Chapter 88. Anna

Charles propped himself up on the bed and instructed Bandages to unravel all the bandages wrapped around his body. As the wrappings fell away, a chaotic maze of tattoos revealed itself. Charles leaned in and studied the text in detail.

"Help! I'm stuck in this body, and I can't get out. A demon has taken my place! Don't believe a single word he says!"

Just reading the first line of text was enough to send a chill down Charles' spine, and a plethora of thoughts crossed his mind. He stole a glance at Bandages, who remained silent. Charles kept quiet and continued reading.

"Don't believe Ginny! She's not your daughter!"

"Don't search for anything, your current life is the dream you have been living out.”

"Your name's Freud. You have it all now—women, money, honor. You are lucky! Don't think of anything else!"

"Never go out to the seas. There're no answers there."

"Remember, your life's goal is to kill Sika! It killed my wife Ginny!"

"Find the Black Crystal. It's poisonous. Eat it and see if it has any use."

"I am tired, I want to offer everything to the almighty and all-knowing Fhtagn god."

"Find the light of the sea! It's behind our curse!”

The tattoos were contradictory ramblings and nonsense scattered all over Bandages' body. Charles couldn't find a thread of relevance between each line of text. Useful information was sparse.

Apart from knowing that Bandages' original name was Freud, Charles only faced a large number of nouns, and he had no idea what to make out of them.

"I've looked at them... but they're useless... I don't remember... when I got them..." Bandage murmured.

Charles let out a sigh. Indeed. If these tattoos had useful information, Bandages wouldn't have been in his current state.

"Hmm? What's this?" Charles's finger reached toward a raised bulge on Bandage's skin.

"Don't... Don't touch it!" Bandages swiftly halted Charles. He seemed to be really sensitive over that swollen piece of skin. "I also... don't... know why, but... I... feel... it's... important... to me."

Hearing Bandages' explanation, Charles withdrew his hand.

"Alright, you may leave. If you remember anything, let me know," Charles instructed.

No matter what was Bandages' previous identity, his only role now was the First Mate of the Narwhale.

Charles pulled out his diary and drew a bold cross over the coordinates of the island that they had just escaped from.

Regardless of whether that island was indeed an extension of that writhing mass in the water, it yielded nothing of value. It was certainly not an island that "King" had used as his resupply point.

Charles' pen hovered across the remaining island. Excluding the three islands that Kord was exploring, there were only a few left within their steamship's range.

As long as they could find a resupply point, they could venture further to explore the distant islands.

***

"Father! Why did you intercept my telegrams?! No wonder Mr. Charles had never responded to me. He never received them!"

Dressed in an exquisite white gown, Margaret was fiercely questioning her father, Daniel, who sat behind a long wooden table. The Governor of the Isle of Whereto was usually fearless, but he could feel his head pounding from his daughter's outburst. His lips pursed as he attempted to calm her.

"Do we really have to talk about this during your birthday banquet? Everyone is waiting for you. Why don't you join your friends now? We’ll discuss this tomorrow."

"No!" Margaret was firm about getting to the end of the issue. "This is way more important than any birthday party! You've surely read those telegrams that I sent, haven't you?"

"Sweetheart, I'm doing this for your own good. I cannot allow you to put yourself in danger once again." Daniel's voice was laced with concern and frustration.

"How can you do this?! Mr. Charles is my friend! He's not dangerous!" Margaret's cheeks were flushed with anger.

Daniel's forehead bulged with veins, and his daughter's actions tipped his rage over the edge. He brought down his left fist on the long table, splitting the solid wood into two halves. His roar filled the room, reaching even the ears of the guards standing outside the room.

"Enough! I've told you that you are forbidden from keeping in touch with him! Both of you are from different worlds! If you continue such actions, don't blame me for sending someone to end that greedy lunatic!"

Margaret was struck speechless by Daniel's words, standing frozen in shock for a brief three seconds before tears began to flow down her pale face. She bit her lips tightly and dashed out of the room, but not before hurling her words back at him with a mixture of anger and sorrow.

"Father! I hate you!!"

Watching his daughter's retreating figure, Daniel was left in the room, quaking in fear. He looked around, and his gaze finally landed on a bronze statue nearby. His hand reached out and grabbed the statue. The cold metal twisted and crumbled in his grip, but it did nothing much to quell the fury in him.

Meanwhile, Margaret had run to the cold and deserted garden. She threw herself onto a bench and succumbed to her tears as she wept uncontrollably.

A woman slowly approached her. She was Margaret's mother, Kalytha. She knew all too well the fiery tempers of both her husband and daughter and had anticipated this outcome. Dressed in an elegant evening gown, she sat next to her daughter.

"Your father is like that," Kalytha gently consoled Margaret. "Wait until he has calmed down and talk to him nicely once more. We're all family, after all. There's no need to make things so ugly between us."

"I hate him," Margaret muttered as she sorrowfully plucked petals from a flower in her hand.

"Darling, it's your birthday today. Come back and cut the cake. Everyone's waiting for you," Kalytha coaxed.

"Mother, I don't want to go. Just leave me alone for a while," Margaret said and turned her head away in a clear demonstration of her obstinacy.

"Is this Charles really that important to you?" Kalytha asked.

The mention of Charles' name brought a flush on Margaret's cheeks, and she lowered her head. "No... I just want to thank him once more. If he hadn't helped me, I could have failed to make it back."

Observing her daughter's behavior, Kalytha shook her head in a mixture of understanding and helplessness. Having been young once herself, she couldn't fail to recognize the signs of her daughter's blossoming affection for the man.

"My darling, I know what you might be thinking. But you know as well. He's an Explorer, a ship's captain. You two are not compatible."

"So what if he's an Explorer? Our ancestors were explorers, too! Without them exploring the sea, there would have been no Whereto!" Margaret retorted in defiance.

Kalytha let out a sigh as she explained, "You don't get what I mean. You know how dangerous that life might be. Do you want to become a widow at such a young age? Like Anna?"Before Margaret could protest, a soft cough sounded from behind them.

Both Margaret and Kalytha turned to see a stunning woman standing behind them, wearing a black hat that was accented by a veil.

The woman's high-slit, low-cut black silk gown clung to her body and emphasized her graceful curves. Her exquisite beauty radiated an entrancing charm that was impossible to ignore.

Kalytha's face flushed with embarrassment. Talking bad behind someone's back only to have them overhear was awkward.

She hurriedly stood up and said, "Miss Anna. I didn't mean what I said in that way. I was only trying to comfort my daughter."

"Lady Kalytha, I understand, and I'm not angry. Why don't you let me speak to Miss Margaret instead? We are of a similar age and might find more common ground."

Seeing her daughter still lost in her sullen mood, Kalytha gave a gentle nod and turned to leave. Perhaps her daughter needed to hear this woman's firsthand account of the grief and pain that came with losing a husband.

The garden grew quiet again as Kalytha's footsteps faded into the distance.

Meanwhile, Anna gracefully sat next to Margaret.