”

I said bluntly. Andrea seemed to prefer straightforwardness, and I didn’t have time for roundabout pleasantries.

“I have several of their ledgers. They detail how iron ore from Aschenbach’s mines ended up in the West and trace other financial flows.”

Andrea’s reply was as direct as ever. He revealed his card without hesitation.

“In return, I want Albert dead. After that, the old man in my house will need to retire, but that’s a matter for later.”

Andrea glanced at Christian as he spoke.

The Duke of Cardina wouldn’t retire willingly. In the worst-case scenario, Andrea might have to kill his own father.

Though he didn’t seem particularly fond of Christian, he wasn’t cruel enough to speak openly of killing both his father and brother in front of his ten-year-old sibling.

“To get Albert, we’ll need to find the pirates’ base. I have a plan, and if you help, I’ll hand over all the pirates’ ledgers. You can even take whatever you find at Albert’s hideout.”

“And this plan is?”

Andrea grinned slyly.

***

After parting ways with Andrea, we finally unpacked at our lodging.

The place was a two-story mansion with a large yard, located in the countryside a bit away from Cardina’s city center. Richard, who owned the house, called it , though that was by imperial standards.

To a former commoner like me, it was an extravagant residence, especially considering we were only staying for a few days.

Though our river cruise was canceled, we wouldn’t be staying here long. If we accepted Andrea’s proposal, we’d soon be at sea.

“Absolutely not.”

Richard protested. Specifically, I had to convince him to agree.

“Using imperial family as bait? That lunatic must be out of his mind!”

“It’s a bold plan, isn’t it? I like it.”

Andrea’s plan was simple.

Richard and I would pose as wealthy merchants on a lavish ship, sailing through waters frequented by pirates. When Albert’s pirates attacked, we’d be captured and taken to their hideout.

Andrea, having planted a tracking device on us beforehand, would then lead Cardina’s navy to destroy the pirates.

“You like it? You’re the one who’d be captured!”

Richard exclaimed.

“The whole point is for the imperial family to be taken hostage.”

Andrea’s choice of us as bait revolved around Duke Cardina.

The duke had turned a blind eye to Albert’s actions — perhaps even aided him.

Without the duke’s permission, Andrea couldn’t mobilize the navy, as Cardina’s forces prioritized the duke’s command over those of the young duke.

But what if the imperial family were involved?

Imperial law equated harming the imperial family members with treason. If the duke refused to act on news of an imperial kidnapping, he’d be committing a grave crime himself.

Andrea planned to use us to corner both his father and brother.

“Andrea hasn’t killed anyone who wasn’t an enemy. If we offer a ransom, they probably won’t harm us.”

“Do you even know what pirates are? Plenty of them are lunatics who wear human fingers as belt decorations. You don’t know if they’ll cut off your ear or your nose!”

His concerns were valid. I appreciated his care, as always. But I, too, had my reasons for not backing down.

“But Brother.”

I said, meeting his gaze firmly.

“If I don’t go, this plan will fail.”