Chapter 9
“Good Boy...” Wright looked at the wolfhound sea dog in his arms, his expression briefly faltering.
He raised his head and met Mu Chen’s expectant blue eyes again. They seemed to silently ask, “What do you think of the name I came up with? Isn’t it great?”
Wright fell silent for a moment, then parted his thin lips and slowly said:
“Sounds good.”
[“Sounds good.”]
[Good Boy hahahahaha, what kind of name is that?]
[Did nobody notice the puppy froze just now?]
[Puppy: Woof! Did anyone ask what I thought?]
[I just realized Chen cub is actually a naming genius. “Sharky” and “Good Boy”—hahahahaha!]
[Good thing Chen cub doesn’t have to name himself. Otherwise, I can’t imagine what he’d be called now.]
[My guess: Little Fish]
[Hahahahaha, help! Why does it weirdly suit him?]
Mu Chen spent the afternoon playing with the puppy in the livestream. More precisely, he trained the sea dog to fetch a frisbee so he could have even more fun.
Wright sat to one side, reviewing files on his smart-brain. If nothing unusual happened at the border over the next three months, he would stay in the capital.
He was deeply absorbed whenever he handled official business, as if automatically shutting out everything around him. But every so often, his amber eyes would lift from the virtual screen and linger on the rippling lake, where he could hear Mu Chen and the sea dog playing...
A week ago, Wright had flown back to the capital to cancel the engagement.
And now, there was a little merman in the palace.
It was a strange feeling.
The shimmering water had a calming magic, much like the little merman in it who would flash him a smile from time to time.
Whenever that happened, the corners of Wright’s tightly pressed lips would relax, and he would return to his files.
At dusk, he finished all his official business, and Mu Chen and the sea dog were tired from playing.
The little merman had just ended the livestream when Good Boy seemed to notice something unusual and looked alert.
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
Then, in a single bound, it rushed to the shore, shook the water from its coat, and sat by the palace door, barking a few times.
The next second, the door creaked open, and the attendant on guard outside respectfully called, “Your Highness.”
“Big Brother!”
Lance had a head of dazzling blond hair too, and paired with his brilliant smile, it was hard not to be dazzled by him.
As soon as he entered, he surveyed the enormous indoor lake with an appreciative gaze and teased, “Tsk, tsk, tsk... What treasure are you hiding here?”
“Woof! Woof!”
The sea dog was wary of strangers. The moment it caught an unfamiliar scent, it began barking incessantly.
“Hi, puppy. How are you?”
Lance reached out, trying to interact with it in a friendly way.
“Woof!”
The sea dog wasn’t having it. It lunged forward and bit down on Lance’s pant leg.
“Hey, hey, hey... My pants! These are new, don’t bite! Let go... Somebody come deal with it!”
Mu Chen leaned against the shore and laughed at the sight of the man and dog arguing. After a while, he waved at the sea dog. “Good Boy, come here.”
As soon as the sea dog heard Mu Chen call, it trotted over, patter, patter, and sat down by the shore.
“Phew...” Lance let out a breath of relief. He looked down to smooth his clothes, then reached up to sweep the stray hair from his forehead before regaining his usual carefree smile.
Standing side by side, Wright and Lance were obviously brothers.
Their temperaments, however, were worlds apart.
Wright had thin lips, and his deep-set eyes always held a cold, detached air. He was handsome and dazzling, but like the blazing sun at high noon, getting too close could leave you scorched.
Lance’s slightly upturned eyes held a hint of irreverence, and his whole being radiated lazy nonchalance. He was the sort of man who could make a maid blush just by standing there and talking to her.
“A few days ago, weren’t you still... Hmm?” Lance glanced at the little merman leaning by the shore and peering at them. He raised an eyebrow, then exaggeratedly imitated Wright’s tone, his face going stern:
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m here to cancel the engagement.”
After saying this, Lance nudged Wright’s arm teasingly. “So what’s going on now? You had the pool built overnight?”
Wright seemed already immune to his teasing. The two had developed a way of getting along that amounted to “you say your piece, I’ll say mine.”
He brought Lance to the pool and introduced him in a formal, matter-of-fact tone. “This is my younger brother, Lance. You’ll probably see him often in the palace from now on.”
“Your Highness.”
Mu Chen greeted him politely.
His lips naturally curved upward, so unless he deliberately put on a cold expression, he always looked very likable.
Lance made a show of drawing in a surprised breath, then looked at Wright. “I should go explore the ruins of Atlantis right now. If I’m lucky, I’ll run into a merman by tomorrow.”
Wright pressed his lips together. “I’ll take you.”
With a smile at his older brother’s teasing, Lance then produced a bouquet of vivid blue baby’s breath from behind his back as if by magic. He bent down and offered it to the little merman. “This is for you. It’s the same blue as your eyes.”
“But your eyes look... even bluer than they do on the livestream.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Mu Chen took the bouquet, and Good Boy immediately leaned in curiously.
“Honestly, it’s a good thing you agreed to this engagement.” Lance patted Wright on the shoulder and leaned back in a soft chair, crossing his long legs. “You should’ve seen Kyle’s sour face lately. It was as black as if he’d gone down a mine shaft to dig coal.”
He interlaced his fingers in front of his chest, making no effort to hide his gloating smile.
