Chapter 1
In the luminous blue holographic projection, two scholarly-looking men were engaged in a heated argument.
They were discussing the latest hot topic to set all of Blue Star abuzz: someone had found a descendant of Atlantis’s royal family on a remote island. Atlantis had fallen nearly six years ago.
A merfolk infant.
The white-robed scholar spoke passionately. “I think it’s utterly absurd for the royal family to bring this merfolk infant into the palace just to possess blue blood and the so-called symbol of royal authority! They may not understand this merfolk’s biological value. The blue blood flowing through merfolk gives them astonishing healing abilities, lifespans far longer than ordinary people, and even the ability to command all kinds of sea creatures... From a historical perspective, he might also help scholars better understand why the Atlantean royal family, once rulers of all Blue Star, fell into decline and nearly went extinct.”
The host picked up the discussion. “So, Scholar Cole, what do you think of the royal family’s announcement that this merfolk infant will become Prince Wright’s spouse once he comes of age?”
“A publicity stunt!” Cole scoffed. As he spoke, he pulled out two ridiculously shaped paper cutouts.
The long-haired figure with a tail represented a merfolk, while the other, with short golden hair and a crown, was clearly the current first prince of the Aus Empire—Wright Igor.
Cole maneuvered the merfolk cutout closer to the prince and, in an exaggeratedly high-pitched voice, said, “Your Highness, Your Highness, let’s have a blue-blooded merfolk baby together!”
Then he piled the two cutouts together and vigorously stirred them around.
A piece of paper with an egg drawn on it fell out.
“Ah!”
The egg cracked, and a ridiculous creature with a fish’s head and human legs tumbled out.
The audience burst into laughter.
Outside the projection, however, the atmosphere inside the aircraft was eerily quiet.
Wright’s attendant cautiously turned to glance at the man sitting in the back seat with his eyes closed. “Your Highness... would you like me to change the channel?”
“No.” The man kept his eyes shut and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his long fingers. “I think it’s pretty funny too.”
The most ridiculous thing about this engagement was that everyone in the country could spout their opinions about it—except the two people involved.
When Wright heard the news, he had been stationed at the border, inspecting for lingering threats left by the insect race. Then, all at once, word of his engagement to a merfolk infant spread throughout the country, without his knowing a thing about it.
So he flew back to the capital overnight.
The silver aircraft landed outside the imperial palace gardens. The wind from its rotors bent the grass, and the moment the hatch opened, two rows of ceremonial guards snapped from at ease to attention.
Black military boots stepped onto the soft grass. Their polished surfaces reflected the man’s straight-backed figure. Wright wore a military uniform, his left shoulder covered in glittering medals, while half his striking, steely face showed beneath the brim of his cap.
He adjusted his cufflinks and removed his cap. Beneath his sharply angled brows was a pair of amber eyes, and his golden hair—the symbol of the Igo royal family—shone even more brilliantly in the sunlight,
Wright Igor, the first prince of the Aus Empire and rightful heir to the throne, had led mecha soldiers from the western continent to deal the insect race a crushing blow after it had utterly destroyed the Atlantis Dynasty. Hailed as the Empire’s Eagle, he had helped revive human civilization on Blue Star with the founding of the Aus Empire.
The steward beside him immediately took the cap from his hand. “Your Highness, you’re back.”
“Mm.” Wright gave a slight nod. “I want to see Father.”
The steward replied, “Of course. I’ll inform His Majesty at once...”
“Big Brother!”
Suddenly, a loud voice rang out above them.
Everyone looked up in surprise. The second prince, Lance, was riding a ramshackle steam-powered machine that looked ready to fall apart. He hammered at the uncooperative old machine while waving frantically at Wright.
“Whirr!” The noisy machine finally came to a stop on the grass, its rear belching a string of pungent black smoke.
Unlike everyone else, who acted so stiffly around Wright, Lance casually slapped him on the shoulder and blurted out,
“Big Brother! Did you hear? Dad found you a fish!”
Wright: “...”
The steward’s eyelid twitched. Only after seeing that the first prince’s expression hadn’t changed did he breathe a sigh of relief.
After a long silence, Wright said, “I came to ask Father to cancel the engagement.”
Lance draped an arm over his shoulder. “I heard merfolk are extraordinarily beautiful, like elves from fairy tales. Big Brother, you haven’t even met the little merman, and you’re already so determined to cancel the engagement?”
“Nonsense.” Wright pressed his lips together and shot him a sharp look. “How old is he?”
Lance immediately fell silent and made a zipping motion across his lips.
...
“Has he arrived?”
The dignified elderly woman sipped her tea, but checking her terminal every three seconds gave away how nervous she was.
