Chapter 5
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
In the royal training grounds, a searing laser pierced a mechanical flying disc. Sparks burst outward, and pieces of the disc scattered across the ground.
The nearly two-story-tall mecha gleamed with a metallic sheen. Its laser rifle picked off the high-speed targets one by one, even though they were almost impossible to track with the naked eye.
It had missed only once out of twenty shots.
When the last target was destroyed, the shooting range’s red indicator lights went dark. The black mecha lowered its machine gun and slowly walked over to the hangar.
The cockpit door opened, and a tall, slender figure dressed in a black shirt emerged.
Wright removed his gear, and a few strands of blond hair fell in disarray across his forehead.
Piloting a mecha was an activity that took an immense toll on both mental power and physical stamina.
A servant below was preparing the lift for him, but Wright gestured for them not to bother. Then he leapt down the black giant’s mechanical arm, taking the steps two at a time.
Wright landed steadily on the ground. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing the sharply defined line of his collarbone. Beneath the sweat-dampened fabric, the contours of his lean, well-built physique showed through, while the solemn black only heightened his austere, restrained aura.
He took the towel a guard offered and wiped the sweat from his cheek.
Wright’s personal therapist followed behind him. “Your Highness, your mental power and physical condition are both holding up very well.”
The device in his hand showed Wright’s overall score was 97.
Wright sat down in a chair in the rest area and unscrewed a bottle of water.
The therapist asked again, “Have you been sleeping any better these past few days since taking the sedatives last time?”
Wright’s brows drew together slightly. “They didn’t do much.”
Maintaining such intense training could easily overexcite the mental entity in his brain. His mental power was several times greater than that of an ordinary person, and the resulting problems included insomnia and emotional instability.
Since returning to the capital, Wright’s insomnia had only worsened instead of improving.
The therapist noticed the faint shadows beneath Wright’s eyes and suggested, “Would you consider cutting back on your training? Now that you’re in the capital, you can afford to relax a little.”
He had tried finding a mental therapist to help the other man regulate his mental power, but Wright was SSS-rank, and there was hardly anyone in the entire Aus Empire with stronger mental power.
As a result, the therapists who came to help him had been overwhelmed by the sheer strength of his mental power and suffered backlash. In the end, they needed someone else to help them regulate their own mental power.
“No.” Wright rejected the suggestion and rose from his seat.
The dangers at the border had not been fully resolved. He couldn’t afford to let down his guard.
Besides, mental power was like a spring. Once it relaxed, it was difficult to return to its original tension.
“Did they come to renovate the chambers today?”
Just before boarding the aircraft, Wright suddenly asked the guard beside him.
Ever since agreeing to let Mu Chen stay, Wright had resolved to make sure he grew up happily and healthily in the palace—not as his betrothed, but as a younger brother in need of care.
He hoped Mu Chen would think of the palace as home and find freedom there.
The Aus Empire’s palace was enormous, but for a merman, it was still a little small.
One of the first things Wright did was order a renovation of Mu Chen’s quarters. He had a huge indoor lake built for the little merman, along with a canal that led straight to the sea.
The guard nodded. “They did.”
Not only had they come, they had even knocked down a wall without the Emperor knowing a thing about it.
Wright raised an eyebrow. “And the Emperor didn’t have anything to say about it?”
The guard now understood that the prince had deliberately put the Emperor in an awkward position.
“His Majesty... His Majesty said that if you want to renovate the palace again, especially for a major project like digging a canal inside the palace, you should tell him beforehand.”
Wright gave a soft scoff. “Tell him beforehand...”
“When will he learn to tell me beforehand?”
The guard lowered his head and didn’t dare answer.
Wright didn’t continue the subject. “Where is the little merman now?”
His tone softened without him even realizing it when he mentioned Mu Chen.
...
“Will there be a big pool in my room from now on?”
In a palace corridor, Mu Chen tilted his head up and asked Quina curiously.
“There will.” Quina’s usually stern face held a rare smile. “Not only will there be a big pool, you’ll be able to swim straight out to sea. His Highness hired the most famous craftsmen in the capital for this project, so the new quarters should be finished before long.”
After saying that, she muttered to herself,
“Still, I should remind His Highness to make sure the canal’s outlet is properly secured.”
In Quina’s eyes, Mu Chen was a young merman who needed to be looked after with the utmost care.
The moment he heard he’d be able to swim in his room, Mu Chen grew excited. Even his steps quickened.
Holding Quina’s hand, he hurried forward, eager to reach the construction site and see it as soon as possible.
But just then, a shadow suddenly fell across the path before him.
Someone blocked their way. The man at the front had a head of jet-black curls, and he looked down at Mu Chen from above.
The instant the man appeared, Quina fell silent. The atmosphere around them became frighteningly quiet.
After a long pause, Quina curtsied to the man,
“Your Highness.”
Mu Chen could vaguely see a resemblance to Wright in the man’s face, but only the slightest one. Compared to Wright, he fell far short.
Unlike Wright’s handsome, sharp features, Kyle’s visible lower whites gave him a gloomy, treacherous look.
“So this is my big brother’s little merman?” Kyle’s hawk-like gaze swept over Mu Chen from head to toe.
Beneath the lights, the merman’s silver hair shone with a warm golden glow. It was so dazzling that he looked like a brilliant diamond, his beauty sharp enough to dazzle.