After being named Crown Prince, Wright was either off at war or handling military affairs elsewhere. On the rare occasions he was summoned back to attend a banquet, he always wore a cold expression and looked thoroughly impatient, like Cinderella, who would transform at midnight—except Wright wasn’t in a hurry to ride home in a pumpkin carriage, but to go deal with some bomb disposal mission.
Anyone who admired him was scared off.
Wright himself had never cared about any of this, just as he seemed not to regard Catherine and the King’s son as a threat.
But rats in the gutter were best at making trouble.
Lance sometimes genuinely worried Wright would never figure out love in his entire life. At this rate, his relationship with the King would only grow more and more strained...
Until he saw this little merman today.
Lance couldn’t help sighing that some people really did find love the way an iron tree blooms—though of course, that wasn’t to say Wright had finally come around.
Some people never talked about love. They stood alone, until one day, a peerless beauty dropped from the sky and someone told them, “This is the lover you were destined to meet.”
After hearing Lance’s remarks, Wright showed little reaction. He merely lowered his eyes, his gaze resting on the little merman fiddling with the baby’s breath. “Mu Chen is like a younger brother to me.”
“Mm-hmm.” Lance gave a laugh. “I’m your younger brother too. Why haven’t you built me a palace? When we were kids, you wouldn’t even let me copy your homework.”
He had already expected Wright to react this way. But feelings could be cultivated slowly as they grew up; once the engagement was settled, everything else would be easy.
As they spoke, Lance noticed the little merman glancing their way again and again.
“By the way...” He abruptly changed the subject. “Shouldn’t the little merman have a tutor at court too?”
Mu Chen, who had been petting Good Boy, froze.
The fear of school was apparently universal among all species on Blue Star.
A sly glint flashed in Lance’s eyes. “I bet they’ll invite that old man Blake.”
Mu Chen asked, “What’s wrong with him?”
But his gaze instinctively turned toward Wright.
“Well...” Lance tapped his fingers against the back of the chair. “You definitely won’t like him.”
As he spoke, he coughed twice and imitated Blake in a senile voice:
“Lance, do you need me to bring you a cane?”
“Young man, don’t make me remind you a second time. Straighten your back! From behind, you look like an eighty-year-old man!”
Having successfully passed the pressure on, Lance cheerfully rose from his seat, then smiled at Mu Chen.
“Of course, don’t worry too much, little merman. If you find class too boring, I’ll take you out to have fun. The palace is the most boring place in the whole capital.”
Under Wright’s “kind” gaze, Lance walked over to the palace door, his smile growing brighter.
“Don’t worry, I won’t lead him astray.”
...
Beneath the warm, romantic orange glow of the lights,
Kyle glanced up at the striking black-haired beauty before him, and his mood improved for once.
Shelley Isos’s long hair fell like a waterfall. She gently swirled the red wine in her glass and casually lifted the corner of her eye. Her peach-blossom eyes seemed made to beguile.
Kyle’s lips involuntarily curled upward as he put a piece of steak into his mouth.
She keeps looking this way...
Does she like me?
Still, as the daughter of a court minister, Shelley Isos’s status was just barely suitable as a match for him.
Kyle wiped his mouth with a napkin and smiled, his lips curling. “Miss Shelley, the roses in the palace are in bloom. Would you like to have afternoon tea with me tomorrow?”
As for whether Shelley was a suitable marriage alliance, he would have to see how she acted from here on.
“I’ve heard for a long time that the palace gardens are beautiful. Now that Your Highness has invited me, I couldn’t be happier.”
Shelley propped her chin on her hand, and a glimmer flashed through her originally catlike, languid eyes.
Kyle gave a quiet snort to himself. She accepted so quickly; she really was interested in him.
“Actually...” Shelley parted her red lips, and a hint of shyness suddenly flickered through her usually flirtatious, carefree eyes. “I’ve always...”
Kyle paused in the middle of cutting his steak, his attention completely captivated by her.
Confessing her feelings to him already was a little low-class, but she really was quite pretty.
“Really wanted to meet that little merman.”
Shelley clasped her hands together.
Kyle: “???”
What...?
“What did you say?”
At the mention of mermen, Shelley’s expression immediately became much more animated. “I’ve watched every one of the royal family’s livestreams. Mu Chen is just too cute! I also really like your older brother. Prince Wright is so gentle with the little merman. Mom, I...”
“Ah, no...” Shelley realized she’d nearly said the wrong thing and covered her red lips with her hand. “I mean...”
“Third Prince, you must have a way to meet that little merman, right?”
She had endured this date for ages. If it weren’t for finding a way to meet the little merman, she would never have agreed to her father setting her up on a blind date.
She should have been watching hot guys pole-dance with her girlfriends right now, not listening to this boring man blather on all night.
But for the little merman... Shelley repeatedly reminded herself...
It was all worth it!
At that moment, Kyle’s face had gone completely stiff, and the corner of his mouth twitched...
What was there to see in some stupid merman?
So stupid.
But his masculine pride wouldn’t let him say no.
Kyle forced a smile. “Wanting to see that merman is easy.”
“Wow~” Shelley’s eyes curved into crescents. “That’s great!”
She made a camera-snapping gesture,
“By the way, if possible...”
“Could you get your big brother to appear on camera too?”