ITHMF 16

Chapter 16

“No, I naturally assumed you were speaking politely to me because I’m a mermaid! I thought you were just a high-ranking mermaid… No wonder your name sounded familiar. Who would have known the Emperor of the Empire would roam the castle like it was his own home?”

Letting out a sigh, I withdrew the informal speech I had been carelessly using. He was the Emperor, after all; using casual language was a bit much. Come to think of it, it was also strange that he was speaking politely to me.

“But why are you using formal speech with me?”

“Because you are Roahim’s daughter. I didn’t want to be marked as an ill-mannered old man from our very first meeting. Besides, I’ve already unintentionally tattled on you; I can’t afford to damage my image any further.”

Mentioning his own mistake, Tanteon smiled apologetically. He explained once more that he had spoken out of concern and had no other intention. It seemed the matter weighed heavily on his mind.

Tanteon had already earned a great deal of forgiveness simply by delivering the note to Kairan. So I waved my hand to indicate it was fine.

“It’s okay. Since you said you didn’t say it on purpose.”

“So, does that mean you forgive me?”

“Yes, of course! How could I not forgive you when you’ve even delivered a letter like this?”

“That’s a relief.”

Tanteon smiled gently and let out a sigh of relief. Though he didn’t show it, he seemed worried about potentially falling out with me.

He didn’t really need to be this concerned about me… In many ways, I could feel that Tanteon was a good person.

“So, has your confinement been lifted?”

“No… not yet.”

Tanteon smiled kindly and poked at my sore spot.

The confinement was lasting longer than expected. They say those who have done wrong should remain quiet; since my punishment wasn’t lifted, I couldn’t even bring up the topic of the surface. I was afraid that if I spoke rashly, I’d end up trapped in the sea until I came of age.

Seeing me grow sullen, Tanteon drooped his eyebrows apologetically.

“It feels bad that this happened because of me.”

“It’s okay. Well, it would have been found out eventually anyway.”

It just came a little earlier. Regretting the past was useless. What mattered was what to do from now on.

“What would you like to do going forward, Princess?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Do you want to stay only in the sea until your coming-of-age ceremony, or do you want to officially receive permission and travel to and from the surface?”

“Of course I want to travel to and from the surface. But it’s not like I can do whatever I want…”

When I answered in a hesitant voice, Tanteon stared at me silently. Then he lightly clapped his hands together.

“Then it shouldn’t be difficult.”

“Huh? You say it’s not difficult?”

“If your mind is made up, that means you’re ready to persuade Roahim.”

“Do you think I can persuade him? Even if I get a chance to speak, I’m not sure Father will allow me to go to the surface…”

“If you speak honestly, Roahim will listen to you too.”

Is that really true? If I speak with all my sincerity, will Father respect my opinion too?

I knew Father wasn’t the type to just say no outright, but I couldn’t easily find the courage.

Seeing me hesitate, Tanteon reassured me, saying it would be fine. Since he had known Father longer than I had, surely I could trust his words at least once. I felt my lacking courage being replenished.

“I’ll give it a try!”

“You’ve made a good decision. I’m sure you can persuade Roahim, Princess.”

“Thank you for your kind words.”

“Then shall we go see Roahim now?”

“Yes! Let’s do that!”

Right. I couldn’t just stay cooped up in my room, worrying forever. I’d apologize again and tell him my thoughts.

Now that I had organized what I wanted to say, I felt like going to see Father right away. As I stood up abruptly with my reply, Tanteon lightly waved his hand.

“I hope things work out in the direction you want.”

“Thank you for your advice. I’ll be going now!”

And just as I was about to leave the room, I remembered something I’d forgotten and took a hundred steps back to my original spot.

Tanteon looked at me with a puzzled expression. I smiled brightly and said.

“Please feel free to speak comfortably with me next time we meet! And use informal speech too.”

Tanteon, who seemed momentarily taken aback by the unexpected remark, smiled in understanding and nodded.

Letting out a long breath, I headed resolutely to Father’s office. A knight guard stood before the office door, holding a trident. The knight glanced at me briefly, then soon knocked on the door.

“Lord Roahim, Princess Serinel has arrived.”

“Let her in.”

His flat voice was the same as usual.

Thankfully, he seemed to be in a decent mood. As the door slid open, I swallowed dryly and stepped inside.

Father was sitting at his desk, rapidly reading through documents. As I cautiously approached, he put down the papers he was holding.

“What is it?”

“…I have something to tell you.”

