Chapter 394:

Daphne

[Host.]

What? I lean against the flagpole, the wood cool against my back. The stars are bright tonight. The sea is calm. The crew is quiet.

I was just opening their eyes to new possibilities.

Besides, nothing might happen. It’s not like I have gay abilities. I can’t just wave my hand and make two women fall in love.

Wait. I pause. Can I have—

[No.]

The System shuts it down immediately.

I yawn. Stretch. Lean my head back against the flagpole and close my eyes.

The ship rocks gently. The wood creaks. Somewhere below deck, someone is snoring.

And then—

I hear singing.

I open my eyes. Listen.

It’s faint. Distant. A melody carried on the wind, soft and sad and beautiful.

I swear, I can hear singing sometimes. Late at night, when the sea is quiet and the crew is sleeping. A voice—female, low, aching. It makes me sad.

Are there sirens in these waters?

I mean, there are pirates and mermaids. It’s not far-fetched that sirens could exist.

Wait. I frown. Are mermaids sirens? Or different?

*

That singing again.

It’s calling me.

Not very smart, I think. That’s how people die.

I sigh.

I watch, detached, as the little mermaid princess speaks to the kraken.

It’s massive—tentacles longer than The Bunny, eyes the size of carriage wheels, a beak that could snap a man in half. And she’s just... talking to it. Gesturing. Pleading. Commanding.

The kraken listens.

Then it leaves.

Sinks beneath the waves, disappearing into the deep, gone.

On the bright side, after the kraken leaves, the next stop is the monster.

I’m genuinely tired. Let’s get this over and done with so I can ask the little mermaid princess to introduce me to her mermaid friends.

Larissa signals for the boat to keep sailing.

I raise my hand.

The Bunny follows.

***

Caspian

Larissa is amazing.

The way she calmed that huge monster—stood before it without fear, without hesitation, without doubt. She spoke to it in a language I couldn’t understand, her voice soft and commanding, her hands moving through the water like she was conducting an orchestra.

And the kraken listened.

It left.

She says it’s a pet. Her father’s. Sent to retrieve her, to bring her home, to protect her.

"How impressive," I tell her.

She leans her head on my shoulder. Her hair is wet. Her skin is cold. Her presence is warm.

"I’ll show you more," she says.

She often says this. That she wants to show me more of the seas. The beauty. The wonders. The things no human has ever seen.

When all this is over, I think. When the monster is dead. When the kingdom is stable.

I’ll sail back to the seas.

At that time...

I’ll let her show me everything.

"Larissa."

She looks up.

"Thank you," I say.

She smiles. That small, quiet smile that makes her eyes crinkle at the corners.

"I’ll make you happy," she says, placing a hand on my chest. Her palm is cool through my shirt.

"I’m already happy with you right now."

"Happier." She adds on.

I can’t help my smile at that.

She’s so pure. So innocent. Untouched by the world in a way I’ve never seen in anyone from my kingdom. No schemes. No politics. No agenda.

Just... her.

Wanting me to be happy.

I cover her hand with mine.

"You already have," I say.

She tilts her head. Her dark hair falls across her shoulder.

"Happier," she says again.

I wrap an arm around her shoulder.

"Yes. Happier." I say.

She looks pleased.

It’s hard to communicate precisely—she often speaks in one word or extremely short sentences. But I can read her expressions now. The tilt of her head. The curve of her lips. The way her eyes brighten when she’s pleased.

I don’t know the outcome of this journey. Whether I’ll succeed. Whether I’ll return home. Whether I’ll ever see my kingdom again.

But I’m glad I met her.

*

I wake up on my side.

The cot is narrow. The blanket is thin. The air smells of salt and wood and her.

Larissa is beside me, naked, her dark hair spread across the pillow like spilled ink. Her chest rises and falls slowly. Her lips are slightly parted.

She’s beautiful.

I sit up. Stretch. My back cracks. My shoulders pop. The cot creaks beneath me.

I’m glad the other two members of this cabin room give me space when I’m here. They sleep on deck or in the storage hold or anywhere but here.

It’s different from the luxury I’m accustomed to—the silk sheets, the feather beds, the servants who anticipate my every need. But it’s something.

I swing my legs over the side of the cot. Reach for my shirt.

Hands wrap around my waist.

"Again," she says.

Her voice is soft. Sleepy. Demanding.

I look back.

She’s looking up at me, her blue eyes half-lidded, her lips curved in a small smile.

"Again," she repeats.

I should get dressed. I should go above deck. I should check on my crew,my responsibilities.

Instead, I lie back down.

"Again," I agree.

Because what man would refuse the embrace of a beautiful woman such as Larissa?

I pull her closer. She settles against my chest, her head tucked under my chin, her legs tangled with mine.

***

Larissa

The prince loves to copulate.

It’s not something I expected—he seems so serious, so burdened, so heavy with the weight of his crown and his brother and his responsibilities. But in the dark, in the quiet, with his hands on my skin and his breath in my ear—

He’s different.

Lighter.

Easier.

It’s easier to speak to him when he’s like this. His guard is down. His walls are low. He listens.

I suppose the Devil was right.

That means she’s right about many other things.

That means if I care about him...if I truly care about him..I should have his egg.

It’s hard for humans and merfolk to have little ones. Not impossible.

I’ve seen it.

He stirs beside me. His arm tightens around my waist. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Larissa?"

"Shh." I press my hand to his chest. "Sleep."

He mumbles something. Settles.

I watch him.

His lashes are dark against his cheeks. His lips are slightly parted. His hair is tangled, falling across his forehead.

I could keep him safe, I think. Here. Beneath the waves. Away from the humans who would hurt him.

He would never have to go back.

He would never have to leave me.