Eldoris and Marella arrived at the palace and were met with sour looks from Lotus and Pippy. The two fish had originally planned to spend the whole day with Marella, but Eldoris had simply taken her away. Luckily, Eldoris was a powerful merman prince; otherwise, Pippy might have already devoured him by now. Unbeknownst to them, earlier that morning Lotus and Pippy had gotten into a fight in front of Eldoris's room. They eventually agreed to enter together without making a scene so as not to upset Marella, but unfortunately, Eldoris had already taken Marella away. This made the two of them even more annoyed with Eldoris, who was at that moment helping Marella climb onto an obsidian stone chair in her room. Eldoris noticed several pairs of eyes glaring at her with displeasure. She raised her eyebrows, turned around, and looked at Lotus and Pippy, who were staring at her with hostility.
Unlike Marella, who was beaming with a bright, radiant smile upon seeing the two fish of different species. "Pippy, Lotus, you should've come along earlier! Eldoris and I had satay, you know," Marella exclaimed cheerfully, waving her hand to call the two fish over to her.
Lotus and Pippy swam quickly toward Marella, but their movement was halted by Eldoris's strong hand. "Get out," Eldoris said in a flat tone, her cold, threatening gaze fixed on Lotus and Pippy.
Marella clicked her tongue in annoyance at Eldoris. "Don't be rough with them!" Marella scolded, causing Lotus and Pippy to flash victorious smiles, especially Pippy, who glared at Eldoris with a sneer.
"Miss Marella, I met a male healer earlier; it seems he wants to see you," said Pippy, catching Marella's attention.
Marella tried to recall who the healer Pippy was referring to until she remembered someone who had once helped Pippy when she'd lost consciousness. "Pippy, take me to Malvis," Marella requested.
Pippy, happily, swam toward Marella. However, her tail was held back by Eldoris. "You two can go out tomorrow," Eldoris shooed them away, waving her hand to create small waves that pushed Lotus and Pippy out of her room. Eldoris chuckled contentedly as the two fish swam away, while Marella glared at her.
"I told you, don't be rough with them," Marella scolded, folding her arms with a displeased expression.
Eldoris ignored Marella's words, shoving her toward the bed, then pressing down on her shoulders to make Marella lie down. "Rest. I'm going out. Don't cause trouble with those two creatures," Eldoris said firmly, emphasizing the word "creatures," which was clearly directed at Lotus and Pippy.
Marella furrowed her brow. "Where are you going?" she asked, lifting her head. Eldoris quickly pushed Marella's head back onto the mattress, pressing her index finger right in the center of Marella's forehead.
"Sleep," Eldoris replied briefly before swimming away, leaving Marella to watch him go. Not wanting to be too curious, Marella finally closed her eyes, slowly drifting into the realm of dreams.
When Eldoris arrived at King Siren's throne room, he immediately bowed respectfully before King Bvior. The king sat on his throne with a sharp, intimidating gaze. The man, whose aura was as cold as deep ocean water, looked at his son with an expression that was hard to read. "I know," King Bvior said suddenly, causing Eldoris to raise an eyebrow in confusion, not understanding what his father meant.
He had been summoned here, and his father had immediately spoken without explanation. "What do you mean, Father?" Eldoris asked, his eyes filled with confusion. Could it be that his father already knew that—
"You've been visiting the mainland frequently lately," said King Bvior. King Bvior's eyes fixed on his son with an expression that was impossible to decipher.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Father. I was just curious about the world above," Eldoris explained, feeling relieved.
King Bvior nodded in understanding. "I hope you don't visit the mainland too often. You may return."
Eldoris bowed to King Bvior to take his leave before turning to go; King Bvior watched his son depart with an inscrutable expression.
Eldoris entered his dimly lit room slowly; he didn't want to wake Marella, who was already fast asleep in an inelegant supine position, her head hanging off the edge of the bed and her tail raised between the pillars, her lips slightly parted. Eldoris swam over to Marella and lifted her head to a more comfortable position. He then lay down beside her; she was sleeping so soundly that she didn't wake up even as Eldoris shifted his body. Eldoris gazed at Marella's smooth face, her eyes closed, with a serene expression—there was none of the cold, expressionless face Eldoris usually displayed. Lately, Eldoris's face had been more normal compared to before; for Lotus, all of this had changed since Marella's arrival.
Eldoris turned Marella's body to face her, then began to drift off, following Marella into her dreams.
