Jilted Guilt: the Mermaid and the Hunter - Chapter 3
“No.”
He answered again. His eyes were such a fresh color, Lavinia thought. The man looked away quickly, his brow furrowing.
His gravelly voice and stern appearance didn’t quite match, and it seemed that she, too, unintentionally stared at him. Lavinia also lowered her stiff eyes back down.
“Are you done with the swordsmanship lessons today?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Her head hung heavy with embarrassment at her inability to speak, but she was glad he had caught the Queen’s attention.
“Teach her well. I don’t want to see Eizentine running around like a raging colt.”
“I understand.”
“Her fighting spirit is so strong… As you can see, she is the only one who looks at the prince with such a competitive fervor.”
A cruel queen who cherishes her feisty princess. Trapped in the palace, Lavinia envisioned her future as a public sideshow spectacle if she didn’t simply die.
“I see.”
“So, the princess is looking for me?”
The queen’s gaze lingered for a few seconds, and then she narrowed her eyes and walked slowly toward Rosander, who responded to her question with a mute nod.
Lavinia relaxed, for the only thing she could hear was the sound of the Queen’s dress dragging on the floor.
* * *
“Lav!”
The voice’s owner tugged on Lavinia’s arm and came close behind her. Embarrassing the mermaid who naturally clung to her, Lavinia looked over her shoulder in surprise.
The mermaid giggled and snatched the coral crown from Lavinia’s head.
“What are you doing, Heliante! You scared me.”
Lavinia pouted her lips as she lightly smoothed a strand of red hair that strayed just between the other mermaid’s head and the coral crown.
The merfolk who inherited the strong blood of the Sea Mother Dianta were treated with great reverence from birth. Unlike Helianté, the proof of their heritage was their hair, which shone a brilliant blue.
The abilities inherited from their mother were meant to be used to protect the merfolk’s sea, so having such a color meant that their destiny was predetermined unlike other merfolk.
Lavinia was the ruler of the Isle of Larme, the guardian of the passage connecting the human world to the sea.
“Can I use it for a moment?
“You’re asking for it back so soon.”
To Lavinia, Heliante was strangely a friend with whom she could be herself. Even when she asked for the crown today, she was in no way threatening her.
Perhaps because she knew that Heliante was only interested in the “crown” itself. Lavinia always liked her honest nature.
“Is it really that nice?”
“It’s pretty!”
Heliante couldn’t resist pretty things. Especially new items, shiny jewels or gold trinkets not found in the sea became part of her collection.
“Do you want me to give it to you?”
“No?”
Heliante, who had been joking about not intending to take it anyway, suddenly spotted something amidst the underwater plants on the seabed.
Lavinia followed her and found a deep trench at the spot where she had stopped. She couldn’t see much, but it seemed like a large chest had sunk to the depths.
“What could that be?”
Lavinia swam swiftly toward the chest without responding to Heliante’s question. She had an instinctive feeling that they needed to confirm whatever it was.
A faint yellow glow slowly became visible as they entered the trench. Unlike the entrance, the bottom of the trench had a wide floor.
“Wait!”
Heliante’s cry rang out as Lavinia approached the chest. It was quite large, large enough to fit both Lavinia and Heliante inside with some room to spare.
Lavinia squinted, a sense of unease steadily creeping around her. As she reached out to touch the chest, a hand grabbed her arm. Startled, Lavinia recoiled with some force.
“It’s me. What’s wrong?”
“Oh……nothing.”
Heliante smirked at her, still chuckling, and teased her. Lavinia rolled her eyes and pursed her lips playfully.
“How could the brave princess guarding Larme be this easily spooked?”
“We wouldn’t have made it this far if it weren’t for me. You know that, right?”
Lavinia glared at Heliante who was now in a restricted area not meant for ordinary merfolk.
“Never mind, let’s open it together.”
Ignoring Lavinia’s reprimanding stare, Heliante ran her hands over the edges of the chest. Frustrated by her fumbling attempts, Lavinia searched for the lock herself. She let out a small gasp as the rusted metal clinging to the seaweed found its way into her hand.
“This is it.”
