Sarah had once known a happy family.
As the beloved daughter of the renowned gunsmith Abigale Fortune, Sarah spent most of her joyful childhood in a workshop on a small island near the coast.
Her mother was a legendary figure in the art of gunsmithing, famous throughout the region. Custom pistols made by her could be found among the prized collections of countless wealthy merchants and captains.
Sarah dreamed of becoming just as skilled as her mother one day.
Then, one day, that famous reputation inevitably drew the attention of a Bilgewater raider who had only recently begun making a name for himself.
He came to their home and demanded that Sarah's mother craft him a pair of pistols unlike any others in the world. Though reluctant, she eventually accepted the commission.
A year later, the pirate returned with nothing but a filthy scarf covering his face. He clearly intended to take the weapons by force.
Abigale realized that the raider had become a heartless monster, so she refused to hand over the two pistols she had painstakingly crafted.
Enraged by her refusal, the raider seized the guns and used the weapons she had created to shoot her. Then he turned them on her husband and the young Sarah.
Afterward, for no reason beyond pure malice, he set fire to the workshop and smashed the pistols against the stones, determined to erase everything Fortune had ever created from Runeterra.
By sheer luck, Sarah survived.
She dragged her badly wounded body out of the workshop, which had already been reduced to ruins, while flames filled everything she could see.
Her family, her friends, and every adult she had known died in that fire.
Everything beautiful in her life was destroyed that day.
The pirate responsible was the man now at the height of his power, the self-proclaimed Pirate King, Gangplank.
Hatred kept Sarah alive. She repaired her mother's pistols and swore that one day she would make Gangplank pay.
She would destroy everything he possessed.
Simply killing him would never be enough.
"Have I made myself clear now?"
Sarah looked expressionlessly at Luke. Even after tearing open the wound buried within her heart, she no longer cared.
Over the years, that wound had tormented her more times than she could count.
It was precisely that pain that had given her the strength to endure in silence until now.
"What a tragic past."
After hearing the entire story, Luke offered a modest amount of sympathy.
"I didn't tell you this to earn your sympathy." Sarah's blue eyes remained fixed on Luke. "I'm explaining that I only wanted your money. Revenge is expensive, and I desperately need funds."
She wanted to say that she had never intended to do them any real harm, but after considering it, she realized that the malice had begun the moment she decided to rob them.
More importantly, she had discovered that Luke was extremely difficult to understand.
He was unlike ordinary men. Sarah could normally take one look at them and immediately guess what was happening inside their walnut-sized brains.
This man was different.
From the moment they met until now, she had not understood him at all.
His calm, unfathomable eyes constantly gave her the strange impression that he already knew everything.
It was unsettling.
Sarah had no confidence when dealing with someone she could not read.
"In that case, let's make a deal," Luke said gently.
"A deal?"
Confusion appeared in Sarah's eyes. She stared at him, trying to determine what he was planning.
Even after thinking for some time, she reached no conclusion.
"What kind of deal?"
"You want revenge, don't you? I'll help you achieve it." A smile appeared on Luke's lips as he looked at Sarah. "Once your revenge is complete, you'll agree to one request from me."
Sarah considered his words for several seconds.
"What request?"
"Allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Luke Lightshield, and I come from Demacia."
Luke held the gaze of those beautiful eyes, which had frozen in surprise, while maintaining his smile.
"Lightshield..."
Sarah stared at him.
She was hardly ignorant of events beyond Bilgewater.
On the contrary, she had spent years gathering information about Gangplank in preparation for their confrontation. During that time, she had also learned a great deal about the world beyond Bilgewater.
If there was one name that had become particularly famous across Valoran recently, it was Luke Lightshield.
He had personally led an army against Noxus and forced the empire to sign an armistice within a matter of months.
Afterward, he had traveled to Piltover and forged an alliance with the City of Progress.
Every report concerning him indicated the same thing.
Demacia was no longer the nation it had once been. After keeping its gates closed for so many years, the kingdom finally seemed ready to make its presence felt.
That was why Sarah was momentarily stunned when the man before her personally spoke that name.
It took her some time to recover. Even then, suspicion remained in her eyes as she studied Luke.
"Why would a prince of Demacia come to a place like this?"
On a map of Runeterra, Bilgewater was located in an extremely remote corner of the world.
Sarah found it difficult to believe that such an important figure would appear in the Blue Flame Isles.
Before tonight, had anyone suddenly made such a claim, she would have assumed they were insane.
Now, however, she merely found it difficult to accept.
"Obviously, I came here for a reason, but that isn't what you should be concerned about right now. You should be thinking about how to take your revenge."
Luke smiled.
