Chapter 37 Four Seas

Panicking, Lu attempted to push the Fifth Prince's head back down, completely forgetting that she was on a boat. In her frantic movement, she nearly toppled out of the window—

With a splash, she fell into the water.

In that split second of plunging into the lake, Lu was utterly bewildered.

How did this happen?

She had merely wanted to prevent the Fifth Prince from showing his face!

…

"Is it really necessary to be so excited upon seeing your royal brother?"

The Fifth Prince, pulled down by the plunging Lu, swished his tail in confusion. "And what brings you to the depths? Isn't it lively up above?"

Lu blew bubbles as she surfaced, struggling to suppress the terrifying thought of transforming her legs into a tail. She managed to say, "But, Royal Brother, where do you find a normal human emerging from the depths?"

"And..." She glanced at the Fifth Prince's leisurely swaying tail, which was barely concealed by his flowing robe, her blue eyes filled with exasperation. "That is a fish tail!"

How could the Fifth Prince be even more reckless than herself!

He had not been like this before, not in the depths of the sea!

The Fifth Prince paused, slowly realizing—

He had become so accustomed to the water that he hadn't even noticed when his tail had returned.

"Ah, I suppose I didn't think that through. It seems my royal brother was remiss in his considerations," he chuckled awkwardly, transforming his tail back into legs.

"Indeed, it was your oversight."

The First Prince swam up from the depths, his gray-blue eyes calm and unruffled as he shot a cold glare at the Fifth Prince. "Weren't you instructed to stay put? Why did you come up here?"

Seeing their little mermaid so joyfully at play, they had initially agreed to let her enjoy herself before intervening to bring her back, remaining submerged until then—

The water here was quite pleasant; while it could not compare to the sea, it was certainly more accommodating than being on land.

With this in mind, the First Prince turned his gaze to Lu. "Since you are already down here, there are a few matters we should discuss."

Lu blinked, locking eyes with the First Prince, feeling an inexplicable tension rise within her. "Y-You speak."

… Were they going to hold her accountable for leaving the Mermaid Kingdom?

Was it really going to be this direct?

She wasn't prepared for this!

"The Four Seas Celebration will be held by the East Sea in ten days. You have often expressed a desire to attend. This year, you will have come of age and can represent the mermaids at the banquet."

The First Prince reached out to ruffle her hair, smiling warmly. "Our little Six has grown into quite the mermaid; you can indeed have a place at the Four Seas Celebration you've long yearned for."

With the Mermaid Kingdom's esteemed position in the depths, the youngest mermaid princess would undoubtedly be one of the centerpieces of attention.

Lu was momentarily stunned. "The Four Seas Celebration?"

Calculating the days… the grand celebration held every three years was indeed this year.

So, she could go after all.

"But…" Lu thought of Sebastian still on the boat, feeling torn.

But she hadn't yet explored the human world

"This return trip will surely mean I won't be able to come back!!"

As she hesitated, a tremendous noise exploded beside her ear, a heavy object crashing through the tranquil lake's surface directly above them.

"Someone has fallen into the water." The First Prince furrowed his brow, then, disregarding Lu's instinctive gaze upward to ascertain what it was, swiftly propelled himself and the Fifth Prince toward the lake's depths. "Little Six, we'll be on our way. We'll find you later."

"…Oh, okay." As Lu turned her head back, the two mermen had already vanished without a trace, leaving her to respond hollowly to the flowing water.

Was she truly being abandoned?

Not only was her escape from the Mermaid Kingdom overlooked, but she hadn't even been tethered for a return!

Lu found herself in disbelief.

Sebastian seized the dazed little mermaid, who appeared lost in thought while gazing at the lake's bottom, and held her close as they swam up to the surface.

By the time they had returned to their pleasure boat, thoroughly drenched and donning fresh attire, Lu still felt perplexed, her blue eyes wide with confusion as she looked at Sebastian. "Why did you get in the water too?"

"...Why didn't you return after you fell in?" he countered after a moment of silence.

Lu hesitated, carefully examining his expression as she searched for an excuse. "Um, I just forgot to come back?"

"Are you worried about me?" This was her only interpretation of Sebastian's reaction.

"But I'm a mermaid; there's no need for you to fret over me," Lu said earnestly. "I thought you knew."

She had been curious about what had fallen; it turned out it was him~

Yet she felt a wave of gratitude toward this human; otherwise, the First Prince might have forcibly taken her back!

"...It is precisely because you are a mermaid." Sebastian's phoenix eyes slightly narrowed, shifting his gaze elsewhere.

"...Huh?" Lu stared at the seemingly perplexed handsome human, completely baffled.

Why did she understand every word when separated, but found them incomprehensible when woven together?

Meanwhile, a boat in the center of the lake seemed to notice the earlier commotion and gradually steered closer—

It was not difficult to spot the young gentleman peeking through the window.

Sebastian knitted his brow.

It appeared that he was simply too idle.

Even the slightest disturbance prompted him to seek out the excitement.

"Hey—are you alright—?" From a distance, the overly eager young gentleman called out from the window, his face filled with concern.

Seeing Sebastian, whose demeanor exuded a palpable gloom, Lu hesitated before pushing forward a plate of pastries. "...Would you like to have something to cheer you up?"

She was uncertain as to why he had suddenly turned despondent.

This was the first time Lu had witnessed Sebastian in such a mood—

In truth, his emotions were not overtly displayed; he held a stately posture, and his handsome features bore the absence of his usual smile.

Yet she instinctively knew something was amiss with him.

…But why?

In the distance, the shouting persisted. "Did I catch a chill—? I just brewed some ginger tea—"

Another person from the boat could no longer contain their impatience and opened the window to see who had been making such a ruckus—

"Do you have any sense of public decorum? We're here to enjoy the view; what's with all the shouting? Looking foolish, you're wasting your handsome face!"

"—Who are you calling foolish?!"

"—Whoever it may concern!"

"—Oh, do you think this young gentleman has no temper?!"

"—Temper, is it? If you have the guts, come at me; who's afraid?!"

Lu bit into a piece of mung bean cake. "...So, it escalated to this level of clamor?"

Are humans always so quick to anger?

Sebastian raised a hand to massage his temple and instructed a nearby servant, "Prepare to return."

Well then, there was no need to swim across the lake anymore.