Reward

"But it seems I have nothing to offer you..." The little mermaid hesitantly glanced up at the young man and murmured, "Could I perhaps make it up to you tomorrow?" 

She had truly brought nothing with her on this outing; her small bag contained only a single piece of parchment and a large seashell— 

Yet that seashell was a birthday gift from her father and mother, a symbol of the merfolk royal family, summoning all creatures of the sea. 

Lu hesitated, glancing down at her dress adorned with numerous jewels, her brow furrowed in distress. 

Hmm, should she perhaps pluck a few jewels from her own gown? 

Would that be too casual? Moreover, she was uncertain whether these sparkling treasures would be appreciated by humans... 

"Reward?" Sebastian twirled the branch in his hand, lazily stifling a yawn as his narrow phoenix-like eyes settled on the golden-brown rabbit roasting over the fire. "…No need; catching fish required little effort." 

In fact, it was this small wild rabbit that had consumed much of his time. 

Had he not considered that this girl, who appeared to have come from nowhere, might have gone a night without food and was the only living soul he had encountered on this island, he would not have gone to such lengths. 

Lu was momentarily taken aback—reward? 

So... it wasn't the meaning she had assumed? 

She abruptly turned her head away, her earlier indecision vanishing as she reached for a skewer of fish. With a hint of embarrassment, she took a small, defiant bite, only to suddenly discover a... marvelous texture? 

The little mermaid paused, blinking in astonishment, and after a brief moment of contemplation, she took another tentative bite. 

The fish, once steaming hot, had now cooled and lost some of its earlier rich aroma, yet it perfectly suited the mermaid's penchant for raw, cold delicacies. 

Due to the lack of seasoning, it presented the most primal flavor of the sea fish, accompanied by the charred essence of the flames, which was not difficult to accept; in fact, the interplay of both flavors created a unique taste that surpassed that of completely raw fish. 

Lu blinked her luminous blue eyes in delight. 

Her chosen prince was indeed no ordinary human; even a simple grilled fish tasted exquisite! 

And as if the deliciousness of the fish weren't enough, he was also remarkably handsome! 

The little mermaid squinted her eyes in satisfaction as she chewed the fish, completely forgetting her earlier displeasure about the fish not being a token of affection, lost in her secret joy. 

It felt as if she had stumbled upon a hidden treasure.

Sebastian cast a casual glance her way, observing her sitting upright, delicately grasping the ends of a branch with both hands, and earnestly nibbling at her food, and he chose not to intervene. 

...However, judging by her demeanor, she must have received a proper upbringing. 

How could she have suddenly appeared alone near his sunken ship? 

As he pondered this, Sebastian glanced at the girl's slender, vacant wrists, reaffirming that the string of pearls that had fallen onto his clothing belonged to her. 

He averted his gaze, narrowing his phoenix-like eyes, though he had no intention of returning the necklace to the girl just yet. 

Lu bit into the flesh of the fish, creating a sizable gap, and suddenly recalled something. She abruptly lifted her head, meeting Sebastian's instinctive gaze, only to quickly look away in a flustered manner, her voice tinged with nervousness. "Um... I just wanted to ask, where is your country?" 

Sebastian lazily glanced at her, shifting the nearly cooked rabbit and fish away from the fire, and after a moment's thought, replied vaguely, "The Kingdom of Qi." 

The Kingdom of Qi was quite a distance from this sea, and it was likely that this young girl had no idea where it was located. 

"The Kingdom of Qi?" Lu repeated instinctively, her beautiful blue eyes wide with confusion. 

...How had she never heard of it? 

Is there truly a nation with such a brief name? 

However, as she contemplated this, the little mermaid seemed to finally grasp something. She curiously examined the young man's long, straight black hair tied back and then gazed into his deep, dark eyes, momentarily bewildered. 

Ah, yes, how could he possess black hair and black eyes? 

All the books she had read depicted princes with golden hair and multicolored eyes. 

Moreover, she realized... she had never encountered a prince with long hair before. 

Lu struggled to meet the young man's undeniably handsome face, which still bore the marks of not having been washed, inhaling deeply as she attempted to force a smile, yet her expression quickly morphed into one of near tears, her lips quivering as she stammered, "So, are you... a prince of the Kingdom of Qi?" 

Sebastian raised an eyebrow, chuckling softly, "No." 

A prince? 

What kind of normal person would leap from a country straight to royalty... 

His expression grew colder. 

"You're... lying to me," Lu protested, clutching the grilled fish as she sniffled, stubbornly refusing to accept the truth. 

"You don't like me, so you're deceiving me, aren't you?" Lu furrowed her brow, grasping for her final justification. 

Yet shimmering tears genuinely lingered in her eyes, reflecting a pale blue light, threatening to spill over. 

The little mermaid felt utterly distressed; how could one toy with a mermaid's emotions like this? 

Sebastian's attention was drawn to the glistening tear that appeared slightly out of place, and he instinctively frowned, about to examine it closely when Lu suddenly tossed aside the grilled fish and hastily wiped her eyes with her hand. 

Then, she abruptly lowered her arm, her red-rimmed blue eyes wide and fixed on the young man. 

An unspoken sense of grievance and vulnerability shone through. 

Sebastian was momentarily taken aback, then averted his gaze, falling silent for a moment before saying, "Fine, although I'm not a prince... it's not far off; I have already ascended to the throne, understand?" 

Truly... this girl was something else. 

However, despite sensing a softening in his demeanor, Lu was genuinely perplexed. 

She racked her brain for the scant memories she had of human kingdoms, but it was all a blank slate. 

Thus, the little mermaid bit her lip, feeling somewhat inadequate, and tentatively asked in a soft voice, "What does 'ascended to the throne' mean?" 

Her gaze was earnest, and her tone utterly sincere. 

Sebastian: ... 

"But my grandmother said that princesses can only marry princes, so it seems I cannot play with you any longer," the little mermaid said, frowning as she sighed in sorrow. 

Although she did not comprehend the meaning of ascending to the throne, it surely implied that he was not a prince. 

So, after all her efforts, the outcome she had sought was not even her prince... 

Well, at least she hadn't given away the seashell as a token of affection!