Upon arrival at the Duke's estate, the Duke made a concerted effort to avoid Julie by keeping himself occupied. Unfortunately, once Julie had a plan, there was no turning back.

She had a burning desire to become a lady, to gain entry into the palace, and she had to execute her plan flawlessly, under the guise of Anelize.

In the evening, during dinner, Julie took a seat at the grand table, catching Serguey van Montechiio, her newly-appointed "father", off guard. He attempted to rise from his seat, but she interrupted him.

"I have missed dining with my father so much. Boarding school has been incredibly lonely. Please, I insist that you stay," she pleaded.

The scene was reminiscent of a painting. Tears welled up in her eyes as she delicately clutched his clothes, while all the maids observed with deep emotion. Serguey had no choice but to comply.

He sat back down, but couldn't bring himself to eat.

"Come, old man, say 'ahh'!" Julie exclaimed as she scooped up a piece of meat onto a spoon.

Unable to stomach the situation, Serguey excused himself from the table.

"I'm afraid I'm not feeling well. Please excuse me... Ane," he said, making his departure from the table.

***

Later that day, some food was delivered to Serguey's bedroom.

The servants informed him that it was from his daughter, leaving him extremely distraught. In a fit of rage, he hurled the food onto the floor.

Shortly thereafter, Julie entered his room, instructing the maid to leave and closing the door behind her.

She humbly retrieved the plate from the floor, observing,

"This is quite a fin' meal. Life has always been easy for people like ya." The memory of her sister crying from hunger flashed through her mind.

Her sad eyes seemed genuinely earnest, though Serguey couldn't trust anything anymore.

"Ahm not a monster, you see. Not any more than ya," the girl uttered, handing him a letter.

He eagerly grasped the letter, immediately recognizing the handwriting.

"The calligraphy, the scent... It's Anelise! It's my daughter."

"She says she's doin' well, old man," Julie continued, pouring some tea. "She resides in a splendid residence in Prussia. She believes ye purchased it for her. She's awaiting yer arrival."

Offering him the tea cup, she added, "Once everything is settled, ya can be reunited."

Serguey remained silent, motionless like a statue.

As Julie wondered if she had killed him, she inched closer and waved her hand in front of his face, hoping for a blink.

"What are you doing?" he finally asked.

"Oh, ye're still alive," she sighed in relief. "Ya look so pale, as if you've seen a ghost."

Serguey was utterly confused.

"You'll recover soon. We have a ball to attend, father. Also, Ah need ya to write a letter for me."

"I will not assist a repugnant pirate in gaining access to the palace."

"May ya gather yer shit together and conduct yerself in a more appropriate manner, as Ah previously advised. Pirates are known for keeping their promises," she stated, moving towards the exit.

June was not easily offended, having endured worse insults on a daily basis while growing up. Nonetheless, she believed it would be beneficial to put on a show. She stood up and turned around, speaking before shutting the door:

"Ye, who slaves, and me, a disgusting pirate who frees. Ah wonder who're the monsters.". She looked to the soup before leaving.

Serguey then proceeded to taste the soup that Julie had selected from the floor.

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"No signs of poison."

****

On the following day,

Seguey happened to be passing by the grand staircase when he glimpsed Julie attempting to dance, but she was utterly unsuccessful.

"Come, father, dance with me," the girl said, beaming.

Julie had gathered a few of the household staff members who were willing to assist her, mistakenly believing her to be Anelise.

However, she performed poorly, causing a line of assistants to injure their foot and display signs of discomfort.

The man decided to give it a try and approached Julie, who quickly grasped his arms to dance.

"Stop trying to dictate the dance, girl. Simply follow my lead... Argh," said Serguey as his first foot was stamped upon.

They made a few more attempts.

"I can't bear it any longer; it's simply too tedious, old man," she complained.

"Boring? Dance is one of life's pleasures and..." he began, but she cut him off.

"Even the mere mention of it makes me sleepy. Come on, old man."

And so she called upon the young pianist:

"You there! Make this piano play faster! Faster!" The pianist trembled with fear, and she seemed to have pleasure from that. "Faster, you too, lass. Hahaha. Now, you, old man," she commanded, grabbing one of the duke's arms.

"What are you..." Serguey attempted to ask, but she promptly interrupted.

"Just follow my lead, will ya?!"

With small leaps, they commenced a comical dance, which turned out to be quite enjoyable.

"You give it a try, lass," Julie suggested to the maid, who initially refused but found herself compelled to participate. Before long, they were all laughing and having a good time!

"Ah, you see, hahaha, this is what life is all about," Julie declared to the man.

***

Later on, both of the assistants were dismissed.Serguey looked at Julie and, sitting down, he questioned,

"Why did you become a pirate in the first place?"

"Ah suppose Ah was born one. When you are shaped this way, there's truly no other place ye can belong. It's actually not that bad; being here ah can clearly see that," she replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Ye're far too lonely, old man. Perhaps that's why ye have engaged in wrongdoing – ye've simply forgotten what truly matters." Julie said.

The man gazed at the portrait of his family, hanging on the same wall behind him..

In the portrait you could see a lovely woman stood beside Sergey, beaming, while a small girl lay on his lap.that was his late wife and his daughter Anelise.

Julie's voice abruptly snapped him back to reality as she made her way out.

"Ya owe me for that tedious dance lesson, old man," the lady exclaimed, running off.

"Wait, is Anelize really alright?" he quickly questioned Julie.

"She doesn't even realize she was kidnapped, what do ya think?" the girl replied, already in the distance waving goodbye.

Sergey turned his attention back to the portrait.

******

In the following days, Julie proved to be a fast learner in all aspects. She quickly mastered dancing and also gathered extensive knowledge about Anelize. Seeking entertainment, she shifted her focus to Sergey's accounting books. It was evident that Sergey struggled with managing the household, prompting Julie to offer her assistance.

"Ya know, Ah was once a captain, a good one. I took great care of Mah people. Let me show ya," Julie declared.

Julie's intelligence was indeed impressive , and the two could engage in hours-long conversations about strategies. She soon became a valuable asset to Sergey, assisting him with numerous tasks.

And so, the time passes and finally, the day for traveling to attend the ball had arrived.