Chapter 82: Merfolk Fairy Tales (VI)

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Chapter 82: Merfolk Fairy Tales (VI)

Lin swished his tail through the warm seawater. Unlike Lian, who had been all but confined within the barrier, he enjoyed the greatest possible freedom. No matter where he went, the wizard had never once objected. His life here was almost no different from his days in the palace, the only distinction being that the palace guards had been replaced by the wizard. Glancing back, the red figure stood out vividly against the azure sea. The dim waters only made that brilliant color more striking, lending him an air of effortless elegance.

Had it been another wizard dressed in black, the sight would have felt gloomy. But Wizard Chen, clad in red, resembled the most beautiful seaweed, carrying an almost breathtaking beauty. Lin lowered his gaze to the golden robes of the Crown Prince of the Western Sea that he still wore. The garments, embroidered with subtle patterns, radiated nobility and luxury, yet lacked any sense of freedom, making them seem rather rigid. Still… they no longer fit him quite as well.

As the recent discomfort in his body came to mind, Lin’s expression darkened. He had only thought about using this child to increase his strength; he had never imagined that carrying one would be so tormenting. Although mermen were capable of bearing children, such cases were rare. In fact, mermen often experienced even stronger reactions than mermaids. And the child in his womb was no ordinary merchild, but the forbidden union of a merfolk and a wizard.

The thought had barely crossed his mind before the power within him suddenly surged out of control. Even his innate merfolk power slipped beyond his command. The flush on his face drained away, leaving him deathly pale, and the luster of the scales on his tail dimmed. Almost instinctively, he reached out and clung to a cool body. Miao Lichen had appeared at his side almost the moment his expression changed. Resting a hand against Lin’s abdomen, he sent a warm current of power into him, soothing the turbulent energy.

The life growing inside him seemed almost instinctively repelled by merfolk power, yet possessed an innate affinity for a wizard’s magic. In that regard, wizards truly were an overbearing race. Their bloodline tolerated no impurity. They would rather allow ordinary humans with no magical power to dilute their lineage than permit merfolk power to merge with it.

Color gradually returned to Lin’s face, though his limbs remained weak, leaving him almost entirely supported by Miao Lichen. As always, Miao Lichen placed a blue vial into his palm, its color standing out vividly against his slightly flushed hand. Ever since Princess Lian had left, the wizard seemed to have taken to destroying those spider lilies with increasing frequency.

A tragic love indeed. When someone born to darkness fell in love with the light, this was all that remained. Though the man never wore his emotions on his face, some things were impossible to hide, especially from someone so much like himself. How could Lin fail to notice the faint melancholy that always surrounded the wizard whenever he stood beside the spider lilies?

Pressing his lips together, Lin drank the blue potion. A flicker of violence crossed his eyes, though even he failed to notice it. Even if he had, he would have dismissed it as nothing more than the irritation caused by the child in his womb. He had long prepared himself to endure suffering in exchange for a wizard’s power, but that did not mean he could avoid feeling frustrated while enduring it.

Fortunately, that suffering was nearing its end. The day this child was meant to be born would also be the day he claimed that immense power. Suppressing the faint trace of reluctance in his heart, he reminded himself that he had never forgotten what he desired from the very beginning. Even if what he was about to lose might also be precious, it was not the most important thing. It was only a child. Even if merfolk seldom conceived, even if this would likely be his only chance to bear one of his own, it could not change the plan he had made from the start.

Miao Lichen gently smoothed Lin’s sea-blue hair. His voice seemed to carry the faintest hint of a sigh, though upon closer listening, it was as if there had been nothing at all. “Your condition isn’t suited to wandering around anymore. Let’s head back.”

“No.” Lin rejected the suggestion. “Let’s rest here for a while. There’s no need to return to that barrier. Even the most beautiful scenery grows tiresome if you stare at it long enough, let alone an entire courtyard filled with spider lilies. I’ve never been fond of them.” Thinking of the red robe he had found tucked away in the wardrobe, he let out his habitual scoff.

If the wizard knew how deeply that princess loved him, would he still choose to abandon her? Even if he was the better choice to bear the wizard’s child, in the end, the wizard would gain nothing.