When Quina, the palace’s etiquette instructor, heard that the little merman had spent nearly six years on a deserted island, she was utterly distraught.
If Prince Wright’s future spouse turned out to be an uncouth foreigner who knew nothing of etiquette, her career might suffer an epic setback.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
Just then, someone knocked on the hall door.
The maid looked at her. “Madam, he should be here.”
Quina immediately set down her teacup and hurried toward the door, taking care to tidy her appearance as she went.
The hall door opened,
and Quina saw the little merman on tiptoe, trying to snatch a ragged shark toy covered in countless patches from a guard. The little merman’s face was smeared with dirt, and his clothes were hardly any better than the toy. He looked as if he’d just crawled out of a coal furnace, and his silver hair was so filthy that its original color was nearly impossible to make out. Rather than the beautiful merfolk of legend, he looked like a little beggar.
Quina drew in a sharp breath. The very scene she’d hoped to avoid had come to pass.
...
When Mu Chen first stepped into the capital of the Aus Empire and saw countless enormous things soaring through the sky, he was so stunned he couldn’t look away. He was immediately reminded of the scene his aunt had once described to him.
Atlantis at its height—the era when steam-powered machines and giant sea beasts coexisted.
As a child, Mu Chen had never seen anything like this. The first time he saw a giant mecha was when heavily armed insectoid creatures wielding sharp blades hunted down his people.
He hid in a crevice among the reefs, the pungent stench of blood filling his nostrils. In the end, his aunt, the sole survivor, took him and fled to a remote island with primitive communications.
After that, Mu Chen dreamed every night of endless slaughter.
Later, his aunt somehow found him a little shark toy.
His aunt told him that Mu Xiusi, founder of Atlantis and the man known as the “Sea God,” had once ridden a giant shark to unite Blue Star. He was the bravest person in the world, and Mu Chen was his descendant, with the same blue blood running through his veins. When he grew up, he was to become as brave as the “Sea God.”
From then on, Mu Chen slept with the toy in his arms and took it everywhere. To him, it symbolized courage, and those who had courage were invincible.
Now Mu Chen tipped his head back to look at the armored soldier. Even standing on tiptoe with all his might, he could barely reach the man’s waist. He clutched his little shark tightly and refused to let go.
The guard hadn’t expected the little merman to be so stubborn. When the guard loosened his grip, Mu Chen lost his balance and fell heavily backward. Trying to catch himself, he struck his hand against the sharp corner of a marble pillar, and blood flowed from his palm.
The shark toy went flying into the corridor.
Quina frowned and hurried toward the little merman. That looked like it had hurt terribly.
A child of the same age would have burst into tears at the sight of so much blood, but Mu Chen didn’t cry. He simply looked calmly at his wound without even blinking, then asked the guard, “Can you give Sharky back to me?”
“Give it back to him.”
A low male voice suddenly sounded from the end of the corridor, followed by the crisp click of military boots crossing the marble floor.
After helping the little merman to his feet, Quina immediately turned toward the voice, and the attendant followed her gaze.
The moment they recognized the man, their expressions grew serious. They bowed in unison. “Your Highness.”
Only Mu Chen stood rooted to the spot, staring as a very tall, golden-haired big brother walked toward him. The man bent down, picked up the fallen Sharky, and held it out to him.
Mu Chen blinked his big eyes. He looked up at the man in the crisp military uniform, then down at the man’s pale hand, which stood out against the dusty gray shark.
He wiped his uninjured hand on his clothes, grabbed the shark, and hugged it tightly to his chest.
“Thank you... Big Brother.”
The little merman’s voice was soft, and his halting words of thanks were full of childish innocence.
Wright paused. He hadn’t heard anyone call him that since Lance had grown up. Being called Big Brother by this dusty little merman felt rather novel.
Nearby, the moment Quina saw Wright, she felt dizzy, as if her brain had been deprived of oxygen.
Oh no, oh no...
She hadn’t even taught the little merman palace etiquette or changed him into clean clothes, and now the prince had caught sight of him. How could she possibly stay in the palace after this?
Still, as an experienced etiquette instructor, Quina showed no sign of fluster. She simply smiled and reminded Mu Chen, “You should call him Your Highness.”
“Oh... sorry, Big Br...” The little merman seemed to realize he had nearly called him the wrong thing again. He bit his lip and quickly corrected himself. “Your Highness.”
He looked utterly bewildered and helpless, but out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the row of golden medals on Wright’s chest.
The person in front of him had to be the first prince of the Aus Empire.
Mu Chen recalled his aunt’s parting instructions: if he wanted to stay in the palace, he would have to make the other person like him...
“You don’t need to apologize.” Wright’s gaze fell on the little merman’s injured palm. “Take him to have his wound treated.”