Aroma

This is a family banquet. After the mermaid attendants arranged everything meticulously, they bowed gracefully and filed out one after another. 

Lu gazed at the departing mermaids, unable to suppress a sigh— 

How she longed to join them! 

"Come here, Lu. How did you find the sea last night?" The queen, with a gentle smile, beckoned her only daughter, her tender blue eyes brimming with affection reminiscent of the little mermaid. 

Though Lu's thoughts lingered on the prince ashore, she felt genuine joy upon seeing her family. She quickly composed herself and, with a flick of her tail, darted forward, playfully declaring, "I had such a wonderful time! I want to go again tonight!" 

The queen chuckled, patting her daughter's back, yet she overlooked the little mermaid's last remark, gently inquiring, "What did you do all night? Do share." 

The merking let out a soft huff, casting a sidelong glance at the mother and daughter, "How impolite." 

Not even a hug for their father. 

The five mermaid princes, feeling ignored, exchanged glances, and one finally spoke up, "Lu, aren't you going to greet your brothers?" 

Lu paused, suddenly taken aback. Embarrassed, she extricated herself from the queen's embrace and rushed to hug the nearest king, beaming, "Father won't be angry, will he?" 

The king raised an eyebrow, maintaining a facade of indifference, though his eyes sparkled with amusement. "You know how to placate your father." 

Unfazed by her father's feigned aloofness, Lu eagerly turned to the princes, embracing them one by one as she had in her childhood, then blinking innocently as she admitted, "I didn't mean to! I was just so excited!" 

She knew well how kind her brothers were to her; she had only been momentarily distracted by her human prince. 

"However," Lu pouted, casting a sideways glance at the mermaid princes, "...you didn't greet me either!" 

The youngest prince crossed his arms, scoffing, "You didn't even look our way!" 

How could she blame them for not saying hello? 

If they greeted her, she at least needed to acknowledge them! 

The third prince raised an eyebrow, shifting the topic. "What did you see last night that has you so exhilarated?" 

Typically, the princes had brought back countless wonders from the sea over the years, and she should have encountered all manner of human curiosities by now— 

Aside from the change in environment, there seemed little to warrant such prolonged excitement from the capricious Lu. 

Could it be that she encountered a human? 

The third prince furrowed his brow unconsciously, exchanging glances with the other princes, clearly sharing the same concern. 

Their innocent and naive little mermaid princess… Surely she wouldn't be swept away by some unknown human from the outside world?!

Speaking of this, the little mermaid was filled with excitement, her beautiful azure tail shimmering as she swam in circles around the grand hall, her eyes gleaming with pride. "I saved a prince last night! He's just like the one in Grandmother's story!" 

Well, there might be a slight difference, but overall, he was indeed the same! 

And it matched the story perfectly! 

Lost in thought, Lu abruptly halted her movements, a wave of worry washing over her as she pondered the fate of that unknown villain onshore. She pouted in dismay, "Alas, I wonder how he is doing now." 

With a cautious glance at the king and queen, she hinted, "What should I do? I really want to return and check on him right away!" 

However, she had just returned, and if she were to leave again immediately, her father and mother would surely disapprove. 

...What a troubling predicament. 

Thus, the once joyful expressions of the king and queen, relieved that their daughter had returned safely and appeared to have had fun, gradually stiffened. 

What prince? There are plenty of human princes out there—are they more capable or handsome than her brothers? Surely, he must be trying to deceive her. 

Moreover, her mermaid grandmother merely told a story; how could this child take it so seriously?! 

The king exchanged a glance with his queen, gently patting her hand to calm her, then turned his gaze toward his little daughter, whose expression was a flurry of emotions. Clearing his throat, he said, "Lu." 

The little mermaid, deep in her contemplations, looked up in confusion, "Huh?" 

The king carefully organized his thoughts before hesitating, "Are you certain that the human... prince you saved harbors no... special feelings for you?" 

After all, the existence of mermaids was no longer a secret on land. Even as king, he frequently received reports about mermaids who had stealthily ventured ashore and never returned— 

In fact, mermaids were far more beautiful than the humans who dwelled on land, and many unscrupulous humans would deliberately lure unsuspecting mermaids to the shore, only to sell them at exorbitant prices. 

