Chapter 64 Not a Loss
"Hey! That..." A red-haired child in a purple robe peeked his head out from behind the palace door, but suddenly fell silent mid-sentence.
His youthful face bore a serious expression, with furrowed brows, as though he were troubled by a perplexing question.
"You're calling me?" Lu stared at him for a while before hesitantly raising her hand to point at herself.
The child blinked, a hint of pink flushing his cheeks, and earnestly nodded, feigning calmness. "Yes, it's you. Could you... step out for a moment? I have something to discuss with you."
Lu glanced at her mother, who seemed hesitant to speak, and apologized, "Mother, could you wait a moment? There's a little fellow here whose origins I'm not sure of; I'll go see what he wants."
Unsure if they had wandered in from some unknown place, the little mermaid felt compelled to inquire about the situation—this was not the first time such an event had occurred. The layout of the mermaid palace sprawled across the seabed, and while it occupied a vast area, certain corners were inevitably less guarded.
Moreover, the glimmering crystals were almost universally adored by merfolk; the young ones, lacking in awareness and adept at hiding, would instinctively feel welcomed among their kin, even if they sensed the presence of an unfamiliar child. It was hardly surprising that they could slip in unnoticed.
Furthermore, she rather enjoyed playing with little mermaids—sweet and soft, they often stumbled clumsily, toppling over with a mere poke... Yet, the one seeking her attention seemed neither sweet nor soft.
Alas, she couldn't fathom why that dragon was so obstinate, refusing to abandon his pursuit of a proposal. If not for this, she might have already slipped out of the palace to play.
With this thought in mind, Lu swiftly swam to the entrance, meeting the child's focused gaze and softening her tone as she blinked, "Little one, what do you need from me?"
As she spoke, her instinct led her to glance behind the child, curious about the pattern of the young mermaid's tail... Huh?!!
Lu's azure eyes widened in disbelief as she observed the child, who seemed to be gathering his thoughts, and then her gaze fell upon the peculiar tail that boldly extended from beneath his garment, swaying with a sense of pride.
The scales were a fiery red, appearing quite rigid; the tail was not only robust but also adorned with a tuft of red fur at the tip.
This little mermaid possessed such a tail—how self-conscious must he feel in everyday life!
Lu pressed her lips together, her gaze unconsciously following the swaying tip of the tail, her mind conjuring images of the injustices and exclusion this beautiful young mermaid must have endured outside.
...No wonder he already knew how to frown at such a tender age; he must have suffered greatly.
Suddenly overwhelmed with sympathy, the little mermaid reached out to tousle the "little mermaid's" stiff red hair, employing her utmost gentleness. "Are you lost? Would you like me to help you find your way out? Or are you hungry? Shall we go get something to eat?"
Hmm... Although the hair was a bit prickly and not particularly pleasant to touch, it didn't matter; this little one had endured far too much hardship!
If she were to express distaste, what would that do to his already fragile self-esteem?
The child looked momentarily dazed, then shook his head. After a brief pause, seeing that her hand showed no signs of retreating, he finally could not contain himself any longer. "Are you done? If you keep touching my head, I won't grow any taller!"
If not for his need of this mermaid... he was already a mature dragon!
Lu exclaimed, "Ah, that's... enough."
She hadn't even complained about the unpleasant texture, yet this child was the first to express distaste!
What a peculiar child! If he weren't somewhat good-looking... hmph.
"Now, I need to discuss something serious." The child cleared his throat—though there was no real need for it.
"Go ahead."
"Well, um, that is to say..." The child hesitated again, stammering for quite some time before finally closing his eyes. "If you don't want to marry Uncle, he might be forced to marry someone else!"
"Then you should marry him!"
Perhaps having finally voiced his thoughts, the child opened his eyes, gaining confidence as he earnestly continued, "Uncle has many dragons pursuing him~ You wouldn't be at a loss marrying him!"
"He possesses countless gemstones and gold, more than any other dragon, as well as many beautiful islands—there are treasures from the sky, land, and sea; you would surely love them!"
"Even if you don't like him personally, his gemstones are worth marrying him for!"
He himself had many mermaids pursuing him, collected numerous gemstones, and owned vast underwater territories, yet he could not compete with some mermaid princess in the sky: "...oh."
It seemed there was nothing particularly compelling about that.
Speaking of which, gifting gemstones was a common tactic employed by the alluring creatures she had once befriended, wasn't it?
"Wait a moment," Lu finally processed the situation, "You're a dragon?!"
No wonder his tail was so unattractive!
It didn't conform to mermaid aesthetics at all!
The child flushed, stammering, "B-but, Uncle is already quite grown, and both the dragons at home and those outside want him to marry a dragon. If you don't marry him, he will have to wed another dragon, and it will make him very sad."
It must have been Uncle who confided in him; otherwise, he wouldn't have known how troubled Uncle was... He didn't want Uncle to be so unhappy.
Since Uncle had feelings for this little mermaid, he would do his best to assist him!
First, let the little mermaid marry Uncle!
"Marry... another dragon?" Lu was momentarily taken aback.
"Yes!" the child nodded fervently.
On the other side, Sebastian, who had been pulled aside by the mermaid matriarch, was somewhat distracted yet still smiled as he responded to her inquiries.
Until the matriarch suddenly remarked, "You are... the one who followed Lu to the human continent, aren't you?"
Sebastian: "..."