Chapter 57 Clarity

"What... what did you say?" Lu stammered, momentarily taken aback. "You can't be serious! Are you jesting with me?" 

What does 'not going back' even mean? 

A little white-eyed wolf... oh no, a white-eyed serpent?! 

Lu began to struggle slowly, glaring at her wrist that he held captive, her brow furrowing in anger. "Let me go!" 

Jack lowered his gaze, allowing the little mermaid to flail desperately, yet he remained steadfast in the water, unmoved. 

Lu glared at him with her cerulean round eyes, gritting her teeth in frustration. "What do you intend to do?"

She should never have shown such kindness by bringing this fellow back! 

"...What I wish to do, shouldn't you know best?" 

Jack maintained a faint smile at the corner of his lips, yet he firmly pulled the defenseless mermaid princess toward the secluded depths of the sea, his tone leisurely. 

"Me?" Lu was momentarily taken aback, then huffed in annoyance, "What do you know? You, ungrateful serpent, have turned your back and can't possibly do anything good!" 

What was wrong with her? How could she have softened her heart and stood up for this vile serpent just moments ago? 

"Good?" Jack raised an eyebrow, repeating the word with a leisurely air. 

He chuckled softly, the sound unclear whether it was mocking or not. "...You should understand that the notion of 'good deeds' hardly aligns with me." 

His slightly elongated, sleepy phoenix-like eyes narrowed. "Moreover, does not Your Highness the princess also hold me in disdain?" 

"Then perhaps you should reflect on your own actions!" Lu inhaled deeply, feeling frustrated. "Why should I have any regard for you?" 

Setting aside everything else, he was currently dragging her off to who knows where; what audacity did he have to accuse her of being ungrateful! 

If only she could muster the strength to slap him across the face with her tail! 

How dare this serpent be so arrogant! 

With that thought, Lu's emotions calmed somewhat, and she turned her mind to other matters. 

For instance— 

This was her first time attending such a grand event as the Four Seas Festival, and it was only the first day of the celebration, yet she was already causing a ruckus by going missing… The consequences were too dreadful to contemplate. 

Even if one of her royal brothers were to rescue her and she no longer had to face this vile serpent… what awaited her would likely be years of confinement. 

Lu's face instantly scrunched up, her spirit as a mermaid deflating; were it not for Jack's firm grip on her arm, she might have sunk to the ocean floor in despair. 

...How frustrating. 

Just when she thought she was rid of that troublesome dragon, another serpent had appeared. 

Did she have a grudge against the Eastern Sea?! 

Meanwhile, in her satchel, 

A small figure, resembling a miniature version of Sebastian, squatted solemnly at the bottom of the bag, trying to find a way to notify its original form of the events happening here— 

However, being merely a drop of blood in manifestation, it lacked complete intelligence and the spiritual power and skills its original form possessed. Thus, after squatting for what felt like an eternity, it could not devise a plan to rescue the little mermaid from Jack's grasp. 

As for the original form— 

It had made every effort to send the message, but whether it would be received was beyond its knowledge. 

"...I once attempted to speak to you calmly, but you would not listen." 

Feeling the increasing pressure on his hand, Jack glanced sideways at the displeased Lu and stated the matter plainly. 

Lu shot him an unyielding look, responding defiantly, "I don't like you; yet you insist on meddling in my affairs every day. Why should I heed your words?" 

What connection did they share? 

They had no relationship whatsoever! 

Jack smiled enigmatically and withdrew his gaze. "Heh, regardless, you are in my grasp now. If you wish to resist, I can simply choose to ignore it." 

After all... he understood the concept of "there will be plenty of time in the future." 

From the very beginning, he had no intention of harming this naive little mermaid, who only followed her own heart. 

However, not harming her did not mean he could not claim her for himself. 

Claiming her for himself meant there would be no distractions or obstacles to divert the little mermaid's attention away from him. 

In her world, he was all she needed. 

On the other side, 

The third prince wore a grim expression, his tone irritable. "...Is Lu more important than the Four Seas Festival?" 

The captain of the mermaid guard bowed respectfully. "Your Highness, simply participate in the activities as usual; I will provide you with an update on the mission to retrieve the sixth princess shortly." 

After all, Jack had taken Lu in plain view of the public, and they had a general idea of the direction in which he had gone. Though the mermaid guards had been a moment slow to pursue, mermaids were not inferior to sea serpents in their ability to navigate the waters. 

Moreover, there was only one adversary; finding the mermaid princess was merely a matter of time. 

The third prince pressed his fingers to his forehead. "You don't understand; I'm concerned about what that serpent might do... something unforgivable to Lu." 

After all, Mother was completely taken in by Jack's deceptive facade, disregarding the subtle warnings from her sons. 

As for Jack... his serpentine nature was truly unpredictable. 

The mermaid guards, feeling helpless, could only sincerely say, "Your Highness, if you follow us in search... it may not be of much help." 

Conversely, the absence of the mermaid representative was an awkward situation to explain. 

Moreover, the sea spirits who had deliberately remained in that area to catch a glimpse of the mermaid had lost their reason for celebration, making their situation even harder to justify. 

The third prince pressed his lips together, ultimately yielding with reluctance, "Very well. Notify me immediately upon finding her."