He saw no reason to continue hiding his identity. Revealing it would make his proposal far more convincing.
His next objective was naturally Bilgewater.
The port city was already quite close to the Shadow Isles. If a Hexgate could be constructed here, then should a crisis erupt on the Shadow Isles in the future, they would be able to react immediately.
Unfortunately, Bilgewater was currently a chaotic mess.
Gangplank appeared to rule the city, but he was selfish and interested only in exploiting others. He was not a decent person by any measure and was clearly unsuitable as a partner.
From that perspective, Sarah was an excellent alternative.
Although she had spent years living in the filth of Bilgewater, she had preserved certain principles she refused to violate.
If she could become Bilgewater's new Pirate King, everything else could proceed smoothly.
By now, Sarah was more than halfway convinced that Luke had told the truth about his identity.
She had an instinctive ability to detect the scent of a lie, and her instincts told her he was being honest.
Besides, what reason did he have to lie?
They had never met before today.
Was he pretending to be a prince merely to trick her into accepting his mysterious request?
Even then, she could simply break her promise afterward.
Perhaps he only wanted the satisfaction of deceiving her, but Luke did not seem that childish. Besides, she had nothing worth deceiving him for.
Therefore, there was a very good chance that he truly was Luke Lightshield.
Sarah did not care much that he was a prince. She would not suddenly become deferential simply because of his title.
However, another thought occurred to her.
If he truly was a prince, did that not mean he could directly mobilize Demacia's military?
When Gangplank returned, he could find the Demacian navy waiting for him, ready to blast him so thoroughly that not even his ashes remained.
Luke guessed exactly what Sarah was thinking. He calmly took a sip of tea.
"I suggest you abandon those unrealistic fantasies. Demacia's military isn't going to participate in a minor personal feud. Besides, you wouldn't want a foreign nation interfering and destroying everything that makes Bilgewater what it is."
"A minor personal feud..."
Sarah returned to her senses.
Hearing her revenge dismissed as something so insignificant stung, but she could not bring herself to become angry.
If this man truly was the prince of Demacia, then from his perspective, her conflict with Gangplank probably did seem minor.
Besides, the second half of his statement was correct.
If Demacia truly intervened, the entire meaning of the conflict would change.
A powerful nation would be imposing its will upon Bilgewater, and everything in the city would inevitably fall under foreign influence.
Since ancient times, the Blue Flame Isles had remained distant from the three continents, national governments, militaries, and politics. They were the final refuge available to anyone with nowhere else to go.
Whether a person had been good or evil before arriving, Bilgewater offered them new possibilities for the future.
If such a place were placed under the strict rule of a foreign nation, it would probably become an unnatural mockery of itself.
The thought alone sent a chill through Sarah.
She had lived here for many years. Although the city was filled with detestable people, she had also witnessed plenty of good within it.
She did not want the future she had just imagined to become reality.
"So, redhead, have you made your decision?"
Luke's teacup was nearly empty again. He looked at Sarah, who remained deep in thought, and casually urged her to answer.
Sarah raised her eyes toward him.
"What is your request?"
"You'll find out when the time comes." Luke smiled. "You can also relax. I won't ask you to offer me your body or anything like that. The choice is yours. If you refuse, I'll simply find someone else and make them the same offer."
Sarah was not his only option.
She had merely appeared at precisely the moment he needed someone like her.
It also helped that Luke had naturally viewed her somewhat favorably from the beginning.
"Do I really have a choice?" A smile finally returned to Sarah's face, though it carried a faint chill. "Very well, Your Highness. I accept your condition. Can you untie me now?"
Her hands and feet had remained bound throughout the entire conversation, and the restraints were extremely uncomfortable.
"Of course."
Luke glanced at Yurna.
Yurna stepped forward and removed the ropes binding Sarah.
Finally free again, Sarah tried to stand, only to collapse helplessly back into her seat. Her legs felt weak, and there was still no strength in her body.
"The drug hasn't worn off yet," Luke explained. "Its effects should last for approximately another hour."
Sarah took a deep breath, but she did not appear particularly interested in speaking to him at the moment.
"To celebrate our new partnership, let's have a drink."
Luke personally stood and poured Sarah a glass of liquor he had brought himself.
Sarah watched as a liquid as clear as spring water gradually filled half the glass.
After hesitating, she picked it up and exhaled the frustration in her chest.
"Cheers!"
Since she had already agreed to work with him, there was no point in continuing to brood over it.
She had never been an indecisive woman. Without a decisive personality, she could never have made a name for herself in Bilgewater.
She had accepted the situation.
After clinking glasses with Luke, Sarah instinctively raised the cup to her red lips and drained it in a single swallow.
