"Oh my goodness, I’m sor—" her words faded as she saw my legs. Her mood quickly shifted, and she moved away, bowing down to the Prince.

But Thyrian pulled me closer. Her reaction made me feel puzzled. Why did she stare at me like I was the most terrifying thing in the world? I turned to Thyrian for an explanation, but instead he gently poked my nose.

"Please," I called out. I didn’t want to feel out of place here, but I could still feel the gaze of the mermaid still lingering even as she swam away.

"A human is here!" I heard her scream in panic.

"They are afraid of humans. There have been many attacks from female warriors seeking to destroy our kingdom," Thyrian said and a wave of realization hit me. But from what I knew, humans were pretty much on good terms with sea folk. Even in the novel, I had never heard of female warriors having wars with mermaids. I had more questions to ask, but Thyrian began to move, this time slower.

As we went deeper into the city, I watched as everyone paused, staring at us in awe. Those eating stopped mid-swin and those buying things stared in great shock and subtle fright.

I sighted children being pulled back. "Don’t run around, the Prince is back," I heard a mermaid say to her child.

I couldn’t help but feel shy. It felt so awkward, everyone was staring at me like I was some kind of spectacle.

"It’s okay," he said, and I nodded. But then I sighted young mermaids, about the age to start mating, all swimming happily. But they stopped the moment they sighted Thyrian holding me. The joy in their eyes disappeared, and it dawned on me.

Most of the females here had a crush on Thyrian. Was he popular around here? They gave me cold looks, and I smirked. I wrapped my hands around his arm, letting them see it. Thyrian smiled at my gesture, but the mermaids’ faces grew paler.

Some even stared at me in disgust. "He brought a human female," their words spread around. I could hear the murmuring, but they all kept their distance from Thyrian. Wow, seeing him this cold made my toes curl. I was used to him being soft and clingy toward me....seeing this side of him, I couldn’t help but feel happy I followed him home.

"She’s not even that pretty," I heard a mermaid snap at me, glaring down at me, and I stared back at her, giving her the same cold energy. She didn’t budge, but she was clearly intimidated.

"Don’t worry, do whatever you want. I’ll back you up," Thyrian said, and I smiled. Those words made him sound like some alpha ruler, and my heart beat faster at his words... but I wasn’t here to create trouble for Thyrian. I was here to bring pride to him. I wasn’t familiar with their culture, so staying guarded and polite for now would do, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t snap at anyone who tried to belittle me.

His soft touch snapped me out of my thoughts, and he moved forward, swimming toward the towering castle that stood at the center of the city, gigantic and radiating a powerful aura. It must be the palace, Thyrian’s home.

My gaze snapped to the side. Were those merman warriors...? I thought with a slight gasp. I had already read about this in the modern world... seeing it now felt unreal and magical, seeing them in person. It felt like I was in a dream.

There they were: a group of fierce underwater warriors cutting through the currents like legends. In the center, a powerful merman warrior sat tall on a massive hammerhead shark, his purple and gold armor gleaming with magic. He gripped a glowing trident that sparked with bright blue energy, his helmet fierce and crowned.

To his side, a terrifying shark-like creature with sharp teeth and metal armor swam aggressively, claws ready. My heart raced seeing it. A beautiful mermaid with flowing red hair held a long spear, her expression strong and determined as she swam beside them. Another green-scaled warrior gripped a trident, looking ready for battle. Sharks circled all around them, powerful and loyal. Bubbles rose everywhere toward the surface where light broke through the water.

I felt so small as a human here in this mermaid world, but excitement filled me instead of fear. These warriors looked like protectors of the kingdom, strong and magical. The way the light hit their weapons and scales made everything shimmer. Thyrian whispered something close to my ear, but I could barely hear over my own heartbeat. This was the real underwater realm: dangerous yet beautiful. I held on tighter, amazed and a little scared, but mostly in awe of the power swimming right in front of me.

"Cool, right?" he asked, and I nodded. Just then, we arrived at the gigantic palace.

"Where are we headed?" I asked, and his lips parted. "The Emerald Hall," he said. I wanted to press on what he meant, but then the gates opened, and a huge hall was revealed. A distance away was a grand throne, and a king sat upon it, his fin gently moving while he held a massive trident. It was far bigger, and pure gold, seeming far more powerful than that of the warriors I had seen earlier. Next to him was a smaller throne where the queen sat.

Wow, there were actually loyal commoners and royal subjects all staring right at us.

I wasn’t nervous. Instead, a smile curled on my lips. I didn’t know a lot about them, so I wasn’t scared... or maybe it was because Thyrian kept squeezing my hands softly.

Thyrian stopped, gazing straight into his father’s eyes. "King and Queen," he said softly and bowed.

But I?

"Father and Mother, please be gracious to welcome our presence," I said, bowing down, and the entire hall gasped.

"She dares call the king father and the queen...mother, even the prince doesn’t dare," someone snapped from the crowd, and I felt the king’s eyes darken. He turned to Thyrian and laughed bitterly.

"Is this the vile master you bring here... Shame on you?"