Recognition

The little mermaid sat beside Sebastian by the fire until midnight, her eyelids growing heavy with drowsiness. Suddenly, her peripheral vision caught sight of a familiar face peeking out from the sea. 

Startled, Lu rubbed her sleepy eyes and, after a moment of focus, realized it was none other than her mermaid maid, Belle! 

She froze for a moment, then quickly turned to glance at the resting Sebastian. Seeing that he remained undisturbed, she let out a sigh of relief. 

Hesitating, Lu bit her lip, glancing at the sleeping young man again, and ultimately decided against lingering. Stealthily, she rose and slipped back into the water. 

As soon as the little mermaid departed, the usually light-sleeping Sebastian slowly opened his phoenix-like eyes. 

He noticed the soft sand had been indented where she had sat. 

...She's gone? 

Meanwhile, Lu glared at Belle, her cheeks puffed in annoyance. "Why did you come here? What if a human sees you?!" 

She already sensed that the handsome human might have caught on to something; if Belle was seen, she would have no chance to explain! 

She hadn't even had the opportunity to ask if he had seen the queen! What if he was frightened away? 

Belle shrank her head in guilt, "But, Princess, the king, queen, and several princes have already inquired about your whereabouts twice this evening. It's nearly dawn; I had no choice but to come find you…" 

She would never dare deceive the queen; her only option was to retrieve the princess before the royals realized she had not returned home. 

Of course, this was only done with the princes' permission— 

She certainly wouldn't risk crossing the boundaries of the merfolk kingdom without authorization. 

"Father, Mother, and my brothers?" The little mermaid paused, suddenly recalling that she had whimsically detoured to visit her grandmother. In truth, it had been quite some time since she last returned to the merfolk palace. 

No wonder they were worried about her. 

"Oh, then let's go back." Lu blinked innocently. 

Belle sighed, "Yes, Your Highness." 

Regardless of the circumstances, it was wonderful that the princess was willing to return with her.

The next day, 

Belle, carrying breakfast, gently knocked on the door of her princess's chamber. 

She thought to herself that the little princess would surely take quite some time to choose her attire, and it was imperative to persuade her to eat breakfast before venturing out. 

However, after waiting patiently outside, Belle received no response from the mermaid princess. 

Suddenly, a thought struck her. 

Her hand holding the tray trembled uncontrollably as she pushed the door open with urgency— 

Inside the lavish chamber lay a chaotic array of garments scattered across the floor, and in the center, the enormous shell bed was merely adorned with a crumpled blanket, devoid of any sign of her beloved princess. 

Furrowing her brow, Belle wasted no time; she turned on her heels, ready to report to the princes. 

How could the princess leave without having breakfast?! 

Moreover, she had returned so late last night; it seemed she hadn't slept at all! 

For the sake of a human, she was neglecting her own well-being! 

As the mermaid maid dashed out of the chamber, Lu, still buried beneath the pile of clothes, stirred her head and reluctantly opened her cerulean eyes. 

Sitting up amidst the fabric, she brushed aside her disheveled dark blue hair and lazily stifled a yawn, still ensnared in drowsiness. 

"Hmm, how strange…" Lu murmured, glancing at the wide-open door, puzzled. "I could have sworn I just heard Belle's voice?" 

Where could she have gone? 

And why hadn't she closed the door behind her?! 

The little mermaid sat there in a daze, contemplating whether to continue sleeping, seek something to eat, or perhaps go find the handsome human… 

Ah, the little friends must have repaired the boat by now. 

Lu swayed her tail and began to swim, yawning as she decided to first find something to satisfy her hunger—after all, it was quite a distance to the island, and she would need her strength to swim there. 

Moreover, it wouldn't be polite to always consume others' offerings. 

"Yet, where on earth has Belle gone?" Lu murmured curiously as she swam leisurely, finding the situation quite extraordinary. 

In all the years, this was the first time Belle had failed to wake her for breakfast. 

"Are you certain she left on her own?" The third prince swiftly swam toward Lu's chamber, frowning. "Did she not speak with Father or Mother?" 

Although the prohibition against venturing out to sea had been somewhat relaxed, it remained a decree, and Lu should not have dared to leave unaccompanied… 

"After returning last night, the princess likely had no time to seek out His Majesty and Her Majesty," Belle explained, following closely behind. "The princess seems overly preoccupied with that human lately; isn't it rather concerning?" 

In truth, she had long harbored discontent toward the human who had captured the princess's attention. Her princess was so noble and beautiful, lacking for nothing in the merfolk kingdom, yet now she was frequently traversing between the surface and the depths of the sea for the sake of a human, even enduring sleepless nights— 

How could her delicate constitution withstand such strain in the long run?! 

Who knows what ill intentions that human might harbor towards the princess!! 

Belle's anger intensified, wishing fervently to cast that despicable human, who dared to entice her pure-hearted princess, back onto the land, never to meet the princess again! 

The third prince sighed, "This simply cannot continue." 

A mere mortal with a fleeting lifespan—if it were just playful antics, that might be one thing, but how could they allow little Lu to jeopardize her health?

Thus, holding two soft and fluffy kelp cakes from the kitchen, the little mermaid, with her azure tail swaying as she swam and nibbled, unexpectedly collided with the hurriedly entering third prince. 

"Ah!" 

One of the kelp cakes, slathered in rich cream, splattered across the prince's face, while the other met Belle's face as she swam in behind him. 

The two cakes, barely nibbled, slowly slid to the ground under the force of gravity, leaving behind two faces smeared with thick cream. 

The third prince took a deep breath, wiped a piece of the soft cream from his face, and then looked up at Lu, who was grinning sheepishly, feeling a bit of a headache yet resigned. "What on earth is this?" 

Lu curled her fish tail, clasped her hands behind her back, and glanced at the cream on her hands. Embarrassed, she playfully stuck out her tongue and replied, "This is the cream that my grandmother's octopus friend brought her. I brought it back for the merfolk to study; it's delicious! Would you like to try some, Brother San?" 

Unfortunately, this delicacy could not last long underwater, and its preparation was quite complex. 

She had hoped to share it with the other merfolk… but they showed no interest, so she ended up enjoying it alone. 

The third prince noticed Belle, who appeared utterly astonished, and immediately grasped that there was likely some misunderstanding at play. 

However— 

"...I've heard that you've been quite concerned about a human who fell into the water lately?" He averted his gaze, awkwardly inquiring. 

"Hmm?" Lu tilted her head, looking at him curiously. "Yes, and I believe I mentioned it to you before?" 

Was his memory truly that poor? 

The third prince fell silent for a moment, then replied with difficulty, "Then when shall you bring him to meet us formally?" 

Lu blinked, "Oh, alright." 

After a moment's thought, she flicked her tail and began to move toward the door, waving at her brother with a playful grin. "But it's not certain yet. By the way, I'm just about to head out; please tell Father for me!" 

Without waiting for the prince's response, the little mermaid darted away swiftly, her flowing dark blue hair creating a graceful arc through the water, resembling an ethereal vision. 

The third prince watched his little princess's lively silhouette fade, his lips pressed together in a frown, feeling somewhat despondent. 

…He had made the effort to come, only for little Lu to leave like this? 

All for a human from the surface? 

With a stern expression, the third prince turned and swam back. 

Meanwhile, Belle, who had thought the prince could manage the princess, realized… she had overestimated the situation. 

Indeed, it seemed that the princes could never utter serious words in the presence of the little princess.