Father stared at me intently, as if trying to gauge my intentions, then nodded. He rang a bell beside him. A maid who had been waiting outside entered the office.

“Prepare some tea.”

“Yes, understood.”

As soon as the maid left, Father rose from his seat and gestured toward the sofa. I followed him to the sofa, clenching my hands tightly.

Sitting across from Father, who still wore an expressionless face, I felt even more nervous for no reason.

What if I tell him honestly and he still doesn’t allow it?

Then what! I’ll just have to persuade him for days on end… Let’s do my best.

As I inwardly chanted a pep talk, the maid set up the tea and left the office.

Warm steam rose from the full teacups. As the warm tea went down, I felt my tension ease a little.

“What did you want to say?”

As I let out a small breath, Father asked lightly while sipping his tea. I stared blankly at his elegant movements for a moment, then straightened my back and spoke.

“I was wrong.”

“……”

“When I thought about it, I realized I never actually said I was sorry. I’m sorry for going to the surface secretly even though I knew I wasn’t supposed to, and for making you worry.”

*Clink-.* Father set down his teacup, slowly crossed his arms, and leaned back against the sofa.

I swallowed dryly and secretly gauged his reaction. Judging by his expression, he thankfully didn’t seem angry.

Father slightly tilted his head, as if telling me to continue. I decided to speak honestly, as I had resolved to do before coming.

“…At first, it was just curiosity. I only intended to take a quick look at what the surface was like and then come back down, but…”

“But?”

“I met a human my age. I was so fascinated that I only meant to have a brief conversation, but that led to continuing until now.”

“So even though you knew it was wrong, you kept going to the surface to meet that child?”

When I nodded, Father let out a long sigh. Anyone could see he was displeased, and I found myself feeling even more cautious.

No, don’t be intimidated. I can’t be like this already! I haven’t even said the harder part yet!

Pulling myself together as I felt myself growing timid, I continued speaking.

“Whenever I snuck out, I did think it wasn’t right, but meeting that child was so much fun that I couldn’t help myself. After being confined, it was hard to think I might never see that child again. So I’ve been thinking it over for the past few days…”

“……”

“Even if it involves risk, I want to continue being friends with that child. To do that, I would like you to allow me to travel to and from the surface.”

I finally said it!

Clenching both fists, I waited for Father’s reaction. He remained silent for a while, as if mulling over my words, then let out a short sigh.

“Humans are not beings to be trusted so easily.”

“I know. I understand what you’re worried about…”

The mermaid race itself was practically like a unicorn to humans. They existed in records, but no one knew if they actually existed.

What would happen if such a being actually appeared? Not only would they become a spectacle, but in serious cases, relations with humans could completely break down.

Father spoke in a serious tone.

“I don’t intend to absolutely forbid you from getting close to humans. But at the very least, I want you to go to the surface only when you can take human form.”

“Can’t I replace human transformation with a potion?”

“A potion made by the Witch of the Deep Sea? Her skills are certainly superior to other mermaids. But with a potion, you never know when variables might arise.”

I clamped my mouth shut. In fact, just a few days ago, an unexpected variable had caused Kairan to discover my true identity.

Later, when I asked Mei, she explained that if a mermaid takes human form, she must continuously consume water. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to move properly and would gradually dry up.

She said the reason the magic wore off faster than expected was probably because my body couldn’t endure the lack of water.

But that happened only because I hadn’t consumed enough water. In other words, if I made sure to drink plenty of water, there would be almost no other variables.

“I’ll be more thorough and careful. I’m confident I won’t reveal my identity to anyone.”

“Even to that child?”

“That child is…”

When I hesitated and trailed off, Father frowned slightly, as if he understood.

“It seems you’ve already been found out.”

“…I’m sorry. It was my first time taking human form and walking around, so I didn’t know I needed to consume water continuously. If I had just done that, it would have been fine, but…”

Even if I had ten mouths, I had no excuse for this part.

If I’d known this would happen, I would have researched more thoroughly before going. I was too excited by the prospect of seeing the festival and let my guard down.

As I hung my head like a criminal, Father let out a long sigh.

“What if that child goes around telling everyone you’re a mermaid? What will you do then?”

“…He won’t do that. I trust that child.”

“Serinel, do you absolutely have to be friends with that child? You can make friends among mermaids too.”

Father asked in a worried voice, brushing his hair back with a complicated expression.

I bit my lip tightly. Of course, making other mermaid friends would be nice too. The more friends, the better.

But if you asked me whether I would give up on Kairan and choose mermaid friends I’ve never even met, my answer would naturally be ‘no’.