Threat

The woman glanced at Lu, who was silently glaring at the gloomy young man, hesitating for a moment. "So, he's your friend?" 

But his sudden appearance felt… somewhat strange? 

Moreover, this was the imperial garden; how had he managed to enter the palace? 

"He is certainly not!" Lu frowned deeply, clearly displeased with the young man. 

"...Indeed, I am not." 

The young man stepped into the pavilion, his dark hair casually tied back, his crescent-patterned robe completely dry. His languid, sleepy eyes fixed on Lu, and a faint smile crept onto his lips. "I merely came to escort Little Lu back to where she belongs." 

The woman blinked in surprise, glancing between Lu and the young man, her eyes narrowing slightly. "What do you mean by that?" 

Why did he keep referring to her as Little Lu? One might think— 

"I'm not going back. You can leave," Lu stated bluntly, dismissing him without hesitation. 

The young man's smile faded, and he half-closed his eyes. "...I will say this once more: come back with me." 

"Pah! I refuse to return with you! Besides, I enjoy being here; who do you think you are to dictate my actions?" Lu inhaled deeply, slapping her hand on the stone table, glaring fiercely. 

He wasn't annoyed with her, but she certainly was with him! 

Why couldn't he just leave her alone? Who did he think he was?! 

Her father and mother had never meddled in her affairs as much as he did! 

The young man tilted his head, unperturbed, and turned to the woman, who seemed hesitant to intervene. "...This does not concern you; please refrain from getting involved." 

As he spoke, he raised his hand, and a flash of white light flickered from his wide sleeve. The woman barely had time to react before she lost consciousness, collapsing softly onto the table. 

"What are you doing?!" Lu sprang to her feet, leaning over the stone table to check the woman's peaceful face. Seeing that she seemed unharmed, she paused, furrowing her brow before sitting back down. 

"...I haven't harmed her," the young man said, observing her actions, a dark smile playing on his lips. "However, if you continue to resist, that may not hold true." 

"I'm not resisting!" Lu snapped, turning her head sharply, her blue eyes wide with disbelief. "You're being utterly unreasonable!" 

How was it her fault when he insisted on meddling in everything? 

"As long as you come back with me, nothing else will happen." 

She extended her hand to grab him, but he brushed her off, narrowing his eyes. "Little Lu, don't attempt to provoke me." 

"It's you who is provoking me!" Lu shot back, locking eyes with him, her teeth clenched.

If it weren't for the fact that she couldn't overpower this shameless individual, she would have charged at him and given him a good thrashing! 

The rain outside the pavilion showed no signs of relenting, with droplets occasionally splattering onto the stone floor, amplifying the tense atmosphere between the two. 

Of course, it was one-sided. 

Jack regarded her with a calm demeanor, remarking, "...Your royal brothers have already discovered your absence from the ocean; for now, they have not informed your father and mother." 

"Of course, I didn't mention anything before I came here." 

"...What do you wish to convey?" Lu hesitated, then stubbornly huffed, "Father and Mother would never be angry with me! Only you are so meddlesome!" 

Jack averted his gaze to observe the torrential rain outside the pavilion, feeling a sense of delight. "Your father would indeed not personally chase after you for such a trivial matter." 

"...But I will." 

"...Surely you do not wish for the world to be engulfed in endless rain because of you." A meaningful smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. 

"I do not force you, but this place will suffer calamity because of you." 

"Can you bear to witness it?" 

"Are you out of your mind?!" Lu exclaimed in shock. "Aren't you afraid of divine retribution?!" 

What kind of brainless water serpent is this? Why does he take such delight in harming others without benefiting himself?! 

Moreover, the lives lost due to such a calamity would be no small number; if it led to a disaster… 

Thinking this, Lu knew in her heart that this madman was indeed capable of anything. 

"You know, I merely wish for you to return with me." Jack gazed calmly at the pouring rain outside the pavilion, narrowing his eyes slightly. 

"Do you think I would fear you?!" Lu replied, her irritation evident. 

Yet, in truth, this water serpent held considerable influence over her father and mother. 

Even though she disliked this water serpent, she would usually afford him some dignity to avoid escalating matters too far— 

However, he had been increasingly overstepping boundaries lately, trying to control her every action, as if he were about to move into the palace of the merfolk! 

"Certainly, you do not fear me," Jack turned back, a faint smile playing on his lips. "If you were afraid, you would not be so disobedient." 

"Little Lu, you could simply heed my words, and then nothing would go amiss." 

"But why do you not listen?" 

Jack fixed a deep gaze upon Lu, then turned away, slowly stepping into the misty curtain of rain, his crescent-white figure gradually blending into the world outside the pavilion. 