Once an ordinary mermaid left the ocean, she faced a grim fate at the hands of humans—either death or subjugation. 

Initially, it was manageable when only a few mermaids fell victim to deceit, allowing them to dispatch a special task force to search for them and bring them back. 

However, as the number of mermaids who disregarded warnings and went missing grew, it became impossible for the mermaid kingdom to search for each one individually, especially since the task force could not remain away from water for long; the logistics were too cumbersome, leading to the eventual abandonment of large-scale rescues. 

This troubling behavior only eased after the kingdom imposed an absolute ban on venturing out to sea hundreds of years ago. The short-lived humans seemed to gradually forget about mermaids, and fewer and fewer ventured to this ocean for their sake. 

Only in recent decades has the mermaid kingdom begun to reopen its waters, allowing mermaids to apply for permission to venture out upon reaching adulthood, with the stipulation that they must return before dawn—so far, nothing alarming had occurred. 

Yet, to think that their pampered little princess had... encountered a human? 

This certainly piqued the king's interest, causing him to furrow his brow with an inkling of concern. 

Lu gazed at him in confusion, swishing her tail as she settled into her seat and began to pick at the fruits on her exquisite plate, muttering, "What special feelings could he possibly have?" 

After all, it was her who had saved him! 

Well, now that she thought about it... perhaps she was being a bit excessive? 

"Did that human show no reaction upon seeing you?" The queen observed the little mermaid's nonchalant demeanor and pressed on, her concern unwavering. 

"What reaction?" 

At this, Lu immediately looked up, her expression shifting to irritation as she exclaimed, "You've asked the right question! I worked so hard to rescue him, and in the end... I didn't even get to see his face before dawn!" 

She pouted, "Then... then I had to come back without doing anything." 

The queen was momentarily taken aback, stifling a laugh as she reassured her, "Well, that's still commendable; our Lu did a good deed." 

"But I didn't even get to catch a glimpse of that human! What if he thinks someone else saved him?" Lu fretted, abandoning her fruit-picking and dramatically placing her hands over her heart, her head drooping in a pitiful manner as her bright blue eyes blinked innocently. "Mother~~ you wouldn't want your daughter's hard work to go unrecognized, would you~~" 

The queen chuckled, "Oh, you silly child…"

The king pondered for a moment before waving his hand dismissively. "Very well, if you wish to go, then go. However, you must return by nightfall, understood?" 

Lu's eyes sparkled with delight as she eagerly nodded, exclaiming, "I knew Father would be the best!" 

Without waiting for any further admonitions, she bid farewell to her brothers and swiftly propelled herself out of the palace, clutching her small satchel. 

The eldest prince glanced at the retreating figure of the little mermaid, tapping his finger lightly on the table. "This is not acceptable." 

They had yet to meet formally, and she was already so deeply entangled… He could hardly fathom the consequences if that human had ill intentions. 

The second prince contemplated for a moment. "I don't know about you all, but I am quite inclined to follow her discreetly and see for myself." 

Lu was utterly naive when it came to handsome individuals who caught her fancy, making her an easy target for manipulation… Their brothers had found this to be an unerring truth. 

The fourth prince shot him a glance, falling into silence before admitting, "I share your curiosity." 

Meanwhile, on the other side, when Lu peered out from behind the rocky outcrop once more, the young man was no longer on the once-familiar stretch of golden sand. 

She stared in astonishment, then emerged fully from the water, her brow furrowed in confusion as she scanned her surroundings— 

Where did he go? 

The soft, golden beach remained as dazzling as ever, the azure waves gently lapping at the shore, creating an idyllic scene—except for the handsome human who should have been waiting there for the mermaid princess. 

Biting her lip in disbelief, Lu struggled to comprehend how such a significant presence could vanish in such a short span of time! 

Could it be that he had been deceived by nefarious individuals? 

Could it happen so quickly?! 

Just as she hesitated over whether to transform completely into human form to search for him, a peculiar aroma wafted through the air, interrupting her thoughts. 

What is this? 

Instinctively, Lu twitched her little nose. 

It smelled delightful, suddenly igniting an overwhelming appetite within her. 

After a moment's hesitation, she gently swayed her tail and swam towards the source of the enticing scent— 

If she was not mistaken, it must be coming from the other side of the small island.