An eye opened suddenly, staring wide in shock and brimming with emotion. Marella turned to her side in annoyance, specifically toward Eldoris, who seemed to still be fast asleep in his dream world. Marella pinched Eldoris's six-pack abs hard enough to make him groan and wake up from his deep sleep; with the classic look of someone just waking up, Eldoris stared questioningly at Marella. Marella tapped Eldoris's shoulder, though not too hard. "You're ruining my dream! Why did you intrude into my dream!?" Marella demanded, brimming with frustration—and who could blame her? Marella was dreaming about Noel asking her out on a date. Suddenly, Eldoris and Araya showed up together, ruining her moment with Noel. To her annoyance, Noel let go of her hand to go over to Araya, while Eldoris approached her, laughing at her with glee—the worst nightmare Marella had ever experienced.
Eldoris fell silent for a moment, recalling it. Suddenly, she giggled. What she had dreamed was exactly the same as what Marella had dreamed—it was the funniest dream that had ever visited her sleep. Seeing Eldoris's giggle only made Marella's blood boil even more; she was truly furious, and she kept wearing a sour expression. "You like humans? "Dream on. The moment he sees you, he'll make you his pet," Eldoris blurted out, causing Marella to scowl.
"So what if I like humans? That's none of your business, you ugly fish," Marella snapped angrily.
"You're ugly too," Eldoris retorted, making Marella's expression grow even more sour as she glared at Eldoris with hostility.
Seeing Marella's expression actually made Eldoris want to laugh even harder, but she had to maintain her usual image; she had to look dignified as always in front of people. Eldoris grabbed Marella's chin and gently shook her face, causing that annoyed expression to fade. "Don't pout—you just look uglier," Eldoris said, making Marella's face twist in anger. Instead of being coaxed, Eldoris had insulted her. Marella would make sure Eldoris got eaten by Pippy.
Eldoris approached Marella and wrapped his arms around her slender waist. "Let's have breakfast," Eldoris said, lifting Marella effortlessly. He carried her out of the room until they both arrived at the dining room for breakfast as usual, but this time something was different: King Bvior and Queen Avaor were already there, with King Bvior seated in the head chair. Eldoris didn't seem surprised at all; with a blank expression, he sat next to his father, with Marella to his right. Marella noticed that the portion of seaweed there was larger than usual; her eyes immediately lit up upon seeing it. Eldoris and King Bvior's expressions were identical—both expressionless. A silence hung between them until King Bvior spoke up. "Your name, Marella?" King Bvior asked, causing Marella—who had been silent and looking down, frightened by the atmosphere at the table—to lift her head slightly and nod softly.
King Bvior stared at Marella with a gaze she couldn't decipher. "There's no need to be so stiff; I'm here simply to invite you to dine with me and my wife," explained King Bvior, causing Marella to smile awkwardly. She saw no warmth in their smiles or tones—it was utterly cold. She couldn't stand staying here any longer; someone had to break this tension.
The sound of an empty stomach demanding to be filled echoed around the room. Marella, her face flushed with embarrassment, lowered her head. She was truly ashamed now—why had her stomach suddenly growled so loudly and uncontrollably? She'd be so embarrassed in front of the king and queen of the sirens sitting before her. Eldoris bit her lip to stifle a laugh upon hearing the sound of Marella's stomach; it was truly funny, especially in front of these two rather cold parents. Meanwhile, King Bvior cleared his throat. "It seems you're very hungry," said King Bvior.
Marella blushed with embarrassment; she felt as though she'd broken table manners at a noble's feast. "I'm sorry," Marella said, bowing her head. King Bvior nodded slowly.
"Alright, let's begin. Marella, you may eat as much as you like," King Bvior declared.
Immediately, Marella eagerly grabbed a large handful of seaweed and stuffed it into her mouth; her mouth was now undoubtedly full. Eldoris had been watching Marella's face the whole time and then raised his hand to press his index finger against her left cheek. "You look like a pufferfish," Eldoris remarked
Marella narrowed her eyes and shot a sharp glance at Eldoris. Seeing this, Eldoris quickly withdrew her hand from Marella's face with an amused smile that wouldn't fade.
King Bvior continued to watch them intently, though subtly and not overtly, especially the girl.
After finishing her meal, Marella, full of enthusiasm, urged Eldoris to go see Malvis, the healer for the sirens, because she wanted to see the magic in his hands again. For some reason, Eldoris kept refusing and told Marella to stay put in the palace. It wouldn't be Marella if she didn't have a shortcut to what she wanted; just now, she asked Eldoris to call Pippy and Lotus to accompany her, but the man retorted, "For what? I'm right here—why would you call them?" Eldoris insisted he'd go fetch the two fish only if Marella answered his question
Marella pouted in annoyance. "Come on, I'm bored. You're too cold—be warm for once, like Malvis," she snapped, which only made Eldoris even more annoyed and firm in his resolve not to call those two fish over here.