His low voice cut through the sound of rain, "I will give you time to contemplate, but the cost…" 

Half an hour later. 

Sebastian, holding an umbrella, strolled into the Imperial Flower Garden amidst the rain. 

The entire world was shrouded in a hazy curtain of rain, rendering visibility quite poor, yet it did not hinder him from catching sight of that dark blue figure in the pavilion— 

A quarter of an hour prior, the slumbering Empress had been carried away by the arriving palace attendants, who, upon discovering another person present, could not neglect the Empress and decided to return her before coming back for the remaining individual. 

However, Lu had outright refused, insisting she wanted to be alone in the pavilion for a while longer. 

The attendants were at a loss, unable to simply abandon her there, so one of them hurried to inform Sebastian and seek his counsel. 

Coincidentally, Sebastian had just finished his business in the Imperial Study, so he decided to come over himself with the umbrella. 

Inside the pavilion, 

Lu lay weakly on the cold marble table, gazing forlornly at the drizzling rain outside. 

Honestly… it's just a water serpent! Is being able to summon rain such a grand feat?! 

If it weren't for the fact that they were on land, she could summon rain too!! 

And yet, here he was, threatening her?

Lu furrowed her brow in irritation and despaired, pondering what difference it made if the rain continued unabated. After all, it would not impact her; it was merely humanity that would suffer! 

Yet, gazing blankly at the blurred flowers and trees beyond, mercilessly battered by the rain, she questioned what right humanity had to endure such unwarranted calamities because of her actions. 

Although Lu felt little affection for humans, she understood that if that water serpent were allowed to have its way, those seemingly fragile beings would undoubtedly crumble under the onslaught. 

Furthermore, upon reflection, she realized her connection to this affair was inescapable. 

Sitting upright from the cold stone table, she looked at the empty plate beside her, previously filled with snacks, and let out a deep sigh. 

Ah, how troublesome these fish are! 

It was already enough of a nuisance, and now there was nothing to eat! 

"What are you sighing about over here?" Sebastian entered the pavilion, folding his umbrella before approaching the table and taking a seat, his phoenix-like eyes lifting inquisitively. 

"I am not sighing!" Lu instinctively retorted, but upon recalling her previous exhale, she turned her head away with diminished confidence, huffing softly. 

However, after a moment, her curiosity got the better of her, and she turned back to look at the peculiar object in Sebastian's hand. "What is that you are holding?" 

"An umbrella." 

Sebastian followed her gaze to his ink-splattered paper umbrella and suddenly paused. "...I forgot to bring yours." 

Lu blinked in confusion, "Huh?" 

A quarter of an hour later. 

"Hey, watch where you're stepping! You nearly trampled my skirt!" Lu exclaimed, pouting in annoyance, carefully lifting the hem of her gown. She was exceedingly cautious about the splattered mud on the little stone path and was also worried about the trouble the person beside her might cause. 

Sebastian firmly held the umbrella but slowed his pace beneath it, furrowing his brow in resignation. "This umbrella is only so large; just mind your footing and don't fuss over the skirt." 

He suspected that his own dragon robe had likely picked up quite a bit of mud as well. 

"That's not acceptable! This is the beautiful skirt you just bought for me, and it's only the first day I'm wearing it!" Lu asserted earnestly, her gaze fixed intently on the hem of her dress. 

How exquisite a garment it was; it deserved to be cherished! 

"Muddy clothes can be washed; if worse comes to worst, I can simply buy you a new one. We're not short on dresses." 

As he spoke, Sebastian reached out and gently pulled the little mermaid, who had almost stepped out from under the umbrella, back into the cover. "Just stay still, alright?" 

"But I don't need you to buy me another; I just don't want to dirty this one!" 

Lu glanced at him and suddenly changed her mind, testing him, "What if I refuse to behave? Would you be angry?" 

Sebastian replied, "...That would depend on how you choose to misbehave." 

Instantly, Lu halted her steps, then, under Sebastian's watchful gaze, flashed a mischievous smile and unexpectedly leaped onto him— 

The inky paper umbrella landed gently on the ground as Lu clung to Sebastian, their momentum carrying them into the grass beside the path. 

They splashed into a puddle, dousing themselves with rainwater that was hardly pristine. 

Sebastian: "…"

Lu smiled sheepishly, hurriedly scrambling to her feet and sitting on the grass, softly explaining, "I didn't mean for it to happen like this…" 

As she spoke, she turned to glance at the torrential rain surrounding them, intrigued, "But is it really so pleasant to be caught in the rain?"