***

Ellena was kept in a small damp warehouse at the end of the market. There were no lights in the dark room and she couldn't even see her own hand in the beginning. However, after a while, she could finally adjust her vision.

She looked around her and assessed where she was. From the sounds coming from outside, she could guess that she was locked up near the market where she was kidnapped. She remembered they didn't take long to bring her here from the place she was taken.

"Hello!!" She called out to anyone who would listen to her. "Are you the one who saved me? I need to talk to you before your boss comes back. Please... I would rather split the money with you, than give it all away to her. Don't you want some of it too?"

She kept talking, calmly. Somehow, she found courage after she knew that she was no longer in a prison cell. She was this close to her real freedom.

"Look, if you don't believe me, I can give you a down payment."

She felt her dress and smiled in relief when she realized the jewelry she sow under the hem of her dress to hide them was still there. This was her last valuables. She would only use it for an emergency like this.

If she could convince the thugs who kept guard outside to help her escape, she wouldn't mind splitting her father's money in his secret location. Half of it was better than none.

She knew that Kira would take them all after Ellena gave her the location and she may or may not be really freed. Ellena couldn't take that risk.

"Ouch... my head hurts..." she changed her tactic and cried in pain. "Please... help me..."

"HEELLP...!!" She cried more loudly. "It really hurts..."

Finally, two burly men came in. They opened the door roughly and suddenly lights from the outside burst in and made Ellena's eyes wince.

Gosh... she was so close to freedom.

This made her shed real tears. The woman quickly tore the hem of her dress and took out a gold necklace with a blue diamond pendant from it and handed it out to them. 

"Please... I have more like this... so much more.  I can give them to you. You don't have to just pick up the scraps from that pirate woman..." she said in an urgent tone. "I know she wouldn't let me go even if I give her the location of my father's secret treasure."

One of the men smirked coldly and crossed his arms on his chest. "What makes you think WE will let you go after you give us the location? We are no different than her."

"Because you would want more money..." Ellena said. "I will give you the first location and if you let me live, after one year you can get the location for the other one. That way you will get more money. But she... she doesn't want money. She is vindictive and just wants to punish my father. The treasure doesn't mean anything to her... but I am sure it means something for you."

Ellena was not stupid. She could tell that Kira and the king worked together. They pretended to let Ellena go, just so they could frame Duke Preston for a crime he didn't commit, that was to help Ellena escape.

Even though she had offered Kira all the treasure, Kira might not care much about it and would still kill her. But these two thugs would definitely know how to appreciate money.

The two burly men exchanged glances.

"Tell me, how much did she pay you? Ten gold coins? One hundred gold coins? You can easily get fifty thousand gold coins each if you take my father's treasure..." Ellena spoke again.

The thugs's eyes glint in excitement. Fifty thousand gold coins would make them rich and they could buy a big land and act like small kings. Kira only paid them five gold coins each. It was pale in comparison to what Ellena was offering them now.

"Come on, you have to make a decision now," Ellena said urgently. "She will be back anytime soon. You have to get me out of here as soon as possible. I will show you the money."

Her heart pounded erratically, and she was nervous. They didn't have much time. Would the thugs listen to her or would they act loyal for once?

The older thug had a big scar on his face and he looked so scary. He grabbed the necklace from Ellena's hand and examined it. He bit the gold and confirmed it was real. He knew Ellena was the illegitimate daughter of Duke Preston. They were very wealthy.

If Ellena really knew where the duke kept his secret treasure, then they could get their hands on that wealth. This was an opportunity that wouldn't come again in their lifetime unless they were extremely lucky.

However... there was a risk that came with this opportunity, should they decide to take it. They would make themselves the enemy of the Grim pirate gang.

Even though they mostly operated in the high seas, but the Grims were very well connected and it was possible that they would send killers for hire to finish the thugs for betraying Kira Grim.

The younger thug looked at his friend. He was thinking the same thing. They would be enemies with the Grims, but when they became rich, they could also buy protection. So, this risk was something that they could mitigate.

"Fine, you convinced us," said the older thug finally. He also knew that if he wanted to take Ellena's offer, he must decide quickly. Kira could come anytime.

Ellena had never felt so relieved in her life. She wanted to cry but she put up a strong front. "Good. You know what's good for you. Now, let's get out of here."

The younger thug opened the door for her. Ellena strode outside with a lighter heart. She would soon taste freedom.

.

.

_______________

From Missrealitybites:

I am so excited because this month most of my books end. "The Cursed Prince" is ending in November and I will immediately continue with Harlow's and Raphael's story in December, under this same book.

"The Cursed King" will probably end next week. I will change the privilege on Dec 1, so you don't have to pay a lot of coins for it if it ends in the first week of December. I will keep the privilege at maybe just 5-100 coins.

"Finding Stardust" will also end next week. If you haven't read it, it's a good time to start. However, the book comes with a warning.

It deals with really mature topics and plenty of triggering content like tragedy, violence, subtle abuse, etc. in a fantasy world like no other. Read the warning in the synopsis.

However, if you can appreciate the darkness, you will be rewarded greatly with a really unique and heartwarming story, and many lovable characters.

PS: Thank you, Harriet for sending a dragon to this book earlier today.. You are so kind. xx

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