Pretty Mermaid

Usually, citizens of the Aus Empire had three to four months off between graduating from high school and the start of university. Military academies were different, however. They put new students through more than two months of physical training before classes began, so Mu Chen had less than two weeks left before he had to report to school.

Wright had recently begun making arrangements to return to the border. With Mu Chen’s birthday banquet and university matters settled, and Jorah having accepted his decision to break off their engagement, there was no reason for Wright to stay in the capital any longer.

Although he still didn’t approve of Mu Chen’s decision to attend military academy, he could only accept reality.

But when Wright told Mu Chen he planned to return to the border in two weeks, Mu Chen actually turned the tables and started complaining first.

Mu Chen’s upper body slid like a fish from the armrest into the soft cushions. His long legs stuck out over the edge as he lay upside down, looking at Wright. “Big Brother just got back. Why are you leaving again already? Who knows when we’ll see each other after we part this time?”

Wright ignored his unreasonable fussing and hauled the sprawled-out young man upright. “School’s about to start. How can you keep acting like this?”

The First Military Academy had rules so strict they were almost pathological. In its closed-off environment, everyone’s wealth and social standing were stripped away, leaving only their identity as new students. Once inside, no one cared who they had been before. Every year, plenty of students from noble families or elite households dropped out because they couldn’t take the pressure.

But the mermaid had been spoiled in the palace since childhood, so Wright naturally worried that Mu Chen wouldn’t be able to adjust to life after school started. Seeing how carefree he looked now, Wright was even more concerned that he had no idea what military academy was really like.

Sure enough, even after Wright hauled him upright, Mu Chen showed no sign of sitting properly. He leaned against Wright as if he had no bones. “Will you come visit me, Big Brother?”

In principle, family members weren’t allowed to visit students at the military academy...