CHAPTER 83: [83] A WORTHLESS PRINCESS

The Script Office occupied a corner building that managed to be both imposing and welcoming, its white stone facade decorated with intricate carved flourishes that probably cost more than most fully-equipped pirate vessels. Golden lettering shimmered above the entryway, catching the midday sun and reflecting it back with an almost blinding intensity. The architecture seemed to announce itself as the guardian of wealth and prosperity, its columns standing like sentinels of financial security.

Inside, the floors were polished marble that gleamed with such perfection one could practically see their reflection in it. Every footstep echoed with a satisfying click that seemed to announce the arrival of someone important. The walls were lined with towering shelves of ledgers bound in leather that looked expensive enough to eat—the kind of leather that had never known hard labor or rough seas, but instead had been pampered and treated with oils that probably cost more than a sailor’s monthly wage. Small gilded placards marked different sections, organized with military precision.

A clerk sat behind a mahogany desk that could have doubled as a small ship, the wood so deeply polished it seemed to hold the room’s light within it. His thin face brightened when he saw Alyssa enter, the professional smile appearing with practiced ease. Everything about him screamed competence and subservience to the wealthy—from his perfectly pressed shirt without a single wrinkle to the immaculate cut of his vest, from the careful styling of his hair to the way his pale, manicured hands moved across paperwork without disturbing a single page. A small golden nameplate on his desk caught the light, announcing his position with quiet authority.

The air inside carried the distinct scent of wealth—ink, paper, and that indefinable aroma that only comes from places where money changes hands in significant quantities. A faint tick-tock from an ornate grandfather clock in the corner measured out the seconds, as if even time itself was a commodity to be accounted for in this temple of currency.

"Lady Alyssa! What an honor. I’m Benedetto, senior clerk of currency exchange. I understand you’re interested in opening a Script account?"

Alyssa set her purse on the desk, the weight of it making the wood creak. "I have six thousand Cori. I’d like to convert it to your local currency."

Benedetto’s smile never faltered, but something shifted behind his dark eyes. "I’m afraid it’s not quite that simple, my lady. Script isn’t purchased—it’s earned."

"Earned?"

"Through labor contracts with Master Valerio’s enterprises. A brilliant system, really. It ensures that everyone in Porto Veloce contributes to our collective prosperity while receiving fair compensation for their efforts."

The words were pleasant, reasonable, delivered in a tone that suggested this was all perfectly normal. But Alyssa had grown up around politicians and military officers. She knew the sound of a trap closing.

"And if someone has no desire to enter into a labor contract?"

"Well, they’re always welcome to enjoy Porto Veloce as guests! Master Valerio is extraordinarily generous with his hospitality. Though of course, guests wouldn’t need Script for their daily needs—everything would be provided."

Everything would be provided. Just like the clothes that had appeared in her wardrobe, the meals that arrived without being requested, the doctor who examined Pierre under Valerio’s watchful eye. Not generosity—control.

Alyssa stared at the gold coins scattered across the desk, each one representing power, freedom, the ability to solve problems through the simple application of wealth. Here, they were nothing more than pretty metal discs.

"I see." She began gathering the coins, her movements deliberate and unhurried despite the ice spreading through her chest. "Thank you for the explanation."

"Of course! Please don’t hesitate to return if you change your mind about the labor contracts. Master Valerio has many opportunities available for someone of your obvious refinement."

Alyssa nodded, a practiced smile masking the turmoil churning within her as she glided out of the Script Office. Her purse hung heavy against her hip, weighed down by gold that might as well have been painted stones in this place. The coins clinked together with each step, a mocking reminder of how quickly her power had evaporated.

The market square sprawled before her in all its meticulously arranged glory, but now she saw it through unveiled eyes. Everything about the scene took on a sinister cast—the perfect organization no longer seemed efficient but oppressive. The subdued voices weren’t respectful but fearful. The careful choreography of movement wasn’t cultural but mechanical, like puppets dancing on invisible strings.

It all made terrible, perfect sense now. These weren’t free citizens bustling about their daily affairs as she had initially assumed. They were employees—no, more accurately, they were captives. Every single person, from the elderly woman arranging flowers to the muscular man hauling crates, was bound to Valerio through an intricate web of contracts, Script, and the crushing reality that Porto Veloce was an elegant prison with no visible bars. There was nowhere else to go, no ships to hire, no path to escape that didn’t lead through the smiling master of this gilded cage.

Alyssa walked through the green section where the herb vendor still waited with her perfectly wrapped packages, past the blue section where fishmongers displayed their catches in neat rows, through the yellow section where grain sellers measured out portions with mathematical precision. Every eye that touched her carried the same expression—not awe at her obvious wealth and status, but pity.

They knew. They all knew that her gold meant nothing here, that her fine dress and perfect posture and aristocratic bearing were just costumes in a play where she’d forgotten her lines.

Marco appeared at her elbow like a faithful dog, his smile as bright and empty as ever. "How did your visit to the Script Office go, my lady? I do hope Benedetto was helpful."

"Quite illuminating," Alyssa said, her voice steady despite the hollow ache spreading through her chest.

"Wonderful! I’m sure you’ll find our system much more convenient once you’re accustomed to it. Master Valerio really has thought of everything."

Everything. Including how to strip away the last weapon in her arsenal, the final tool that had always been there when charm failed and beauty wasn’t enough. Money had been her safety net, her nuclear option, the thing that could buy her way out of any situation.

Now she was just another guest in Valerio’s perfect prison, dependent on his generosity for everything from food to medicine to the clothes on her back.

Princess Alyssa Hardy was truly dead.

But as she walked back toward the guest quarters, her worthless purse clutched in hands that refused to tremble, Alyssa felt something unexpected stirring beneath the humiliation and fear.

Relief.

She’d spent her entire life defined by what she owned, what she could buy, what her status entitled her to receive. For the first time, she would have to discover what she was worth when all of that was stripped away.

The prospect terrified her.

It also, in a way she couldn’t quite explain, set her free.