Eva met his gaze.
“I want a title.”
The chamber exploded.
“Impossible!”
“A pirate noble?”
“She’s insane!”
The first minister stood up angrily.
“Your Majesty, this woman is a gutter rat!”
His voice dripped with contempt.
“She has no name, no lineage, no honor!”
Eva turned slowly toward him.
Her eyes were ice.
“Neither did half your ancestors before they bought their titles.”
Several ministers choked in shock.
Jack burst out laughing.
Charles hid a smile behind his hand.
“Enough,” the king said calmly.
The room quieted.
Then Eva spoke again.
“I also brought proof.”
She nodded toward the guards.
“Bring her forward.”
The soldiers pushed Olivia into the center of the chamber.
The ministers looked confused.
Sebastian stepped forward.
“This woman conspired with pirate captains and foreign powers.”
Olivia laughed bitterly.
“You think exposing me saves you?”
Eva walked closer.
“You told me your family was destroyed by the crown.”
Olivia’s eyes flashed.
“They were.”
Eva’s voice softened slightly.
“But not by him.”
She gestured toward the king.
The chamber went still.
Eva placed a sealed document on the table.
“My parents’ ship was attacked years ago.”
Jack’s expression darkened.
“The pirates who attacked it weren’t acting alone.”
Sebastian placed another document beside it.
“These letters prove that members of the royal opposition secretly allowed pirate raids.”
Gasps filled the chamber.
“To weaken the king’s authority,” Eva continued.
“They wanted chaos at sea.”
Charles slowly opened the letters.
His eyes scanned the pages.
The room held its breath.
Olivia’s face turned pale.
“You… how did you—”
Eva looked at her calmly.
“You talk too much.”
Charles closed the final letter.
His expression had changed.
The ministers looked uneasy.
Eva placed another stack of papers on the table.
“These are records of every Spanish and Dutch ship my fleet has captured.”
Charles flipped through them slowly.
The numbers were staggering.
Gold shipments.
Weapons.
Military intelligence.
Information that could reshape the balance of power in Europe.
The king leaned back slowly.
“You’ve done all this?”
Eva nodded.
“Yes.”
Silence filled the chamber.
Then Charles began to laugh.
Not mockingly.
Genuinely amused.
“You are extraordinary.”
The ministers looked horrified.
“Your Majesty!”
“This cannot be allowed!”
“A pirate noble would disgrace the crown!”
Charles stood.
The room fell silent again.
“I see a woman who commands ships.”
He looked at Eva.
“Who defeats Spanish fleets.”
Then he turned to the ministers.
“And who brings me the enemies of my throne.”
His voice hardened.
“You see a dock girl.”
The ministers looked down nervously.
Charles smiled slightly.
“I see an opportunity.”
He walked down the steps from the throne.
Stopping directly in front of Eva.
“You asked for a title.”
Eva didn’t move.
“Yes.”
Charles studied her carefully.
“You understand what that means?”
“It means loyalty.”
“And service.”
Eva nodded.
“I offer both.”
The king turned back toward the council.
“Then it is decided.”
The ministers froze.
Charles raised his voice.
“Eva Thorne will be granted full royal amnesty.”
Shock rippled through the chamber.
“Her fleet will operate as a royal privateer force under the authority of the English crown.”
He paused.
“And she will be granted the title of Lord.”
Several ministers nearly fainted.
“A woman cannot—”
Charles interrupted coldly.
“She can.”
He turned back to Eva.
“Lord Eva Thorne.”
The words echoed across the chamber.
Sebastian’s eyes shone with quiet pride.
Jack grinned like a man watching history burn.
Charles continued calmly.
“Your fleet now serves England.”
Eva bowed her head slightly.
“Understood.”
The king looked toward Olivia.
“And the traitor?”
Olivia collapsed to her knees.
“Please—”
Charles’s voice was cold.
“You betrayed crown and country.”
He nodded to the guards.
“Exile her.”
The soldiers dragged Olivia away screaming.
Eva watched silently.
Her past had finally caught up with her enemies.
Charles stepped beside her.
“You’ve come far, Miss Thorne.”
Eva looked out through the tall palace windows toward the sprawling city of London.
“I’m not finished yet.”
Later that evening—
Eva stood on the palace balcony overlooking the city lights.
Sebastian joined her quietly.
“You did it.”
She exhaled slowly.
“I survived.”
Sebastian smiled softly.
“You became something more.”
Jack appeared behind them with a bottle of wine.
“Well, Lord Eva.”
He raised the bottle.
“To the most dangerous noble England has ever created.”
Eva looked out across the city.
Once she had been nothing.
Now she commanded ships.
Fleets.
Titles.
And a future no one could control but her.
The Atlantic would remember her name.
But now—
So would the world.