When both love and his final wish slipped beyond his grasp, would this genius, who had never once tasted failure, still wear that same calm, tranquil expression? Or would he descend into hysterical madness? Lin found himself looking forward to shattering that composed mask. He simply could not stand how a wizard steeped in darkness always carried himself with such detached elegance. The wizard had already placed the decisive piece in his hands. Passing up such an opportunity was not something Lin, Crown Prince of the Western Sea, would ever do. Besides, that very piece was also an essential part of the trap he had laid.

A faint smile appeared on Lin’s face as he reached out and hooked a finger around the wizard’s white hair. It was not the lifeless white of old age. Miao Lichen’s hair carried a faint warmth. Recalling what he had read in that book, obvious malice flickered across Lin’s eyes. “Wizard, give me a strand of your hair as a gift for bearing this child.”

A wizard’s hair could be used as the medium for a curse, so wizards rarely gave their hair to others.

Miao Lichen glanced at him, then plucked a single strand from his head and placed it in Lin’s palm.

The strand drifted gently in the seawater, and Lin felt as though something were brushing lightly against his heart, leaving behind an indescribable tingling sensation. Even the triumphant words he had intended to say refused to come. How arrogant. Was he really not afraid that Lin would have another wizard curse him? Then again, perhaps he had simply never regarded the curses of other wizards as worthy of concern. He was Wizard Chen.

Lin tried to raise the habitual curve of his lips, but failed. Instead, he merely pressed his lips together and closed his fingers around the strand of hair. Wrapping both arms around Miao Lichen’s neck, he said, “Is this how you made the princess fall for you, little by little? How cunning. I know about wizards, so something like this won’t move me. I… truly feel sorry for that princess. If this gentleness isn’t hers alone, then it isn’t worth treasuring.”

∇ Capture Target Lin Favorability: 70.

“Mmm.” Miao Lichen gave only a noncommittal hum as he wrapped an arm around Lin’s waist and lifted him up. Finding a smooth coral formation, he sat down and settled Lin onto his lap. He paid no mind to how closely their bodies were pressed together, nor to their breaths that seemed almost intertwined. Instead, he continued using his wizard’s power to soothe the child within Lin’s womb, allowing it to absorb more magic and grow even stronger before birth.

Lin reached out and grasped Miao Lichen’s reddened hand. The red stain, built up over time, seemed impossible to wash away. Even the lines on his palm had taken on a faint scarlet hue. Among humans, wizards, merfolk, and many other races, the lines of one’s palm were said to reflect the course of a person’s life: the lifeline, the career line, and countless others. Their intricate patterns silently narrated the story of a lifetime, though only those with the proper knowledge could read them.

Lin studied the lines in the wizard’s palm. Every one of them was smooth, almost flawless. If the books he had read were correct, such a palm belonged to someone destined to have everything go their way, and Wizard Chen’s life up until now had certainly proven that. But… Lin intended to teach him what true failure felt like for the first time. He wondered whether destroying such a perfect life would bring him more satisfaction or more regret.

He spread open his own palm. Its tangled lines were nearly impossible to follow. Every line was distinct, yet none had a true beginning or end. He placed his hand over Miao Lichen’s, their fingers intertwining. Just like the beating of their hearts at that moment, they were impossibly close, yet separated by an immeasurable distance.

“How much longer until this child is born?” After a long silence, Lin finally spoke, the question sounding almost casual. Before making his decision, he had already learned a great deal about this forbidden child. Yet reality differed from what the books described. None of the records had mentioned that an unborn child could possess such active power. Weren’t they supposed to gain overwhelming strength only at the moment of birth? Or was it because of the potions the wizard had been giving him?

The records he had read described the natural union of a wizard and a merfolk, lovers who had chosen to have a child together. His own case was entirely different. He had conceived this child by drinking a potion whose contents he still did not know.

“In one more month, you’ll be free to leave.” Miao Lichen’s body seemed to stiffen for the briefest instant before he answered in an emotionless voice. He withdrew his hand from Lin’s abdomen, and a faint smile curved his lips. It seemed to rise from the depths of his heart, making it strangely difficult to look away.

Lin tightened his grip ever so slightly. Perhaps he had been mistaken. Perhaps Wizard Chen’s gentleness really was unique after all. The only one who possessed it was the unborn child. Did the spider lily truly symbolize a love that had already faded into the past yet could never be forgotten? Why did everything about it feel so unreal? It was as though every truth lay hidden behind a veil of mist, and for the moment, he could find no way to lift it.

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