"You want to go to that healer's place with those two fish without asking my permission, don't you?" Eldoris guessed, his expression demanding.
Marella just grumbled in frustration. Why wouldn't Eldoris just let her be? "If so, what's the big deal?" Marella asked, leaving Eldoris speechless; he didn't even know why he was forbidding her from going
Eldoris let out a short sigh. "Fine," she said.
She lifted Marella's body and swam off with her. "Are we going to see Malvis?" Marella asked cheerfully.
Eldoris only answered with a soft snort; her face clearly turned cold and expressionless again. Along the way, the servants bowed respectfully as Eldoris swam past them. Until they reached the area outside the palace, where many sirens were swimming back and forth. It seemed to be a siren settlement. When Marella emerged with Lotus, she didn't pay much attention to them or the mysterious, dark-looking buildings there
Eldoris descended toward the rocks that had transformed into a structure resembling a residence, though its original form was still visible. Eldoris swam inside through a large opening there. "Hey, you're supposed to knock first," Marella protested, causing Eldoris to roll her eyes lazily.
"Don't say another word, or we're going back to the castle," Eldoris snapped, causing Marella to cover her mouth with both hands. Suddenly, Eldoris's face flushed as their eyes met
She quickly turned her face to the side and spun Marella's body so she was facing forward. "Hey, look ahead—we'll hit the rocks!" Marella called out, to which Eldoris replied with a soft snort.
Swimming deeper into the structure, Marella saw Malvis treating Siren, who appeared to be injured and was lying face-down on a rectangular stone—it looked like a stone bed, and she was sure it was hard. Malvis noticed someone approaching and turned her head to the side; she immediately bowed to Eldoris before resuming her work. Eldoris merely responded with a glance. Marella tugged at Eldoris's arm, urging her to come closer.
Eldoris didn't seem to pay much attention to her; her eyes were fixed intently on the male Siren lying there, covered in wounds. "Who did this?" Eldoris demanded.
Malvis turned to Eldoris, her hands still focused on treating the wounded Siren. "A mermaid," Malvis revealed, startling Marella.
"A mermaid's doing?" Marella asked.
Eldoris glanced at the girl briefly before letting go of Marella, causing the child to fall to the floor. "Watch her," Eldoris ordered, a command Malvis nodded to.
"Damn it!" Marella cursed as she fell onto the cold stone floor
Eldoris swam away, leaving Marella with Malvis there. Malvis stopped what she was doing because the Siren she was treating had regained consciousness. "Rest now; you'll recover soon," Malvis told the Siren
Malvis swam slowly toward Marella, who was sitting on the floor. "What's wrong with you?" Malvis asked, puzzled, staring at Marella, who hadn't gotten up from her seat since earlier and was wearing a sour expression.
"I can't swim," Marella whispered softly.
Malvis raised an eyebrow in confusion, then chuckled softly. She grabbed Marella's arm to lift her up and keep her afloat in the water. "No wonder Prince Eldoris is always by your side—why can't you swim?" Malvis asked, puzzled.
Marella shook her head, unsure. "Yeah, I can't. So what?!" Marella snapped, annoyed that she was being laughed at for not knowing how to swim.
"Alright, so what do you want to do now, Miss Marella?" Malvis asked kindly, with a warm smile.
Marella paused to think for a moment. "I want to see that," Marella pointed at Malvis's hand, leaving the man confused. He held out his palm right in front of the girl's face. "No, I want to see magic," Marella blurted out, causing Malvis to sigh softly.
"Alright, come with me, Miss," Malvis invited, leading Marella away from his residence.
*~*
At a hotel in the Noun Islands, a heated argument broke out between three adults and a teenage boy.
"What the hell is this? How are you supposed to protect Marella, Noel?!" demanded a man with brown hair and a piercing glare, struggling to contain his anger.
A woman with strawberry-blonde hair down to her shoulders replied, "Enough, Noah. I know Noel has done his best to look after Marella. It's just that Marella has too much energy," the woman said
The man named Noah roughly rubbed his face. "I truly apologize to you both, Luna and Dion, for his negligence," Noah said, filled with guilt
"It's okay. We should go look for Marella," said Dion, and everyone nodded in agreement
Lana and Dion walked away, parting ways with Noah and Noel as they left the hotel
...Eyes Of The Sea..
...Happy Reading..