Though Mu Chen was still young, Kyle could almost imagine how striking he would be when he grew up.
In that instant, an inexplicable jealousy swept through Kyle.
He had known for a long time that Jorah had found Wright a merman, but he hadn’t expected this one to be just as beautiful as the stories claimed—more dazzling than all the beauties Kyle had seen throughout the Aus Empire combined, and enough to make anyone think of that damned “blue blood.”
Quina squeezed Mu Chen’s hand, signaling him to greet Kyle, but for some reason, the usually well-behaved Mu Chen remained unmoved, refusing to say a word.
“Hmph...”
Seeing this, Kyle scoffed. He walked straight past them, gripping his sword, and firmly committed Mu Chen’s insolent manner to memory.
He was nothing but a merman in exile. How dare he show such disrespect?
As soon as he returned to his quarters, Kyle glanced at his mother, who was sitting at a rosewood table, drinking tea. He slammed his sword down on the table, no longer bothering to hide the fury pouring out of him.
Empress Catherine only shot him a sidelong glance before guessing most of what was on his mind. “Why are you taking your anger out on me?”
Kyle: “By having Wright make a marriage agreement with a descendant of Atlantis’s royal family, hasn’t he shown he’s serious this time?”
Wright held command over most of the Aus Empire’s military forces, and his father had personally named him Crown Prince. The people of the empire had long since taken it for granted that Wright would inherit the throne.
But Kyle had never been able to swallow his resentment. His mother was the current Empress.
Why should Wright get to have all of this as if it were his by right?
He had only been born before Kyle, which was why he had become the eldest prince.
Faced with Kyle’s fury, Catherine merely arched a brow dismissively. “Oh? And then?”
Kyle raised his voice. “That merman is a symbol of royal authority, with blue blood!”
Catherine smiled. “He’s nothing but a scion of a fallen dynasty, with no roots in the Aus Empire at all. He isn’t even an adult yet, and he’s already made you this angry?”
“This is exactly the opportunity we’ve been waiting for. Do you understand?”
Kyle froze for a moment, but Catherine continued sipping her tea, perfectly composed.
“Do you think Wright would agree to this marriage so easily, given his temperament?”
“A future spouse with no influence whatsoever, and a Crown Prince who’s always causing trouble and likes to defy the Emperor...”
As she spoke, Catherine tossed Kyle a list. “What do you think the prominent figures in the Aus Empire who once wanted to marry into the royal family will make of this?”
Kyle took the list. “What’s this?”
Catherine said, “Since your big brother has already entered into a marriage agreement, it’s your turn now.”
...
By the time mecha training ended, night had fallen. Wright came out of the bathroom in his quarters, ready to change clothes and go see Mu Chen.
The little merman’s quarters were still under construction, so they would have to find him somewhere temporary to sleep tonight.
Just then, there was a sudden knock at the door of the sitting room farther away.
“...Could you please let His Highness know we’re here?” Quina stood outside the prince’s chambers, holding Mu Chen’s hand.
As she looked up to speak to the guard, her palm suddenly felt empty, as if something slippery had darted out of her grasp.
She hurriedly looked down. Mu Chen was nowhere beside her.
All Quina could see was a flash of silver hair as Mu Chen darted inside like a nimble little animal.
“Hey, you can’t!”
She tried to stop Mu Chen from acting so recklessly, but he had already vanished from sight.
Wright had just fastened the last button on his shirt,
“Your Highness...”
when a soft voice suddenly sounded behind him.
Wright turned around, momentarily stunned. Mu Chen stood by his bed in pajamas, his silver hair falling to his waist as he gazed up at him with wide, pleading eyes. He was still clutching a little shark plushie.
It was like opening the door to your room and finding a little animal had already sneaked inside.
Who could bring themselves to scold a little animal with such an “innocent” look on its face?
Wright didn’t mention Mu Chen sneaking into his bedroom. He simply asked, “What is it?”
Mu Chen pinched the shark’s dorsal fin and puffed out his soft cheeks. “They’re renovating my room, so I don’t have anywhere to sleep tonight.”
Wright glanced at the guard waiting outside the door. “I’ll have someone arrange a place for you...”
But before he could finish, he saw the little merman slowly shuffle two steps toward the bed. Half of his silver hair spilled across the sheets, and his blue eyes stared straight at him.
“Your Highness, may I sleep here?”
As he spoke, he blinked his big eyes at Wright twice,
“Can I?”
“...”
Ever since Wright could remember, he had always slept alone. Having someone else enter his private space, like his bedroom, made him extremely uncomfortable.
But when he lowered his eyes, he saw Mu Chen resting his chin on the shark plushie, gazing at him with drooping puppy-dog eyes.
Wright fell silent.
The quiet lasted one second, then two, then three...
“All right.”
Wright sighed. It was just too hard to refuse the little merman.
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Mu Chen’s voice brightened. He gave Wright a sweet smile, then hopped onto the bed with a soft thump, leaving a dent in the sheets.
Hugging the little shark, he rolled to the other side of the spacious bed and burrowed under the goose-down comforter.
After settling himself and Sharky in the corner, Mu Chen gestured toward the large empty space on the bed,
“Your Highness, I’ll leave all this space for you.”