"Who else is in your family?" the man suddenly asked.
Sienna hesitated to continue. If I go on, my true intentions might be exposed, she thought. I don't want to escape someday only to be hunted down by this man.
"If you promise me what we discussed earlier, I'll agree to your demands," Sienna said softly.
The man laughed heartily, his laughter melodic. As he laughed, the other men on the boat joined in. Sienna was surrounded by the sounds of men's laughter—some coarse, some hearty, some deep. To her, their laughter was terrifying.
"Are you trying to negotiate with me?" the man asked.
"…"
"Do you think you have any bargaining power right now?" The man mercilessly pointed out her current plight, sparing her no dignity.
"You're a good person," Sienna said.
The remark not only made the man laugh even harder but also the rest of the men on the boat. One of them shouted, "Sixth Master, how blind must she be to think you're a good person? HAHAHA…"
"This little lady must be attracted to Sixth Master's good looks. This little lady must have taken a fancy to our Sixth Master. HAHAHA…"
"Sixth Master, this woman is interesting."
"Shut up!" The man turned, his icy gaze sweeping across the men present. Wherever his gaze landed, they fell silent.
Sienna realized this man must be the boss of the boat, or at least someone with authority. It seems that sticking close to him is my best strategy, she considered. However, this man is too dangerous. If I'm not careful, I could be skinned alive by him.
The man retracted his gaze, looked at Sienna, and spoke ruthlessly. "In your current situation, you can only agree to any request I make! Even if those requests seem disrespectful to you…" Grabbing Sienna's arm, he hoisted her up so she could see her current predicament more clearly.
The sky was already bright, and the azure Ocean stretched endlessly around them. Only the sight of shark fins breaking the surface sent shivers down their spines.
"If I throw you overboard, you'll undoubtedly die."
Indeed, I would most certainly die!
"I'm ranked the sixth son in my family, so you can call me Sixth Master. Mai…" The man's voice deliberately lingered on 'Mai' for a moment, as if unsure whether it was intentional or if he had realized something.
…
So Sienna stayed on as Sixth Master's woman—in other words, his plaything.
"I don't like Raelnian cuisine. Can you cook other food?" Sixth Master looked at the bland dishes on the table, completely unappetized.
Sienna sat at Sixth Master's side, her eyes lowered, cautiously asking, "What would Sixth Master like to eat?"
"I like heavily flavored dishes, and I eat meat, not vegetables!" Sixth Master disdainfully poked a plate of vegetable salad with his chopsticks. "I'm not a sheep. Don't serve me grass again. I warn you, if I get too hungry, I'll eat you!"
His words carried a threatening weight!
"I understand."
…
The man never told Sienna his name. She realized people on the boat called him Sixth Master, eldest brother, or Young Master Quan, but never by his actual name. Sienna didn't know who this man was or what he did. She had simply, inexplicably, become his servant.
The only thing Sienna was grateful for was that the man hadn't slept with her immediately. However, he was determined to have her. Lately, he had grown bolder, even daring to touch her chest…
Sienna was angry but dared not show it, choosing to avoid him as much as possible.
But no matter how big the boat was, there was nowhere to hide.
In the kitchen, Sienna was now in charge of Sixth Master's meals. The men aboard ate roughly, and there was only one cook on the entire boat, surprisingly from the Ardmond region of Orienta. Sienna pretended to learn the language from her. After some time, she managed to communicate haltingly with the cook. Moreover, Sienna also learned the Amwan Language. Once she could understand the languages, she quickly gathered a lot of information.
She bided her time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to escape!
There was only one chance. If it didn't have a high success rate, she wouldn't dare to take any rash action.
"Mai, you don't need to make it so exquisite. Just serve Sixth Master big chunks of meat and bones, and he'll surely be pleased," the cook, Mr. Henry, said while looking at Sienna's plate of fish flavored shredded pork.
"Isn't that for dogs?"
Mr. Henry shrank back and instinctively glanced around before kindly reminding her, "Girl, be careful what you say; the walls have ears. Everyone on this boat is loyal to Sixth Master. You shouldn't talk about him like that!"
The men on board were all chauvinistic, thinking that the kitchen was a place for women. That's why they had hired an Orientan cook.
"Uncle Henry, don't worry. They won't come to a place like the kitchen," Sienna reassured him.
"That's not certain…" another voice interjected.
Sienna, perhaps still addressing Uncle Henry or simply finishing her own assertion, stated firmly, "It is certain." After speaking, she froze, realizing that it wasn't Uncle Henry who had spoken. She looked at him; he stood there with an awkward expression, his gaze fixed on something behind her.
Without looking back, she knew who was standing there. Sienna didn't even glance at Sixth Master as she softly explained, "Sixth Master, dinner isn't ready yet. Are you hungry? I'll hurry up. Please wait a bit; it'll be ready soon."
"Mr. Henry, you may go!"
"Yes, Sixth Master!" No one on this boat could defy this man called Sixth Master's commands.
As Mr. Henry left, the air around them grew thick and oppressive. Sienna found it difficult to breathe as Sixth Master took a step towards her. She felt her scalp tingle with fear. She had always been afraid of him.
"Did you just call me a dog?"
"No!"
"So you're determined to deny it?"
"No!"
"Why won't you look at me?"
"…"
"Are you afraid of me?"
Sixth Master pinched her chin, forcing her to look up at him. Their eyes met, and Sienna's body shuddered. "Sixth Master, we're in the kitchen!"
"Mai, we've been together for a month now…" the man in front of her spoke meaningfully.
"Really? It's been that long…" Sienna's eyes clouded with sadness. I've been missing for so long. Frederick and Sabrina must have told everyone I'm dead by now. I can only imagine the grass that has grown over my grave.
What a shock it would be if I returned?!
Thinking of her family, Sienna thought with a self-deprecating smile, If I died, Dad and Teddy would probably be the only ones to grieve.
As thoughts of her only two relatives filled her mind, Sienna's large eyes welled up with tears. Her sorrow was short-lived, however, as she was suddenly picked up in someone's arms.
"Sixth Master?"
The man carried her out to the deck and towards his bedroom. The men on the boat saw this and began to jeer, one of them crudely saying, "HAHA… Sixth Master can't hold it in any longer…"