Devil's Prisoner of Love by Prefer

The train journey lasted over five hours. Julian sat in his seat, staring at the fleeting scenery outside the window. Four years ago, he had lost Aurora. She had suffered so much because of him. This time, he vowed to find her as soon as possible and never let her leave again.

By the the arrived at the small coastal town, it was already afternoon. Julian had eaten a quick meal on the train, and as soon as he stepped off, he headed straight for the port.

Though it was his first tvisiting this place, Julian didn't feel unfamiliar with it. Aurora had been here before, and that alone made it resonate with him.

Fortunately, the port wasn't large, and the number of passing ships stopping here would be limited. If there had only been one ship passing through that morning, someone might have seen it and remembered. After all, if it weren't for Genevieve's clues, he wouldn't even know this much. Fate, it seemed, was still on his side.

When Julian arrived at the port, he was greeted by a desolate scene. A few fishing boats were docked, and the atmosphere was eerily quiet.

He decided to ask around. Observing the people nearby, Julian looked for someone older, someone who had likely spent a long tin the area.

"Sir, what are you doing here?" Julian approached an elderly man who was smoking and sitting on the steps, gazing out at the sea.

"Waiting for the sunset. I chere every day to watch the sea, the sunrise, and the sunset. Young man, what brings you here?" The old man turned to look at him.

"Sir, I'm searching for my fiancée. She loves the sea too." "Oh? Where is she now?" "I lost her. I need to find her again. Sir, would you be willing to help me?" "What can an old man likedo for you?" "It's like this..." Julian briefly explained the situation.

The old man nodded in understanding. "On the morning of the 22nd, around nine o'clock, letthink... At that time, I seem to remember two ships. But I'm not sure which one your fiancée was on." "What did the two ships look like?" "One was a passenger ship, the other... a black ship." Julian immediately ruled out the passenger ship. It had to be the black one. "Sir, do you recognize that black ship?" "It had black sails and no flag or markings. But that ship didn't look ordinary-it wasn't a proper ship." "Not a proper ship? What do you mean?" "You young people might not know this, but I grew up by the sea. Seventy or eighty years ago, it wasn't as peaceful as it is now. Back then, bandits roamed the mountains, and pirates terrorized the seas. My hometown was a small fishing village, and occasionally, pirate ships would anchor just outside the village.

"Those pirate ships flew flags with skulls or daggers, and they often had black sails. When I saw that ship the other morning, I knew-it had to be a pirate ship.

"Even though there wasn't a skull flag flying, I noticed it had cannons. Nowadays, with such strict controls on firearms and weapons, who would dare install cannons on their ship? The people who disembarked looked rough and unkempt-clearly not decent folk. "Young man, if your fiancée fell into the hands of pirates, you might not be able to get her back." The old man exhaled a puff of smoke, his eyes distant, as if recalling a long-lost past. Julian's hopes shattered in that moment. "You must be mistaken... There's no way pirates still exist today." "I may be old, but my eyes are sharp and my ears are clear. I saw it plain as day. That ship was almost certainly a pirate ship.

If you're loving the book, nel5sis where the adventure continues. Join us for the complete experience—all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you! "Our port is small. Many ships pass by, but few stop. Most ships prefer larger ports where tourists can disembark. This little port is so small that it can be seen in one glance.

"Only pirate ships avoid big ports. They cto places like ours for water and supplies. I'm not mistaken." Pirates. It was pirates! Julian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. No wonder Ivy hadn't revealed their location, and no one had demanded ransom from Genevieve.

Perhaps... the pirates didn't want money. Perhaps they wanted the women to remain on the ship! A ship full of men. Julian didn't dare imagine what Aurora might be enduring. With her temperament, if pushed to the brink, she would rather die than give in. If that happened, it would be disastrous.

Aurora, you must stay alive. No matter how, just stay alive. I will find you. I swear I will.

Julian's heart raced with fear, but his determination grew stronger. He had to find Aurora quickly and get her off that ship before it was too late.

"Water and food? Where would they resupply?" Julian asked, piecing together clues. Many shops now had surveillance cameras. If he could access those, he might be able to track the pirates' movements.

"Try the stores nearby," the old man suggested.

"Thank you, sir." Julian scanned the area and headed into a nearby shop.

If you're loving the book, nel5sis where the adventure continues. Join us for the complete experience all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you! As soon as he entered, the shopkeeper and customers turned to look at him. "Sir, are you here to buy something?" The shopkeeper's eyes lit up upon seeing such a handsman.

"Hello. I'd like to see the footage from your surveillance cameras from the morning of the 22nd." The shopkeeper's face immediately darkened. "We don't have cameras here." Julian pulled out several hundred dollars and placed them on the counter. The shopkeeper's eyes sparkled, and she quickly nodded.

"Oh, I must've remembered wrong. We do have cameras! Letpull up the footage for you."

She was all smiles now, delighted by the money. She quickly retrieved the footage. Since the shop wasn't very busy, it didn't take long to find what Julian was looking for Sure enough, he spotted men dressed like sailors or drifters, their appearances unkempt-long hair and beards, the look of men who had spent years at sea. Julian saved the video and sent it to Vortex, hoping his contact could identify the men. Unfortunately, he still didn't know what the ship looked like. Based on the old man's description, Julian sketched a rough diagram of the ship's structure.

The old man mentioned the ship had Rim m to sailed south. Julian immediately contacted Vortex, instructing send out an alert. Any ship matching the description was to be stopped and searched immediately.

The seas bectense. The coast guard, suspecting a major smuggling or drug-trafficking case treated the orders with the utmost seriousness. Patrol checkpoints sprang into action, determined to locate the pirate ship at all costs. mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLliIofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1