A few glistening drops escaped from the corner of her mouth.
Most of the liquor entered her mouth. The moment the half glass touched her tongue, a powerful fragrance erupted across her senses.
Rich, fiery, sweet, and smooth, several different flavors blended together, producing a remarkably pleasant taste.
At the same time, it carried an incredible punch.
It was not harsh in an unpleasant sense, but rather possessed the natural force of exceptionally strong liquor.
It was more powerful than anything Sarah had ever drunk.
As soon as it entered her stomach, heat spread through her lower abdomen. Within moments, a rosy flush appeared across her pale face.
Her eyes immediately became slightly unfocused as the alcohol surged upward.
"What kind of liquor is this?"
Sarah was famous around these parts for being able to drink endlessly without becoming intoxicated. Yet after only half a glass, she could already feel herself becoming drunk.
"It's a five-grain moonshine I distilled myself. I forgot to mention that it's extremely strong, so you're supposed to sip it slowly."
Luke smiled, revealing his clean white teeth.
He looked exactly like a cheerful, kindhearted young man filled with sunshine.
Anyone who saw him would instinctively find him more likable.
Sarah wanted to punch him in the face.
She shook her head, making her wine-red hair sway around her. The liquor was certainly powerful.
Had he truly forgotten to warn her?
He had obviously remained silent on purpose because he wanted to see her embarrass herself.
"If you're uncomfortable, you can spit it out," Luke added.
Sarah immediately snorted.
"This is nothing. I was merely caught off guard."
She suddenly remembered something.
She had arranged to meet her first mate, Rafen, and several other subordinates tonight to discuss their next move.
There was probably not much time left before the meeting. If she failed to arrive, they would most likely bring people here looking for her.
An unavoidable misunderstanding would follow.
Sarah did not want her true strength exposed yet.
People currently knew only that she had recruited a few assistants. They did not realize that her hidden forces were already comparable to those commanded by the captain of a major pirate vessel.
Thinking of this, Sarah gritted her teeth and looked at Luke.
"My people may come looking for me soon. We need to meet them before that happens."
"Sure."
Luke nodded and gestured toward Yurna.
Understanding immediately, Yurna rose and moved beside Sarah, helping her to her feet.
Sarah leaned against Yurna. The sight of two beautiful women pressed together was pleasing enough on its own.
Sarah had assumed Luke would personally volunteer to support her. Instead, he merely glanced at them before opening the door and leaving the private room.
Yurna followed while supporting Sarah.
The moment Sarah stood, the alcoholic force that had not yet fully struck her suddenly spread throughout her body. The entire world seemed to spin.
Her legs were especially weak. Her steps were unsteady, and her body trembled slightly with every movement.
The three of them quickly attracted the attention of many patrons inside the Nine-Roar Hydra.
Numerous gazes turned toward them. When everyone saw Sarah slumped in Yurna's arms, they froze.
Miss Fortune's eyes were hazy, and a flushed, dreamlike intoxication colored her face. Her gaze carried a seductive softness capable of melting a man's bones, an expression no one in the tavern had ever seen from her before.
Her legs were weak, and she needed someone to support her merely to walk.
She was clearly drunk.
No.
How could Miss Fortune possibly be drunk?
No one had ever seen her intoxicated.
More and more eyes gathered on Luke, the man who had entered the private room with Miss Fortune earlier.
Looking completely refreshed, he walked to the bar and tossed down seven or eight gold coins.
"Here's the bill. Keep the rest as a tip."
At that sight, every experienced man in Bilgewater immediately believed he understood exactly what had happened.
Hearts shattered throughout the tavern.
Miss Fortune had never allowed any man to pay for her drinks before.
The men stared at Luke with red eyes, their hearts aching so badly they could barely breathe. Yet after seeing his face, they grudgingly admitted that challenging him in the looks department would be pointless.
Damn pretty boy!
For many of them, tonight would be the night their dreams died, the night their hearts broke, and the night they drank themselves senseless.
There was only one reason.
Bilgewater's most beautiful flower had finally been plucked.
Even worse, the bastard already had an incredibly beautiful woman beside him, yet he had still extended his wicked hands toward Miss Fortune.
At that moment, everyone saw Miss Fortune, who had been supported by Yurna, suddenly reach out and seize Luke's clothes.
Her feet slipped, and her alluring body fell into his arms. Her slender arms wrapped around his neck as she lifted herself and whispered something that looked suspiciously like sweet affection into his ear.
A chorus of breaking hearts seemed to echo through the tavern.
Countless men were completely devastated. Their breathing grew heavy as the last remaining fragment of hope within them vanished.
They had never seen Miss Fortune act so forward with a man.
Never.
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